bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distinct Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response and 5-Year Outcome in Patients With Estrogen Receptor–Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Negative Breast Tumors That Reclassify as Basal-Type by the 80-Gene Signature
Authors: Whitworth Pat W. , Beitsch Peter D. , Pellicane James V. , Baron Paul L. , Lee Laura A. , Dul Carrie L. , Murray Mary K. , Gittleman Mark A. , Budway Raye J. , Rahman Rakhshanda Layeequr , Kelemen Pond R. , Dooley William C. , Rock David T. , Cowan Kenneth H. , Lesnikoski Beth-Ann , Barone Julie L. , Ashikari Andrew Y. , Dupree Beth B. , Wang Shiyu , Menicucci Andrea R. , Yoder Erin B. , Finn Christine , Corcoran Kate , Blumencranz Lisa E. , Audeh William ,   NBRST Investigators Group
Published: April 2022

PURPOSE

The 80-gene molecular subtyping signature (80-GS) reclassifies a proportion of immunohistochemistry (IHC)-defined luminal breast cancers (estrogen receptor–positive [ER+], human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative [HER2–]) as Basal-Type. We report the association of 80-GS reclassification with neoadjuvant treatment response and 5-year outcome in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

Neoadjuvant Breast Registry Symphony Trial (NBRST; NCT01479101 ) is an observational, prospective study that included 1,069 patients with early-stage breast cancer age 18-90 years who received neoadjuvant therapy. Pathologic complete response (pCR) and 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed in 477 patients with IHC-defined ER+, HER2– tumors and in a reference group of 229 patients with IHC-defined triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

RESULTS

80-GS reclassified 15% of ER+, HER2– tumors (n = 73) as Basal-Type (ER+/Basal), which had similar pCR compared with TNBC/Basal tumors (34% v 38%; P = .52), and significantly higher pCR than ER+/Luminal A (2%; P < .001) and ER+/Luminal B (6%; P < .001) tumors. The 5-year DMFS (%, [95% CI]) was significantly lower for patients with ER+/Basal tumors (66% [52.6 to 77.3]), compared with those with ER+/Luminal A tumors (92.3% [85.2 to 96.1]) and ER+/Luminal B tumors (73.5% [44.5 to 79.3]). Importantly, patients with ER+/Basal or TNBC/Basal tumors that had a pCR exhibited significantly improved DMFS and OS compared with those with residual disease. By contrast, patients with ER+/Luminal B tumors had comparable 5-year DMFS and OS whether or not they achieved pCR.

CONCLUSION

Significant differences in chemosensitivity and 5-year outcome suggest patients with ER+/Basal molecular subtype may benefit from neoadjuvant regimens optimized for patients with TNBC/Basal tumors compared with patients with ER+/Luminal subtype. These data highlight the importance of identifying this subset of patients to improve treatment planning and long-term survival.
Maternal and Fetal Genetic Variation in Vitamin D Metabolism and Umbilical Cord Blood 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
Authors: Moon Rebecca J , Cooke Laura D F , D’Angelo Stefania , Curtis Elizabeth M , Titcombe Philip , Davies Justin H , Godfrey Keith M , Cleal Jane K , Lewis Rohan M , Cooper Cyrus , Harvey Nicholas C
Published: April 2022

Context

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vitamin D metabolism pathway genes are associated with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in adults. Less is known about the relationships between mother and offspring SNPs and umbilical cord blood 25(OH)D.

Objective

(1) To undertake a meta-analysis of the relationships of maternal and offspring SNPs in the vitamin D metabolism pathway and cord blood 25(OH)D in pregnant women including novel data; and (2) to examine these relationships in women who received antenatal cholecalciferol supplementation in a clinical trial.

Methods

Novel data analysis from an observational mother–offspring cohort study (Southampton Women’s Survey) and the MAVIDOS double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 1000 IU/day cholecalciferol supplementation in pregnancy, and an electronic literature search of published studies in PubMed up to 31 July 2021. Studies reporting associations between rs12785878 (DHCR7), rs10741657 (CYP2R1), rs6013897 (CYP24A1), or rs2282679 (GC) and cord blood 25(OH)D. One published study was included in addition to the novel data analysis. Associations between both maternal and offspring SNPs at rs2282679 (GC) and rs12785878 (DHCR7), and cord blood 25(OH)D were identified. When maternal genotype was adjusted for offspring genotype, and vice versa, there was persisting evidence for associations with maternal rs12785878 (β [95% CI] 1.6 nmol/L [0.3, 2.8] per common allele), and offspring rs2282679 (β 3.1 nmol/L ]2.0, 4.4] per common allele). Maternal and offspring SNPs at rs1074657 and rs613897 were not associated with cord blood 25(OH)D.

Result

Associations between both maternal and offspring SNPs at rs2282679 (GC) and rs12785878 (DHCR7), and cord blood 25(OH)D were identified. When maternal genotype was adjusted for offspring genotype, and vice versa, there was persisting evidence for associations with maternal rs12785878 (β [95% CI] 1.6 nmol/L [0.3, 2.8] per common allele), and offspring rs2282679 (β 3.1 nmol/L ]2.0, 4.4] per common allele). Maternal and offspring SNPs at rs1074657 and rs613897 were not associated with cord blood 25(OH)D.

Conclusion

Common genetic variation in the vitamin D metabolism pathway is associated with umbilical cord blood 25(OH)D.
Approaching Addiction
Authors: Sussman Steve , Wright Erika
Published: April 2022

This essay seeks to illuminate the shifting definitions of addiction over time by providing a brief, anecdotal history of addiction as well as a review of how it has been conceptualized by the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM classification system. While all addictions have in common the attempt to experience an appetitive effect (satiety), preoccupation, loss of control, and negative or undesired consequences, including physical danger, social complaints, or inability to carry on one’s life roles, the meaning of addiction has not always been consistent. By approaching addiction from the historical/anecdotal and the official/medical perspectives, this essay provides a framework for working toward a common understanding of this complex phenomenon.
The History of the Subject and the Subject of History
Authors: Eng David L.
Published: April 2022

This article explores unexamined links between psychic and political theories of trauma to investigate the constitution of victims deserving and undeserving of reparation as they emerge in the context of the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Tribunals. While genocide and nuclear catastrophe oriented the world imagination toward the specter of planetary annihilation, the “final solution” and the atomic bombings also cleave from one another in significant ways. In the space of postwar Europe, the history of the Holocaust is settled: Nazis were perpetrators and Jews were victims. In contrast, in the space of postwar Asia, there was and continues to be little historical consensus as to who were the victims and who were the perpetrators. As such, this article investigates how the uneven distribution of trauma across different geopolitical spaces and times carves out a privileged zone of exhausted and victimized humanity, with significant implications for addressing the injuries of violated human beings in Europe and elsewhere. Throughout, this article examines how psychoanalytic approaches to the history of the traumatized subject supplement the subject of Cold War history in search of an impossible historical consensus.
Crystal Structures and Conducting Properties of Mott Insulator (BEDT-BDS)PF6: Selenium Substitution Effect in the Parent (BEDT-BDT)PF6
Authors: Kadoya Tomofumi , Shishido Masaharu , Sugiura Shiori , Higashino Toshiki , Tahara Keishiro , Kubo Kazuya , Sasaki Takahiko , Yamada Jun-ichi
Published: April 2022

A new organic donor, viz. benzo[1,2-g:4,5-g′]bis(seleno[2,3-b][1,4]dithiin) (BEDT-BDS), which is a selenium analog of the parent benzo[1,2-g:4,5-g′]bis(thieno[2,3-b][1,4]dithiin), has been synthesized. The degree of “zigzag-N-shaped” molecular bending of BEDT-BDS, which is caused by the selenium substitution, is greater than that of BEDT-BDT. The N-shaped molecular bending in a radical-cation salt (BEDT-BDS)PF6 changes the S⋯S contact distances between the stacked molecules, and thus, a quasi-one-dimensional electronic structure is formed. According to the compositional formula and temperature dependence of resistivity, the PF6 salt is revealed to be a half-filled Mott insulator.
Performance and preference of problem-based learning (PBL) and lecture-based classes among medical students of Nepal
Authors: Adhikari Yadav Saroj , Poudel Sangeeta , Pandey Oshna , Jaiswal Dhiraj Prasad , Malla Bhupendra Prakash , Thakur Brajesh Kumar , Gautam Swotantra , Pandey Sirish Raj
Published: April 2022

Background: PBL (problem based learning) is new active learning educational strategy that has been extensively tested and used in recent years. This study aims to compare students' understanding and knowledge retention when taught through PBL and lecture-based classes and compare PAHS students' perceptions of PBL and lectures in medical education.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of medical students of a PBL based medical school in Nepal, a non-Western low-income country. Ethical approval was given by the institutional research committee of the Patan Academy of Health Sciences. Understanding and knowledge retention was assessed with 50 vignette-based multiple-choice questions, half of which were taught through PBL sessions, and the remaining half were taught in didactic lectures during basic science years of medical school. A separate pre-validated perception questionnaire was used to assess students' preferences regarding PBL and lectures.

Results: Out of 107 students, 99 participated in the understanding and knowledge retention questionnaires and 107 completed perception questionnaires. Understanding and knowledge retention of students was found to be the same for topics taught by PBL and lectures, with median scores of 17 and s16, respectively. PBL were mostly preferred for the physiology (59.81%), pathology (51.40%) and pharmacology (53.27%) concepts, and lectures were mostly preferred for the anatomy (78.50%), biochemistry (45.79%), and microbiology (42.99%) topics. Students wanted the same concepts to be taught through both PBL and lectures, especially for anatomy.

Conclusions: Understanding and knowledge retention is the same for topics taught by either PBL or lectures during the basic science years of undergraduate medical education. Students prefer PBL for physiology, pathology, and pharmacology-related concepts, conventional didactic lecture for physiology and microbiology, and a combination of lecture and PBL sessions for anatomy.
Evaluation of possible biological control of Fusarium concentricum sp. using plant extracts and antagonistic species of microbes in vitro
Authors: Hasan Mohammed Faruk , Islam Mohammed Asadul , Sikdar Biswanath
Published: April 2022

Background: Fusarium concentricum is one of the most devastating fungi responsible for fruit and vegetable crops rot worldwide. The present study was designed to find an ecofriendly control measure for pathogenic Fusarium concentricum, using suitable bioagents.

Methods: Medicinal plant extracts were evaluated or their antifungal activities against Fusarium concentricum using the poisoned food and serial dilution methods. Antagonistic potency of some nonpathogenic microbes was also assessed on Fusarium concentricum using the dual culture method.

Results: Highest inhibition of growth of Fusarium concentricum was observed with 68.1% (0.389 mg per 90 mm Petri plate) of mycelia on Coccinia grandis plant leaf extract, in comparison to the control grown with 100.0% (1.22 mg/dish). The tested plants extract showed MIC values rages of 80-150 µg/ml on the isolated fungus. The highest inhibition of radial growth was observed using Trichoderma viride on Fusarium concentricum (46.01% inhibition).

Conclusions: The findings of present study would be benevolent for antifungal drug development to control Fusarium concentricum causing fruit and vegetable rot.
Temporomandibular joints disorders (TMDs) prevalence and their relation to anxiety in dental students
Authors: Homeida Lujain , Felemban Emtenan , Kassar Wed , Ameen Mazen , Aldahlawi Salwa
Published: April 2022

Background: Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are very common disorders affecting the population and causing pain. Researchers have reported a high prevalence of TMDs among university students due to increased distress. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of TMDs in Umm al-Qura University (UQU) dental students using the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD), and to examine the relationship between anxiety, bruxism, and TMDs among those students.

Methods: The DC/TMD pain screener questionnaire was completed by dental students. Students who reported TMD pain or had at least one positive TMD symptom were invited to the dental clinic for a full TMJ evaluation. History of bruxism was documented and an ultra-brief tool for detecting anxiety and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-4 PHQ) was completed by all students.

Results: A total of 240 students responded to the TMD pain screener in which 119 reported at least one TMJ symptom. Only 93 dental students presented to clinical examination in which 64.5% (n=60) of them had temporomandibular joint disorders. Disc displacement with reduction and local myalgia (38.7% & 32.25%, respectively) were the most frequent diagnosis. A total of 29% (n=27) of students had more than one diagnosis. Overall, 41 participants (44.09%) reported a positive response to the anxiety scale and (n=38) 40% of participants reported parafunctional habits. Both the history of bruxism and anxiety were significantly related to TMDs (P=0.0002) and also significantly higher in women of higher academic years (P≤0.01).

Conclusions: This study found a high prevalence of TMDs among UQU dental students. Disc displacement with reduction was the most prevalent disorder. Bruxism and anxiety were associated with painful TMDs.
The effect of obstructive sleep apnea on the cardiovascular system
Authors: Wijata Aleksandra , Wydeheft Lidia , Janiak Michał , Fronc Kamila , Kędziora-Kornatowska Kornelia
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a disease entity that affects many aspects of life, but is often overlooked and underdiagnosed. OSA is defined as episodes of apnea-hypopnea that disturbs not only sleep, but also daytime functioning. Symptoms can be divided into night symptoms (not breathing, snoring, gasping, fragmented sleep) and daytime symptoms (fatigue, low concentration, morning headaches, decreased libido). Moreover, OSA through many mechanisms affects the cardiovascular system and leads to its dysfunction.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to draw attention to the often underdiagnosed disease entity, which is OSA, which, if left untreated, may lead to serious complications.

Material and methods: In 2022, the PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using the following keywords: OSA, apnea, cardiovascular disorders, arrhythmias and heart disease. Works in English with the most recent data have been selected.

Summary: OSA is strongly associated with cardiovascular disorders, moreover, in both cases, we find similar risk factors for these disorders. A correlation has been demonstrated between OSA and atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and arrhythmias. On the other hand, OSA is still underdiagnosed and more research is needed to understand the correlation between these diseases.
Smarter, better, faster, stronger
Authors: Herr Ariel
Published: April 2022

Ariel Herr, communications manager at Alpine Advanced Materials, says that now is the ideal time for manufacturers to consider converting from metal to nanocomposites – as long as they take advice from design experts.
Between cripping and reclaiming: epistemological implications of Disability Studies’ feeling strategies1
Authors: Wechuli Yvonne
Published: April 2022

Disability Studies promote different feeling strategies by pushing for social change towards a more inclusive and less ableist society. There is a utopian touch to this: how can we change the world by feeling differently about disability? Disabled people have long discussed how to navigate the emotional toll of ableism. This article oscillates between two strategies that Disability Studies scholars and activists have advocated for: cripping – deliberately changing one’s emotional reaction towards disability; and reclaiming – acknowledging hurtful emotions connected to an ableist society. Both strategies acknowledge the sociality of emotion but differ on what this sociality entails. Whereas cripping preaches the deliberate enactment of different feelings, reclaiming promotes acknowledging authentic feelings – feelings rooted in a discriminatory society and thus social in origin. However, cripping as a political endeavour has often been criticised as an elitist issue – irrelevant to the lived reality of most disabled people. In contrast, a contemporary take on authenticity problematises its performative constitution and commodification in consumer capitalism. Considering cripping and reclaiming as complementary feeling strategies promoted in Disability Studies for social change, I argue that we should engage with the underlying epistemological questions to point out their respective implications. To this end, shared theoretical concepts and terminology on feelings, affect and emotion should be developed for a comprehensive engagement with emotionality in the field of Disability Studies.
La evaluación y el feedback mediante la educación a distancia en Educación Primaria: expectativas del profesorado.
Authors: Francés Parra Clara
Published: April 2022

La situación provocada por la pandemia por Covid-19 ha derivado en múltiples cambios en el Sistema Educativo. Una de las adaptaciones más relevantes ha sido el paso de la enseñanza presencial a la enseñanza a distancia, a través de las herramientas TIC. Las expectativas de los docentes sobre el alumno constituyen uno de los factores más relevantes en el éxito académico. Además, conocemos que los procesos de evaluación y feedback son claves en el aprendizaje. Consecuentemente, en el presente estudio se han contrastado las expectativas de 57 docentes que actualmente están ejerciendo en España y que continuarán con su labor docente en el próximo curso 2020-21. La evaluación de las expectativas se ha realizado a través de un cuestionario online de elaboración propia, diseñado para conocer las citadas expectativas y si los docentes habían recibido formación en torno a las TIC, y si ya utilizaban las herramientas online antes de la pandemia en su centro educativo. Los resultados no han evidenciado una relación entre haber recibido formación TIC o utilizar las herramientas online antes de la pandemia con mejores expectativas. En términos generales, las expectativas de los docentes que han participado en el estudio son buenas, ya que a pesar de que consideran que no podrán evaluar de forma completamente eficiente al alumnado, muestran una alta expectativa de cambio y diversificación en los métodos e instrumentos de evaluación para maximizar el aprendizaje.
La Neurociencia detrás del aprendizaje basado en problemas (ABP)
Authors: Román Fabián
Published: April 2022

Diversas universidades en todo el mundo utilizan el aprendizaje basado en problemas (ABP) como un organizador curricular que se orienta a desarrollar estudiantes activos, con competencias propias del desempeño profesional, enfrentando escenarios problema mediante el trabajo en pequeños grupos colaborativos con la guía del docente como facilitador, utilizando la indagación como herramienta didáctica principal. Se presenta una perspectiva del ABP desde la neurociencia educacional analizando sus componentes principales como los escenarios problemas, su relación con los principios de la neurociencia, los neurocircuitos prefrontales - subcorticales y las funciones ejecutivas; la pregunta como estrategia didáctica central del facilitador y una  aproximación a la evidencia para su uso; y por último, analizamos el grupo tutorial, no solo como un grupo colaborativo de aprendizaje que mejora el rendimiento académico, sino como una refinada estructura de entrenamiento en la cognición social, que permite la identificación de necesidades de mejora en etapas precoces facilitando la inclusión social profesional especifica del área de formación. El éxito del ABP en los procesos de cambio curricular atrae la búsqueda de niveles de explicación y de evidencia, priorizando su lugar en la agenda investigativa de la neurociencia educacional.
Prácticas Pedagógicas orientadas a favorecer las Funciones Ejecutivas en Adolescentes
Authors: Muchiut Álvaro Federico , Vaccaro Paola , Pietto Marcos Luis , Dri Constanza Ayelén
Published: April 2022

Cuando se incluyen las Funciones Ejecutivas (FE) en educación se suelen extrapolar programas clínicos al aula, obviando aspectos propios del ambiente educativo como las prácticas pedagógicas (PP). El presente trabajo, es un estudio pre-experimental con diseño pre-post prueba. En este sentido, se procuró describir el posible impacto de PP orientadas a favorecer las FE en adolescentes, desde un enfoque de intervención ecológica. Para tal fin, participaron 32 estudiantes de nivel secundario, que fueron evaluados con BANFE antes y después de la intervención. Dicha prueba, incluyó diferentes PP implementadas durante 7 meses en 7 espacios curriculares diferentes. Por consiguiente, los resultados mostraron cambios en el desempeño de la fase post-PP en comparación a la pre-PP, evidenciándose menor tiempo de reacción, disminución de errores e incremento de aciertos en algunas pruebas de inhibición, planificación, memoria de trabajo, flexibilidad cognitiva y metafunciones. En general, los cambios entre las fases del estudio indicaron un mejor desempeño en las pruebas. Estos hallazgos van en sentido de lo esperado, considerando que la efectividad obtenida a partir de la intervención con las PP tuvo como consecuencia un mejor rendimiento de las FE de los adolescentes. Se concluye que la implementación de intervenciones ecológicas que estimulan las FE mediante PP, podrían favorecer el funcionamiento ejecutivo del estudiante. Además, se insta a continuar profundizando acerca de la influencia de las PP en el desarrollo de las FE, para un mejor entendimiento de ésta dinámica.
Los exámenes como fuente de estrés. Cómo las evaluaciones pueden afectar el aprendizaje a través del estrés
Authors: Bueno i Torrens David
Published: April 2022

Las situaciones estresantes como los exámenes pueden afectar el proceso de aprendizaje y la memoria de diferentes maneras. Sin embargo, cuando se requiere que los estudiantes analicen información nueva relevante para el examen y apliquen conocimientos a una situación nueva, tales evaluaciones pueden contribuir a reforzar las habilidades y consolidar la memoria.
Deep learning optical image denoising research based on principal component estimation
Authors: Lu Qianbo , Liu Chengxiu , Feng Wenlu , Xiao Qingxiong , Wang Xiaoxu
Published: April 2022

High-quality denoising of optical interference images usually requires preliminary prediction of the noise level. Although blind denoising can filter the image at the pixel level without noise prediction, it inevitably loses a significant amount of phase information. This paper proposes a fast and high-quality denoising algorithm for optical interference images that combines the merits of a principal component analysis (PCA) and residual neural networks. The PCA is used to analyze the image noise and, in turn, establishes an accurate mapping between the estimated and true noise levels. The mapping helps to select a suitable residual neural network model for image processing, which maximizes the retention of image information and reduces the effect of noise. In addition, a comprehensive evaluation factor to account for the time complexity and denoising effect of the algorithm is proposed, since time complexity can be a dominant concern in some cases of actual measurement. The performance of the denoising algorithm and the effectiveness of the evaluation criterion are demonstrated to be high by processing a set of optical interference images and benchmarking with other denoising algorithms. The proposed algorithm outperforms the previously reported counterparts in a specific area of optical interference image preprocessing and provides an alternative paradigm for other denoising problems of optics, such as holograms and structured light measurements.
Ppm-level oxygen detection system based on deep-ultraviolet-absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Lin , Deng Xindong , Zhang Xianchang , Song Zhenzhen , Zhang Zhiguo
Published: April 2022

Oxygen is a gas essential to human life and industrial processes. Here, we developed a highly sensitive oxygen gas sensor based on deep ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy between 180 and 200 nm. The implemented method relies on differential absorption spectra extracted from the obtained high-resolution absorption spectra. The detection capability was greatly improved (six-fold) by eliminating air from the open optical path, achieved by purging the entire system with pure nitrogen. A linear relationship was obtained between the optical parameter and the oxygen concentration with a slope of 0.107 and determination coefficient of 0.999. A detection limit of 24 ppm per meter was determined with a response time of 25 s. Good repeatability (

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) and stability were confirmed. We demonstrated that this system can detect ppm oxygen levels with high sensitivity and low uncertainty.
Realization of absorption, filtering, and sensing in a single metamaterial structure combined with functional materials
Authors: Feng Qin-Yin , Yan De-Xian , Li Xiang-Jun , Li Ji-Ning
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a hybrid vanadium dioxide (

V
O

2

)-graphene-based bifunctional metamaterial is proposed. The realization of the different functions of perfect transmission and high absorption is based on the insulator-metal phase transition of

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O

2

material. The Fermi energy level of graphene can be treated to dynamically tune the absorption and transmission rates of the metamaterial structure. As a result, when

V
O

2

is in the insulating state, the designed metamaterial can be used as a filter providing three adjustable passbands with center frequencies of 1.892 THz, 1.124 THz, and 0.94 THz, and the corresponding transmittances reach 93.11%, 98.62%, and 90.01%, respectively. The filter also shows good stopband characteristics and exhibits good sensing performance at the resonant frequencies of 1.992 THz and 2.276 THz. When

V
O

2

is in metal state, the metamaterial structure acts as a double-band absorber, with three absorption peaks (

>

90

%

) in the range of 0.684 THz to 0.924 THz, 2.86 THz to 3.04 THz, and 3.28 THz to 3.372 THz, respectively. The designed structure is insensitive to the polarization of vertically incident terahertz waves and still maintains good absorption performances over a large range of incidence angles. Finally, the effects of geometric parameters on the absorption and transmission properties of the hybrid bifunctional metamaterials have also been discussed. The switchable metamaterial structures proposed in this paper provide great potential in terahertz application fields, such as filtering, smart sensing, switching, tunable absorbers, and so on.
Fresnel reflections in inverse freeform lens design
Authors: van Roosmalen A. H. , Anthonissen M. J. H. , IJzerman W. L. , ten Thije Boonkkamp J. H. M.
Published: April 2022

In this paper we propose a method to design a freeform lens including the effect of Fresnel reflections on the transmitted intensity. This method is elaborated for a lens with one freeform surface shaping a far-field target from a point source or collimated input beam. It combines the optical mapping with the energy balance incorporating the loss due to Fresnel reflections, which leads to a generalized Monge–Ampère equation. We adapt a least-squares solver from previous research to solve the model numerically. This is then tested with a theoretical example and a test case related to road lighting.
High-resolution 3D shape measurement with extended depth of field using fast chromatic focus stacking
Authors: Ramm Roland , Mozaffari-Afshar Mohsen , Höhne Daniel , Hilbert Thomas , Speck Henri , Kühl Siemen , Hoffmann Daniela , Erbes Sebastian , Kühmstedt Peter , Heist Stefan , Notni Gunther
Published: April 2022

Close-range 3D sensors based on the structured light principle have a constrained measuring range due to their depth of field (DOF). Focus stacking is a method to extend the DOF. The additional time to change the focus is a drawback in high-speed measurements. In our research, the method of chromatic focus stacking was applied to a high-speed 3D sensor with 180 fps frame rate. The extended DOF was evaluated by the distance-dependent 3D resolution derived from the 3D-MTF of a tilted edge. The conventional DOF of 14 mm was extended to 21 mm by stacking two foci at 455 and 520 nm wavelength. The 3D sensor allowed shape measurements with extended DOF within 44 ms.
Flip-component metasurfaces for camouflaged meta-domes
Authors: Chu Hongchen , Zhang Ye , Ma Xiaoxuan , Xiong Xiang , Peng Ruwen , Wang Mu , Lai Yun
Published: April 2022

Allowing microwaves to transmit through without changing the wavefront is one of the essential requirements of the dome structures of antenna arrays like radars. Here, we demonstrate a microwave metasurface as an array of two types of meta-atoms, which are the flip counterparts to each other. Due to the reciprocity and space-inversion symmetry, the wavefront in the transmission is unchanged by the metasurface in a broad spectrum; while at the same time, the wavefront in reflection can be manipulated independently by changing the arrangement of the meta-atoms. Specifically, a random-flip metasurface that produces diffuse reflection is realized, enabling a camouflaged meta-dome. The broadband, wide-angle, and polarization-independent diffuse reflection and undistorted transmission are numerically and experimentally verified. Our finding enables a unique meta-dome structure that has camouflage functionality.
Broadband nanostructured fiber mode convertors enabled by inverse design
Authors: Liu Zhoutian , Meng Yuan , Zhou Zhuorun , Wang Lue , He Tiantian , Li Dan , Yan Ping , Gong Mali , Xiao Qirong
Published: April 2022

Nanostructured fiber devices enabling mode conversion between arbitrary fiber modes are proposed and numerically validated. The intra-fiber nanostructures are optimized by the inverse design algorithm. We demonstrate a set of designs of nanophotonic fibers that can facilitate high-purity conversion from the fundamental mode to higher-order modes up to 3 orders for both LP and OAM modes inside the fibers. The purity values of the output modes can reach 98% with an ultra-wide operation band exceeding 400 nm around the telecom wavelengths. These devices can be fabricated by technique of thermal drawing of assembled preforms, making them suitable for mass production.
Simultaneous realisation of zonal and modal wavefront sensing using programmable multiplexed grating patterns
Authors: Pathak Biswajit
Published: April 2022

In the present work, we propose a programmable multiplexed
grating-based wavefront sensor (MGWS) to realise zonal and modal
wavefront sensing approaches simultaneously. This is implemented by
employing different bit-planes of a color image such that zonal
wavefront sensing is performed with enhanced spatial resolution and
modal wavefront sensing is performed to measure a large number of
aberration modes present in the incident wavefront, simultaneously. We
present proof-of-concept simulation results that demonstrate the
working of the proposed MGWS and its ability to compensate for the
presence of large number of aberration modes significantly, in
comparison to either of the sensing approaches when used
independently. Further, simulation results are included to quantify
the same by considering an optical imaging system to image an array of
two-dimensional bead objects. The proposed sensor is flexible in easy
switching between either of the sensing approaches and the number of
bit-planes can be increased conveniently to further improve the
performance of the proposed MGWS.
Coherent light filter
Authors: Bergthold Morgan , Stewart Jr. Keith , Duggar Nicholas , Muhowski Aaron J. , Wasserman Daniel
Published: April 2022

We demonstrate efficient filtering of coherent light from a broad spectral background. A Michelson interferometer is used to effectively filter out the coherent emission of mid-infrared lasers from the co-propagating incoherent emission of a broadband thermal source. We show coherent light suppression as high as 16.9 dB without any modification of the broadband incoherent background spectrum. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to measure the spatially dependent (incoherent) thermal emission from a patterned surface, using our filter to remove a coherent signal which would otherwise overload our detection system. The demonstrated filter is rapidly tunable and wavelength-flexible, and has potential for imaging and spectroscopy applications in the presence of an otherwise overpowering coherent signal.
Reduced spread of influenza and other respiratory viral infections during the COVID-19 pandemic in southern Puerto Rico
Authors: Quandelacy Talia M. , Adams Laura E. , Munoz Jorge , Santiago Gilberto A. , Kada Sarah , Johansson Michael A. , Alvarado Luisa I. , Rivera-Amill Vanessa , Paz–Bailey Gabriela
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Impacts of COVID-19 mitigation measures on seasonal respiratory viruses is unknown in sub-tropical climates.

Methods

We compared weekly testing and test-positivity of respiratory infections in the 2019–2020 respiratory season to the 2012–2018 seasons in southern Puerto Rico using Wilcoxon signed rank tests.

Results

Compared to the average for the 2012–2018 seasons, test-positivity was significantly lower for Influenza A (p<0.001) & B (p<0.001), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (p<0.01), respiratory adenovirus (AdV) (p<0.05), and other respiratory viruses (p<0.001) following March 2020 COVID-19 stay at home orders.

Conclusions

Mitigation measures and behavioral social distancing choices may have reduced respiratory viral spread in southern Puerto Rico.
How do traditional media access and mobile phone use affect maternal healthcare service use in Bangladesh? Moderated mediation effects of socioeconomic factors
Authors: Kabir Md Ruhul
Published: April 2022

Background

Exposure to traditional media (TV, radio, and newspapers) and the use of mobile as an interpersonal communication tool allow for a variety of information provision. The purpose of this study is to investigate how women’s media and mobile access affect maternal health service (MHS) utilization. The study also aims to look into the moderated mediation effects of socioeconomic variables on the association mentioned above.

Methods

The study analyzed reproductive and media data of 5,011 ever-married women extracted from the latest nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Hierarchical logistic regression and moderated mediation analysis are performed to determine the association.

Results

Only 26.9% of women used mobile for health service use, while more than 55% had media access. Media access is significantly associated with all three types of MHS use; mobile usage also has a significant association with antenatal and delivery care. When women have both access to media and mobile, the likelihood of delivering in a health facility increased by 1.82 times (AOR: 1.82, 95%CI: 1.51, 2.20) which is slightly better than having access to only one type of media channel. Women’s education, household wealth, place of residence, religion, and current working status are among the socioeconomic factors associated with access to media and mobile. Women’s education mediates the relationship of media and MHS; however, the mediation effect of women (β: .45; LLCI: .21, ULCI: .68) on the association of media and place of delivery is seen to be moderated by household wealth. Women who belong to well-off families moderates positively (Effect: .33, 95%CI: .27, .40) the education effect of media and where to deliver. Place of residence, another moderator, significantly moderates (Effect: .09, BootLLCI: .02, BootULCI: .16) the mediation effect of women’s education on the association of media and antenatal care visits; women living in urban areas seems to have positively moderated the education effects on the mentioned association.

Conclusions

Provision of media access and mobile use indicate better utilization of MHS in Bangladesh, and women’s education mediates these relationships via the influence of household wealth and area of residence. Therefore, while planning interventions to increase MHS use, its relationships with the media and mobile use should be extrapolated. The collective use of these channels could be a catalyst for the success of health promotion initiatives to improve women’s health behaviors, build community capacity, and create mass awareness that supports the optimal use of MHS in Bangladesh.
Bucking the trend: Population resilience in a marginal environment
Authors: Plunkett Gill , Swindles Graeme T.
Published: April 2022

Evaluating the impact of environmental changes on past societies is frequently confounded by the difficulty of establishing cause-and-effect at relevant scales of analysis. Commonly, paleoenvironmental records lack the temporal and spatial resolution to link them with historic events, yet there remains a tendency to correlate climate change and cultural transformations on the basis of their seeming synchronicity. Here, we challenge perceptions of societal vulnerability to past environmental change using an integrated paleoenvironmental and land-use history of a remote upland site in the north of Ireland. We present a high-resolution, multi-proxy record that illustrates extended occupation of this marginal locality throughout the climate oscillations of the last millennium. Importantly, historically-dated volcanic ash markers enable us to pinpoint precisely in our record the timing of major national demographic crises such as the Black Death and the European, Irish and Great (Potato) Famines. We find no evidence that climate downturns or demographic collapses had an enduring impact on the use of the uplands: either the community escaped the effects of these events, or population levels recovered rapidly enough (within a generation) to leave no appreciable mark on the palaeoenvironmental record. Our findings serve to illustrate the spatial complexity of human activity that can enable communities to withstand or quickly bounce back from largescale calamities. In neglecting to consider such local-scale variability in social and economic organization, generalized models of societal collapse risk overplaying the vulnerability of populations to long- and short-term ecological stressors to the detriment of identifying the social constraints that influence a population’s response to change.
Motivating factors, barriers and facilitators of participation in COVID-19 clinical research: A cross-sectional survey of Canadian community intensive care units
Authors: Tsang Jennifer L. Y. , Fowler Robert , Cook Deborah J. , Burns Karen E. A. , Hunter Kylee , Forcina Victoria , Hwang Anna , Duan Erick , Patterson Lisa , Binnie Alexandra
Published: April 2022

Only a small proportion of COVID-19 patients in Canada have been recruited into clinical research studies. One reason is that few community intensive care units (ICUs) in Canada participate in research. The objective of this study was to examine the motivating factors, barriers and facilitators to research participation amongst Canadian community ICU stakeholders. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed between May and November 2020. The survey focused on 6 domains: participant demographics, ICU characteristics, ICU research infrastructure, motivating factors, perceived barriers, and perceived facilitators. Responses were received from 73 community ICU stakeholders, representing 18 ICUs. 7/18 ICUs had a clinical research program. Participants rated their interest in pandemic research at a mean of 5.2 (Standard Deviation [SD] = 1.9) on a 7-point Likert scale from ‘not interested’ to ‘very interested’. The strongest motivating factor for research participation was the belief that research improves clinical care and outcomes. The most significant facilitators of research involvement were the availability of an experienced research coordinator and dedicated external funding to cover start-up costs, while the most significant barriers to research involvement were a lack of start-up funding for a research coordinator and a lack of ICU research experience. Canadian Community ICU stakeholders are interested in participating in pandemic research but lack basic infrastructure, research personnel, research experience and start-up funding. Evolution of a research support model at community hospitals, where most patients receive acute care, may increase research participation and improve the generalizability of funded research in Canada.
Life before Stonehenge: The hunter-gatherer occupation and environment of Blick Mead revealed by sedaDNA, pollen and spores
Authors: Hudson Samuel M. , Pears Ben , Jacques David , Fonville Thierry , Hughes Paul , Alsos Inger , Snape Lisa , Lang Andreas , Brown Antony
Published: April 2022

The Neolithic and Bronze Age construction and habitation of the Stonehenge Landscape has been extensively explored in previous research. However, little is known about the scale of pre-Neolithic activity and the extent to which the later monumental complex occupied an ‘empty’ landscape. There has been a long-running debate as to whether the monumental archaeology of Stonehenge was created in an uninhabited forested landscape or whether it was constructed in an already partly open area of pre-existing significance to late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. This is of significance to a global discussion about the relationship between incoming farmers and indigenous hunter-gatherer societies that is highly relevant to both Old and New World archaeology. Here we present the results of plant sedaDNA, palynological and geoarchaeological analysis at the Late hunter-gatherer site complex of Blick Mead at the junction of the drylands of Salisbury Plain and the floodplain of the River Avon, on the edge of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. The findings are placed within a chronological framework built on OSL, radiocarbon and relative archaeological dating. We show that Blick Mead existed in a clearing in deciduous woodland, exploited by aurochsen, deer and hunter-gatherers for approximately 4000 years. Given its rich archaeology and longevity this strongly supports the arguments of continuity between the Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers activity and Neolithic monument builders, and more specifically that this was a partially open environment important to both groups. This study also demonstrates that sediments from low-energy floodplains can provide suitable samples for successful environmental assaying using sedaDNA, provided they are supported by secure dating and complementary environmental proxies.
Healthcare professional perspectives on barriers and enablers to falls prevention education: A qualitative study
Authors: Heng Hazel , Kiegaldie Debra , Slade Susan C. , Jazayeri Dana , Shaw Louise , Knight Matthew , Jones Cathy , Hill Anne-Marie , Morris Meg E.
Published: April 2022

In hospitals, patient falls prevention education is frequently delivered by nurses and allied health professionals. Hospital falls rates remain high globally, despite the many systems and approaches that attempt to mitigate falling. The aim of this study was to investigate health professional views on the enablers and barriers to providing patient falls education in hospitals. Four focus groups with 23 nursing and allied health professionals were conducted at 3 hospitals. Three researchers independently coded the data and findings were analysed thematically with a descriptive qualitative approach to identify and develop themes according to barriers and enablers. Barriers included (i) limited interprofessional communication about patient falls; (ii) sub-optimal systems for falls education for patients and health professionals, and (iii) perceived patient-related barriers to falls education. Enablers to providing patient falls education included: (i) implementing strategies to increase patient empowerment; (ii) ensuring that health professionals had access to effective modes of patient education; and (iii) facilitating interprofessional collaboration. Health professionals identified the need to overcome organisational, patient and clinician-related barriers to falls education. Fostering collective responsibility amongst health professionals for evidence-based falls prevention was also highlighted.
Salivary inflammatory mediators as biomarkers for oral mucositis and oral mucosal dryness in cancer patients: A pilot study
Authors: Kiyomi Anna , Yoshida Kensuke , Arai Chie , Usuki Risa , Yamazaki Kyosuke , Hoshino Naoto , Kurokawa Akira , Imai Shinobu , Suzuki Naoto , Toyama Akira , Sugiura Munetoshi
Published: April 2022

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy; however, no salivary mediator is known to be associated with OM. We aimed to determine candidate salivary inflammatory mediators potentially associated with OM in patients with cancer. To this end, we compared the relationships between OM grade, oral mucosal dryness, and inflammatory mediators (Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), prostaglandin E2, and vascular endothelial growth factor) in patients with cancer and in healthy volunteers (HV). We collected saliva samples from 18 patients with cancer according to the following schedule: 1) within 14 days of treatment initiation, 2) within 3 days of OM occurrence, 3) when OM was improved or got worsened, and 4) within 7 days after chemotherapy completion. The oral care support team determined the OM grade at each sample collection point based on CTCAE version 5.0. Salivary inflammatory mediator concentrations were detected using cytometric bead array or enzyme-linked immunoassay. We compared oral mucosal dryness in pre- and post-index patients with cancer to that in HV (n = 33) using an oral moisture-checking device. Fourteen of eighteen patients experienced OM (four, grade 3 OM; four, grade 2 OM; six, grade 1 OM). IL-6, IL-10, and TNF salivary concentrations were significantly increased in the post-index group compared to those in the pre-index group (p = 0.0002, p = 0.0364, and p = 0.0160, respectively). Additionally, salivary IL-6, IL-10, and TNF levels were significantly higher in the post-index group than in the HV group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05, respectively). Significant positive correlations were observed between OM grade and salivary IL-6, IL-10, and TNF levels (p = 0.0004, r = 0.4939; p = 0.0171, r = 0.3394; and p = 0007, r = 0.4662, respectively). Oral mucosal dryness was significantly higher in the HV than in the pre- and post-index groups (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that salivary IL-6, IL-10, and TNF levels may be used as biomarkers for OM occurrence and grade in patients with cancer. Furthermore, monitoring oral mucosal dryness and managing oral hygiene before cancer treatment is essential.