bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Transgender People With Cancer in Electronic Health Records: Recommendations Based on CancerLinQ Observations
Authors: Alpert Ash B. , Komatsoulis George A. , Meersman Stephen C. , Garrett-Mayer Elizabeth , Bruinooge Suanna S. , Miller Robert S. , Potter Danielle , Koronkowski Becky , Stepanski Edward , Dizon Don S.
Published: June 2021

PURPOSE:

Cancer prevalence and outcomes data, necessary to understand disparities in transgender populations, are significantly hampered because gender identity data are not routinely collected. A database of clinical data on people with cancer, CancerLinQ, is operated by the ASCO and collected from practices across the United States and multiple electronic health records.

METHODS:

To attempt to identify transgender people with cancer within CancerLinQ, we used three criteria: (1) International Classification of Diseases 9/10 diagnosis (Dx) code suggestive of transgender identity; (2) male gender and Dx of cervical, endometrial, ovarian, fallopian tube, or other related cancer; and (3) female gender and Dx of prostate, testicular, penile, or other related cancer. Charts were abstracted to confirm transgender identity.

RESULTS:

Five hundred fifty-seven cases matched inclusion criteria and two hundred and forty-two were abstracted. Seventy-six percent of patients with Dx codes suggestive of transgender identity were transgender. Only 2% and 3% of the people identified by criteria 2 and 3 had evidence of transgender identity, respectively. Extrapolating to nonabstracted data, we would expect to identify an additional four individuals in category 2 and an additional three individuals in category 3, or a total of 44. The total population in CancerLinQ is approximately 1,300,000. Thus, our methods could identify 0.003% of the total population as transgender.

CONCLUSION:

Given the need for data regarding transgender people with cancer and the deficiencies of current data resources, a national concerted effort is needed to prospectively collect gender identity data. These efforts will require systemic efforts to create safe healthcare environments for transgender people.
BOIN12: Bayesian Optimal Interval Phase I/II Trial Design for Utility-Based Dose Finding in Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies
Authors: Lin Ruitao , Zhou Yanhong , Yan Fangrong , Li Daniel , Yuan Ying
Published: June 2021

PURPOSE

For immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, where the efficacy does not necessarily increase with the dose, the maximum tolerated dose may not be the optimal dose for treating patients. For these novel therapies, the objective of dose-finding trials is to identify the optimal biologic dose (OBD) that optimizes patients’ risk-benefit trade-off.

METHODS

We propose a simple and flexible Bayesian optimal interval phase I/II (BOIN12) trial design to find the OBD that optimizes the risk-benefit trade-off. The BOIN12 design makes the decision of dose escalation and de-escalation by simultaneously taking account of efficacy and toxicity and adaptively allocates patients to the dose that optimizes the toxicity-efficacy trade-off. We performed simulation studies to evaluate the performance of the BOIN12 design.

RESULTS

Compared with existing phase I/II dose-finding designs, the BOIN12 design is simpler to implement, has higher accuracy to identify the OBD, and allocates more patients to the OBD. One of the most appealing features of the BOIN12 design is that its adaptation rule can be pretabulated and included in the protocol. During the trial conduct, clinicians can simply look up the decision table to allocate patients to a dose without complicated computation.

CONCLUSION

The BOIN12 design is simple to implement and yields desirable operating characteristics. It overcomes the computational and implementation complexity that plagues existing Bayesian phase I/II dose-finding designs and provides a useful design to optimize the dose of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. User-friendly software is freely available to facilitate the application of the BOIN12 design.
Broken Automatons and Barbed Ecologies in Ligia Lewis's Choreographic Imaginary
Authors: D'Oleo Dixa Ramírez
Published: June 2021

This article considers choreographer Ligia Lewis's hour-long ensemble performance Water Will (in Melody) to theorize on the relationship between ecological fugitivity and black fugitive movement. It explores how Lewis's choreography disrupts the colonial space-times of colonialism and slavery by offering portals into other space-times. In Water Will (in Melody), racialized assemblages break down from overuse and from glaring surveillance in the form of illumination. The last few minutes of the piece evoke an ambivalent postapocalyptic space-time where darkness becomes textured with what seems to be moonlight peeking into a wet cave. This ending evokes the ecological of histories of fugitivity and the earthiness of Édouard Glissant's concept of opacity, both frequently overlooked in discussions of black fugitivity. The final section traces Lewis's fugitive choreography into what the article calls the barbed ecologies of the hills of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, sites of black and indigenous marronage and symbiosis.
Introduction
Authors: Andersen Tore Rye , Kjerkegaard Stefan , Stougaard Pedersen Birgitte
Published: June 2021

The digitization of the publishing business has provided publishers with new media and new means of distribution, which in turn have created new modes of reading. The impact of the digital revolution on the production and distribution of literature has already been widely discussed, but much less has been written about how current media developments have affected reading and readers. A central thesis of this special issue is that the phenomenon of reading should be studied from various disciplinary perspectives. Reading as a phenomenon evolves in the intersections among media developments, literary trends, and social practices. By bringing together scholars from literary theory, media studies, aesthetics, anthropology, psychology, and linguistics, the special issue explores different perspectives on how the technological, sensorial, cognitive, participatory, and aesthetic aspects of reading have evolved in recent decades. Reading practices are changing rapidly in close conjunction with the evolving formats in which literature is distributed to its readers. The purpose of the special issue is to provide a forum in which to rethink existing categories and challenge prevalent notions of reading.
Reading, Fast and Slow
Authors: Kukkonen Karin
Published: June 2021

Reading literature is often contrasted to the use of digital media in terms of speed. While readers engage slowly with a book, they rush through digital environments at an ever faster pace. This article argues against a simple binary between slow/literary and fast/digital. This binary is in fact not native to the public debate about literature in the digital age but can be traced back from the digital revolution to modernist attitudes on literature, as they emerge in Viktor Shklovsky and Walter Benjamin. Drawing on results about reading speed in reading science and on current narrative theory, this article devises an alternative argument for literary reading as a process that unfolds over multiple time scales linked to different layers of meaning making. Reading literature, from this perspective, is not exclusively slow but, rather, works through a combination of both fast and slow processes. The article develops its argument through the example of Alexander Pushkin's classic novella “The Queen of Spades” and then applies this new theoretical account of multispeed literary reading to two novels engaging explicitly with the digital revolution.
“Wave Fronts of Calculation”
Authors: Robles-Anderson Erica
Published: June 2021

This article is a response to Achille Mbembe's “Futures of Life and Futures of Reason,” which is featured in the same issue of Public Culture. The article builds on Mbembe's concept of “wave fronts of calculation” as a means of amplifying a language for political possibilities in a moment when calculability and incalculability determine the boundaries between the biological, social, and technical.
Of Bugs and Masks
Authors: Nikolchina Miglena
Published: June 2021

This essay examines the entanglement of Galin Tihanov’s three regimes of relevance of literature—literature as art, literature as high-minded social engagement, and literature as popular entertainment—in the encounter between a literary theoretician (Tzvetan Todorov) and a science fiction writer (Stanislaw Lem). The overt clash takes place in a polemical article by Lem, in which he attacks Todorov’s theory of the fantastic. Not so obviously, the writer’s revolt against the theoretician imbues Lem’s masterpiece “The Mask.” Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis” plays a considerable role in both Lem’s polemic and in his fictional response, raising questions of genre (and its dependence on the market and the entertainment industry), of subjective agency (and its philosophical and political implications), and of artistic ingenuity vis-à-vis despotic power. Although Lem’s reading of Todorov involves considerable misunderstanding, it nevertheless produces fascinating results and exemplifies the impossibility of relegating literary theory to a single regime of relevance.
Embryonic stem cells are devoid of macropinocytosis, a trafficking pathway for activin A in differentiated cells
Authors: Kostopoulou Nikoleta , Bellou Sofia , Bagli Eleni , Markou Maria , Kostaras Eleftherios , Hyvönen Marko , Kalaidzidis Yiannis , Papadopoulos Angelos , Chalmantzi Varvara , Kyrkou Athena , Panopoulou Ekaterini , Fotsis Theodore , Murphy Carol
Published: June 2021

Ligand–receptor complexes formed at the plasma membrane are internalised via various endocytic pathways that influence the ultimate signalling output by regulating the selection of interaction partners by the complex along the trafficking route. We report that, in differentiated cells, activin A–receptor complexes are internalised via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and macropinocytosis (MP), whereas in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) internalisation occurs via CME. We further show that hESCs are devoid of MP, which becomes functional upon differentiation towards endothelial cells through mesoderm mediators. Our results reveal, for the first time, that MP is an internalisation route for activin A in differentiated cells, and that MP is not active in hESCs and is induced as cells differentiate.
Intracellular flow cytometric lipid analysis – a multiparametric system to assess distinct lipid classes in live cells
Authors: Boumelhem Badwi B. , Pilgrim Chelsea , Zwicker Vincent E. , Kolanowski Jacek L. , Yeo Jia Hao , Jolliffe Katrina A. , New Elizabeth J. , Day Margot L. , Assinder Stephen J. , Fraser Stuart T.
Published: June 2021

The lipid content of mammalian cells varies greatly between cell type. Current methods for analysing lipid components of cells are technically challenging and destructive. Here, we report a facile, inexpensive method to identify lipid content – intracellular flow cytometric lipid analysis (IFCLA). Distinct lipid classes can be distinguished by Nile Blue fluorescence, Nile Red fluorescence or violet autofluorescence. Nile Blue is fluorescent in the presence of unsaturated fatty acids with a carbon chain length greater than 16. Cis-configured fatty acids induce greater Nile Blue fluorescence than their trans-configured counterparts. In contrast, Nile Red exhibits greatest fluorescence in the presence of cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, some triglycerides and phospholipids. Multiparametric spanning-tree progression analysis for density-normalized events (SPADE) analysis of hepatic cellular lipid distribution, including vitamin A autofluorescence, is presented. This flow cytometric system allows for the rapid, inexpensive and non-destructive identification of lipid content, and highlights the differences in lipid biology between cell types by imaging and flow cytometry.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Neural and behavioural responses of the pollen-specialist beeAndrena vagatoSalixodours
Authors: Burger Hannah , Marquardt Melanie , Babucke Katharina , Heuel Kim C. , Ayasse Manfred , Dötterl Stefan , Galizia C. Giovanni
Published: June 2021

An effective means of finding food is crucial for organisms. Whereas specialized animals select a small number of potentially available food sources, generalists use a broader range. Specialist (oligolectic) bees forage on a small range of flowering plants for pollen and use primarily olfactory and visual cues to locate their host flowers. So far, however, little is known about the specific cues oligoleges use to discriminate between hosts and non-hosts and how floral scent compounds of hosts and non-hosts are processed in the bees' olfactory system. In this study, we recorded physiological responses of the antennae (electroantennographic detection coupled to gas chromatography; GC-EAD) and in the brain (optical imaging; GC imaging), and studied host-finding behaviour of oligolectic Andrena vaga bees, a specialist on Salix plants. In total, we detected 37 physiologically active compounds in host and non-host scents. 4-Oxoisophorone, a common constituent in the scent of many Salix species, evoked strong responses in the antennal lobe glomeruli of A. vaga, but not the generalist honeybee Apis mellifera. The specific glomerular responses to 4-oxoisophorone in natural Salix scents reveals a high degree of specialization in A. vaga for this typical Salix odorant component. In behavioural experiments, we found olfactory cues to be the key attractants for A. vaga to Salix hosts, which are also used to discriminate between hosts and non-hosts, and A. vaga demonstrated a behavioural activity for 4-oxoisophorone. A high sensitivity to floral scents enables the specialized bees to effectively find flowers and it appears that A. vaga bees are highly tuned to 4-oxoisophorone at a very low concentration.
Machine learning-based CT radiomics features for the prediction of pulmonary metastasis in osteosarcoma
Authors: Pereira Helcio Mendonça , Leite Duarte Maria Eugenia , Ribeiro Damasceno Igor , de Oliveira Moura Santos Luiz Afonso , Nogueira-Barbosa Marcello Henrique
Published: June 2021

Objective:

This study aims to build machine learning-based CT radiomic features to predict patients developing metastasis after osteosarcoma diagnosis.

Methods and materials:

This retrospective study has included 81 patients with a histopathological diagnosis of osteosarcoma. The entire dataset was divided randomly into training (60%) and test sets (40%). A data augmentation technique for the minority class was performed in the training set, along with feature’s selection and model’s training. The radiomic features were extracted from CT’s image of the local osteosarcoma. Three frequently used machine learning models tried to predict patients with lung metastases (MT) and those without lung metastases (non-MT). According to the higher area under the curve (AUC), the best classifier was chosen and applied in the testing set with unseen data to provide an unbiased evaluation of the final model.

Results:

The best classifier for predicting MT and non-MT groups used a Random Forest algorithm. The AUC and accuracy results of the test set were bulky (accuracy of 73% [ 95% coefficient interval (CI): 54%; 87%] and AUC of 0.79 [95% CI: 0.62; 0.96]). Features that fitted the model (radiomics signature) derived from Laplacian of Gaussian and wavelet filters.

Conclusions:

Machine learning-based CT radiomics approach can provide a non-invasive method with a fair predictive accuracy of the risk of developing pulmonary metastasis in osteosarcoma patients.

Advances in knowledge:

Models based on CT radiomic analysis help assess the risk of developing pulmonary metastases in patients with osteosarcoma, allowing further studies for those with a worse prognosis.
Saturation recovery-prepared magnetic resonance angiography for assessment of left atrial and esophageal anatomy
Authors: Siebermair Johannes , Kholmovski Eugene G , Sheffer Douglas , Schroeder Joyce , Jensen Leif , Kheirkhahan Mobin , Baher Alex A , Ibrahim Majd M , Reiter Theresa , Rassaf Tienush , Wakili Reza , Marrouche Nassir F , McGann Christopher J , Wilson Brent D
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been established as an important imaging method in cardiac ablation procedures. In pulmonary vein (PV) isolation procedures, MRA has the potential to minimize the risk of severe complications, such as atrio-esophageal fistula, by providing detailed information on esophageal position relatively to cardiac structures. However, traditional non-gated, first-pass (FP) MRA approaches have several limitations, such as long breath-holds, non-uniform signal intensity throughout the left atrium (LA), and poor esophageal visualization. The aim of this observational study was to validate a respiratory-navigated, ECG-gated (EC), saturation recovery-prepared MRA technique for simultaneous imaging of LA, LA appendage, PVs, esophagus, and adjacent anatomical structures.

Methods:

Before PVI, 106 consecutive patients with a history of AF underwent either conventional FP-MRA (n = 53 patients) or our new EC-MRA (n = 53 patients). Five quality scores (QS) of LA and esophagus visibility were assessed by two experienced readers. The non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare QS between FP-MRA and EC-MRA groups, and linear regression was applied to assess clinical contributors to image quality.

Results:

EC-MRA demonstrated significantly better image quality than FP-MRA in every quality category. Esophageal visibility using the new MRA technique was markedly better than with the conventional FP-MRA technique (median 3.5 [IQR 1] vs median 1.0, p < 0.001). In contrast to FP-MRA, overall image quality of EC-MRA was not influenced by heart rate.

Conclusion:

Our ECG-gated, respiratory-navigated, saturation recovery-prepared MRA technique provides significantly better image quality and esophageal visibility than the established non-gated, breath-holding FP-MRA. Image quality of EC-MRA technique has the additional advantage of being unaffected by heart rate.

Advances in knowledge:

Detailed information of cardiac anatomy has the potential to minimize the risk of severe complications and improve success rates in invasive electrophysiological studies. Our novel ECG-gated, respiratory-navigated, saturation recovery-prepared MRA technique provides significantly better image quality of LA and esophageal structures than the traditional first-pass algorithm. This new MRA technique is robust to arrhythmia (tachycardic, irregular heart rates) frequently observed in AF patients.
Diagnostic accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value in differentiating malignant from benign solid liver lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nalaini Farhad , Shahbazi Fatemeh , Mousavinezhad Seyedeh Maryam , Ansari Ali , Salehi Mohammadgharib
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values derived by diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI in the characterization of solid benign and malignant liver lesions, and to assess their value in discriminating these lesions in daily routine practice.

Methods:

A systematic review of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted to retrieve studies that used ADC values for differentiating solid benign/dysplastic nodules and malignant liver lesions. A bivariate random-effects model with pooled sensitivity and specificity values with 95% CI (confidence interval) was used. This meta-analysis was performed on the per-lesion basis. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) plot and area under curve (AUC) were created.

Results:

A total of 14 original articles were retrieved. The combined (95% CI) sensitivity and specificity of mean ADC values for differentiating solid benign from malignant lesions were 78% (67–86%) and 74% (64–81%), respectively. The pooled (95% CI) positive and negative LRs were respectively 3 (2.3–3.8) and 0.3 (0.21–0.43). The DOR (95% CI) was 10 (7–15). The AUC (95% CI) of the SROC plot was 82% (78–85%). Reporting bias was negligible (p value of regression test = 0.36). Mean size of malignant lesions and breathing pattern of MRI were found to be sources of heterogeneity of pooled sensitivity.

Conclusion:

ADC measurement independently may not be an optimal diagnostic imaging method for differentiating solid malignant from solid benign hepatic lesions. The meta-analysis showed that ADC measurement had moderate diagnostic accuracy for characterizing solid liver lesions. Further prospective and comparative studies with pre-specified ADC thresholds could be performed to investigate the best MRI protocol and ADC threshold for characterizing solid liver lesions.

Advances in knowledge:

ADC measurement by DW-MRI does not have a good diagnostic performance to differentiate solid malignant from solid benign lesions. Therefore, we suggest not using ADC values in clinical practice to evaluate solid liver lesions.
Metformin improves FOXP3 mRNA expression through suppression of interferon gamma levels in pristane-induced murine models of lupus
Authors: Sumantri Stevent , Hatta Mochammad , Natzir Rosdiana , Rasyid Haerani , Rengganis Iris , Massi Muhammad Nasrum , Islam Andi Asadul , Lawrence Gatot , Patellongi Ilhamjaya , Benyamin Andi Fachruddin
Published: June 2021

Background:  A recent study has indicated the potential of metformin therapy for lupus in animal models, but there has been no study evaluating the effect on pristane-induced lupus. This study aims to evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal versus oral metformin on interferon (IFN)-γ levels and FOXP3 mRNA expression on pristane-induced female BALB/c mice.

Methods: In total, 31 female BALB/c mice, aged 6 weeks, were intraperitoneally induced with 0.5 ml of pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane). After 120 days, the mice were grouped and treated with various treatments: normal saline 100 MCL, oral metformin 100mg/kg-BW, or intraperitoneal metformin 100mg/kg-BW. After 60 days of treatment, all treatment groups were sacrificed, and kidney specimens prepared and stained using hematoxylin and eosin.

Results: IFNγ levels of saline controls vs. oral metformin group was 309.39 vs. 292.83 pg/mL (mean difference 16.56 pg/mL; 95% CI 0.74-32.37; p=0.042), and saline control vs. intraperitoneal metformin group was 309.39 vs. 266.90 pg/mL (mean difference 42.49 pg/mL; 95% CI 29.24-55.73 pg/mL; p<0.001). FOXP3 mRNA expression changes in saline controls vs. oral metformin group was 6.90 vs. 7.79-fold change (mean difference -0.89-fold change; 95% CI -1.68-(-0.11); p=0.03)  and in saline controls vs. intraperitoneal metformin group was 6.90 vs. 9.02-fold change (mean difference -2.12-fold change; 95% CI -2.99-(-1.25); p=<0.001). Correlation analysis of FOXP3 mRNA expression and IFNγ level changes revealed a Pearson correlation of -0.785 (p=0.001) and R2 value of 0.616 (p=0.001).

Conclusion: Metformin is a potential new therapy to reduce the levels of IFNγ and increase FOXP3 mRNA expression in mice models of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Clustering of noncommunicable disease risk factors among adolescents attending higher secondary schools in Kasaragod District, Kerala, India
Authors: Sreena Thekke Veedu , Mathews Elezebeth , Kodali Prakash Babu , Thankappan Kavumpurathu Raman
Published: June 2021

Background: Limited evidence exists on the presence of collective non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among adolescents in Kerala, India. We aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with multiple NCD risk factors and clustering of these risk factors among adolescents in Kasaragod District, Kerala.

Methods: We selected 470 adolescents (mean age 16.6 years, male 53.8%) through multi-stage cluster sampling from higher secondary schools of Kasaragod district. Self-administered questionnaires were used, and anthropometric measurements were taken using standard techniques and protocols. Tobacco use, alcohol consumption, low fruits and vegetable consumption, inadequate physical activity, extra salt intake, overweight, consumption of soft drinks and packed foods were the eight NCD risk factors included. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was done to find out the factors associated with one, two and three or more NCD risk factors.

Results: Risk factor clusters with two risk factors (dyads) and three risk factors (triads) were observed in 163 (34.7%) and 102 (21.7%) of the sample, respectively. Adolescents residing in urban areas (odds ratio (OR) = 3.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.45-8.73), whose father’s education level was lower (OR = 3.54;  95% CI = 1.24-10.10), whose mother’s education was lower (OR= 4.13; 95% CI = 1.27-13.51), who had restrictions on physical activity (OR = 5.41; 95% CI = 1.20-24.30) and who did not have a kitchen garden (an area where fruits and vegetables are grown for domestic use) (OR=4.51;95%  CI = 1.44-14.12) were more likely to have three or more NCD risk factors compared to their counterparts.  

Conclusions: Clustering of NCD risk factors was prevalent in more than half of the adolescents. Efforts are warranted to reduce multiple risk factors, focussing on children of low educated parents and urban residents. Parents of adolescents may be encouraged to have kitchen gardens and not to restrict adolescent’s physical activity.
Short-term metabolic resistance inductive effect of different agrochemical groups on Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes
Authors: Sadia Christabelle G. , Kouadio France-Paraudie A. , Fodjo Behi K. , Oyou Sebastien K. , Beatrice Adepo-Gourene A. , Koudou Benjamin G. , Mouhamadou Chouaïbou S.
Published: June 2021

Background: In order to assess the impact of the different groups of agricultural pesticides used in Côte d'Ivoire on the increase of mosquitoes resistance to insecticides, the expression profiles of 7 P450 cytochromes and one GSTE2 of Anopheles gambiae involved in mosquito resistance to insecticides were studied. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of short exposure of mosquito larvae to different groups of agricultural pesticides on mosquito resistance.

Methods: Three groups of pesticides were selected: (i) agricultural insecticide solutions, (ii) none-insecticide pesticide solutions (a mixture of herbicides and fungicides), and (iii) a mixture of the first two. A fourth non-pesticide solution was used as a control. Four groups of each stage 2 larvae (strain Kisumu, male and female) were exposed to 20% concentrated solution for 24 hours. Susceptibility tests for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and Deltamethrin were carried out on adults aged 2-5 days. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to quantify the expression of eight metabolic genes involved in mosquito resistance to insecticides. 

Results: Susceptibility to DDT showed a similar increase in the time required to knock down 50% of mosquitoes (kdt50) in l colonies exposed to insecticides and none-insecticides compared to the control colony. As for deltamethrin, kdt50 was higher in the colonies exposed to insecticides and the pesticide mixture compared to the colony exposed to none-insecticides. Of all the genes studied in all colonies, except for CYP6P1 induced only in the colony consisting of the pesticide mixture, no genes were induced.

Conclusions: This study confirmed that induction is influenced by the duration, the concentration of the solution and the type of xenobiotic used as an inducer. The overexpression of CYP6P1 confirmed the inductive effect that a short exposure of mosquito larvae to agricultural pesticides could have.
Work With “Eralash” in the Exercise in Russian as a Foreign Language (Methodological Development)
Authors: Ariskina O. , Gromova A. , Dryangina E.
Published: June 2021

One of the main tasks of teaching a foreign language is the formation of communicative competence. This concept was introduced by the american linguist D. Himes. He believed that language proficiency is not limited to knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar, but presupposes a clear idea of in what speech conditions certain words and grammatical constructions can or should be used. In the process of distance learning, the formation of communicative competence becomes much more difficult and requires the search for new teaching aids. A similar tool is the «Yeralash» film magazine. Short authentic stories are understandable sometimes even without words. On their basis, it is easy to introduce new and repeat the already learned vocabulary and phraseology of various thematic groups, to study grammar. In addition, the plots of the magazine allow you to analyze a specific speech situation (for example, a dialogue in a lesson, a conversation on the phone, a conversation between friends): to determine the topic of communication, the communicative intention of the addressee and the addressee; evaluate the appropriate language tools. And then build your own statement: formulate the main idea of the plot, express your opinion, substantiate it, etc. This thought is not completely new. However, the study of literature, methodological publications (Kazakova Yu. V., Kashpireva T.B., Kigel Tali, Solovyova T.A., Khramchenko T.A.) made it possible to conclude that there are not so many such studies. At the same time, there is a lack of developments specifically for the initial stage of studying RFL on specific topics of "Yeralash", and not general reflections and conclusions about the use of issues of this journal as methodological material. This article attempts to partially fill this gap.
Perianal Plasmablastic Lymphoma Masquerading as a Buschke-Löwenstein-like Tumour in an HIV-infected Patient with Recurrent Anal Condyloma
Authors: Rivera Rivera Xavier , Baalwa Joshua
Published: June 2021

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) commonly presents as a primary (de novo) oral or extraoral mucocutaneous or nodal mass lesion in patients with HIV/AIDS. PBL developing as a secondary malignancy at the same location as a pre-existing tumour is extremely rare and has never been reported in association with longstanding or recurrent anal condyloma. A Buschke-Löwenstein tumour is a rare gigantic, locally destructive condyloma that is usually located in the anogenital region. We report a case of a diagnostically and therapeutically challenging PBL that presented as a rapidly enlarging mass underlying a giant condyloma, thereby mimicking a benign Buschke-Löwenstein tumour. Clinical suspicion was further masked by the co-presence of fistulae in ano and adjacent abscess pockets at the time of diagnosis. By the time of final diagnosis, the lymphoma had disseminated to regional lymph nodes, a month later to pleural cavities and 4 months later to the leptomeninges and bilateral kidneys, leading to permanent deferral of chemotherapeutic intervention.
Amphetamine in illegally produced phenylethylamine –intentional action or failed synthesis of a designer drug. Analysis of evidence material by LC/MS (APCI)and GC/MS (EI) methods
Authors: Chłopaś Agnieszka , Bańka Krzysztof , Buszewicz Grzegorz
Published: June 2021

On the Polish „drug scene”, the products containing very low amounts of amphetamine offered as „pure” amphetamine are increasingly common. Occasionally, 1-phenylethylamine (1-PEA) is added to these products. The concentration of 1-PEA in such „street drugs” usually ranges from 2% to 90%. For the purposes of the ongoing prosecutor’s proceedings, toxicological testing was performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Lublin to detect narcotic agents and psychotropic substances in the white powder found in 23 plastic bags. LC/MS with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization method demonstrated only trace amounts of amphetamine and about 0.042–0.231% of 1-PEA in the samples analyzed. However, characteristic by-products of the synthesis of 1-phenylethylamine from acetophenone were indentified using GC/MS with electron ionization method. Results suggest that the analyzed „street drugs” were obtained by synthesis from acetophenone with slight amounts of benzyl methyl ketone (BMK) added intentionally, or using acetophenone contaminated with BMK.
Contemporary diagnostic methods for breast cancer
Authors: Madej-Czerwonka Barbara
Published: June 2021

Breast cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm diagnosed in Polish women. The results of treatment for breast cancer in Poland are worse than those received in highly developed European countries. The factor that is decisive in reducing mortality due to breast cancer is an early diagnosis. Conversely, the diagnosis, which is established too late contributes to poor prognosis and prevents obtaining satisfactory results in treatment even with expensive anti-cancer drugs. An early diagnosis of breast cancer is more and more difficult to reach; it requires experienced specialists and high quality equipment. This article presents contemporary diagnostic methods for breast cancer and analysis of diagnostic standards for every single procedure.
The circumstances of diagnosis of occult haemophilia B in a patient with severe maxillofacial injuries
Authors: Wojnar Joanna , Lewandowski Bogumił , Dymek Mateusz , Ozga Dorota , Migut Małgorzata
Published: June 2021

The most common haemostasis disorders are haemophilia A, B and von Willebrand disease. Symptoms of congenital bleeding diathesis can be observed in early childhood, and are easy to recognize. Medical literature describes cases of late diagnosis of haemostasis disorders. These cases are usually detected accidentally, and they can present a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem. In this article, the authors describe a patient with massive maxillofacial trauma in whom a haemostasis disorder was detected and diagnosed as haemophilia B. Detection of this disorder was of significant importance for the treatment of the primary disease, i.e. maxillofacial injuries.
Diagnosis of experimental stetohepatosis using ultrasound shear wave elastography
Authors: Bodnar Petro , Dynnyk Oleg , Myhalchyshyn Galyna , Beregova Tetiana , Kobyliak Nazariy , Prybytko Iryna , Kondro Mariana
Published: June 2021

According to available literature data, NAFLD may play crucial role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and other conditions connected with insulin resistance. In order to study the essence of the NAFLD, we have created an experimental model of the steatohepatosis. The mixed diet for 8 weeks consisting of standard food (47%), sweetened condensed milk (44%), vegetable oil (8%) and vegetable starch (1%) develops non-alcoholic steatohepatosis in the animals undergoing the experiment. The morphological signs of the non-alcoholic steatohepatosis comprised as follows in the hepatocytes of the rats undergoing the experiment: presence of fine-drop fattiness (fine-drop steatosis) and accumulation of fat vacuoles shifting the nucleus towards the cell peripheral. Substantial increase in the liver pulp of the animals undergoing the experiment defined using the ultrasound shear wave elastography technique is indicative of the presence of the non-alcoholic steatohepatosis. The ultrasound shear wave elastography technique can be used as a non-invasive diagnosis marker of the non-alcoholic steatohepatosis. The said diagnosis technique has been recommended for the first time.
The complexities of school readiness
Authors: Kay Louise
Published: June 2021

In this second article of a three-part series, Professor Louise Kay unpicks the various transitions early years children experience and reports on the marginalisation and accountability which the school readiness agenda creates.
Tackling racism
Authors: Lawson Deborah
Published: June 2021

Celebrating respect, kindness and difference is a step towards tackling racism. Voice Community is working with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation to support teachers and early years professionals to promote racial equality.
Speckle statistics of biological tissues in optical coherence tomography
Authors: Ge Gary R. , Rolland Jannick P. , Parker Kevin J.
Published: June 2021

The speckle statistics of optical coherence tomography images of biological tissue have been studied using several historical probability density functions. Here, we propose a new theoretical framework based on power-law functions, where we hypothesize that an underlying power-law distribution governs scattering from tissues. Thus, multi-scale scattering sites including the fractal branching vasculature will contribute to power-law probability distributions of speckle statistics. Specifically, these are the Burr type XII distribution for speckle amplitude, the Lomax distribution for intensity, and the generalized logistic distribution for log amplitude. Experimentally, these three distributions are fitted to histogram data from nine optical coherence tomography scans of various samples and biological tissues, in vivo and ex vivo. The distributions are also compared with classical models such as the Rayleigh, K, and gamma distributions. The results indicate that across OCT datasets of various tissue types, the proposed power-law distributions are more appropriate models yielding novel parameters for characterizing the physics of scattering from biological tissue. Thus, the overall framework brings to the field new biomarkers from OCT measures of speckle in tissues, grounded in basic biophysics and with wide applications to diagnostic imaging in clinical use.
Lithium fluoride detectors for high spatial resolution imaging of tabletop XUV from high harmonic generation in gases
Authors: Estrela Patrícia , Maçôas Ermelinda , Williams Gareth , Hussain Mukhtar , Fajardo Marta
Published: June 2021

As high harmonic generation (HHG) sources have proliferated, the need for high resolution, affordable extreme ultraviolet (XUV) detectors has become ubiquitous. We studied lithium fluoride (LiF) crystals, traditionally used for x rays, as a detector for a tabletop XUV source from high harmonic generation in gases. The LiF response curve showed a dynamic range of

10
3

(not saturated), with a minimum threshold fluence of

66

µ

J

/

c
m

2

. Imaging tests were performed revealing sub-micrometer spatial resolution. We successfully recorded a scan of the focal plane of a Fresnel zone plate with high dynamic range. With this study, we showed that LiF can be used as a detector for HHG XUV, with a high potential to do near field imaging of complex objects such as the focus of structured light.
Impact of donor and acceptor dopants in high-harmonic generation spectra of solids
Authors: Zhao Yu-Peng , Wang Gan , Ding Si-Jing , Du Tao-Yuan
Published: June 2021

High-order harmonic generation (HHG) from solids is one source of coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation and is considered as a promising way to obtain attosecond pulses, where the key issue is to enhance HHG yield and control its temporal characteristic. The role of the dopant on enhancement of HHG yield is investigated via solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We find that the doped solids possessing an impurity band in the middle of the bandgap can achieve time-domain optimization and yield enhancement in the bursts of HHG. The reason for the enhanced HHG yield is that the impurity band can provide a ladder in the step-by-step transition process. The difference in the Bloch–Zener oscillation dynamics between pristine and doped solids is shown, which also influences the variation of HHG yield and generation of even-order harmonics. In addition, the avoided level crossing between conduction bands assists the promotion of electrons and leads to the mergence between primary and secondary plateaus under nondestructive laser intensity. Finally, the generation of shorter and efficient attosecond pulses is obtained theoretically from the doped solids.
Broadband ultraviolet-visible frequency combs from cascaded high-harmonic generation in quasi-phase-matched waveguides
Authors: Rutledge Jay , Catanese Anthony , Hickstein Daniel D. , Diddams Scott A. , Allison Thomas K. , Kowligy Abijith S.
Published: June 2021

High-harmonic generation (HHG) provides short-wavelength light that is useful for precision spectroscopy and probing ultrafast dynamics. We report efficient, phase-coherent harmonic generation up to the ninth order (333 nm) in chirped periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides driven by phase-stable

≤

12

n
J

, 100 fs pulses at 3 µm with 100 MHz repetition rate. A mid-infrared to ultraviolet-visible conversion efficiency as high as 10% is observed, among an overall 23% conversion of the fundamental to all harmonics. We verify the coherence of the harmonic frequency combs despite the complex highly nonlinear process. Accommodating the extreme spectral bandwidth, numerical simulations based on a single broadband envelope equation with only quadratic nonlinearity give estimates for the conversion efficiency within approximately 1 order of magnitude over a wide range of experimental parameters. From this comparison between theory and experiment, we identify a dimensionless parameter capturing the competition between three-wave mixing and group-velocity walk-off of the harmonics that governs the cascaded HHG physics. We also gain insights into spectral optimization via tuning the waveguide poling profile and pump pulse parameters. These results can inform cascaded HHG in a range of different platforms.
Multi-mode root preserving ptychographic phase retrieval algorithm for dispersion scan
Authors: Wilhelm Alex M. , Schmidt David D. , Adams Daniel E. , Durfee Charles G.
Published: June 2021

We present a phase retrieval algorithm for dispersion scan (d-scan), inspired by ptychography, which is capable of characterizing multiple mutually-incoherent ultrafast pulses (or modes) in a pulse train simultaneously from a single d-scan trace. In addition, a form of Newton’s method is employed as a solution to the square root problem commonly encountered in second harmonic pulse measurement techniques. Simulated and experimental phase retrievals of both single-mode and multi-mode d-scan traces are shown to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the root preserving ptychographic algorithm (RPPA).
Ultra-wideband flexible transparent metamaterial with wide-angle microwave absorption and low infrared emissivity
Authors: Gao Zhiqiang , Xu Cuilian , Tian Xiaoxia , Wang Jiafu , Tian Changhui , Yang Baiyu , Qu Shaobo , Fan Qi
Published: June 2021

Optically transparent metamaterials with the performance of infrared radar compatible stealth have been designed and manufactured on the basis of the continuous in-depth research on single-band stealth technology. In this paper, metamaterials are designed through theoretical calculations and modeling simulations. The designed structure can achieve higher than 90% broadband (8.7-32 GHz) absorption at wide-angle (45 degrees), emissivity of 0.3 in infrared atmospheric window, and optical transparency. In addition, the material can be bent, which greatly expands its application scenarios. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical calculation and simulation results.
Modal decomposition of fiber modes based on direct far-field measurements at two different distances with a multi-variable optimization algorithm
Authors: Kim Byungho , Na Jeongkyun , Kim Juhwan , Kim Hansol , Jeong Yoonchan
Published: June 2021

We present a novel method for modal decomposition of a composite beam guided by a large-mode-area fiber by means of direct far-field pattern measurements with a multi-variable optimization algorithm. For reconstructing far-field patterns, we use finite-number bases of Hermite Gaussian modes that can be converted from all the guided modes in the given fiber and exploit a stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD)-based multi-variable optimization algorithm equipped with the D4σ technique in order for completing the modal decomposition with compensating the centroid mismatch between the measured and reconstructed beams. We measure the beam intensity profiles at two different distances, which justifies the uniqueness of the solution obtained by the SPGD algorithm. We verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method both numerically and experimentally. We have found that the fractional error tolerance in terms of the beam intensity overlap could be maintained below 1 × 10−7 and 3.5 × 10−3 in the numerical and experimental demonstrations, respectively. As the modal decomposition is made uniquely and reliably, such a level of the error tolerance could be maintained even for a beam intensity profile measured at a farther distance.
Enhanced upconversion red light emission of TiO2:Yb,Er thin film via Mn doping
Authors: Wei Haoming , Chen Xin , Wu Yangqing , Zhang Yangyi , Xu Jun , Cao Bingqiang
Published: June 2021

TiO2:Yb,Er films with different concentrations of Mn2+ are grown on SiO2 glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. It is found that the introduction of Mn2+ enhanced the intensity of upconversion emission. In particular, TiO2:Yb,Er thin film with 5% Mn2+ ions exhibits the brightest upconversion emission. The upconversion red emission intensity is increased by 2.5-fold than that of a TiO2:Yb,Er thin film without Mn2+ ions, which is ascribed to the multi-photon absorption and efficient exchange-energy transfer process between Er3+ and Mn2+. The high transmittance and good conductivity of the films made them possible to act as electron transport layer in solar cells.
Tunable narrowband cascaded random Raman fiber laser
Authors: Wu Han , Han Bing , Liu Yang
Published: June 2021

Random Raman fiber lasers (RRFLs) with half-opened cavity have been used as a new platform for designing high performance, wavelength-agile laser sources in the infrared region due to their intrinsic modeless property and structural simplicity. To provide the point feedbacks for cascaded random Raman lasing at different wavelengths, wavelength-insensitive broadband reflectors are commonly used in cascaded RRFLs, resulting in the rather broad high-order random Raman lasing with several nanometers of typical spectral width. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a tunable narrowband cascaded RRFL with an air-spaced etalon assisted point reflector. To realize narrowband, single- or dual-wavelength emission for each order of random lasing, the etalon is specially designed to have broad operation wavelength range, narrowband transmission lines and large free spectral range (FSR) associated with the Raman frequency shift. As a result, 1st- to 3rd-order random Raman lasing with single-wavelength emission in 1.1–1.27 μm region are generated in a 15 km single mode fiber (SMF) with -3 dB bandwidths below 0.4 nm, which are approximately four times less than those of cascaded RRFL without etalon. The maximum output power of the 3rd-order random Raman lasing is 615 mW, with 10% of optical conversion efﬁciency. Moreover, a tunable cascaded RRFL is performed by tuning the wavelength of pump laser or tilting the etalon. Dual-wavelength emission for each order of random lasing can also be realized at specific pump wavelengths. We also verified, by employing shorter fiber (10 km), more than 1.5 W output power of high-order RRFL can be achieved with -3 dB bandwidths less than 0.6 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of tunable sub-1 nm narrowband cascaded RRFL with single- or dual-wavelength emission for each order of random lasing.