bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anthelmintic activity of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica against gastrointestinal nematodes of wild sheep
Authors: Rafique Azhar , Mahmood M. Shahid , Abbas Rao Zahid , Ali Sultan , Mian AH , Rizwan A
Published: January 2023

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are serious issue for health of wild sheep kept in captivity. Chemically synthesized anthelmintics are regularly used to control these parasites. In recent years anthelmintic resistance and remnant of drugs in animal products leads to use of medicinal plants as alternative to anthelmintics. In current study, the efficacy of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic dried leaf extracts of medicinal plants Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica were tested for in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activities against Haemonchus, Trichuris, Coccidia and Trichostrongylus; naturally acquired nematodes isolated from wild sheep (Ovis orientalis orientalis). Six concentrations of these plants extract (1.56, 3.13, 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/ml) were evaluated using egg hatching assay (EHA) and larval development assay (LDA) in three replicates. To compare treatment effects, untreated and treated (0.1% ivermectin) controls were used. The aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic leaf extracts showed anthelmintic activities against isolated genera of nematodes but the inhibition was  maximum (99%) in ethanol extract of M. oleifera followed by methanol extract (97%) at maximum concentration tested at (50mg/ml). The overall findings of this study shows that Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica leaf extracts possess significant anthelmintic efficacy against GINs of sheep and these could be a natural alternative to synthetic anthelmintics to treat the worm infections in animals.
Udder defense system: Effect of milk SCC level on Th1/Th2 cytokine balance
Authors: Safak Tarik , Risvanli Ali
Published: January 2023

The immune system of the cow is kept strong to protect the cows from mastitis, which causes economic losses for dairy cattle herds. Cellular immunity, especially, plays an important role as a first-line defense system. In the case of inflammation, cytokines play a decisive role in monitoring this process. In this study, the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) and cytokine (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and interleukins [TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, -4, -5, and -10, respectively]) concentrations in milk were determined. It was decided to support the humoral and cellular aspects of the udder defense system by determining the T-helper cell (Th1/Th2) cytokine polarization in high SCC milk from cows with signs of mastitis. Milk samples from 180 cows were divided into five groups according to the somatic cell count level (˂ 150 x 103, 151 x 103–400 x 103, 401 x 103–600x103, 601 x 103–1,000 x 103, and > 1,000x103 cells⁄mL). It was understood that the Th1 direction was determined before mastitis was formed, that is when SCC was low (˂ 150 x 103). As a result, it was concluded that theTh1 polarization should be supported to protect cows from mastitis.
Community based assessment on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP), Risk Factors and One Health Perspective of Brucellosis in rural and urban settings of Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Tahir A , Naz S , Afzal M S , Shabbir R M K , Ali S , Shah NA , Ahmed H
Published: January 2023

Bovine brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic infection of ruminants in Pakistan with detrimental impacts on livestock economy. The major losses caused by brucellosis in animals include abortions, week calves, infertility, and reduced milk production. Regardless of the prevalence of the disease, limited data is available about brucellosis in Pakistan. The present study aimed to access the one health concept in prospective of Brucellosis among small-scale dairy farmers by examining knowledge, attitude and practices at the farms and household level that might pose a risk for humans contracting brucellosis. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among small household dairy farms (n=333) in rural and urban areas of district Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The results revealed almost 74.17% of the participants knew about animal brucellosis and about 69.97% of the participants were able to identify the symptoms of animal brucellosis. 58.26% of participants showed knowledge about the transmission of disease from animals to humans. A majority (70.87%) of participants used the raw milk for making other dairy products. Most household farmers are unaware of routes of transmission and major risk factors of brucellosis. Almost all the participants, except veterinarians, including butchers, dairy farm owners and workers, slaughterhouse owners and workers and farmers were involved in at least one risky practice. The moderate knowledge and poor understanding of the disease emphasize the need to initiate awareness programs to educate the farmers who are at high risk along with the improvement of vaccination programs for animals and strict implementation of brucellosis eradication policy which should be devised by government.
Assessing efficiency of dairy goat farms by performance evaluation and benchmarking
Authors: Batzios A , Theodoridis A , Semos A , Bournaris T
Published: January 2023

The efficiency of goat farming sector in Greece is analyzed in this study. A survey was carried out in 96 goat farms, randomly selected in the area of Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Accounting data were recorded through face-to-face interviews with farmers and Data Envelopment Analysis was applied to estimate technical efficiency (TE) of goat farms. The mean TE estimated at 0.791, indicating that input savings of 20.9% could be achieved. 75% of the goat farms are deemed as inefficient. The gross revenue varies considerably between efficient and inefficient farms, with the first achieving €210.09 and inefficient farms €143.41/doe. Farm size classification reveals significant difference of TE among groups of small and medium sized farms (P≤0.05). The analysis of the existing structure of the farms, compared to the optimal plan resulted from DEA, shows that farms could achieve higher economic results, through a rational use of the available inputs.
Doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress injury: The protective effect of kumiss on cardiotoxicity
Authors: Yilmaz S , Kaya E , Yonar H , Mendil AS
Published: January 2023

Bu çalışmanın amacı, doksorubisinin (DOX) neden olduğu kardiyotoksisite üzerine kımızın etkisini araştırmaktı. Yirmi sekiz Wistar-Albino erkek sıçan 4 gruba ayrıldı: Birinci gruba (kontrol) herhangi bir müdahale yapılmadı. İkinci gruba 7 gün gavaj yoluyla 2 ml/kg/gün, üçüncü gruba intraperitoneal DOX, dördüncü gruba kımız+DOX 20 mg/kg tek doz verildi. DOX uygulamasından 7 gün önce Kumiss uygulamasına başlandı ve 7 gün devam edildi. 7 On thkımız uygulamasının ilk gününde intraperitoneal olarak DOX uygulandı. Malondialdehit (MDA), indirgenmiş glutatyon (GSH) seviyeleri ve katalaz (CAT), glutatyon peroksidaz (GSH-Px), süperoksit dismutaz (SOD), glukoz-6-fosfat dehidrojenaz (G6PD) ve glutatyon-S- gibi antioksidan enzimler Kalp ve kan dokularında kardiyotoksisite patogenezindeki etkinliklerini belirlemek için transferaz (GST) aktiviteleri belirlendi. DOX grubu kontrol grubu ile karşılaştırıldığında MDA (p<0,001, p<0,001) ve GSH (p<0,001, p=0,002) düzeylerinde artış ve CAT'de azalma (p=0,001, p<0,001) , GSH-Px (p<0.001, p<0.001), G6PD (p<0.001, p=0.001) ve GST (p=0.003) aktiviteleri bulundu ve SOD aktivitesinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulunmadı. Histopatolojik olarak dejenerasyon, nekroz, DOX uygulanan grupta kanama ve ödem gözlendi. DOX ile tedavi edilen grup ile karşılaştırıldığında, DOX ile kımız verilen grupta MDA, GSH düzeyleri ve antioksidan enzim aktivitelerinin kontrol grubu değerlerine ulaştığı görüldü. Sonuç olarak, lipid peroksidasyon ürünlerindeki artış ve antioksidan enzimlerdeki azalmanın, güçlü bir kemoterapötik ilaç olan DOX ile indüklenen kardiyotoksisitenin patogenezinde rol oynayabileceği belirlendi ve kırmızının DOX kaynaklı oksidatif hasara karşı koruduğu gösterildi.
The economic effects of the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation
Authors: Yui Xang
Published: January 2023

The restrictive measures imposed on the Russian federation concern not only the State but also the entities and some people of power. These measures include the freezing of funds, illegal economic resources of a technical or material nature but also those that are oriented towards the production and use of chemical weapons and/or acts that help and encourage such activity. This research focuses mainly on the type of the aforementioned sanctions by the European Union. This work also seeks to analyze the legal effectiveness of these sanctions within the circle of the United Nations and World Trade Organization (WTO). Finally, the proposal of new types of sanctions, but also the setting of new rules against the Russian federation are the final objective of our work.
Towards a dialogical and progressive educational policy framework: Manoeuvring a middle way among the polarised constructs
Authors: David Solomon Arulraj
Published: January 2023

Policy science and practice around the world, including educational policies, are dominated by popular, extreme approaches such as market-orientated approaches at one end and critical argumentative approaches at the other end. This study therefore aims to manoeuvre a middle way to propose a dialogical and progressive educational policy framework and explores the research question: ‘how could a middle way (a dialogical and progressive framework) be manoeuvred among the polarised policy constructs?’ The study embraces Lynham’s five phases of theory building as the basis for this research, which includes conceptual development, operationalisation, confirmation/disconfirmation, application, and continuous refinement. The study explores some of the known existing policy frameworks for conceptual mapping, investigates the underlying dynamics and discourses to operationalise, uses diverse arguments in the literature to confirm/disconfirm and proposes to mark the emerging patterns, trends, and gaps in policy research to apply and refine. The study contends that if it is possible to have a polarised market-oriented and critical argumentative policy frameworks, it is then possible to have a dialogical, progressive middle-way policy framework. The study had to limit to the most important and related theories, and models to focus. Future works could explore a wide range of other relevant theories and models to further investigate this framework. Furthermore, application of the proposed dialogical, progressive educational policy framework in specific context/case may help to refine it. The study contends that the proposed middle way is not a perfect space but a potential space in which a dialogical and progressive educational policy may thrive.
A cross-sectional study on exploring the antecedents of patient’s revisit intention: Mediating role of trust in the hospital among patients in India
Authors: Akthar Nahima , Nayak Smitha , Pai P Yogesh
Published: January 2023

Background: In the healthcare domain, patients’ trust in the hospital plays an instrumental role in determining the behavioral intention of the patient.  This article attempts to investigate the impact of service quality perception on behavioral intention with the mediating effect of trust in the hospital and patient satisfaction. 

Methods: This research was carried out in multispecialty hospitals located in Bangalore Urban and Mysore districts of Karnataka during August 2021. This was a questionnaire-based study and the sample size was 242. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 27.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to analyze the data.

Results: The findings revealed that perceived service quality significantly influences trust through patient satisfaction (observed partial mediation) and patient satisfaction significantly impacts behavioral intention through trust (observed partial mediation).

Conclusion: This study empowers hospital managers to understand the factors influencing behavioral intention. Healthcare professionals must ensure that good quality service is delivered to enhance patient satisfaction and trust in adverse services, which influence behavioral intention among the patients.
Assessment of plasma testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone levels in Vietnam female patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris
Authors: Nguyen Phu Cuong , Nguyen Hoang Van , Vu Van Tien , Pham Van Tran , Tran Dang Quyet , Nguyen Thanh Tung
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Acne is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit with differential pathogenesis. To elucidate the roles of hormones in acne pathogenesis, we conducted a study to evaluate the plasma testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone levels in women with acne vulgaris.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, and 140 women with acne vulgaris were examined; their plasma estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone were analyzed by chemiluminescence technique and compared with the healthy control group.

Results: Increased plasma hormone levels in women with acne vulgaris accounted for 33.57%, and hyperandrogenism accounted for 20.71% of cases. We found significant differences in testosterone levels (mean value, 56.92 ± 27.64ng/dL, 60.71± 25.85ng/dL versus 38.35 ± 10.09ng/dL, p<0.01), respectively, in the moderate to severe acne group and the control group. However, the estradiol level of the moderate and severe acne groups (325.12 ± 91.79 and 305.26 ± 83.01pmol/l) was lower than the control group (368.6 ± 58.34pmol/l), with p-value under 0.05. No statistically significant differences were found for progesterone levels.

Conclusion: Female patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris had abnormalities in plasma testosterone and estradiol levels. These abnormalities might be part roles in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris, even when the mean levels were in the normal range.
Syrian medical and non-medical students’ knowledge about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a cross-sectional online survey
Authors: Hadakie Rana , Alkwatli Khalil , Haddad Shaden
Published: January 2023

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a public health challenge globally. It is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and diagnosed mainly by spirometry. However, COPD is often underdiagnosed and the lack of public awareness about it may be a reason. Syria has suffered from a conflict that has affected its health system disastrously. In addition, COPD prevalence in Syria is estimated to be the highest among middle eastern countries. Therefore, evaluation and increasing public awareness about COPD may help in reducing the COPD burden in this country. University students are an interesting population to study as universities are one of the main places of campaigns. Besides, such studies may be useful in improving the medical curriculum and teaching for COPD.

Methods: A cross-sectional self-administrated online survey was conducted in this study, consisting of four sections: demographic characteristics of the study’s sample, their smoking habits, COPD-related knowledge, and sources of information about COPD.

Results: Of the 794 participants, 562 were medical students and 268 were non-medical. Nearly 50% of them were either current or negative smokers. The non-medical group showed a low level of knowledge about COPD since only 27% of them had heard previously about COPD. In relation to medical students, they showed better knowledge about COPD as 80.2% of them declared that they had heard about COPD, and 71% correctly identified what COPD refers to. Only about 15% of medical students used reliable sources of medical information to get information related to COPD.

Conclusions: Syrian medical and non-medical students’ knowledge of COPD is not satisfied and needs to be improved either by awareness campaigns or by improving medical curricula and teaching about this disease.
Particle physics facing a pandemic
Authors: KARDOS Adam , MOCH Sven-Olaf , RODRIGO German
Published: January 2023

Background: Ordinary life as we knew it changed in March of 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While springtime in general was well awaited and regarded as a synonym for rejuvenation, March of 2020 on the other hand brought lock-down, curfews, home working and digital education to the lives of many. The particle physics community was not an exception: research institutes and universities introduced remote working and digital lecturing and all workshops, conferences and summer schools were cancelled, got postponed or took place online.

Methods: Using publicly available data from the INSPIRE and arXiv databases we investigate the effects of this dramatic change of life to the publishing trends of the high-energy physics community with an emphasis on particle phenomenology, theory and CERN’s two major LHC experiments, ATLAS and CMS. To get insights, we gather information about publishing trends in the last 20 years, ending by December 2021, and analyse it in detail.

Results: Our analysis revealed that the publishing trend in particle physics was only been affected in a minor way.

Conclusions: Publication data show that difficult times were successfully overcome and that the community even increased scientific output.
The genome sequence of a snail-killing fly, Pherbina coryleti (Scopoli, 1763)
Authors: Sivell Olga , Mitchell Ryan , Sivell Duncan ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: January 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Pherbina coryleti (snail-killing fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Sciomyzidae). The genome sequence is 863 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into six chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 20.9 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 32,619 protein coding genes.
Friżider miłości, dziesięć piastrów nadziei, czyli mała glosa do „Piotrusia”
Authors: Lipszyc Adam
Published: January 2023

Punktem wyjścia artykułu jest konstatacja oczywistego zakorzenienia pisarstwa Leo Lipskiego w uniwersum analno-fekalnym. Ten aspekt twórczości autora Piotrusia dość łatwo poddaje się wykładni z punktu widzenia teorii psychoanalitycznej, która tradycyjnie łączy rejestr analny z sadomasochizmem. Zarazem jednak autor artykułu wskazuje, że (1) w twórczości Lipskiego rejestr analno-fekalny wiąże się także z rejestrem pamięci, a co więcej (2) odwołania do tego rejestru w pewnej mierze równoważone są przez odwołania do sfery oralnej, do przyjemności jedzenia i warunkowego wyzwolenia, jaką daje sama narracja, po części luzująca także przeciążenie traumatyczną pamięcią. Analizując mikropowieść Piotruś pod kątem relacji między rejestrem fekalnym, sferą jedzenia a sztuką opowiadania, autor artykułu próbuje wskazać jaśniejsze momenty mrocznego arcydzieła Lipskiego, które pozwalają mówić o paradoksalnym zwycięstwie jeśli nie bohatera, to autora powieści.
„Coraz to mniej rzeczy warto mówić”. Korespondencja Leo Lipskiego z Michałem Chmielowcem
Authors: Maciejowska Agnieszka
Published: January 2023

Tekst jest rekonstrukcją biografii Leo Lipskiego i Michała Chmielowca prowadzących ze sobą korespondencję przez trzy dekady – od 1946 do 1974 r. Stanowi uzupełnienie owej korespondencji, która nie zawiera wielu szczegółów biograficznych lub wspomina o nich w sposób zrozumiały tylko dla autorów. Autorka zarysowuje tło biograficzne, wskazujące na dość podobne doświadczenia korespondentów we wczesnym dzieciństwie, okresie studiów, a także chwili ucieczki na wschód i dalszych losów. Jak wskazuje autorka tekstu, po 1942 r. ich życie przybrało jednak różny obrót – chory i sparaliżowany Lipski utknął w Izraelu, Chmielowiec zaś ostatecznie osiadł w Londynie, niemniej z uwagi na fakt, że obaj na stałe byli związani z pisaniem, utrzymywali bliską relację korespondencyjną.
DE ESPAÑA AL RÍO DE LA PLATA. EL CURA JOSÉ MARÍA RODRÍGUEZ Y SU TRÁNSITO POR UNA PARROQUIA DE LA CAMPAÑA (1861-1875).
Authors: Bilbao Lucas
Published: January 2023

En este artículo analizamos la trayectoria del cura español José María Rodríguez, vicario de la parroquia de Tandil entre 1863 y 1875. Un recorrido por sus tareas pastorales, sus vínculos con su feligresía y las representaciones religiosas sobre algunos hechos, permite comprender las funciones que las comunidades locales otorgaron a los curas, así como el lugar que ocupó el clero en el proceso de consolidación de la Iglesia de Buenos Aires.
LA SUPERINTENDENCIA GENERAL DE REAL HACIENDA Y LOS PROYECTOS PARA EL ESTABLECIMIENTO DEL RÉGIMEN DE INTENDENCIAS EN EL NUEVO REINO DE GRANADA.
Authors: Pinto Bernal José Joaquín , Parada García Gilberto Enrique
Published: January 2023

Este trabajo analiza los cambios sufridos en las atribuciones de la Superintendencia General de Real Hacienda y la Superintendencia Subdelegada de Real Hacienda, ambas ejercidas por los virreyes entre 1751 y 1810 en el Nuevo Reino de Granada. A través del estudio de los proyectos para la instauración del régimen de intendencias y las providencias emitidas por la Superintendencia y la Junta Superior de Real Hacienda, se pudo constatar cómo el papel de los virreyes en el gobierno del regio Erario se vio potenciado, al otorgárseles la jurisdicción para el tratamiento de apelaciones en pleitos de rentas estancadas.
Modeling Customer Satisfaction’s Impact on Loyalty: Insights for Customer-Centric Resource Allocation
Authors: Li Yinxing , Xing Aijing , Terui Nobuhiko
Published: January 2023

This study explores the nonlinear modeling of customer satisfaction (CS) and loyalty for resource allocation strategies that promote efficient loyalty programs. We first introduce global models to reflect several important nonlinear characteristics, particularly (a) a saturation-attainable limit of effectiveness, (b) nonconstant marginal returns, and (c) asymmetric responses between satisfied and dissatisfied customers. In the proposed models, we put forth the joint use of two types of mixture models to deal with different levels of heterogeneity. Based on the model best supported among alternatives in the literature, we targeted customers using expected incremental loyalty, which is derived from the joint use of an estimated response curve of loyalty to satisfaction and an empirical distribution of CS scores. Then, we evaluate the efficiency of loyalty programs under the assumption of full and limited access to customers and subsequently derive managerial implications. For instance, through a counterfactual simulation of the models for the three industries, we find that improving the perceived quality in the mobile communication industry may have a greater effect on loyalty than in the hotel and convenience store industries because of its higher switching cost.

Funding: N. Terui acknowledges funding by JSPS KAKENHI [Grants (A)17H01001 and (A)22H00056].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2022.0313 .
Rethinking Rail Freight
Authors: Norman Helen
Published: January 2023

Parallel Systems’ co-founder Matt Soule reveals how the company’s autonomous battery-electric rail system aims to decarbonize the freight sector and enable railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization, and improve service levels
Innovation in Charging Infrastruture
Authors: Manissero Livio
Published: January 2023

Prima Electro’s long-term experience in the design and production of power electronics is a key element to deliver custom projects in the EV and off-board charging fields
The Bigger Picture
Authors: Norman Helen
Published: January 2023

Hitachi Rail’s work to drive greater modal shift through the development of mobility-as-a-service and greener trains will be crucial in supporting wider net-zero ambitions. Group CEO, Andrew Barr, reveals more
Stay on Track
Authors: Tuohy Paul
Published: January 2023

Campaign for Better Transport calls for ban on some UK domestic flights and for the government to do more to promote rail as a greener alternative
Focusing on Important Problems
Authors: Karpak Birsen , Wallenius Hannele , Wallenius Jyrki
Published: January 2023

Research in Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and its subfields (multi-attribute utility theory or Decision Analysis, AHP, Goal Programming, MCDA, multi-objective mathematical programming, EMO) is very active. However, our general feeling is that bright, young people do not focus their energies sufficiently on solving important problems despite many very important problems that deserve attention. Some of the problems are critical to the well-being of the world. The purpose of our essay is to identify these very important problems (or mega trends, as they are sometimes called) and briefly discuss how the research community could help solve or at least alleviate such problems. The reader could interpret our essay as suggestions for a research agenda or program. It does not matter whether we are AHP scholars, multi-objective optimizers, or decision analysts, everyone’s contribution is needed.
AP–HTPB propellant combustion under strain conditions with laser absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Gu Mingming , Ouyang Jianfeng , Wang Shaojie , Yuan Wenhao , Shi Xiaoming , Hou Kaiyu , Xiao Libai , Gao Hongxu , Zhou Zhongyue , Qi Fei
Published: January 2023

Understanding the combustion behaviors of solid propellant with different levels of
strains is of practical interest. In this work, an experimental study
of the effects of static and dynamic strains on the burning rate,
temperature, CO, and

C
O

2

formation of aluminized ammonium
perchlorate (AP)-hydroxyl terminated poly-butadiene (HTPB) propellant
combustion was presented at initial pressures of 0.1 MPa,
0.2 MPa, and 0.5 MPa. The strains were being applied
onto solid propellant by exerting static and cyclic loadings. The
propellant burning rate was acquired by a 4 kHz high-speed
photography system, and the combustion temperature, CO, and

C
O

2

column densities were measured at
10 kHz through laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS). At
atmospheric pressure, it was demonstrated that the propellant burning
rate increased with tensile stress and decreased with compressive
stress. The measured flame temperature showed a similar correlation
with strains as compared to the propellant burning rate. At elevated
pressures, the increase of the propellant burning rate due to tensile
stress was more evident, while the difference in combustion
temperatures was less significant. For the cyclic strain condition,
the variations of the measured

C
O

2

and CO column densities were
consistent with the static strain condition.
Modified Huygens–Fresnel method for the propagation of partially coherent beams through turbulence
Authors: Shiri Arash , Schmidt Jason , Tellez Jason , Gbur Greg
Published: January 2023

Partially coherent beams (PCBs) have been extensively studied as a method to mitigate the deleterious effects of atmospheric turbulence for applications such as free-space optical communication. However, it can be difficult to study and assess the performance of PCBs in turbulence due to the complicated physics of the atmosphere and the wide variety of PCBs possible. Here, we introduce a modified approach to study the propagation of second-order field moments of PCBs analytically in turbulence, reformulating the problem in terms of free-space propagation of the beam. We illustrate the method by studying a Gaussian Schell-model beam in turbulence.
Orbital-resolved photoelectron momentum distributions of F- ions in a counter-rotating bicircular field
Authors: Chen Jian-Hong , Wen Liang-Cai , Zhao Song-Feng
Published: January 2023

We present a theoretical study of the orbital-resolved photoelectron momentum distributions (PMDs) of F- ions by a two-color counter-rotating circularly polarized field. We show that the PMDs of F- ions can be modulated from an isotropic symmetric distribution into a three-lobe one by adding a weak fundamental counter-rotating field to the intense second harmonic circularly polarized field, and this modulation strongly depends on the initial atomic orbital. The PMDs simulated by the strong-field approximation method show good agreement with those obtained by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Based on the strong-field approximation method, we find that the radial momentum shift of PMDs for different orbitals is the fingerprint of orbital-dependent initial momentum at the tunnel exit. More importantly, we demonstrate that the lobes in PMDs appear in sequential order, highlighting that the scheme can be viewed as controllable rotating temporal Young’s two-slit interferometer.
Broadband second-harmonic generation in an angle-cut lithium niobate-on-insulator waveguide by a temperature gradient
Authors: Tang Yongzhi , Ding Tingting , Lu Chuanyi , Qiu Jing , Zhang Yuting , Huang Yiwen , Liu Shijie , Zheng Yuanlin , Chen Xianfeng
Published: January 2023

Frequency conversion via nonlinear wave mixing is an important technology to broaden the spectral range of lasers, propelling their applications in optical communication, spectroscopy, signal processing, and quantum information. Many applications require not only a high conversion efficiency but also a broad phase matching bandwidth. Here, we demonstrate broadband birefringence phase matching (BPM) second-harmonic generation (SHG) in angle-cut lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) ridge waveguides based on a temperature gradient scheme. The bandwidth and shift of the phase matching spectrum can be effectively tuned by controlling the temperature gradient of the waveguide. Broadband SHG of a telecom C-band femtosecond laser is also demonstrated. The approach may open a new avenue for tunable broadband nonlinear frequency conversion in various integrated photonics platforms.
Creation and preservation of superoscillation in a dielectric optical waveguide
Authors: Luo Ye , Zhan Zhenli , Wang Xutao , Wang Jiayuan
Published: January 2023

Superoscillation refers to a phenomenon where a band-limited wave locally oscillates faster than its highest Fourier component. Current research on optical superoscillations predominantly lies on the basis of free-space waves. As the optical waveguides play a key role in energy and information transportation, guided waves with precisely controlled deep-subwavelength features offers unprecedented flexibility for applications. In this Letter, we numerically show that, by superimposing eigenmodes of a multimode SiO2 waveguide and forcing the resultant field to pass through a set of predetermined points, superoscillatory fields in various shapes can be formed in preset cross-sectional planes. Furthermore, by padding prescribed intensities in multiple cross sections, we successfully create a persistent superoscillatory saddle.
Geographically persistent clusters of La Crosse virus disease in the Appalachian region of the United States from 2003 to 2021
Authors: Day Corey Allen , Odoi Agricola , Trout Fryxell Rebecca
Published: January 2023

La Crosse virus (LACV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that causes more pediatric neuroinvasive disease than any other arbovirus in the United States. The geographic focus of reported LACV neuroinvasive disease (LACV-ND) expanded from the Midwest into Appalachia in the 1990s, and most cases have been reported from a few high-risk foci since then. Here, we used publicly available human disease data to investigate changes in the distribution of geographic LACV-ND clusters between 2003 and 2021 and to investigate socioeconomic and demographic predictors of county-level disease risk in states with persistent clusters. We used spatial scan statistics to identify high-risk clusters from 2003–2021 and a generalized linear mixed model to identify socioeconomic and demographic predictors of disease risk. The distribution of LACV-ND clusters was consistent during the study period, with an intermittent cluster in the upper Midwest and three persistent clusters in Appalachia that included counties in east Tennessee / western North Carolina, West Virginia, and Ohio. In those states, county-level cumulative incidence was higher when more of the population was white and when median household income was lower. Public health officials should target efforts to reduce LACV-ND incidence in areas with consistent high risks.
Clinical and pathological characterization of Central Nervous System cryptococcosis in an experimental mouse model of stereotaxic intracerebral infection
Authors: Hamed Mohamed F. , Enriquez Vanessa , Munzen Melissa E. , Charles-Niño Claudia L. , Mihu Mircea Radu , Khoshbouei Habibeh , Alviña Karina , Martinez Luis R.
Published: January 2023

Infection of the Central Nervous System (CNS) by the encapsulated fungus Cryptococcus neoformans can lead to high mortality meningitis, most commonly in immunocompromised patients. While the mechanisms by which the fungus crosses the blood-brain barrier to initiate infection in the CNS are well recognized, there are still substantial unanswered questions about the disease progression once the fungus is established in the brain. C. neoformans is characterized by a glucuronoxylomannan (GXM)-rich polysaccharide capsule which has been implicated in immune evasion, but its role during the host CNS infection needs further elucidation. Therefore, the present study aims to examine these key questions about the mechanisms underlying cryptococcal meningitis progression and the impact of fungal GXM release by using an intracerebral rodent infection model via stereotaxic surgery. After developing brain infection, we analyzed distinct brain regions and found that while fungal load and brain weight were comparable one-week post-infection, there were region-specific histopathological (with and without brain parenchyma involvement) and disease manifestations. Moreover, we also observed a region-specific correlation between GXM accumulation and glial cell recruitment. Furthermore, mortality was associated with the presence of subarachnoid hemorrhaging and GXM deposition in the meningeal blood vessels and meninges in all regions infected. Our results show that using the present infection model can facilitate clinical and neuropathological observations during the progression of neurocryptococcosis. Importantly, this mouse model can be used to further investigate disease progression as it develops in humans.
New insights from short and long reads sequencing to explore cytochrome b variants in Plasmopara viticola populations collected from vineyards and related to resistance to complex III inhibitors
Authors: Cherrad Semcheddine , Gillet Benjamin , Dellinger Julien , Bellaton Lalie , Roux Pascale , Hernandez Catalina , Steva Hervé , Perrier Lauriane , Vacher Sébastien , Hughes Sandrine
Published: January 2023

Downy mildew is caused byPlasmopara viticola, an obligate oomycete plant pathogen, a devasting disease of grapevine. To protect plants from the disease, complex III inhibitors are among the fungicides widely used. They specifically target the mitochondrial cytochromeb(cytb) of the pathogen to block cellular respiration mechanisms. In the French vineyard,P.viticolahas developed resistance against a first group of these fungicides, the Quinone outside Inhibitors (QoI), with a single amino acid substitution G143A in its cytbmitochondrial sequence. The use of QoI was limited and another type of fungicide, the Quinone inside Inhibitors, targeting the same gene and highly effective against oomycetes, was used instead. Recently however, less sensitiveP.viticolapopulations were detected after treatments with some inhibitors, in particular ametoctradin and cyazofamid. By isolating single-sporangiaP.viticolastrains resistant to these fungicides, we characterized new variants in the cytbsequences associated with cyazofamid resistance: a point mutation (L201S) and more strikingly, two insertions (E203-DE-V204, E203-VE-V204). In parallel with the classical tools, pyrosequencing and qPCR, we then benchmarked short and long-reads NGS technologies (Ion Torrent, Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies) to sequence the complete cytbwith a view to detecting and assessing the proportion of resistant variants ofP.viticolaat the scale of a field population. Eighteen populations collected from French vineyard fields in 2020 were analysed: 12 showed a variable proportion of G143A, 11 of E203-DE-V204 and 7 populations of the S34L variant that confers resistance to ametoctradin. Interestingly, the long reads were able to identify variants, including SNPs, with confidence and to detect a small proportion ofP.viticolawith multiple variants along the same cytbsequence. Overall, NGS appears to be a promising method for assessing fungicide resistance of pathogens linked to cytbmodifications at the field population level. This approach could rapidly become a robust decision support tool for resistance management in the future.
Comparing beliefs in falsehoods based on satiric and non-satiric news
Authors: Poulsen Shannon H. , Bond Robert M. , Garrett R. Kelly
Published: January 2023

This article seeks to quantify the extent to which Americans hold beliefs that are consistent with interpreting satiric news literally, and to assess whether factors known to promote misperceptions work differently depending on whether the source of the misperception is satire. We also test the robustness of those factors across a diverse set of real-world falsehoods. The study uses secondary data analysis, relying on data drawn from a 12-wave six-month panel conducted in 2019. Analyses focus on participants’ beliefs about 120 falsehoods derived from high-profile political content in circulation before each survey wave, including 48 based on satiric news. A non-trivial number of participants believed claims originating in satire, but it is less than the proportion who believed falsehoods derived from other misleading content. Results also confirm the robustness of established predictors of misperceptions while demonstrating that the associations differ in magnitude between satiric and non-satiric news.
Within and between-day variation and associations of symptoms in Long Covid: Intensive longitudinal study
Authors: Burton Christopher , Dawes Helen , Goodwill Simon , Thelwell Michael , Dalton Caroline
Published: January 2023

Background

People with Long Covid (Post Covid-19 Condition) describe multiple symptoms which vary between and within individuals over relatively short time intervals. We aimed to describe the real-time associations between different symptoms and between symptoms and physical activity at the individual patient level.

Methods and findings

Intensive longitudinal study of 82 adults with self-reported Long Covid (median duration 12–18 months). Data collection involved a smartphone app with 5 daily entries over 14 days and continuous wearing of a wrist accelerometer. Data items included 7 symptoms (Visual Analog Scales) and perceived demands in the preceding period (Likert scales). Activity was measured using mean acceleration in the 3-hour periods preceding and following app data entry. Analysis used within-person correlations of symptoms pairs and both pooled and individual symptom networks derived from graphical vector autoregression. App data was suitable for analysis from 74 participants (90%) comprising 4022 entries representing 77.6% of possible entries. Symptoms varied substantially within individuals and were only weakly autocorrelated. The strongest between-subject symptom correlations were of fatigue with pain (partial coefficient 0.5) and cognitive difficulty with light-headedness (0.41). Pooled within-subject correlations showed fatigue correlated with cognitive difficulty (partial coefficient 0.2) pain (0.19) breathlessness (0.15) and light-headedness (0.12) but not anxiety. Cognitive difficulty was correlated with anxiety and light-headedness (partial coefficients 0.16 and 0.17). Individual participant correlation heatmaps and symptom networks showed no clear patterns indicative of distinct phenotypes. Symptoms, including fatigue, were inconsistently correlated with prior or subsequent physical activity: this may reflect adjustment of activity in response to symptoms. Delayed worsening of symptoms after the highest activity peak was observed in 7 participants.

Conclusion

Symptoms of Long Covid vary within individuals over short time scales, with heterogenous patterns of symptom correlation. The findings are compatible with altered central symptom processing as an additional factor in Long Covid.
Health care professionals’ perceptions of unprofessional behaviour in the clinical workplace
Authors: Dabekaussen Kirsten F. A. A. , Scheepers Renée A. , Heineman Erik , Haber Adam L. , Lombarts Kiki M. J. M. H. , Jaarsma Debbie A. D. C. , Shapiro Jo
Published: January 2023

Background

Unprofessional behaviour undermines organizational trust and negatively affects patient safety, the clinical learning environment, and clinician well-being. Improving professionalism in healthcare organizations requires insight into the frequency, types, sources, and targets of unprofessional behaviour in order to refine organizational programs and strategies to prevent and address unprofessional behaviours.

Objective

To investigate the types and frequency of perceived unprofessional behaviours among health care professionals and to identify the sources and targets of these behaviours.

Methods

Data was collected from 2017–2019 based on a convenience sample survey administered to all participants at the start of a mandatory professionalism course for health care professionals including attending physicians, residents and advanced practice providers (APPs) working at one academic hospital in the United States.

Results

Out of the 388 participants in this study, 63% experienced unprofessional behaviour at least once a month, including failing to respond to calls/pages/requests (44.3%), exclusion from decision-making (43.0%) and blaming behaviour (39.9%). Other monthly experienced subtypes ranged from 31.7% for dismissive behaviour to 4.6% for sexual harassment. Residents were more than twice as likely (OR 2.25, p<0.001)) the targets of unprofessional behaviour compared to attending physicians. Female respondents experienced more discriminating behaviours (OR 2.52, p<0.01). Nurses were identified as the most common source of unprofessional behaviours (28.1%), followed by residents from other departments (21%).

Conclusions

Unprofessional behaviour was experienced frequently by all groups, mostly inflicted on these groups by those outside of the own discipline or department. Residents were most frequently identified to be the target and nurses the source of the behaviours. This study highlights that unprofessional behaviour is varied, both regarding types of behaviours as well as targets and sources of such behaviours. This data is instrumental in developing training and remediation initiatives attuned to specific professional roles and specific types of professionalism lapses.
SARS-CoV-2 genotyping and sequencing following a simple and economical RNA extraction and storage protocol
Authors: Hernandez Sarah , Nguyen Phuong-Vi , Azmain Taz , Piantadosi Anne , Waggoner Jesse J.
Published: January 2023

Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, supply chain shortages have caused major disruptions in sourcing the materials needed for laboratory-based molecular assays. With increasing demand for molecular testing, these disruptions have limited testing capacity and hindered efforts to mitigate spread of the virus and new variants. Here we evaluate an economical and reliable protocol for the extraction and short-term ambient temperature storage of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Additional objectives of the study were to evaluate RNA from this protocol for 1) detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the spike gene and 2) whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2. The RNAES protocol was evaluated with residual nasopharyngeal (NP) samples collected from Emory Healthcare and Emory Student Health services. All RNAES extractions were performed in duplicate and once with a commercial extraction robot for comparison. Following extraction, eluates were immediately tested by rRT-PCR. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was successfully detected in 56/60 (93.3%) RNAES replicates, and Ct values corresponded with comparator results. Upon testing in spike SNP assays, three genotypes were identified, and all variant calls were consistent with those previously obtained after commercial extraction. Additionally, the SARS-RNAES protocol yield eluate pure enough for downstream whole genome sequencing, and results were consistent with SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing of eluates matched for Ct value. With reproducible results across a range of virus concentrations, the SARS-RNAES protocol could help increase SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing and monitoring for emerging variants in resource-constrained communities.
Simulating transport and distribution of marine macro-plastic in the Baltic Sea
Authors: Christensen Asbjørn , Murawski Jens , She Jun , St. John Michael
Published: January 2023

We simulated the spatial distribution and dynamics of macro plastic in the Baltic Sea, using a new Lagrangian approach called the dynamical renormalization resampling scheme (DRRS). This approach extends the super-individual simulation technique, so the weight-per-individual is dynamic rather than fixed. The simulations were based on a mapping of the macro plastic sources along the Baltic coast line, and a five year time series of realistic wind, wave and current data to resolve time-variability in the transport and spatial distribution of macro plastics in the Baltic Sea. The model setup has been validated against beach litter observations and was able to reproduce some major spatial trends in macroplastic distributions. We also simulated plastic dispersal using Green’s functions (pollution plumes) for individual sources. e.g. rivers, and found a significant variation in the spatial range of Green’s functions corresponding to different pollution sources. We determined a significant temporal variability (up to 7 times the average) in the plastic concentration locally, which needs to be taken into account when assessing the ecological impact of marine litter. Accumulation patterns and litter wave formation were observed to be driven by an interplay between positive buoyancy, coastal boundaries and varying directions of physical forcing. Finally we determined the range of wind drag coefficients for floating plastic, where the dynamics is mostly directly wind driven, as opposed to indirectly by surface currents and waves. This study suggests that patterns of litter sorting by transport processes should be observable in many coastal and off-shore environments.