bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The practice of climate change policy evaluations in the European Union and its member states: results from a meta-analysis
Authors: Fujiwara Noriko , van Asselt Harro , Böβner Stefan , Voigt Sebastian , Spyridaki Niki-Artemis , Flamos Alexandros , Alberola Emilie , Williges Keith , Türk Andreas , ten Donkelaar Michael
Published: December 2019

Background

This article presents the main findings from a meta-analysis of how climate change mitigation policy evaluations have been undertaken in the European Union (EU) and six of its Member States: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom. It aims to provide insights into how policy evaluations are carried out and how those practices might be improved. As a first step, this article reviews the literature on the theory and practice of policy evaluations to guide our methodology and further analysis.

Results

Our sample of 236 policy evaluations in the EU and six Member States covers the period 2010–2016. Compared with the results of a similar meta-analysis carried out covering the period 1998–2007, formal evaluations commissioned by government bodies have been on the rise in 2010–2016. Most evaluations focus on effectiveness and goal achievement and usually forgo a deeper level of reflexivity and/or public participation in the evaluation process. The analysis also reveals the dominance of the energy sector in the sampled evaluations. The article finds that the low number of any policy evaluations in the agriculture, waste or land-use sectors is an area for further investigation.

Conclusions

The exercise of identifying, coding and categorising these evaluations for 7 years helps to provide insights into the potential use of ex-post evaluations in support of future EU legislative proposals and accompanying impact assessments. Having a good understanding on how a certain policy performed particularly according to evaluation criteria might form the basis for more ambitious climate change mitigation policies in the future. Our analysis further shows that it is crucial and urgent to allocate sufficient resources to the coverage of relatively under-represented sectors, such as land use, land-use change and forestry, and waste.
From blood development to disease: a paradigm for clinical translation
Authors: Justice Monica J. , Hmeljak Julija , Sankaran Vijay G. , Socolovsky Merav , Zon Leonard I.
Published: December 2019

Translating basic research to the clinic is a primary aim of Disease Models & Mechanisms, and the recent successes in hematopoiesis research provide a blueprint of how fundamental biological research can provide solutions to important clinical problems. These advances were the main motivation for choosing hematopoiesis disorders as the focus of our inaugural meeting, ‘Blood Disorders: Models, Mechanisms and Therapies’, which was held in early October 2019. This Editorial discusses the reasons for and the challenges of interdisciplinary research in hematopoiesis, provides examples of how research in model systems is a key translational step towards effective treatments for blood disorders and summarizes what the community believes are the key exciting developments and challenges in this field.
Walking kinematics in the polymorphic seed harvester ant Messor barbarus: influence of body size and load carriage
Authors: Merienne Hugo , Latil Gérard , Moretto Pierre , Fourcassié Vincent
Published: December 2019

Ants are famous in the animal kingdom for their amazing load carriage performances. Yet, the mechanisms that allow these insects to maintain their stability when carrying heavy loads have been poorly investigated. Here we present a study of the kinematics of unloaded and loaded locomotion in the polymorphic seed-harvesting ant Messor barbarus. In this species big ants have larger heads relative to their size than small ants. Hence, their center of mass is shifted forward, and the more so when they are carrying a load in their mandibles. We tested the hypothesis that this could lead to big ants being less statically stable than small ants, thus explaining their lower load carriage performances. When walking unloaded we found that big ants were indeed less statically stable than small ants but that they were nonetheless able to adjust their stepping pattern to partly compensate for this instability. When ants were walking loaded on the other hand, there was no evidence of different locomotor behaviors in individuals of different sizes. Loaded ants, whatever their size, move too slowly to maintain their balance through dynamic stability. Rather, they seem to do so by clinging to the ground with their hind legs during part of a stride. We show through a straightforward model that allometric relationships have a minor role in explaining the differences in load carriage performances between big ants and small ants and that a simple scale effect is sufficient to explain these differences.
Metabolic partitioning of sucrose and seasonal changes in fat turnover rate in ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris)
Authors: Dick Morag F. , Alcantara-Tangonan Antonio , Shamli Oghli Yazan , Welch Kenneth C.
Published: December 2019

Hummingbirds fuel their high energy needs with the fructose and glucose in their nectar diets. These sugars are used to fuel both immediate energy needs and to build fat stores to fuel future fasting periods. Fasting hummingbirds can deplete energy stores in only hours and need to be continuously replacing these stores while feeding and foraging. If and how hummingbirds partition dietary fructose and glucose towards immediate oxidation versus fat storage is unknown. Using a chronic stable isotope tracer methodology, we examined if glucose or fructose are preferentially used for de novo lipogenesis in ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris.) Potential seasonal changes were correlated with variation in the overall daily energy expenditure. We fed ruby-throated hummingbirds sucrose-based diets enriched with 13C on either the glucose or the fructose portion of the disaccharide for 5 days. Isotopic incorporation into fat stores was measured via the breath 13C signature while fasting (oxidizing fat) during the winter and summer seasons. We found greater isotopic enrichment of fat stores when glucose was labelled compared to fructose, suggesting preference for glucose as a substrate for fatty acid synthesis. We also found a seasonal effect on fat turnover rate. Faster turnover rates occurred during the summer months when birds maintained lower body mass, fat stores and exhibited higher daily nectar intake compared to winter. This demonstrates that fat turnover rate can substantially vary with changing energy expenditure and body composition, however the partitioning of sucrose towards de novo fatty acid synthesis remains constant.
Recent advances in understanding and managing pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Gurram Bhaskar , Patel Ashish S.
Published: December 2019

The landscape of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease is rapidly evolving. The therapeutic advances seen in the adult arena are rapidly being adopted by pediatric gastroenterologists and evaluated in both controlled trials and real-world experience. Though anti-tumor necrosis factor agents have been the primary therapy over the last decade, recently there has been an expansion of therapeutic targets and alternative mechanism of action drugs with a focus on individualized and personalized therapy. By reviewing epidemiology, pathophysiology, and goals of treatment, we hope to frame the discussion of current and novel therapeutics for the pediatric gastroenterologist. As scientific discovery continues to push the envelope in defining our understanding of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, the current era of therapeutics gives us hope that a cure may be realized soon.
Recent advances in understanding multiple sclerosis
Authors: Stys Peter K. , Tsutsui Shigeki
Published: December 2019

Emerging data point to important contributions of both autoimmune inflammation and progressive degeneration in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). Unfortunately, after decades of intensive investigation, the fundamental cause remains unknown. A large body of research on the immunobiology of MS has resulted in a variety of anti-inflammatory therapies that are highly effective at reducing brain inflammation and clinical/radiological relapses. However, despite potent suppression of inflammation, benefit in the more important and disabling progressive phase is extremely limited; thus, progressive MS has emerged as the greatest challenge for the MS research and clinical communities. Data obtained over the years point to a complex interplay between environment (e.g., the near-absolute requirement of Epstein–Barr virus exposure), immunogenetics (strong associations with a large number of immune genes), and an ever more convincing role of an underlying degenerative process resulting in demyelination (in both white and grey matter regions), axonal and neuro-synaptic injury, and a persistent innate inflammatory response with a seemingly diminishing role of T cell–mediated autoimmunity as the disease progresses. Together, these observations point toward a primary degenerative process, one whose cause remains unknown but one that entrains a nearly ubiquitous secondary autoimmune response, as a likely sequence of events underpinning this disease. Here, we briefly review what is known about the potential pathophysiological mechanisms, focus on progressive MS, and discuss the two main hypotheses of MS pathogenesis that are the topic of vigorous debate in the field: whether primary autoimmunity or degeneration lies at the foundation. Unravelling this controversy will be critically important for developing effective new therapies for the most disabling later phases of this disease.
Understanding the uptake of a national retinopathy screening programme: An audit of people with diabetes in two large primary care centres
Authors: Tracey Marsha , Racine Emmy , Riordan Fiona , McHugh Sheena M. , Kearney Patricia M.
Published: December 2019

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is estimated to affect 25–26% of the Irish population with diabetes and is one of the leading causes of blindness among working-age adults. Regular diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) can reduce the risk of sight loss. In 2013, the new national screening programme (RetinaScreen) was introduced in Ireland. Maximising DRS uptake (consent to participate in the programme and attendance once invited) is a priority, therefore it is important to identify characteristics which determine DRS uptake among those with diabetes in Ireland. We report uptake in an Irish primary care population during the initial phase of implementation of RetinaScreen and investigate factors which predict consenting to participate in the programme.

Methods: In two primary care practices, data were extracted from records of people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2) aged ≥18 years who were eligible to participate in RetinaScreen between November 2013 and August 2015. Records were checked for a RetinaScreen letter. RetinaScreen were contacted to establish the status of those without a letter on file. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to examine associations between socio-demographic variables and consenting. Adjusted incident rate ratios (IRR) with 95% CI were generated as a measure of association.

Results: Of 722 people with diabetes, one fifth (n=141) were not registered with RetinaScreen. Of 582 who were registered, 63% (n=365) had participated in screening. Most people who consented subsequently attended (n=365/382, 96%). People who had attended another retinopathy screening service were less likely to consent (IRR 0.65 [95%CI 0.5-0.8]; p<0.001). Other predictors were not significantly associated with consent.

Conclusions: Over one third of eligible participants in RetinaScreen had not consented. Research is needed to understand barriers and enablers of DRS uptake in the Irish context. Implementing strategies to improve DRS uptake, barriers to consent in particular, should be a priority.
Towards Health Equity and Transformative Action on tribal health (THETA) study to describe, explain and act on tribal health inequities in India: A health systems research study protocol
Authors: Srinivas Prashanth Nuggehalli , Seshadri Tanya , Velho Nandini , Babu Giridhara R , Madegowda C , Channa Basappa Yogish , Narasimhamurthi Nityasri Sankha , Majigi Sumanth Mallikarjuna , Madhusudan Mysore Doreswamy , Marchal Bruno
Published: December 2019

Background: In India, heterogenous tribal populations are grouped together under a common category, Scheduled Tribe, for affirmative action. Many tribal communities are closely associated with forests and difficult-to-reach areas and have worse-off health and nutrition indicators. However, poor population health outcomes cannot be explained by geography alone. Social determinants of health, especially various social disadvantages, compound the problem of access and utilisation of health services and undermine their health and nutritional status. The Towards Health Equity and Transformative Action on tribal health (THETA) study has three objectives: (1) describe and analyse extent and patterns of health inequalities, (2) generate theoretical explanations, and (3) pilot an intervention to validate the explanation.    

Methods: For objective 1, we will conduct household surveys in seven forest areas covering 2722 households in five states across India, along a gradient of socio-geographic disadvantage. For objective 2, we will purposefully select case studies illustrating processes through which socio-geographic disadvantages act at the individual, household/neighbourhood, village or population level, paying careful attention to the interactions across various known axes of inequity. We will use a realist evaluation approach with context-mechanism-outcome configurations generated from the wider literature on tribal health and results of objective 1. For objective 3, we will partner with willing stakeholders to design and pilot an equity-enhancing intervention, drawing on the theoretical explanation generated and evaluate it to further refine our final explanatory theory.

Discussion: THETA project seeks to generate site-specific evidence to guide public health policy and programs to better contribute to equitable health in tribal populations. It fulfills the current gap in generating and testing explanatory social theories on the persistent and unfair accumulation of geographical and social disadvantage among tribal populations and finally examines if such approaches could help design equity-enhancing interventions to improve tribal health.
Young family in modern Russian society: image and quality of life
Authors: Razov Pavel , Presnyakova-Osipova Irina , Yushkova Svetlana
Published: December 2019

The monograph analyzes one of the most important social institutions of society — the family, its meaning, structure, mechanisms of role relations. The study of these aspects is of particular interest to sociologists, as the transformation of Russian society has left an imprint on the institution of the family, distorting its traditional functions and tasks. First of all, modern trends have influenced the young family. The usual forms of formation, functioning and development of families are undergoing radical changes, so for the younger generation the process of adaptation to unstable circumstances becomes a pressing problem.
For students, bachelors, undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and anyone interested in family sociology.
Correlates of compliance with hip-worn accelerometer protocol in adolescents
Authors: Costa Bruno Gonçalves Galdino da , Lopes Marcus Vinicius Veber , Malheiros Luís Eduardo Argenta , Sasaki Jeffer Eidi , Silva Kelly Samara da
Published: December 2019

Accelerometers are widely used to measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour amongst youth, and research participants have to wear the accelerometer for enough time to provide valid estimates of their habitual behaviour. This study aimed to identify correlates of accelerometer wear time in a sample (n = 142) of Brazilian adolescents of the 7th to the 9th grade. Students of two middle schools of Florianopolis were invited to participate. The participants answered a questionnaire, wore an accelerometer on the right hip for 10-12 days, and had their height and weight measured. The association of gender, age, socioeconomic position, mother education, conicity index, and self-reported physical activity with accelerometer wear time (minutes), number of days with ≥ 10h of valid accelerometer data, and compliance with validation criteria (≥ 4 days with ≥ 10h of wear time, including a weekend day) were tested. Accelerometer wear time in minutes was lower in boys than girls (-1014.14, 95%CI: -1822.91; -205.37). Boys also had less valid days compared to girls (Incidence Risk Ratio = 0.70; 95%CI: 0.52; 0.94) and were less likely to comply with validation criteria (Odds Ratio = 0.29; 95%CI: 0.12; 0.68). Higher mother education was associated with increased odds of meeting validation criteria. Factors associated with compliance with accelerometer protocol were sex and mother education. Thus, analyzes should consider the difference in representation of such groups.
Associação entre qualidade do sono e doenças cardiometabólicas de pacientes da Atenção Primária à Saúde
Authors: Ricardo Suelen Jane , Castanho de Araujo Monique Yndawe , Mantovani Alessandra Madia , Dos Santos Lionai Lima , Turi-lynch Bruna Camilo , Queiroz Dayane Cristina , Codogno Jamile Sanches
Published: December 2019

A privação do sono está relacionada ao desenvolvimento de doenças cardiometabólicas. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a associação entre qualidade do sono e ocorrência de doenças cardiometabólicas em adultos atendidos na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Estudo longitudinal composto por 169 adultos (68,6% do sexo feminino), média de idade 61,80 (desvio padrão = 8,80), acompanhados por 30 meses. A presença das doenças hipertensão arterial, dislipidemia, diabetes mellitus e ocorrência de infarto e a qualidade do sono foram mensuradas por meio de questionários. Os participantes foram divididos em grupos de acordo com a qualidade do sono (adequada/inadequada). Para verificar a diferença de idade, classe econômica, atividade física habitual e circunferência de cintura, entre os grupos a e b, utilizou-se o teste t de Student para amostras independentes. Para comparar a proporção das doenças (hipertensão arterial, infarto, diabetes e dislipidemias) entre os grupos, utilizou-se o teste Qui-quadrado com correção de Yates. A regressão logística binária foi utilizada para testar a magnitude de tais associações, ajustadas por sexo, idade, atividade física, obesidade abdominal, etilismo e tabagismo. As análises estatísticas foram realizadas no software BioEstat (versão 5.0) e o nível de significância adotado foi de p < 0,05. Verificou-se que 83,4% dos adultos reportaram ao menos uma alteração na qualidade do sono e os que apresentaram inadequada qualidade do sono tiveram 3,4 vezes mais chances de reportar diabetes (OR = 3,47; IC95%: 1,06 - 11,30), comparados aos com o sono adequado. Inadequada qualidade do sono parece contribuir para o aumento da ocorrência de diabetes mellitus, independente do tempo de prática de atividade física e a obesidade abdominal.
The role of the heart failure nurse and use of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors
Authors: Mellville Martin
Published: December 2019

Diabetes significantly increases the morbidity and mortality faced by patients with heart failure. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors can improve glycaemic control and reduce mortality. They can also improve the cardiovascular risk profile as well as act as a diuretic and reduce hospital admissions because of heart failure. This article will review how these medications work, their place in the treatment of heart failure and the patient education needed before starting these medications. The article will also discuss the role played by heart failure specialist nurses in prescribing and monitoring the impact of these medications on patients. The article concludes with a horizon scan of the potential future implications of these medications for heart failure specialist nurses
Safer consulting in minor illness: Evaluation of an online educational programme for community pharmacists
Authors: Silverston Paul
Published: December 2019

Community pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in the assessment and management of patients with the symptoms of a minor illness, which may now also include issuing a prescription to the patient. However, it is important to appreciate that these symptoms may also be present during the early stages of a serious illness and that some patients with a minor illness are at increased risk of developing a serious complication of that illness. This article describes an online educational programme for community pharmacists that adopts a symptom-based, patient safety-focused approach to the assessment and management of patients with the symptoms of minor illness. This article also discusses the feedback from the first cohort of participants in the programme. 94% of the participants felt that the programme had improved their practice, and 97% felt that the programme had helped them to decide which patients should be referred for further assessment or treatment.
Anthropometric measurements associated with intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly: a case-control study
Authors: Ardiansyah Andy , Yuwana Sugeng
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND Femoral intertrochanteric fracture is an important cause of disability in the elderly. Low muscle mass, especially those of the lower limbs, has been associated with osteoporosis and higher fall incidents. This study was aimed to assess the association between the anthropometric indices and intertrochanteric fractures.

METHODS This case-control study was performed from September 2013 to July 2015. The criteria of case group were elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures admitted in Dr. Sardjito Hospital within 72 hours after a low energy injury without multiple fractures or pathological fracture. For control group, the subjects were matched according to age and gender without any fracture. Thigh and calf circumferences were done on healthy limbs. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. History of steroid use was obtained. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) was calculated using logistic regression after analyzed with student's t-test or chi-square test.

RESULTS There were 82 subjects on each group. Smaller thigh and calf circumferences and also lower BMI were risk factors of intertrochanteric fractures. Thigh circumference <39 cm (aOR 5.12; 95% CI 2.30–11.43; p < 0.001) and calf circumference <29 cm (aOR 9.42; 95% CI 4.14–21.40; p < 0.001) were independently associated with intertrochanteric fracture after adjustment of BMI and steroid use.

CONCLUSIONS Calf and thigh circumferences were independently associated with femoral intertrochanteric fractures in Indonesian elderly.
Association between HLA-Cw6 allele expression and characteristics of Javanese ethnic psoriasis patients in Indonesia
Authors: Sylviningrum Thianti , Putranti Ismiralda Oke , Sari Octavia Permata , Arjadi Fitranto , Sudibyo Ermadi Satriyo , Manik Siti Nurmala
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease with involvement of genetic and environmental factors. The HLA-Cw6 allele is the strongest genetic factor that correlates with earlier onset and more severe clinical manifestation of psoriasis. In Javanese ethnic, HLA-Cw6 allelic expression has not been identified, although increasing psoriasis patients were found in hospital dermatology departments. The study was aimed to determine the allelic expression of HLA-Cw6 based on the onset and severity of psoriasis in Javanese ethnic.
METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to September 2018. Sixty psoriasis patients in the Margono Soekarjo Hospital and Banyumas Regional General Hospital were recruited consecutively. Psoriasis type, diagnosis, onset, and disease severity were assessed by dermatologists. HLA-Cw6 allelic expression was identified by DNA isolation, quantitative testing, and HLA-Cw6 genotyping. Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the association of HLA-Cw6 with age, clinical type, disease severity, onset, and gender.
RESULTS The HLA-Cw6 allele positivity was identified at 297 base pairs (bp), while control showed at 618 bp bands. Among 60 subjects, 13 subjects (22%) showed HLACw6 positivity, and 47 subjects (78%) were HLA-Cw6 negative. HLA-Cw6 genotypes were similarly distributed concerning age, onset, gender, clinical type, and disease severity in psoriasis patients of Javanese ethnic (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS HLA-Cw6 expression type may not have influence to the characteristics of patients with psoriasis.
Effect of delayed diagnosis and treatment of congenital hypothyroidism on intelligence and quality of life: an observational study
Authors: Pulungan Aman Bhakti , Oldenkamp Myrte Everarda , Van Trotsenburg Adrianus Sarinus Paulus , Windarti Wiwik , Gunardi Hartono
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most prevalent, albeit preventable causes of intellectual disability. This study determined the intellectual outcome and health-related quality of life (QoL) in children and adolescents clinically diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism and the associations among age of starting thyroid hormone treatment, current free thyroxine (FT4) level, intelligence quotient (IQ), and QoL.METHODS Intelligence (Wechsler scales) and QoL (PedsQLTM 4.0 parent proxy-report) tests were administered to 25 patients with congenital hypothyroidism in the pediatric clinic of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta. Nineteen patients underwent thyroid ultrasonography or scintigraphy to determine the etiology of congenital hypothyroidism.RESULTS A total of 25 patients with the median age of 9 (5.5–12.5) years were recruited. Eighteen patients had a total IQ of <70. The age of treatment initiation did not correlate with full scale IQ (FSIQ) (r = −0.261, p = 0.071) and verbal IQ (VIQ) (r = −0.232, p = 0.265). The late initiation of treatment was correlated with lower performance IQ (PIQ) (r = −0.325, p = 0.025). The higher current FT4 levels was correlated with higher scores ofFSIQ (r = 0.314, p = 0.046) and PIQ (r = 0.320, p = 0.043). The late initiation of treatment (r = 0.006, p = 0.980) and higher current FT4 levels (r = 0.246, p = 0.310) were not correlated with QoL. Hemiagenesis of thyroid gland was the most common etiology.CONCLUSIONS The late initiation of thyroid hormone substitution in patients with congenital hypothyroidism negatively affects intellectual abilities.
Five-year experience of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in children: a single center experience in a developing country
Authors: Ambarsari Cahyani Gita , Trihono Partini Pudjiastuti , Kadaristiana Agustina , Tambunan Taralan , Mushahar Lily , Puspitasari Henny Adriani , Hidayati Eka Laksmi , Pardede Sudung Oloan
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND The pediatric peritoneal dialysis (PD) program in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Indonesia was started in 2014. However, there has been no published data on the patients’ outcome. This study was aimed to report the characteristics and outcomes of a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) program for children.

METHODS This retrospective study was conducted in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital as a national referral hospital. Data were collected from medical records of patients aged ≤18 years with end-stage renal disease who underwent CAPD in 2014–2019. The baseline characteristics, PD-related infection rate, as well as patient and technique survivals were analyzed.

RESULTS Out of 60 patients who underwent CAPD, 36 (60%) were boys on the age range of 4 months–18 years. The mean follow-up duration was 12 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.4–15.3) months. The number of PD related infections increased along with the growing number of patients on CAPD. The peritonitis rate was 0.42 episodes per year at risk, and the most common etiology was alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus (5/24, [20.8%]). The 1- and 3-year technique survival rates were 60.3% (95% CI = 44.5–72.9) and 43.9% (95% CI = 23.2–62.9). The 1- and 3-year patient survival rates were 69.6% (95% CI = 52.5–81.5) and 58% (95% CI = 31.2–77.5).

CONCLUSIONS In this unit, CAPD could be performed in children as young as 4 months of age. The peritonitis rate was relatively low which was likely caused by skin-derived microorganisms. Both technique survival and patient survival were also relatively low.
Ethnic differences in height growth trajectories and early life factors: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Authors: Lu Yi , Pearce Anna , Li Leah
Published: December 2019

Height growth is an important biomarker for early life exposures that influence later disease risk. Previous studies show that ethnic minority children in the UK tend to be born lighter but experience more rapid infancy growth than White peers. However, whether subsequent child-to-adolescent growth differs by ethnic group is insufficiently understood. We used the data from 15,239 singletons in the UK Millennium Cohort Study and applied mixed-effects cubic growth models to examine ethnic differences in height trajectories between 3y and 14y. Models were subsequently adjusted for potential early life explanatory factors. Compared with White counterparts, South Asian children had lower birthweight and shorter parents on average, but were slightly taller at 3y by 0.5cm [95% CI: 0.2–0.9] and had comparable childhood and adolescent trajectories, except that girls had a slower growth in adolescence. Height of South Asians relative to White children increased after adjusting for birthweight (taller by 1.3cm at 3y). Black African/Caribbeans were taller than White children at all ages between 3y and 14y (at 3y boys: 2.2cm, 1.2–2.7; girls: 3.2cm, 2.6–3.8) with height differences widening in childhood and reducing in adolescence. Adjustment for potential explanatory factors did not alter these differences. Despite having lower birthweight, contemporary UK South Asian children had comparable child-to-adolescent growth as White children. Black African/​Caribbeans were considerably taller than other ethnic groups. Future research is needed in understanding the role of genetic and other environmental factors (such as diet) in these distinct growth patterns across ethnic groups and their health implications.
Quantitative calculation of substrate bending caused by multilayer coating stresses
Authors: Sugiura Muneo , Tamura Koichi , Kobiyama Mitsunobu
Published: December 2019

A framework to quantitatively calculate substrate bending after coating has been proposed. By introducing fitting parameters to modified Stoney’s formula, the amount of bending has been calculated to accuracies of less than

λ

/

10

at 633 nm for ion-beam sputtering and ion-beam assisted deposition processes.
Axial plane single-molecule super-resolution microscopy of whole cells
Authors: An Sha , Ziegler Karl Ferdinand , Zhang Peiyi , Wang Yu , Kwok Tim , Xu Fan , Bi Cheng , Matosevic Sandro , Yin Peng , Li Tongcang , Huang Fang
Published: December 2019

Fluorescence nanoscopy has become an indispensable tool for studying organelle structures, protein dynamics, and interactions in biological sciences. Single-molecule localization microscopy can now routinely achieve 10–50 nm resolution through fluorescently labeled specimens in lateral optical sections. However, visualizing structures organized along the axial direction demands scanning and imaging each of the lateral imaging planes with fine intervals throughout the whole cell. This iterative process suffers from photobleaching of tagged probes, is susceptible to alignment artifacts and also limits the imaging speed. Here, we focused on the axial plane super-resolution imaging which integrated the single-objective light-sheet illumination and axial plane optical imaging with single-molecule localization technique to resolve nanoscale cellular architectures along the axial (or depth) dimension without scanning. We demonstrated that this method is compatible with DNA points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (DNA-PAINT) and exchange-PAINT by virtue of its light-sheet illumination, allowing multiplexed super-resolution imaging throughout the depth of whole cells. We further demonstrated this proposed system by resolving the axial distributions of intracellular organelles such as microtubules, mitochondria, and nuclear pore complexes in both COS-7 cells and glioblastoma patient-derived tumor cells.
Gaussian pulsed beam decomposition for propagation of ultrashort pulses through optical systems
Authors: Worku Norman G. , Gross Herbert
Published: December 2019

Many applications of ultrashort laser pulses require manipulation and control of the pulse parameters by propagating them through different optical components before the target. This requires methods of simulating the pulse propagation taking into account all effects of dispersion, diffraction, and system aberrations. In this paper, we propose a method of propagating ultrashort pulses through a real optical system by using the Gaussian pulsed beam decomposition. An input pulse with arbitrary spatial and temporal (spectral) profiles is decomposed into a set of elementary Gaussian pulsed beams in the spatiospectral domain. The final scalar electric field of the ultrashort pulse after propagation is then obtained by performing the phase correct superposition of the electric fields all-Gaussian pulsed beams, which are propagated independently through the optical system. We demonstrate the application of the method by propagating an ultrashort pulse through a focusing aspherical lens with large chromatic aberration and a Bessel-X pulse generating axicon lens.
Development and nonlinear optical characterization of phthalocyanine-incorporated stable natural dye with wideband absorption for solar cell applications
Authors: Sebastian Riya , Sankararaman S.
Published: December 2019

The increasing demand for energy led to the development of the
nonconventional energy source, the solar cell, and materials capable
of harvesting light energy from the Sun. Of various types of solar
cells, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are low cost but have less
efficiency. The paper reports on the development of cobalt
phthalocyanine-incorporated natural dye with high broad absorption in
the 400–800 nm region that exhibits excellent stability on aging. The
nonlinear absorption coefficient and the refractive index, studied
using the open- and closed-aperture Z-scan technique, are also found
to be high, making it best suitable for DSSC applications.
Z-scan and eclipsing Z-scan analytical expressions for third-order optical nonlinearities
Authors: Pereira Magnus K. , Correia Ricardo R. B.
Published: December 2019

Analytical expressions for Gaussian-beam Z-scan and eclipsing Z-scan signals are obtained in a unified format in the case of third-order optical nonlinearities. Considering optically thin media in the presence of both nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption, the Gaussian decomposition method is applied to express the normalized transmittance through an aperture or a disk in terms of a sum of heterodyne and homodyne contributions. The expressions presented are also valid for arbitrary circularly symmetric real ABCD post-sample optical systems.
Ultrabroadband light absorption based on photonic topological transitions in hyperbolic metamaterials
Authors: Jiang Xiaoyun , Wang Tao , Zhong Qingfang , Yan Ruoqin , Huang Xing
Published: December 2019

Photonic topological transitions (PTTs) in metamaterials open up a novel approach to design a variety of high-performance optical devices and provide a flexible platform for manipulating light-matter interactions at nanoscale. Here, we present a wideband spectral-selective solar absorber based on multilayered hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM). Absorptivity of higher than 90% at normal incidence is supported over a wide wavelength range from 300 to 2215 nm, due to the topological change in the isofrequency surface (IFS). The operating bandwidth can be flexibly tailored by adjusting the thicknesses of the metal and dielectric layers. Moreover, the near-ideal absorption performance can be retained well at a wide angular range regardless of the incident light polarization. These features make the proposed design hold great promise for practical applications in energy harvesting.
Triply resonant coupled-cavity electro-optic modulators for RF to optical signal conversion
Authors: Gevorgyan Hayk , Khilo Anatol , Ehrlichman Yossef , Popović Miloš A.
Published: December 2019

We propose an on-chip triply resonant electro-optic modulator architecture for RF-to-optical signal conversion and provide a detailed theoretical analysis of the optimal “circuit-level” device geometries and their performance limits. The designs maximize the RF-optical conversion efficiency through simultaneous resonant enhancement of the RF drive signal, a continuous-wave (CW) optical pump, and the generated optical sideband. The optical pump and sideband are resonantly enhanced in respective supermodes of a two-coupled-cavity optical resonator system, while the RF signal can be enhanced in addition by an LC circuit formed by capacitances of the optical resonator active regions and (integrated) matching inductors. We show that such designs can offer 15-50 dB improvement in conversion efficiency over conventional microring modulators. In the proposed configurations, the photon lifetime (resonance linewidth) limits the instantaneous RF bandwidth of the electro-optic response but does not limit its central RF frequency. The latter is set by the coupling strength between the two coupled cavities and is not subject to the photon lifetime constraint inherent to conventional singly resonant microring modulators. This feature enables efficient operation at high RF carrier frequencies without a reduction in efficiency commonly associated with the photon lifetime limit and accounts for 10-30 dB of the total improvement. Two optical configurations of the modulator are proposed: a “basic” configuration with equal Q-factors in both supermodes, most suitable for narrowband RF signals, and a “generalized” configuration with independently tailored supermode Q-factors that supports a wider instantaneous bandwidth. A second significant 5-20 dB gain in modulation efficiency is expected from RF drive signal enhancement by integrated LC resonant matching, leading to the total expected improvement of 15-50 dB. Previously studied triply-resonant modulators, with coupled longitudinal (across the free spectral range (FSR)) modes, have large resonant mode volume for typical RF frequencies, which limits the interaction between the optical and RF fields. In contrast, the proposed modulators support maximally tightly confined resonant modes, with strong coupling between the mode fields, which increases and maintains high device efficiency across a range of RF frequencies. The proposed modulator architecture is compact, efficient, capable of modulation at high RF carrier frequencies and can be applied to any cavity design or modulation mechanism. It is also well suited to moderate Q, including silicon, implementations, and may be enabling for future CMOS RF-electronic-photonic systems on chip.
Dense parallax image acquisition method using single-pixel imaging for integral photography
Authors: Usami Ren , Nobukawa Teruyoshi , Miura Masato , Ishii Norihiko , Watanabe Eriko , Muroi Tetsuhiko
Published: December 2019

In integral photography (IP), it is difficult to obtain three-dimensional photographs with high spatial resolution, high angular resolution, and a wide viewing angle simultaneously. Thus, we proposed a dense parallax image acquisition method using single-pixel imaging. We confirmed that parallax images can be obtained depending on the position of the photodetector. By replacing the detector to each pixel of an image sensor, a two-dimensional image with different parallaxes in each pixel can be acquired. We demonstrated the reconstruction of dense parallax images according to the pixel position of the image sensor. This method is effective in addressing the trade-off among spatial resolution, angular resolution, and a viewing angle. It can also improve the image quality in IP.
Creation of complex nano-interferometric field structures
Authors: Man Zhongsheng , Meng Peiwen , Fu Shenggui
Published: December 2019

With dual two-dimensional Airy-like waveforms, we demonstrate the creation of highly confined electromagnetic fields in the transverse plane and circular or elliptical propagation trajectories in the longitudinal plane by using specially designed Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) phases. Applying the Richards and Wolf vectorial diffraction methods, the explicit expressions are obtained to calculate the strength vectors and energy flux of the three-dimensional electromagnetic fields. Calculations reveal that the nano-interferometric structures of such highly confined fields highly depend on the indexes

γ
1

and

γ
2

determining the PB phase, thereby enabling the engineering of highly confined fields with tunable size, spacing, and propagation trajectories.
Generation of terahertz radiation in dielectric–metal structure irradiated by a femtosecond laser pulse
Authors: Grishkov Vyacheslav E. , Uryupin Sergey A.
Published: December 2019

Generation efficiency of THz radiation in the skin layer of metal increases significantly when a nanolayer of dielectric is deposited on the metal surface. Additional amplification of the generation occurs if a weakly focused femtosecond pulse affects a structure where electron collision frequency in the metal is greater than the inverse duration of the pulse.
Optimal design for spectral narrowing and fast frequency sweep of an interferometer-stabilized laser
Authors: Hilton Ashby P. , Light Philip S. , Talbot Lauris , Luiten Andre N.
Published: December 2019

Self-heterodyne fiber interferometers have been shown to be capable of stabilizing lasers to ultra-narrow linewidths and present an excellent alternative to high-finesse cavities for frequency stabilization. In addition to suppressing frequency noise, these devices are highly tunable and can be manipulated to produce high-speed frequency sweeps over the entire range of the laser. We present an analytic approach for choosing a delay-line length for both optimal noise suppression and highest in-loop frequency sweep rate. Based on this model, we stabilize an extended cavity diode laser to a fiber Michelson interferometer and demonstrate a linewidth of 700 Hz over millisecond timescales while also allowing for a frequency scan rate of 1 THz/s. We independently measure the maximum deviation from linearity of the sweep to be only 100 kHz.
Asymmetric near-zero edge mode in topological photonic lattice without chiral or particle-hole symmetries
Authors: Ji Kaiwen , Liu Zhenjuan , Dai Yanan , Wen Zengrun , Wang Yishan , Zhang Guoquan , Bai Jintao , Qi Xinyuan
Published: December 2019

Generally speaking, a one-dimensional system requires chiral or
particle-hole symmetry to be topologically nontrivial. In this Letter,
we show that topological behavior can also be observed in a
quasi-one-dimensional photonic system without the aforementioned
symmetries. The results indicate that the quantized Zak phase is
achieved in such a system even though the chiral and particle-hole
symmetries are still absent. Further study shows that the system can
support a topologically protected asymmetric near-zero mode on the
right edge. Our work enriches the concepts of design of topological
photonics and may have important applications in future quantum
computations.
Cross-sectional refractive-index variations in fiber Bragg gratings measured by quantitative phase imaging
Authors: Noah Grayson M. , Bao Yijun , Gaylord Thomas K.
Published: December 2019

Unexpected micrometer-scale patterns in the induced refractive index of various commercial fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are observed in the cross-sectional fiber directions, which are in addition to the expected periodic variations along the fiber axis. These measurements were made using 3D tomographic deconvolution phase microscopy, a type of quantitative phase imaging. The cross-sectional patterns observed are shown to exhibit a variety of appearances, including fringes normal to the fiber axis and radial blades, the details apparently depending on the FBG writing method.
Iterative reconstruction for general linear imaging polarimetry without polarimetric calibration
Authors: Han Feng , Mu Tingkui , Bao Donghao , Tuniyazi Abudusalamu , Li Qiuxia , Gong Hang , Chen Zeyu , Zhang Chunmin
Published: December 2019

Usually, the practical analysis states of an imaging polarimeter need to be calibrated, with a set of standard polarization states, for the accurate reconstruction of Stokes parameters. However, it is challenging to get the standard elements for the polarimetric calibration. In this Letter, an iterative reconstruction method is presented for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, to recover the polarization parameters from the data acquired by linear Stokes polarimeters without polarimetric calibrations. Inspired from phase-shifting interferometry, the method employs two least squares iterative procedures and requires no extra element for assistance. Experimental results show that the iterative method is more robust to noise perturbation and gets higher precision compared with the calibration method with reference polarization states.
Generation and characterization of burst modes in passively mode-locked lasers with internal Fabry–Perot cavities
Authors: Li S. C. , Huang T. L. , Hsieh Y. H. , Liang H. C. , Huang K. F. , Chen Y. F.
Published: December 2019

The generation of burst pulses in a multi-pass passively mode-locked laser is systematically explored. We exploit intracavity mirrors with different thicknesses to serve as reflected Fabry–Perot (RFP) cavities in laser resonators. Using a RFP cavity with the thinnest optical thickness, we can generate picosecond optical burst pulses with the highest intra-burst pulse rate of 33.12 GHz. The maximum output power of 2.6 W is obtained at an incident pump power of 11.9 W. We further develop an analytical model which considers the RFP effects to manifest the first-order autocorrelation and spectral behaviors in experiments. The agreement between theoretical analyses and experimental explorations provides the feasibility to flexibly manipulate the burst modes in practical applications.
Characterization of Yb-doped ZBLAN fiber as a platform for radiation-balanced lasers
Authors: Peysokhan Mostafa , Mobini Esmaeil , Allahverdi Arman , Abaie Behnam , Mafi Arash
Published: December 2019

Recent advances in power scaling of fiber lasers are hindered by the thermal issues, which deteriorate the beam quality. Anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling has been suggested as a viable method to balance the heat generated by the quantum defect and background absorption. Such radiation-balanced configurations rely on the availability of cooling-grade rare-earth-doped gain materials. Herein, we perform a series of tests on an ytterbium-doped

ZrF
4

–

BaF
2

–

LaF
3

–

AlF
3

–
NaF

(ZBLAN) optical fiber to extract its laser-cooling-related parameters and show that it is a viable laser-cooling medium for radiation balancing. In particular, a detailed laser-induced modulation spectrum test is performed to highlight the transition of this fiber to the cooling regime as a function of the pump laser wavelength. Numerical simulations support the feasibility of a radiation-balanced laser, but they highlight that practical radiation-balanced designs are more demanding on the fiber material properties, especially on the background absorption, than solid-state laser-cooling experiments.