Point Group Research Articles

Large off-diagonal magnetoelectricity in a triangular Co2+-based collinear antiferromagnet

Magnetic toroidicity is an uncommon type of magnetic structure in solid-state materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that collinear spins in a material with R-3 lattice symmetry can host a significant magnetic toroidicity, even parallel to the ordered spins. Taking advantage of a single crystal sample of CoTe6O13 with an R-3 space group and a Co2+ triangular sublattice, temperature-dependent magnetic, thermodynamic, and neutron diffraction results reveal A-type antiferromagnetic order below 19.5 K, with magnetic point group -3′ and k = (0,0,0). Our symmetry analysis suggests that the missing mirror symmetry in the lattice could lead to the local spin canting for a toroidal moment along the c axis. Experimentally, we observe a large off-diagonal magnetoelectric coefficient of 41.2 ps/m that evidences the magnetic toroidicity. In addition, the paramagnetic state exhibits a large effective moment per Co2+, indicating that the magnetic moment in CoTe6O13 has a significant orbital contribution. CoTe6O13 embodies an excellent opportunity for the study of next-generation functional magnetoelectric materials.

A practical prognostic peripheral blood-based risk model for the evaluation of the likelihood of a response and survival of metastatic cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

BackgroundLess than half of unselected metastatic cancer patients benefit from the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Systemic cancer-related inflammation may influence the efficacy of ICIs and thus, systemic inflammatory markers could have prognostic and/or predictive potential in ICI therapy. Here, we aimed to identify a combination of inflammation-related laboratory parameters to establish a practical prognostic risk model for the pretreatment evaluation of a response and survival of ICI-treated patients with different types of metastatic cancers.MethodsThe study-cohort consisted of a real-world patient population receiving ICIs for metastatic cancers of different origins (n = 158). Laboratory parameters determined before the initiation of the ICI treatment were retrospectively collected. Six inflammation-related parameters i.e., elevated values of neutrophils, platelets, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and the presence of anemia, were each scored with one point, giving 0–6 risk points for each patient. The patients with information of all these six parameters (n = 109) were then stratified into low-risk (0–3 points) and high-risk (4–6 points) groups. The overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) according to the risk scores were determined.ResultsThe risk model was strongly associated with the outcome of the patients. The ORR to ICI treatment in the high-risk group was 30.3% in comparison to 53.9% in the low-risk group (p = 0.023). The medians for OS were 10.0 months and 27.3 months, respectively (p < 0.001), and the corresponding medians for PFS were 3.9 months and 6.3 months (p = 0.002). The risk group remained as a significant prognostic factor for both OS (HR 3.04, 95% CI 1.64–5.64, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.04–3.06, p = 0.035) in the Cox multivariate analyses.ConclusionsWe propose a readily feasible, practical risk model consisted of six inflammation-related laboratory parameters as a tool for outcome prediction in metastatic cancer patients treated with ICIs. The risk model was strongly associated with the outcome of the patients in terms of all the evaluated indicators i.e., ORR, OS and PFS. Yet, further studies are needed to validate the risk model.

"Smart Emergency Call Point" Enhancing Emergency Medical Services on University Campuses.

The "Smart Emergency Call Point" is a device designed for requesting assistance and facilitating rapid responses to emergencies. The functionality of smart emergency call points has evolved to include features as real-time photo transmission and communication capabilities for both staff and emergency personnel. These devices are being used to request Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on university campuses. Despite these developments, there has been a lack of previous studies demonstrating significant advantages of integrating smart emergency call points into EMS systems. The primary goal of this study was to compare the response times of EMS between traditional phone calls and the utilization of smart emergency call points located on university campuses. Additionally, the study aimed to provide insights into the characteristics of smart emergency call points as a secondary objective. This retrospective database analysis made use of information acquired from Thailand's EMS at Srinagarind Hospital. The data were gathered over a period of four years, specifically from January 2019 through January 2022. The study included two groups: the first group used the phone number 1669 to request EMS assistance, while the second group utilized the smart emergency call point. The primary focus was on the response times. Additionally, the study documented the characteristics of the smart emergency call points that were used in the study. Among the 184 EMS operations included in this study, 60.9% (N = 56) involved females in the smart emergency call point group. Notably, the smart emergency call point group showed a higher frequency of operations between the hours of 6:00am and 6:00pm when compared to the 1669 call group (P = .020). In dispatch triage, the majority of emergency call points were categorized as non-urgent, in contrast to the phone group for 1669 which were primarily cases categorized as urgent (P = .010). The average response time for the smart emergency call point group was significantly shorter, at 6.01 minutes, compared to the phone number 1669 group, which had an average response time of 9.14 minutes (P <.001). In the context of calling for EMS on a university campus, the smart emergency call points demonstrate a significantly faster response time than phone number 1669 in Thailand. Furthermore, the system also offers the capability to request emergency assistance.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces-Enhanced Uplink User-Centric Networks on Energy Efficiency Optimization

User-centric network (UCN) has been considered as a promising technology to improve the throughput of users, especially users at the cell edge, where each user is connected to and served by a group of access points. With the rapid growth of user’s uplink traffic demands, energy consumption has become an important issue in uplink UCN as user’s battery capacity is limited. To address this issue, in this research, we develop a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-enhanced uplink UCN, where RIS is exploited to improve the signal quality of uplink transmission for users with virtually no extra energy consumption. To approach an optimal energy efficiency, we jointly perform reflect beamforming at RISs and uplink power control at users. This is formulated into a non-convex and intractable energy efficiency maximization problem. To solve it effectively, we decompose it into two subproblems and carry out the optimization alternately. That is, we design the reflect beamforming matrices at RISs through fractional programming and an uplink power control at users through constructing a surrogate function via majorization-minimization algorithm. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm could achieve significant gain both on energy efficiency and spectral efficiency compared to the benchmark algorithm.

An integrated workflow for 2D and 3D posture analysis during vestibular system testing in mice.

Posture extraction from videos is fundamental to many real-world applications, including health screenings. In this study, we extend the utility and specificity of a well-established protocol, the balance beam, for examining balance and active motor coordination in adult mice of both sexes. The primary objective of this study is to design a workflow for analyzing the postures of mice walking on a balance beam. We developed new tools and scripts based on the FluoRender architecture, which can interact with DeepLabCut (DLC) through Python code. Notably, twenty input videos were divided into four feature point groups (head, body, tail, and feet), based on camera positions relative to the balance beam (left and right), and viewing angles (90° and 45° from the beam). We determined key feature points on the mouse to track posture in a still video frame. We extracted a standard walk cycle (SWC) by focusing on foot movements, which were computed by a weighted average of the extracted walk cycles. The correlation of each walk cycle to the SWC was used as the weight. We learned that positions of the camera angles significantly improved the performance of 2D pose estimation (90°) and 3D (45°). Comparing the SWCs from age-matched mice, we found a consistent pattern of supporting feet on the beam. Two feet were consistently on the beam followed by three feet and another three feet in a 2-3-3 pattern. However, this pattern can be mirrored among individual subjects. A subtle phase shift of foot movement was also observed from the SWCs. Furthermore, we compared the SWCs with speed values to reveal anomalies in mouse walk postures. Some anomalies can be explained as the start or finish of the traversal, while others may be correlated to the distractions of the test environment, which will need further investigation. Our posture analysis workflow improves the classical behavioral testing and analysis, allowing the detection of subtle, but significant differences in vestibular function and motor coordination.

Effects of auricular point sticking on labor pain and anxiety

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of auricular point sticking on pain and anxiety during the latent period of the first stage of labor in primiparas.MethodsPrimiparas meeting eligibility criteria were recruited. The participants were randomized into an auricular point group, a placebo group, and a control group. The control group received daily care. The auricular point group received 120 min of auricular point sticking therapy. The placebo group received the same auricular plasters as the auricular point group but without pressing. Participants’ pain, anxiety, and uterine contractions were measured at enrollment and 30, 60, and 120 min of interventions.ResultsData from 78 participants were analyzed in this study. After uterine contraction was adjusted as a covariate, there was no significant difference among groups in the baseline anxiety, baseline pain, and anxiety at 30-min intervention (P>0.05), and no significant difference between the placebo group and the control group in each indicator at each time point (P>0.05). The anxiety scores of the auricular point group at 60 min and 120 min were lower than those of the placebo group and the control group (P<0.05). The pain in the auricular point group was less than that in the placebo group and the control group at 30, 60, and 120 min of interventions (P<0.05).ConclusionAuricular point sticking therapy can relieve anxiety and pain in women during the latent period of labor. Moreover, the effect is fast-acting. It can be used as a safe and effective complementary therapy.

Nutrients retention function indications in the water quality of the floodplain area on the lower Batanghari River

The Lower Batanghari River often experiences mass deaths of fish. This could be a symptom of eutrophication caused by nutrient enrichment in the water bodies. Floodplain areas are important in reducing parts of these nutrient loadings. This study aimed to examine water qualities related to the nutrient retention function within the Batanghari River floodplain ecosystem. A sampling expedition was conducted in April-May 2021, during a dry season transition period. Sampling was conducted at 20 sampling points stretching over +200 km long within the river and its tributaries. These sampling points were categorized as main river channels, tributaries, and floodplain swamps and lakes. The water quality parameters measured were temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total organic matter (TOM). The main river TP concentrations ranged from 0.21-0.33 mg/L, suitable for fishery activities. The overall sampling point groups have distinct characteristics regarding their DO, TP, and TOM values. The average TP in floodplain lakes was found significantly lower (t(13)=8.636, p<0.05) than in the river. Meanwhile, a decrease in TN up to 90% was also found in its lower main river channel. These lower nutrient concentrations along the river floodplain gradients indicate a nutrient retention function. Thus, to reduce eutrophication impacts, floodplain conservation is becoming important.

On the Constitutive Modelling of Piezoelectric Quasicrystals

Quasicrystals endowed with piezoelectric properties belong nowadays to novel piezoelectric materials. In this work, the basic framework of generalized piezoelectricity theory of quasicrystals is investigated by providing an improvement of the existing constitutive modelling. It is shown, for the first time, that the tensor of phason piezoelectric moduli is fully asymmetric without any major or minor symmetry, which has important consequences on the constitutive relations as well as on its classification with respect to the crystal systems and Laue classes. The exploration of the tensor of phason piezoelectric moduli has a significant impact on the understanding of the piezoelectric properties of quasicrystals. Using the group representation theory, the classification of the tensor of phason piezoelectric moduli with respect to the crystal systems and Laue classes is given for one-dimensional quasicrystals. The number of independent components of the phason piezoelectric moduli is determined for all 31 point groups of one-dimensional quasicrystals. It is proven that the 10 centrosymmetric crystallographic point groups have no piezoelectric effects and that the remaining 21 non-centrosymmetric crystallographic point groups exhibit piezoelectric effects due to both phonon and phason fields. Moreover, the constitutive relations for one-dimensional hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystals of Laue class 9 with point group 6 and Laue class 10 with point group 6mm are explicitly derived, showing that the constitutive relations for piezoelectric quasicrystals depend on the considered Laue class as well as on the point group. Comparisons with existing results in the literature and discussion are also given.

Discovery of Ultrasmall Polar Merons and Rich Topological Phase Transitions: Defects Make 2D Lead Chalcogenides Flexible Topological Materials

AbstractAtomic‐scale polar topological configurations, such as skyrmions and merons, have garnered enormous interest due to their rich emergent physical phenomena and promising applications in next‐generation electronics. Despite recent progress in the exploration of 2D ferroelectrics, isolated polar topological structures in 2D lattices have not yet been explored. Here, an original design principle is proposed to remove the point group limit for polar structures while achieving atomic‐scale polar topological structures in non‐ferroelectric monolayers caused by defects in 2D materials. The first‐principles calculations show that an isolated polar meron with a diameter &lt; 3.0 nm is generated in the deficient lead chalcogenide monolayer, and its formation is attributed to the synergic effects of vacancy‐induced radial atomic displacements and symmetry reduction in 2D materials. The emergent polar meron can transform to rich topological configurations under external stimuli or by manipulation of the defect concentrations. Furthermore, this strategy of atomic‐scale symmetry breaking via point defect engineering can be applied to a wide variety of 2D materials to induce polar topological structures. This work generalizes the polar topology from perovskite oxides to 2D materials, facilitating exciting opportunities to create high‐density topological configurations that enable the exploration of meron/skyrmion‐based functional nanodevices.

The International Tables Symmetry Database

The International Tables Symmetry Database (https://symmdb.iucr.org/), which is part of International Tables for Crystallography, is a collection of individual databases of crystallographic space-group and point-group information with associated programs. The programs let the user access and in some cases interactively visualize the data, and some also allow new data to be calculated `on the fly'. Together these databases and programs expand upon and complement the symmetry information provided in International Tables for Crystallography Volume A, Space-Group Symmetry, and Volume A1, Symmetry Relations between Space Groups. The Symmetry Database allows users to learn about and explore the space and point groups, and facilitates the study of group–subgroup relations between space groups, with applications in determining crystal-structure relationships, in studying phase transitions and in domain-structure analysis. The use of the International Tables Symmetry Database in all these areas is demonstrated using several examples.

The PointGroupNRG code for numerical renormalization group calculations with discrete point-group symmetries

The numerical renormalization group (NRG) has been widely used as a magnetic impurity solver since the pioneering works by Wilson. Over the past decades, a significant attention has been focused on the application of symmetries in order to reduce the computational cost of the calculations and to improve their accuracy. In particular, a notable progress has been made in implementing continuous symmetries such as SO(3), useful for studying impurities in an isotropic medium, or SU(N), which is applicable to a wide range of systems. In this work, we focus on the application of discrete point group symmetries, which are particularly relevant for impurity systems in metals where crystal field effects are important. With this aim, we have developed an original NRG code written in the Julia language, PointGroupNRG, where we have implemented crystal point-group symmetries for the Anderson impurity model, as well as the continuous spin and charge symmetries. Among other results, we demonstrate the advantage of our procedure by applying the code to a two-impurity model with RKKY interaction and an impurity system with two orbitals of Eg symmetry and two channels. We also provide benchmarks to show the performance improvements obtained by exploiting the orbital symmetries.

ASXL1/ TET2 Genotype-Based Risk Stratification Outperforms ASXL1 Mutational Impact and Is Independent of Mutant Variant Allele Fractions (VAF) in CMML

Introduction Truncating ASXL1 mutations in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) are associated with inferior overall survival (OS) and leukemia free survival (LFS). Conversely, loss-of-function mutations in TET2 are associated with better outcomes, with the ASXL1wt/ TET2mut genotype being associated with the best OS and LFS-rates (Coltro G, et al. Leukemia. 2020). Contemporary CMML prognostic scoring systems - such as the Mayo Molecular Model (MMM; Patnaik MM, et al. Leukemia. 2014) and the CPSS-Molecular Model (CMM; Elena C, et al. Blood. 2016) - do not consider concomitant ASXL1/ TET2 mutational status or mutational VAF. We hypothesized that the ASXL1/ TET2 genotype would better risk stratify patients in comparison to ASXL1 mutations alone, and that this effect would be proportional to the underlying mutational VAF. Methods After IRB approval, we compiled a large (n = 888), molecularly annotated database of CMML patients seen at two US medical centers (Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson) via retrospective chart review. All statistical analyses considered the clinical and laboratory parameters obtained at the time of presentation to the respective institution. Categorical variables were compared by Fisher exact or Pearson χ 2 tests and continuous variables by Mann-Whitney U tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Survival was assessed via the Kaplan-Meier method. P-values &amp;lt; 0.05 were considered significant. All statistical calculations were performed using the BlueSky Statistics (v10.3.1) interface for R. Results The median age of the cohort was 71 years (range 20 - 94), 67% were male, 46% had proliferative CMML (pCMML), and 19% had CMML-2. The distribution of low, intermediate-1, intermediate-2, and high-risk patients was 15%, 11%, 32%, and 42% by the MMM and 9%, 23%, 40%, and 28% by the CMM, respectively. The most frequently mutated genes were ASXL1 (45%), TET2 (43%), SRSF2 (41%), and RUNX1 (17%), while 40% harbored at least one RAS pathway mutation ( NRAS 16%, CBL 15%, KRAS 8%, PTPN11 4%, FLT3 2%). The median OS and LFS of the entire cohort were 31.8 months (95% CI 28.4 - 33.5 months) and 28.4 months (95% CI 24.6 - 32.1 months), respectively. Patients were stratified into ASXL1wt/ TET2wt (28%), ASXL1mut/ TET2wt (29%), ASXL1wt/ TET2mut (26%), and ASXL1mut/ TET2mut (17%) genotypes. Those with isolated TET2 mutations had the longest median OS (53.6 months; p &amp;lt; 0.02 for all comparisons) whereas those with isolated ASXL1 mutations had the shortest median OS (20.9 months; p &amp;lt; 0.04 for all comparisons); mutations in neither or both genes performed similarly (p = 0.9224; Figure 1A). The same trend was seen for LFS. We further hypothesized that the ASXL1 or TET2 mutation VAF would be more predictive of outcomes than a binary metric. The respective median VAFs were 37% (quartiles 28% - 45%) and 45% (quartiles 40% - 49%). When treated as a continuous variable, however, there was no correlation between either VAF and OS or LFS by both Pearson linear regression and Cox proportional hazard modeling. Unlike the overall cohort, the ASXL1/ TET2 genotypes did not further stratify patients with pCMML, CMML-2, or those considered high risk by the CMM in Kaplan-Meier analyses, suggesting that the high-risk features inherent in these subgroups outweigh the benefits of the TET2 mutation. In contrast, patients considered high-risk by the MMM were further stratified by the ASXL1/ TET2 genotypes. Incorporating TET2 mutations into the MMM as a protective factor (worth -1.5 points) improved detection of low- (≤ 1 point) and high-risk (≥ 4 points) patients, while intermediate-1 and intermediate-2 coalesced into a single intermediate risk category ( Figure 1B). A similar phenomenon was observed when TET2 was incorporated into the CMM (worth -1 point, yielding low- (0 points), intermediate- (1-2 points), and high-risk (≥ 3 points) groups with median OS of 83 months (95% CI 66.2 - 104.2), 34.3 months (95% CI 31.6 - 38.7), and 17.7 months (95% CI 15.7 - 20.2), respectively. Conclusions Truncating and hypomorphic TET2 mutations are associated with better outcomes in CMML, with the ASXL1mut/ TET2wt genotype being associated with improved risk stratification in comparison to ASXL1 mutational status alone. Counterintuitively, in our data set, this stratification was not impacted by mutational VAF, supporting binary mutational assessments in prognostic models.

Morphology and symmetry driven by lattice accommodation in polycrystalline bcc–fcc core–shell metallic nanoparticles

Body-centered-cubic–face-centered-cubic (bcc–fcc) multi-metallic nanoparticles (NPs) associating a single-crystal core (Fe, FeCo alloys, etc.) with a polycrystalline noble metal shell (Au, AuAg alloys, etc.) are perfectly symmetrical or more irregular, even dramatically dissymmetrical, yet presenting a good crystalline organization. Here, a combination of experimental analysis and theoretical symmetry analysis is proposed, in order to provide a unified description of the observed morphologies (Fe–Au and Fe–AuAg systems), whatever their symmetry, and predict some morphology variability in a population of NPs. First, the central role of the crystal lattice accommodation is comprehensively analyzed from the experimental Fe–AuAg system. The two possible bcc–fcc epitaxial relationships generate a core–shell interface in the shape of a truncated rhombic dodecahedron. This results in two different types of grains in the shell, which are elastically accommodated between them by an equal distribution of twins and low-angle grain boundaries, however, at the cost of internal stresses. At the same time, symmetry breaking results from two possible growth variants originating from the Nishiyama–Wasserman epitaxial relationships. The shell grains fit together in a nanopuzzle-like organization, resulting in a large number of possible arrangements distributed in 13 different point groups of symmetry, all of lower order than the core symmetry (highest order of cubic symmetry). If the variants are randomly distributed, the probability for the NP to be asymmetric (group 1) is 80%. The dissymmetrical development of the NPs is then discussed. Extending this approach to other core shapes succeeds in predicting dissymmetrical or dramatically off-centered morphologies experimentally observed in Fe–Au NPs.

Exploring the short and long-range order in connection with fluorine content in mixed anions copper hydroxyfluorides

Hydroxyl-rich (Cu-LF) and Fluorine-rich (Cu–HF) copper hydroxyfluorides Cu(OH)2-xFx (x = 0.4–0.5 and x = 0.9–1.5) were prepared by precipitation route followed by hydrothermal process where the starting pH and the HF molar content play a key role. Based on powder XRD and PDF analysis, long range and short order were evidenced with various Cu–O/F bondlengths illustrating the Jahn-teller distortion as well as the Cu–Cu intra-sheet and interslab interactions. Tuning the fluorine content allows chemical bonding modulation by antagonist effect, resulting for instance in the weakening of H bonding in the hydroxyl-rich compound. When the fluorine content increases, the average structures evolve from a disordered network with a random distribution of anions in the vicinity of Cu2+ in Cu-LF to a well ordered mixed anions phase where Cu(OH)3F3/Cu(OH)2F4/Cu(OH)5F distorted octahedra are close to C2h point group symmetry. Raman spectroscopy confirm the average structural features with the point group symmetry. One should outline in Cu–HF composition, stronger CuF3(OH)3 octahedron stiffness associated to a stretching O–H mode at lower frequency, synonymous of O–H bond weakening and consequently stronger hydrogen bonding in agreement with PDF analysis. UV–visible–NIR spectra show in Cu–HF hydroxyfluoride, an increase of the optical band gap of 0.6 eV and a decrease of Cu2+(3 d9) crystal field splitting of 0.1 eV in agreement with the larger fluorine content. However, the dxz-dyz orbital splitting increases of 0.2 eV in Cu–HF in good agreement with the C2h point group symmetry and the related distortion. Finally, whereas the hydroxyl-rich Cu-LF phase decomposes into CuO at T > 300 °C, the Fluorine rich Cu–HF compound lead at T > 320 °C to the formation of CuF2, Cu2O in addition to CuO. This unusual reduction process Cu2+ → Cu+ at low temperature is associated to the strengthening of Cu–O/F and Cu–Cu bonding in the basal plane of Cu(OH)3F3 distorted octahedron.

ON MODEL-THEORETIC CONNECTED GROUPS

AbstractWe introduce and study the model-theoretic notions of absolute connectedness and type-absolute connectedness for groups. We prove that groups of rational points of split semisimple linear groups (that is, Chevalley groups) over arbitrary infinite fields are absolutely connected and characterize connected Lie groups which are type-absolutely connected. We prove that the class of type-absolutely connected group is exactly the class of discretely topologized groups with the trivial Bohr compactification, that is, the class of minimally almost periodic groups.

Birational anabelian Grothendieck Conjecture for curves over arbitrary cyclotomic extension fields of number fields

In anabelian geometry, various strong/desired forms of Grothendieck Conjecture-type results for hyperbolic curves over relatively small arithmetic fields — for instance, finite fields, number fields, or p-adic local fields — have been obtained by many researchers, especially by A. Tamagawa and S. Mochizuki. Let us recall that, in their proofs, the Weil Conjecture or p-adic Hodge theory plays an essential role. Therefore, to obtain such Grothendieck Conjecture-type results, it appears that the condition that the cyclotomic characters of the absolute Galois groups of the base fields are highly nontrivial is indispensable. On the other hand, in an author's recent joint work with Y. Hoshi and S. Mochizuki, we introduced the notion of TKND-AVKF-field [concerning the divisible subgroups of the groups of rational points of semi-abelian varieties] and obtained the semi-absolute version of the Grothendieck Conjecture for higher dimensional (≥2) configuration spaces associated to hyperbolic curves of genus 0 over TKND-AVKF-fields contained in the algebraic closure of the field of rational numbers. For instance, every [possibly, infinite] cyclotomic extension field of a number field is such a TKND-AVKF-field. In particular, this Grothendieck Conjecture-type result suggests that the condition that the cyclotomic character of the absolute Galois group of the base field under consideration is sufficiently nontrivial is, in fact, not indispensable for strong/desired form of anabelian phenomena. In the present paper, to pose another evidence for this observation, we prove the relative birational version of the Grothendieck Conjecture for smooth curves over TKND-AVKF-fields with a certain mild condition that every cyclotomic extension field of a number field satisfies. From the viewpoint of the condition on base fields, this result may be regarded as a partial generalization of F. Pop and S. Mochizuki's results on the birational version of the Grothendieck Conjecture for smooth curves.

Estimation of the elastic and piezoelectric tensors of sapphire and lithium niobate from Brillouin light backscattering measurements of a single crystal sample

Brillouin light scattering is a versatile measurement technique of the dispersion of bulk acoustic phonons in amorphous and crystalline solids. It allows contactless and non-destructive characterization of the relevant material tensors of optically transparent materials, provided that the optical refraction indices, and in addition the dielectric tensor for piezoelectric materials, are known beforehand. The complete estimation of the anisotropic material tensors is often performed using many different crystal orientations, and hence different samples of the same crystal. In this paper, we consider the problem of measuring those tensors using a single sample of an anisotropic single crystal with trigonal symmetry. A complete measurement requires sufficient experimental diversity in the phonon wavevectors when sampling the phonon velocity surfaces, hence the consideration of a large number of directions away from crystallographic axes. We estimate all six independent elastic constants of non-piezoelectric sapphire (3¯ m point group) with a single X-cut wafer and the six independent elastic constants together with the four independent piezoelectric constants of piezoelectric lithium niobate (3 m point group) with a single Y-cut wafer. The estimated tensors are in close agreement with those reported in the literature based on resonant ultrasonic techniques.

Tensorial Fourier expansion oforientation distribution function defined on the orthogonal group O(3).

Recently, Man and Du, in the context of classical texture analysis where the orientation distribution function (ODF) is defined on the rotation group SO(3), presented a systematic procedure by which the classical expansion of an ODF truncated at the order [Formula: see text] can be directly rewritten as a tensorial Fourier expansion truncated at the same order. In classical texture analysis, the groups of crystallite and texture symmetries are assumed to be subgroups of SO(3), which is unreasonable, say, for aggregates of crystallites in a crystal class defined by an improper point group. In this paper, we consider ODFs defined on the orthogonal group O(3) and extend the aforementioned procedure to write down tensorial Fourier expansions for polycrystals with crystallite symmetry defined by any of the 21 improper point groups. Examples that illustrate the general procedure are given. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundational issues, analysis and geometry in continuum mechanics'.

Condom use and HIV testing among adults in Switzerland: repeated national cross-sectional surveys 2007, 2012, and 2017

BackgroundMonitoring of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention is important for guiding national sexual health programmes for both the general population and key populations. The objectives of this study were to examine trends and patterns of condom use at last intercourse and lifetime HIV testing in 2007, 2012 and 2017 in Switzerland, and to explore factors associated with these behaviours in men and women with opposite-sex partners and with same sex partners.MethodsWe analysed data from the 2007, 2012 and 2017 Swiss Health Survey. For each time point, outcome and population group, we conducted a descriptive analysis of weighted data and conducted multivariable logistic regression to obtain adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and compared outcomes between the timepoints.ResultsIn total, 46,320 people were interviewed: 21,847 men and 23,141 women, who reported having sex only with partners of the opposite sex, 633 men who reported sex with a male partner and 699 women who reported sex with a female partner. Among the three surveys the prevalence of condom did not change but varied from 22 to 26% of men and 15 to 21% in women with only opposite-sex partners (aOR men, 0.93, 95% CI 0.82, 1.06; women 0.98, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.11). In men with any same sex partner the prevalence of condom use was 40% in 2007, 33% in 2012 and 54% in 2017 (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 0.97, 3.34). In multivariable analysis, the factor most strongly associated with condom use was sex with an occasional partner at last intercourse. HIV testing ever increased across all three survey years in people with opposite sex partners: 2017 vs. 2007, aOR men with only opposite-sex partners 1.64 (95% CI 1.49, 1.82), women with only opposite-sex partners 1.67 (1.51, 1.85), men with any same sex partner 0.98 (0.49, 1.96), women with any same sex partner 1.31 (0.74, 2.30).ConclusionsMonitoring of condom use, and HIV testing should continue and contribute to the development of the national sexual health programme. Stronger promotion of condoms for people with opposite-sex partners might be needed, since overall condom use at last intercourse has not changed since 2007.

Prosocial mission of education: regulatory framework and growth points

Introduction. In modern society it is necessary to acquire the new meanings and value orientations of the education mission. The context of understanding and the significant reference points hierarchy in the education sphere are constantly changing in the world. The ways to realize socially significant priorities in the sphere of education are widely represented in the international scientific and pedagogical space, but they are of a fragmented character, which does not allow a particular state, society, family and individual fully meeting the prosocial needs. The social demands in Russia are connected with a clear understanding of the need to educate a citizen and a patriot in accordance with the traditional spiritual and moral values and prosocial pedagogical attitudes. In terms of regulatory framework a serious groundwork for the realization of the prosocial mission of modern education has been created. Research goal is to determine the main characteristics of the prosocial mission of education in the current information and regulatory framework in order to identify the growth points and to develop the ways for their implementation in the Russian society. Research methodology and methods. The research is based on the methodology and basic pedagogical ideas of prosocial approach; the authors used qualitative analysis of data obtained from information, regulatory sources, scientific literature and expert opinion study, as well as observation, comparison, conceptual foresight and problem-logical methods. The empirical research was based on survey methods – questionnaires, expert survey (1,150 people) and discussion of the results obtained in focus groups of experts (more than 100 people) and representatives of five general education organizations in Belgorod and Belgorod region (53 people). Research insights. The actual source and regulatory framework of the phenomenon under study has been identified. It is defined that the prosocial mission of education considers the role of education in the development of positive traits of young people and sustainable development of society. Two groups of growth points of the prosocial mission of education are identified: 1) reflection of the international priorities (supporting the ideas of sustainable development of education at the political level; reforming the education and professional training spheres; improving professional level of pedagogical staff; involving young people; activating local population representatives); 2) national dominants (values and quality of education; social design and volunteering; teacher helping activity; communication and interaction in teaching). Conclusion. Understanding prosocial mission of education, teaching staff can choose the content, forms and ways to arrange the education process, to construct the communication style and use helping pedagogical strategies, to make the criteria choice to evaluate the educational outcome.