bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trust in automation and the accuracy of human–algorithm teams performing one-to-one face matching tasks
Authors: Carragher Daniel J. , Sturman Daniel , Hancock Peter J. B.
Published: June 2024

The human face is commonly used for identity verification. While this task was once exclusively performed by humans, technological advancements have seen automated facial recognition systems (AFRS) integrated into many identification scenarios. Although many state-of-the-art AFRS are exceptionally accurate, they often require human oversight or involvement, such that a human operator actions the final decision. Previously, we have shown that on average, humans assisted by a simulated AFRS (sAFRS) failed to reach the level of accuracy achieved by the same sAFRS alone, due to overturning the system’s correct decisions and/or failing to correct sAFRS errors. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether participants’ trust in automation was related to their performance on a one-to-one face matching task when assisted by a sAFRS. Participants (n = 160) completed a standard face matching task in two phases: an unassisted baseline phase, and an assisted phase where they were shown the identification decision (95% accurate) made by a sAFRS prior to submitting their own decision. While most participants improved with sAFRS assistance, those with greater relative trust in automation achieved larger gains in performance. However, the average aided performance of participants still failed to reach that of the sAFRS alone, regardless of trust status. Nonetheless, further analysis revealed a small sample of participants who achieved 100% accuracy when aided by the sAFRS. Our results speak to the importance of considering individual differences when selecting employees for roles requiring human–algorithm interaction, including identity verification tasks that incorporate facial recognition technologies.
Causal associations between gut microbiota and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Xu Hao , Zhang Yu , Zhang Yinglang , Shen Chong , Zhang Zhe , Wang Jian , Zhou Diansheng , Wu Zhouliang , Qie Yunkai , Liu Shenglai , Tian Dawei , Hu Hailong , Wu Changli
Published: June 2024

Background

Recent researches have increasingly indicated a strong correlation between the gut microbiota and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). Nevertheless, the impact of gut microbiota on CP/CPPS still requires further elucidation.

Methods

Employing the summary statistics provided by the MiBioGen consortium, we executed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The study involved 18,340 participants and considered gut microbiota as the instrumental variable. Chronic prostatitis summary statistics, representing 500 cases and 208,308 controls, were extracted from the GWAS Catalog release data as the disease outcome. Various methods, including weighted inverse variance, MR-Egger and weighted median, were employed to assess how gut microbiota interact and correlate with CP/CPPS. Sensitivity analysis was used to eliminate heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy.

Results

Our findings, primarily derived from the IVW approach, provided evidence for a causal link between five categories of gut microbiota and CP/CPPS. Resultantly, the genus Christensenellaceae (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.87, P = 0.02), genus Eisenbergiella (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.40–0.97, P = 0.04), genus Hungatella (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.85, P = 0.01) and genus Terrisporobacter (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.20–0.75, P = 0.00) exhibited a protective impact on CP/CPPS, while family Prevotellaceae (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.01–3.15, P = 0.05) had the opposite effect. No notable heterogeneity of instrumental variables or horizontal pleiotropy was detected.

Conclusions

The findings of this study, which used a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach, indicate a causal link between gut microbiota and CP/CPPS. This could be valuable in offering fresh perspectives for additional mechanistic and clinical investigations of microbiota-related CP/CPPS. Nevertheless, additional randomized controlled trials are necessary for validation.
Microsponges: a promising frontier for prolonged release-current perspectives and patents
Authors: Srinatha N. , Battu Sowjanya , Vishwanath B. A.
Published: June 2024

Background

Microsponges are one of the advanced drug delivery systems that facilitates precise and controlled release of active ingredients that are suitable for topical and oral use. These porous microspheres are typically sized between 5 and 300 μm, offer benefits including controlled release, stability, and minimized side effects. Manufacturing techniques like quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion and liquid–liquid suspension polymerization are usually employed to prepare microsponges, although various challenges arise from the use of potentially hazardous organic solvents.

Main body

Microsponges possess distinct traits such as extended drug release, formulation flexibility, and high drug loading capacity. Entrapment of drugs requires considerations of solubility, stability, and miscibility, while evaluation methods encompass production yield and particle size analysis. Their applications range from dermatological to biopharmaceutical delivery, with diverse products utilizing this technology. Ongoing innovations about microsponges are evident in patents concerning medical dressings and hyaluronic acid delivery systems.

Conclusion

Microsponges present a promising avenue in drug delivery, despite many challenges. Current review addresses on limitations and diverse products highlighting commercial viability. Patent activity signifies continued interest, suggesting significant potential for enhancing patient care.
The linear canonical W-transform
Authors: Zhao Zhencong , Rao Ying , Wang Yanghua
Published: June 2024

The time-frequency spectrum of seismic data is commonly used as an attribute in the analysis and interpretation of nonstationary seismic signals. To improve the capability of the W-transform to analyze nonstationary data, we introduce the linear canonical W-transform (LCWT) by implementing an affine matrix along with scaling parameters to generate high resolution and energy-concentrated time-frequency spectra. More features of nonstationary signals can be explored in the time-linear canonical frequency domain by transforming the time-frequency plane, which makes the algorithm more applicable to seismic signals. For the completeness of the LCWT, we also develop the inverse LCWT to extend its applications. Examples of synthetic and field seismic data show that a highly resolved and energy-concentrated time-frequency spectrum can be estimated with the LCWT with negligible additional computational burden. In addition, our algorithm is promising for several seismic data processing and interpretation techniques, such as reservoir characterization and thin layer identification.
Expanding the Global Capacity for Childhood Cancer Registration: The ChildGICR Masterclass
Authors: Moreira Daniel C. , Znaor Ariana , Santana Victor M. , Dolya Anastasia , Fox Irwin Leeanna , Bhakta Nickhill , Mery Les , Steliarova-Foucher Eva
Published: June 2024

PURPOSE

One determinant of the paucity of data on childhood cancer in low- and middle-income countries is the lack of capacity to register these cases. Combining expertise of the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) and St Jude Global, we developed a ChildGICR educational program to promote data production.

METHODS

We first conducted a needs assessment to identify priority educational topics. Then, we designed the ChildGICR Masterclass, in which individuals with the potential to lead pediatric cancer registration were supported to prepare standard educational material. The outcomes were evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures.

RESULTS

On the basis of indications by 38 GICR collaborators, we identified seven topics relevant to childhood cancer: burden description, registration principles, tumor classification, tumor staging, data quality control, data analysis, and data use. The ChildGICR Masterclass was held online in 2021 over 12 weeks. The 22 nominated participants created presentations in working groups and during live sessions. They also designed future training courses tailored to the needs of their region. Nineteen participants viewed the course experience as excellent, and 20 would continue engagement in the ChildGICR training activities. The developed material was 89% useful according to the faculty of the three online end courses, taught to 88 participants in 16 countries in 2022 and 2023. Among the 75 responding participants, 72 agreed that the learning objectives were attained and 60 were keen to engage in childhood cancer registration activities.

CONCLUSION

The ChildGICR Masterclass participants laid the foundation for a network of trainers. Knowledge dissemination in childhood cancer registration is the first necessary step toward evidence-based cancer control. The ChildGICR Masterclass can serve as a model to design, plan, and implement educational programs for health care professionals.
A Tibetan Ceremony of State
Authors: MacCormack Ian
Published: June 2024

This article analyzes the enthronement of the sixth Dalai Lama held in Lhasa, Tibet, in December 1697. The previous rebirth, the fifth Dalai Lama, became the first ruler of the central Tibetan regime founded in 1642. The enthronement of his successor lasted nearly one month. It combined assemblies, banquets, and private audiences, at which thousands of gifts were exchanged. It was attended by all the major parties with a stake in the Tibetan polity, including government officials, lay and clerical elites, and patrons from Mongolia and China. The article summarizes the proceedings and examines some salient social, material, and intellectual details. The author reflects on the importance of such ceremonial events for studying politics and religion in Tibet and suggests that the enthronement was an effort by the ruling authorities to present an ideal image of the state as they wished it to be perceived.
Inventing the Spring and Autumn Period
Authors: Wong Peter Tsung Kei
Published: June 2024

This article proposes that the invention of the concept of Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu; ca. 722–481 BCE), the only Chinese historical period named after a text, was neither early nor inevitable. A diachronic analysis of the word chunqiu shows that it began to denote the Chunqiu period in late Western Han (ca. 48 BCE–9 CE). An eschatological prediction in the first century BCE was instrumental in generating this temporal sensibility. Many used the time frame of 242 years with 12 reigns from the Chunqiu, a canonical text purportedly composed by Confucius, to predict that the Han dynasty would soon come to an end. Wang Mang, who overthrew the Han and fulfilled the prophecy, intensified this sensibility. Just as the Western Han was born as a historical period, so was Chunqiu as its historical analogue. Subsequently, historians artificially extended the length of the former to align it with the latter. The emergence of Chunqiu is thus a story about how numerology shaped the interaction between visions of the future and of history, textuality, temporality, political action, classical studies, and historiography in ancient China. The telling of this story complicates our understanding of the history of periodization, a problematic yet essential practice that concerns every historian.
In Search of Vietnam's Comfort Women
Authors: Novak Royce
Published: June 2024

Vietnam has long eluded the geography of comfort women studies, yet its status as the first Southeast Asian territory and the first European colony occupied by Japan makes it a vital missing link in understanding how the comfort women system was adapted to Southeast Asian contexts. Drawing on French and Dutch colonial archival materials, this article presents the first documentary evidence of the comfort women system in Vietnam, using an empirical approach to construct a chronology of the establishment and development of the system there. Providing a detailed chronology outlining how the system developed in Vietnam offers a point of comparison for understanding how the system developed in other territories occupied by the Japanese Empire. Furthermore, this article employs the analytical frames of race and gender, unpacking how the Japanese Empire's racial ideology and gender norms shaped, and were shaped by, the development of the comfort women system in a Southeast Asian context. This investigation of the comfort women system in Vietnam thus provides a framework for better understanding its subsequent implementation and development in Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia while calling attention to wartime atrocities in Vietnam that have gone largely unnoticed in historical scholarship and public memory.
Diffusion MRI Metrics Characterize Postoperative Clinical Outcomes After Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
Authors: Zhang Justin K. , Javeed Saad , Greenberg Jacob K. , Yakdan Salim , Kaleem Muhammad I. , Botterbush Kathleen S. , Benedict Braeden , Dibble Christopher F. , Sun Peng , Sherrod Brandon , Dailey Andrew T. , Bisson Erica F. , Mahan Mark , Mazur Marcus , Song Sheng-Kwei , Ray Wilson Z.
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Advanced diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) modeling, such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI), may help guide rehabilitation strategies after surgical decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Currently, however, postoperative DWI is difficult to interpret, owing to signal distortions from spinal instrumentation. Therefore, we examined the relationship between postoperative DTI/DBSI—extracted from the rostral C3 spinal level—and clinical outcome measures at 2-year follow-up after decompressive surgery for CSM.

METHODS:

Fifty patients with CSM underwent complete clinical and DWI evaluation—followed by DTI/DBSI analysis—at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Clinical outcomes included the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association score and comprehensive patient-reported outcomes. DTI metrics included apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. DBSI metrics evaluated white matter tracts through fractional anisotropy, fiber fraction, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity as well as extra-axonal pathology through restricted and nonrestricted fraction. Cross-sectional Spearman's correlations were used to compare postoperative DTI/DBSI metrics with clinical outcomes.

RESULTS:

Twenty-seven patients with CSM, including 15, 7, and 5 with mild, moderate, and severe disease, respectively, possessed complete baseline and postoperative DWI scans. At 2-year follow-up, there were 10 significant correlations among postoperative DBSI metrics and postoperative clinical outcomes compared with 3 among postoperative DTI metrics. Of the 13 significant correlations, 7 involved the neck disability index (NDI). The strongest relationships were between DBSI axial diffusivity and NDI (r = 0.60, P < .001), DBSI fiber fraction and NDI (rs = −0.58, P < .001), and DBSI restricted fraction and NDI (rs = 0.56, P < .001). The weakest correlation was between DTI apparent diffusion coefficient and NDI (r = 0.35, P = .02).

CONCLUSION:

Quantitative measures of spinal cord microstructure after surgery correlate with postoperative neurofunctional status, quality of life, and pain/disability at 2 years after decompressive surgery for CSM. In particular, DBSI metrics may serve as meaningful biomarkers for postoperative disease severity for patients with CSM.
Warming, stochastic diel thermal fluctuations affect physiological performance and gill plasticity in an amphibious mangrove fish
Authors: Brown Sarah , Rivard Gabrielle R. , Gibson Glenys , Currie Suzanne
Published: June 2024

Natural temperature variation in many marine ecosystems is stochastic and unpredictable, and climate change models indicate that this thermal irregularity is likely to increase. Temperature acclimation may be more challenging when conditions are highly variable and stochastic, and there is a need for empirical physiological data in these thermal environments. Using the hermaphroditic, amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), we hypothesized that compared with regular, warming diel thermal fluctuations, stochastic warm fluctuations would negatively affect physiological performance. To test this, we acclimated fish to: (1) non-stochastic and (2) stochastic thermal fluctuations with a similar thermal load (27−35°C), and (3) a stable/consistent control temperature at the low end of the cycle (27°C). We determined that fecundity was reduced in both cycles, with reproduction ceasing in stochastic thermal environments. Fish acclimated to non-stochastic thermal cycles had growth rates lower than those of control fish. Exposure to warm, fluctuating cycles did not affect emersion temperature, and only regular diel cycles modestly increased critical thermal tolerance. We predicted that warm diel cycling temperatures would increase gill surface area. Notably, fish acclimated to either thermal cycle had a reduced gill surface area and increased intralamellar cell mass when compared with control fish. This decreased gill surface area with warming contrasts with what is observed for exclusively aquatic fish and suggests a preparatory gill response for emersion in these amphibious fish. Collectively, our data reveal the importance of considering stochastic thermal variability when studying the effects of temperature on fishes.
Η αρχή της ίσης μεταχείρισης στις δημόσιες συμβάσεις κατά το δίκαιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης
Authors: Πετροπούλου Μαρία
Published: June 2024

Αντικείμενο της διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι η μελέτη της θέσης και του λειτουργικού ρόλου που κατέχει η αρχής της ίσης μεταχείρισης στο θεσμικό περιβάλλον των δημοσίων συμβάσεων. Ως μια από τις κυρίαρχες γενικές αρχές του δικαίου των δημοσίων συμβάσεων, η αρχή της ίσης μεταχείρισης επιδρά σε όλα τα στάδια πριν την υπογραφή της σύμβασης και επηρεάζει ταυτόχρονα και το στάδιο εκτέλεσης. Η διατριβή εστιάζει στο ιδιαίτερο χαρακτηριστικό της αρχής να παράγει συστηματικά κανόνες και υποχρεώσεις, κατά την εφαρμογή της, στο περιβάλλον των δημοσίων συμβάσεων. Με την κριτική ανάλυση των κρίσιμων ενωσιακών διατάξεων και σημαντικού μέρους της νομολογίας του Δικαστηρίου της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης που εκτείνεται από ιστορικές αποφάσεις, όπως η Storebaelt και η Τeleaustria, έως και τις πλέον πρόσφατές αποφάσεις του Δικαστηρίου, η διατριβή αφενός περιγράφει την ιστορική πορεία της θεμελίωσης της αρχής της ίσης μεταχείρισης στο δίκαιο των δημοσίων συμβάσεων, αφετέρου εξετάζει τη σύγχρονη εφαρμογή και λειτουργία της.
The relationship of age, sex and prothrombin time related to the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta analysis
Authors: Mirza Audrey Fabianisa , Halim Ceria , Sari Mutiara Indah
Published: June 2024

Background SARS-CoV-2 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Looking at the prevalence data in the world and in Indonesia, the highest mortality rate due to COVID-19 involves age, gender and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus. Severity of the condition also refers to coagulation abnormalities, such as abnormal prothrombin time values. Methods This systematic review study and meta-analysis used online literature sourced from PubMed, Science Direct, EBSCO, Cochrane and Google Scholar. The literature used here is literature that has data on age, sex and prothrombin time of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus whose quality is assessed by the NOS (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) criteria and processing data using Review Manager 5.4. Results Out of 8711 literatures that were traced from various search sources, there were 46 literatures that were included in this study. The results of the analysis on age showed the Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) value of 0.45 and P <0.0001 (95% CI: 0.23–0.68), the gender analysis showed an Odds Ratio (OR) value of 3.28 and P = 0.01 (95% CI: 1.26–8.52) and the prothrombin time analysis showed SMD values of 0.41 and P = 0.07 (95%CI = -0.03–0.85). Conclusion Older and male COVID-19 patients have a higher risk of having diabetes compared to younger and female COVID-19 patients. As diabetes is a comorbidity in COVID-19, it can be concluded that old age and male sex are associated with a more severe disease.
Spatio-temporal characteristics of Tuberculosis in Ghana
Authors: Iddrisu Abdul-Karim , A. Amikiya Emmanuel , Kwame Bukari Francis
Published: June 2024

Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains a key contributor to global mortality; ranks second as the most fatal infectious disease and seventh among the top ten causes of death in Ghana. There is insufficient literature regarding the utilization of Bayesian hierarchical models for examining the spatial and spatio-temporal dynamics of tuberculosis risk in Ghana. Aim This study addresses this gap by determining TB hotspots regions in Ghana using the Bayesian modeling framework. Methods TB data were obtained from the Ghana Health Service and National Tuberculosis Programme for the 10 administrative regions of Ghana, from 2008 to 2017. Spatial and spatio-temporal TB relative risk for each region were estimated under the Bayesian modeling frameworks. Maps for TB risks were created to visualized regions with TB hotspots. Model fitting and parameter estimation were conducted using integrated nested Laplace approximation via R version 4.3.2. Results Among the baseline predictors, TB cure rate, TB success rate, knowledge about TB, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence, percentage of literacy, and high income were found to be most significant predictors of TB risk in Ghana. We noted an increased risk of TB infection in the Northern zone and the Eastern and Greater Accra regions in the Southern zone. Spatio-temporal distribution of TB infection risk was predominantly concentrated in the Southern zone. Clustering of TB risk was observed among neighboring regions. Conclusion Factors influencing tuberculosis (TB) risk in Ghana are TB cure rate, TB success rate, knowledge about TB, HIV prevalence, literacy rate, and income level. The risk distribution was mainly concentrated in the Southern zone, with clusters of TB risk observed among neighboring regions. To achieve a significant reduction in TB cases, it is essential to allocate resources to TB hotspots regions and also implement measures to control significant predictors of TB infection risk.
The association between climate variables and tuberculosis in Kolaka District, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, 2013–2020: a Bayesian autoregressive model
Authors: Tosepu Ramadhan , Sani Asrul , Effendy Devi Savitri , Ahmad La Ode Ali Imran
Published: June 2024

Background Tuberculosis is one of the diseases that requires comprehensive treatment. This disease is highly contagious and can be transmitted through the air. Climate factors play a role in the increasing cases of tuberculosis. This study aimed to determine the correlation between climatic variables and TB in Kolaka District, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, Methods This research was modeled using an autoregressive (AR) Bayesian model with three possible likelihoods; Gaussian, Poisson and Negative Binomial responses. Results Minimum temperature and average temperature, a coefficient of 4.234 suggests that for every 1 degree increase in minimum temperature, there is an estimated increase of approximately four cases, assuming other variables remain constant. Maximum temperature, a coefficient of 17.851 suggests that for every 1 degree increase in maximum temperature, there is an estimated increase of around 17-18 cases, assuming other variables remain constant. Humidity, a coefficient of -13.413 suggests that for every 1% increase in humidity, there is an estimated decrease of around 13 cases, assuming other variables remain constant. Rainfall, a coefficient of -0.327 suggests that for every 1 mm increase in rainfall, there is an estimated decrease of around 0.327 cases, assuming other variables remain constant. Light, a coefficient of -4.322 suggests that for every 1-hour increase in light duration, there is an estimated decrease of around four cases, assuming other variables remain constant. Conclusions Climate change has a significant impact on tuberculosis through temperature-related factors. These factors influence the prevalence, spread, and vulnerability to TB. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach involving adaptation planning. Strong public health systems and healthcare infrastructure can help mitigate the risks and impacts of climate change-related tuberculosis.
Factors associated with death in patients admitted with Ebola virus disease to Ebola Treatment Units in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia – December 2013 to March 2016
Authors: Yeabah Trokon Omarley , Kaba Ibrahima , Ramaswamy Gomathi , Dahal Prabin , Delamou Alexandre , Vonhm Benjamin T. , Jetoh Ralph W. , Merson Laura , Levine Adam C. , Relan Pryanka , Harries Anthony D. , Kumar Ajay M.V.
Published: June 2024

Background The 2013-2016 West African Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak resulted in 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths officially reported to the World Health Organization. Previous studies investigating factors associated with death had conflicting findings, interventions showing promising outcomes had small sample sizes, studies were often single- or dual-country based and most focused on laboratory-confirmed EVD and not on clinically-suspected EVD. We used the Ebola data platform of the Infectious Disease Data Observatory (IDDO) to review individual patient records to assess factors associated with death, and particularly whether there were differences between laboratory-confirmed and clinically-suspected cases. Methods This was a cohort study involving analysis of secondary data in the IDDO database. The study population included all patients classified as having either clinically-suspected or laboratory-confirmed EVD, admitted to 22 Ebola Treatment Units (ETU) in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between December 2013 and March 2016. Baseline characteristics and treatments were documented along with ETU exit outcomes. Factors associated with death were investigated by multivariable modified Poisson regression. Results There were 14,163 patients, of whom 6,208 (43.8%) were laboratory-confirmed and 7,955 (56.2%) were clinically-suspected. Outcomes were not recorded in 2,889 (20.4%) patients. Of the 11,274 patients with known outcomes, 4,090 (36.3%) died: 2,956 (43.6%) with laboratory-confirmed EVD and 1,134 (18.8%) with clinically-suspected EVD. The strongest risk factor for death was confirmed disease status. Patients with laboratory-confirmed disease had 2.9 times higher risk of death compared to clinically-suspected patients, after adjusting for other co-variables. Other factors significantly associated with death included a higher risk for patients aged ≥60 years and a lower risk for patients in Sierra Leone. Conclusions Although laboratory-confirmed patients admitted to ETUs fared worse than clinically-suspected patients, the latter still had a substantial risk of death and more attention needs to be paid to this group in future EVD outbreaks.
Analysis of associated scrotal anomalies in boys with hypospadias
Authors: Indriasari Vita , Felicia Felicia , Diposarosa Rizki , Syukriani Yoni Fuadah , Rachmadi Dedi
Published: June 2024

Background Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly of the penis characterized by ventral opening of urethra. This abnormality is often accompanied by scrotal abnormalities, where both penile and scrotal development occur at the same time during the fetal period. This study aims to analyze associated scrotal anomalies in children with hypospadias. Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of boys diagnosed with hypospadias during a 6 years period. The age of patients, severity of hypospadias, and associated scrotal anomalies such as penoscrotal transposition (PST), bifid scrotum (BS), and scrotal hypoplasia were assessed. Scrotoplasty procedure was also recorded. The association between the severity of hypospadias, incidence of scrotal anomalies, severity of both PST and BF were analyzed using Chi-square test and alternatively Fisher exact test, p<0,05 considered significant. Results During the study period, there were 240 hypospadias patients, with a median age of 5,6 years. Most patients had severe hypospadias. Associated scrotal anomalies were found in 63,3% of patients. Incidence of scrotal anomaly was higher in patients with severe hypospadias (75%) compared to mild cases (75% vs 36.1%; p<0.001; PR= 2.08 (95% CI: 1.51 – 2.86)). Patients with severe hypospadias had a more severe PST, especially in bilateral minor and major forms compared to patients with mild cases (p<0.001); and was significantly associated with severe and partial type of SB (p<0.001). Patients with a more severe PST tend to have a more severe SB, on contrary, patients with minor PST tend to have a milder or even no BS (p<0.001). Scrotoplasty was performed in 35,4% of cases. Conclusion Most hypospadias patients had associated scrotal anomaly, in which severe hypospadias was associated with the more severe type of PST and BS.
The Mousterian in North-Western Tuscany: publishing fieldwork documentation leads to a new stratigraphical interpretation of the Piano di Mommio sites
Authors: Gennai Jacopo
Published: June 2024

Background The Mousterian technocomplex is commonly associated with Neanderthals and therefore serves as a proxy for their presence across Europe. Stratified archaeological sites are the most informative because they can yield information about artefacts' spatial distribution and dating. Only a few of the Mousterian sites in Tuscany (Italy) met these conditions and most of these sites are concentrated in the North-Western area, with three specific sites situated in proximity to the village of Piano di Mommio, on the slopes of a small river canyon. Nevertheless, research on the sites stopped early on due to their small extent and complete excavation, which does not allow for additional fieldwork. Methods This article presents previously unpublished field notes, reports, and images, which are then correlated with recent archaeological surveys. Results This combination of historical and contemporary data aims to provide a more detailed understanding of the context in which the assemblages at these sites were found. The insights gained from this research shed light on the arrangement and positioning of artefacts at these locations, offering valuable information to guide future investigations on the assemblages. Conclusions The proposed stratigraphical interpretation adheres to the available information and therefore contributes to a future baseline for new research on the sites and on Neanderthal presence in the area.
The genome sequence of the Small Magpie moth, Anania hortulata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Wawman Denise C. ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management, Samples and Laboratory team,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Core Informatics team,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: June 2024

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Anania hortulata (the Small Magpie; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Crambidae). The genome sequence is 612.2 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the W and Z sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.23 kilobases in length.
The genome sequence of the Coccidian parasite, Eimeria praecox (Apicomplexa: Eucoccidiorida)
Authors: Blake Damer P. ,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management, Samples and Laboratory team,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Core Informatics team,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: June 2024

We present a genome assembly from sporozoites from a clonal line of Eimeria praecox (the Coccidian parasite; Apicomplexa; Conoidasida; Eucoccidiorida; Eimeriidae). The genome sequence is 64.3 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 15 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The organelle genomes have also been assembled and the mitochondrial genome is 6.23 kilobases in length, while the apicoplast genome is 28.83 kilobases long.
Supporting Manufacturing Process Changes with an Innovative Microscopy Method
Authors: Jennings Jessica , Cannon Melissa
Published: June 2024

Bakelite Chemicals LLC has developed an innovative microscopy technique to view adhesives “in use.” The cornerstone of the method is based on sample preparation. Samples of a composite wood product are sanded to a highly polished surface using a progression of sandpaper grits from lowest to highest. This preparation technique differs significantly from historical preparation techniques, which rely on soaking or embedding samples followed by thin-section creation using a microtome. The wet preparation technique causes wood cells compressed during production of the composite to swell and change how the adhesive is seen within those cells. The addition of water to the sample can also move uncured adhesive around the bond line. These changes can significantly alter the interpretation of how the adhesive performs during the manufacturing process. The new preparation technique combined with standard fluorescence microscopy has provided a groundbreaking and accessible ability to understand how an adhesive responds to process changes in manufacturing. Improving the understanding of the dynamic relationship between the adhesive and manufacturing processes will be crucial in helping the wood products industry take advantage of the rapid improvements in processing technology.
Shrinking futures: ecologically childfree as emotion management
Authors: Clark Isabella
Published: June 2024

As climate change intensifies, some people connect it to their decision to be childfree. This is largely predicated on how they imagine the future, not their current climate change realities. Examining this shows how climate change enters and affects the lifeworlds of the environmentally privileged. I ask what motivates environmentally privileged people to connect being childfree to climate change through an in-depth interview study of 15 ‘ecologically childfree’ adults, recruited through an online group, BirthStrike. I find two subsets of BirthStrikers, those who see being childfree as sacrificial and those with multiple motivations. I argue being ecologically childfree is a strategy of temporal emotion management and a way to legitimise ecological grief, a disenfranchised grief that goes unrecognised. Being childfree alters the intensity of BirthStrikers’ emotions and their temporal frames of engagement. For BirthStrikers with multiple motivations, I argue being childfree legitimises respondents’ ecological grief by demonstrating personal impact.
“The Zany Paraclete”: Seeking the Pentecostal Community in The Crying of Lot 49
Authors: Hicks Andrew P.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This essay builds on existing scholarship that emphasizes Pynchon’s use of Pentecostal imagery to create intimations of revelation and communication that transcend the quotidian. My reading focuses on the partial and incomplete nature of Pynchon’s Pentecostal revelation in terms of both communication and community. Drawing on the deconstructive notion of the messianic as articulated by Jacques Derrida and John Caputo, I argue that reading Pynchon’s Pentecostal imagery in a messianic mode serves to highlight the tension between solipsism and desire for community in the novel, and additionally illuminates Pynchon’s framing of the possibility for alternative community outside of the normative.
The Resurrection of Chivalry in Tom Wolfe’s Back to Blood
Authors: Seely Chase Alec
Published: June 2024

Abstract: In his final novel, Back to Blood , Tom Wolfe delivers a warning and an antidote. The warning concerns the widespread disbelief in God and the renunciation of values. In this vacuum flows nihilism, hedonism, and zero-sum power dynamics. Wolfe dramatizes this sociological prognosis in Back to Blood , where his hero, Nestor Camacho, becomes the sole light bearer of traditional morality, namely chivalry. After obtaining a definition of chivalry using historical sources and modern scholars, this paper will show how Tom Wolfe in Back to Blood resurrects the chivalric ideal and endorses it as a solution to our present ethical crisis.
The Poetess Laureate of Yoknapatawpha County: Rosa Coldfield and the Power of Convention
Authors: Roberts Jess
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Rosa Coldfield—one of the primary narrators of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! —wrote hundreds of poems and published some number of them in Jefferson’s local newspaper during the Civil War. She was, the novel tells us, “the town’s and the county’s poetess laureate.” Yet the fact of the poems themselves has attracted little sustained scholarly attention. What’s more, with one exception, no attention has been paid to the significance of Rosa’s trenchant analysis of her own poetry. This article argues that Rosa’s poetry and her anatomization of its relationship to the War and “its heritage” clarify her understanding – and Faulkner’s – of the work and power of the conventions associated with popular Confederate verse. Drawing on methodologies used by scholars of nineteenth-century American women’s poetry, it situates Rosa’s verse firmly in Confederate print culture and examines not only what we know of Rosa’s poems but also her searing delineation of the work they do in the world of the novel. This reading reveals a key insight: that the very thing many scholars have employed to dismiss Rosa—her poetry—is, in fact, a critical tool that illuminates her as the only character in Absalom, Absalom! who explicitly holds herself accountable for actively maintaining the political, economic, and literary systems of which the novel is so deeply critical.
The Cumulative and Timing-Specific Effects of Residential Mobility on High School Truancy
Authors: Buckley M. Nicole , Abdul-Masih Maria , Yang Qingqing , Ansari Arya , Purtell Kelly M.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This study examined the extent to which residential mobility in the first 15 years of life was cumulatively associated with high school truancy at age 15 and whether there were specific developmental periods during which residential mobility was more consequential. To address these aims, we used data drawn from 4,848 children and families who participated in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (now called the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study). Results from covariate-adjusted regression models provided some evidence that children who experienced more residential moves across the first 15 years engaged in more truant behavior at age 15 and that these associations diminished with each additional move. With that said, the associations between cumulative residential mobility and adolescent truancy were not robust to different analytic specifications and there was no evidence for timing- specific associations.
"I Advise, You Decide": How Academic Advisors Shape Community College Students' Enrollment and Credit Load Decisions
Authors: McKinney Lyle , Bourdeau Gerald V. , Burridge Andrea Backscheider , Lee Mimi , Miller-Waters Melissa , Barnes Yolanda M.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Academic advising has been described as the second-most important function in the community college (behind only instruction) toward helping students achieve their goals. Using interview data from 78 students and 33 advisors at one of the nation's largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our qualitative case study examined how academic advisors inform, and directly influence, students' enrollment decisions. Advisors emphasized their role as supporting and scaffolding student decision-making, but not making decisions for students. Most advisors endorsed a developmental approach focused on building students' knowledge and capacity to make better decisions about their own academic trajectory. However, some students had conflicting expectations of the advising relationship (e.g., advisors should tell them exactly what to study, which courses and how many to take), which resulted in frustration and desires for highly prescriptive advising. Advisors recognized a one-size-fits-all advising model would not work well for their diverse student population and rejected prescriptive recommendations, such as uniform advice that each student take 15 credit hours per semester. Instead, advisors considered the totality of each advisee's circumstances (e.g., background, academic preparation, goals, family and work life, transportation) when providing guidance on course load. But determining each student's optimal course load/combination was complicated by the wide range of academic and personal factors advisors had to consider. Consequently, most advisors accentuated the potential risks (for students and themselves) of advising students to attempt too heavy a course load.
Comparative study of lidars for measuring atmospheric temperature and wind: erratum
Authors: She Chiao-Yao , Krueger David A. , Yan Zhao-Ai
Published: June 2024

Corrections to errors in our published paper [Appl. Opt. 62, 3806 (2023)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.484453] are given.
Fast biological imaging with quantum-enhanced Raman microscopy
Authors: Terrasson Alex , Mauranyapin Nicolas P. , Casacio Catxere A. , Grim Joel Q. , Barnscheidt Kai , Hage Boris , Taylor Michael A. , Bowen W. P.
Published: June 2024

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a powerful label-free imaging technique that probes the vibrational response of chemicals with high specificity and sensitivity. High-power, quantum-enhanced SRS microscopes have been recently demonstrated and applied to polymers and biological samples. Quantum correlations, in the form of squeezed light, enable the microscopes to operate below the shot noise limit, enhancing their performance without increasing the illumination intensity. This addresses the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and speed constraints introduced by photodamage in shot noise-limited microscopes. Previous microscopes have either used single-beam squeezing, but with insufficient brightness to reach the optimal ratio of pump-to-Stokes intensity for maximum SNR, or have used twin-beam squeezing and suffered a 3 dB noise penalty. Here we report a quantum-enhanced Raman microscope that uses a bright squeezed single-beam, enabling operation at the optimal efficiency of the SRS process. The increase in brightness leads to multimode effects that degrade the squeezing level, which we partially overcome using spatial filtering. We apply our quantum-enhanced SRS microscope to biological samples and demonstrate quantum-enhanced multispectral imaging of living cells. The imaging speed of 100×100 pixels in 18 seconds allows the dynamics of cell organelles to be resolved. The SNR achieved is compatible with video-rate imaging, with the quantum correlations yielding a 20% improvement in imaging speed compared to shot noise-limited operation.
Noise equivalent temperature difference study of type-II superlattice MWIR focal plane arrays for high operating temperature performance
Authors: Yao Lingze , Shan Yifan , Xie Ruoyu , Pang Qiuyao , Wu Donghai , Jiang Dongwei , Hao Hongyue , Wang Guowei , Xu Yingqiang , Yang Chengao , Ni Haiqiao , Bi Wengang , Niu Zhichuan
Published: June 2024

Achieving high operating temperature (HOT) plays a crucial role in miniaturizing type-II superlattice (T2SL) mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). However, their full potential has yet to be realized due to a lack of complete understanding of their operation from the perspective of detection principles. Here, by investigating the photon transmission path and optoelectronic performance of the simulated devices, a detailed noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) model of the T2SL MWIR FPAs was established. The NETD limitations in the optics-limited and detector-limited modes were revealed by studying the effects of the source, optical system, and FPA-related parameters. Although NETD exhibits sensitivity to dark currents, improvements in the quantum efficiency and well capacity can further boost its performance. When the defects and carrier lifetimes are well controlled to completely suppress the dark current, the NETD of an MWIR system with optimized integration times, which operates between 150 K and 200 K, is predicted to be below 10 mK when detecting room-temperature targets. The results provide new insights into the model and sources contributing to the NETD and demonstrate the possibility of high-temperature operation of T2SLs MWIR FPAs.
Fabrication of broadband HgCdTe photodetectors with biomimetic insect corneal arrays
Authors: Zhang Yi , Yu Yan , Zhang Yihao , Wang Chao , Liu Ming , Wu Qing , You Congya , Wang Ruzhi , Yu Songlin , Wei Hongying
Published: June 2024

Broadband photodetectors are of great significance in a wide variety of technologically important areas. Inspired by bionics, insect cornea-mimicking microstructures could reduce surface reflection, thus enabling broadband detection. Here, we fabricate a broadband large-area (1280 × 1024) HgCdTe focal plane array photodetector based on biomimetic ZnS microarrays, which achieves high external quantum efficiency (> 60%, averaging 79%) across the broad wavelength range of 400 nm - 5000 nm. These results demonstrate that implementing biomimetic ZnS microstructures has effectively broadened the operational wavelength range of conventional HgCdTe infrared photodetectors to encompass the visible light spectrum. Our work achieves continuous visible-to-infrared spectral imaging and provides a beneficial route to fabricate broadband, large-area, high-performance photodetectors.
Characterizing electric fields in semiconductor devices: effect of second-harmonic light interference
Authors: Cao Yuke , Pomeroy James W. , Kuball Martin
Published: June 2024

Characterizing electric fields in semiconductor devices using electric
field-induced second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) has opened new
opportunities for an advanced device design. However, this new
technique still has challenges due to the interference between
background second-harmonic generation (SHG) and EFISHG generated
light. We demonstrate that interference effects can effectively be
eliminated during EFISHG measurements by focusing the laser from the
transparent substrate side of a GaN PN diode, enabling straightforward
quantitative electric field analysis, in contrast to PN junction
interface side measurements. A model based on wave generation and
propagation is proposed and highlights the incoherence between
background SHG and EFISHG light. This incoherence may be attributed to
the depth of focus of the incident laser and phase mismatch between
incident and SHG light.
Few-mode squeezing in type-I parametric downconversion by complete group velocity matching
Authors: Horoshko Dmitri B. , Kolobov Mikhail I. , Parigi Valentina , Treps Nicolas
Published: June 2024

Frequency-degenerate pulsed type-I parametric downconversion is a
widely used source of squeezed light for numerous quantum optical
applications. However, this source is typically spectrally multimode,
and the generated squeezing is distributed between many spectral modes
with a limited degree of squeezing per mode. We show that in a
nonlinear crystal, where the condition of complete group velocity
matching (GVM) for the pump and the signal is satisfied, the number of
generated modes may be as low as two or three modes. We illustrate the
general theory with the example of the MgO-doped lithium niobate
crystal pumped at 775 nm and generating squeezed light at 1.55 µm. Our
model includes the derivation of the degree of squeezing from the
properties of the pump and the crystal and shows that 12 dB of
squeezing can be obtained in a periodically poled crystal at a
length of 80 mm.