Ferroic Berry Curvature Dipole in a Topological Crystalline Insulator at Room Temperature.

The physics related to Berry curvature is now a central research topic in condensed matter physics. The Berry curvature dipole (BCD) is a significant and intriguing condensed matter phenomenon that involves inversion symmetry breaking. However, the creation and controllability of BCDs have so far been limited to far below room temperature (RT), and nonvolatile (i.e., ferroic) BCDs have not yet been discovered, hindering further progress in topological physics. In this work, we demonstrate a switchable and nonvolatile BCD effect at RT in a topological crystalline insulator, Pb1-xSnxTe (PST), which is attributed to ferroic distortion. Surprisingly, the magnitude of the ferroic BCD is several orders of magnitude greater than that of the nonferroic BCDs that appear, for example, in transition metal dichalcogenides. The discovery of this ferroic and extraordinarily large BCD in PST could pave the way for further progress in topological materials science and the engineering of novel topological devices.

Superresolved image reconstruction in FZA lensless camera by color-channel synthesis.

The Fresnel-zone-aperture lensless camera using a fringe-scanning technique allows non-iterative well-conditioned image reconstruction; however, the spatial resolution is limited by the mathematical reconstruction model that ignores diffraction. To solve this resolution problem, we propose a novel image-reconstruction algorithm using the wave-optics-based design of the deconvolution filter and color-channel image synthesis. We verify a two-fold improvement of the effective angular resolution by conducting numerical simulations and optical experiments with a prototype.

Quantitative Understanding of the Decision-Making Process for Farm Biosecurity Among Japanese Livestock Farmers Using the KAP-Capacity Framework.

In a globalized world, the frequency of transboundary livestock infectious diseases is increasing, and strengthening of farm biosecurity is vital to stabilize food production. The aim of this study was to understand the decision-making process for farm biosecurity among Japanese livestock farmers. Postal surveys using structured questionnaires were conducted on beef, dairy, pig, and layer farms in Hokkaido and Saitama Prefectures, which represent the principal production area and peri-urban Tokyo, respectively, as well as randomly selected broiler farms across Japan. The question items included the attributes of farms and owners, disease experiences, related associations and sources of hygiene information, attitude toward hygiene management, and compliance with the Standards of Rearing Hygiene Management (SRHM). The compliance rates were compared between livestock sectors. Univariable analyses were conducted using combined data from both prefectures, with the compliance rate as the outcome variable and the questionnaire items as explanatory variables, in generalized linear models. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted using the variables with p < 0.2 in the univariable analyses. The factors identified were classified into knowledge, attitude, capacity, practice, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed. The questionnaires were completed and returned by 97 and 66 beef cattle, 86 and 136 dairy, 67 and 45 pig, 20 and 39 layer farmers in Hokkaido and Saitama Prefectures, respectively, and 95 broiler farms. The compliance rate was significantly higher among broiler farms (88.9%) compared with the other sectors, followed by pig (77.1%), layer (67.2%), dairy (63.8%), and beef (59.1%) farms in Hokkaido Prefecture, and layer (64.9%), pig (60.0%), dairy (58.5%), and beef (57.6%) farms in Saitama Prefecture. Based on SEM, the decision-making process from greater knowledge to higher attitude, and from higher attitude to greater compliance with the SRHM were significant (p < 0.01) in all sectors. Higher capacity was significantly associated with higher knowledge in dairy, pig,break and layer farms (p < 0.01), and with higher compliance in beef, pig, and layer farms (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the provision of targeted hygiene knowledge to livestock farmers and the support to smallholder farms would improve biosecurity through elevated attitudes and self-efficacy.

Post-traumatic stress disorder in participants of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic control in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) occurred in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010, and 290,000 animals were culled. This paper describes the mental distress of the volunteers who had been dispatched to Miyazaki for disease control two years after the epidemic. It also assesses risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A participatory appraisal and self-administered questionnaire survey were conducted in 2012 for those who were dispatched to Miyazaki in 2010. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used as an indicator of PTSD, and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Of the 875 respondents, 1.3% had higher IES-R scores than the cut-off point (25), which is suggestive of PTSD. Mental stresses during and soon after FMD control and after two years were described. Four risk factors associated with high IES-R scores were found: transporting culled animals (P<0.01), stress during FMD control (P<0.01) and at the time of the survey (P<0.01), and lack of someone to talk to about FMD-associated stress at the time of the survey (P<0.01). Veterinarians, livestock technicians and clerical officers involved in FMD control still suffer from mental stress two years later. Public services should provide an opportunity for them to consult with mental health specialists. These findings should be used to better prepare workers who deal with infectious diseases of animals, especially when they must be culled. The establishment of a collaborative framework between veterinary and mental health services is recommended.