bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treating Cancer in People With HIV
Authors: Lurain Kathryn
Published: June 2023

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors’ suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology , to patients seen in their own clinical practice.

People with HIV (PWH) have an increased lifetime risk of developing certain cancers, even when HIV is well-controlled with antiretroviral therapy. Despite the tremendous advancements in HIV and cancer care over the past several decades, PWH have lower cancer-related survival compared with the general population. Treating HIV-associated cancers requires a multidisciplinary team to manage concurrent opportunistic infections, potential drug-drug interactions, and the co-occurrence of more than one cancer in the same patient. Many factors may lead PWH to receive inappropriate dose adjustments, exclusion from emerging therapies and clinical trials, or no cancer therapy at all. In general, PWH should receive the same standard, full-dose cancer therapy used in the general population unless there are data for specific cancer regimens in PWH. Agents targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved indications in many HIV-associated cancers, including Hodgkin lymphoma, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and non–small-cell lung cancer; however, PWH were excluded from all clinical trials that led to FDA approval of these agents. Several prospective studies and an international retrospective study of PWH with advanced cancer have shown anti–PD-(L)-1 agents to be safe and effective across expected cancer types and CD4+T-cell counts, supporting their use in PWH for FDA-approved indications. Learning from the experience in anti–PD-(L)-1 agents, future cancer clinical trials should include and seek to actively enroll PWH, so that they have equal and timely access to emerging cancer therapies.
Seismic imaging of medical ultrasound data: Towards in vivo applications
Authors: Theis Daniela , Bonomi Ernesto
Published: May 2023

This study presents the application to medical ultrasonography of a high value-added imaging method developed in the context of geophysical exploration and based on the undulatory description of the physical process. Currently, the most serious limitation of conventional medical ultrasound systems is the implicit assumption of constant-velocity media stemming from the widespread use of geometrical ray-based imaging algorithms and leading to phase aberration phenomena in the case typical of the human body of two or more tissues with different velocities. As a result, imaging of targets underlying tissue layers can be severely degraded. To address this problem, the proposed algorithm is designed expressly for variable-velocity media, providing high-resolution images by implementing the solution of the one-way wave equation. From a macro-velocity model, the illuminated structures are imaged by correlating, in the frequency domain and for each source element, the simulated emitted wavefield with the back-propagated echoes sensed by the ultrasound transducer. The pointwise sum of the correlations reveals, constructively, all diffraction points and reflectors in the image space. The experiments conducted on in vitro laboratory data reveal remarkable spatial resolution and very accurate target positioning, even in the presence of an aberrant layer. A preliminary in vivo test also demonstrates the method's effectiveness in imaging echoes recorded on human tissues, giving a glimpse of its potentiality for clinical purposes.
Active particles with delayed attractions form quaking crystallites
(a)
Authors: Chen Pin-Chuan , Kroy Klaus , Cichos Frank , Wang Xiangzun , Holubec Viktor
Published: May 2023

Perception-reaction delays have experimentally been found to cause a spontaneous circling of microswimmers around a fixed target particle. Here we investigate a many-body version of such an experiment with Brownian-dynamics simulations of active particles in a plane. For short delays, they form a hexagonal crystallite around the target. The bifurcation to a chiral dynamical phase, seen for longer delays, maps onto that for a single active particle. Different angular velocities at different distances from the target induce shear stresses that grow with increasing delay. By exciting shear bands, they shake and intermittently break the rotating crystallite. For long delays, it detaches from the target to circle around it near the preferred single-particle orbit as a compact spinning satellite, trembling from what could be called tidal quakes.
A Theory of Structured Propositions
Authors: Bacon Andrew
Published: May 2023

This paper argues that the theory of structured propositions is not undermined by the Russell-Myhill paradox. I develop a theory of structured propositions in which the Russell-Myhill paradox doesn’t arise: the theory does not involve ramification or compromises to the underlying logic, but rather rejects common assumptions, encoded in the notation of the λ-calculus, about what properties and relations can be built. I argue that the structuralist had independent reasons to reject these underlying assumptions. The theory is given both a diagrammatic representation and a logical representation in a novel language. In the latter half of the paper I turn to some technical questions concerning the treatment of quantification and demonstrate various equivalences between the diagrammatic and logical representations and a fragment of the λ-calculus.
Introduction
Authors: Howie Cary
Published: May 2023

This introductory essay gestures toward some of the ironies of solitude—and the places where those ironies become paradoxes, even promises—beginning with the grounding questions of this collection: What does it mean to speak of solitude together? How does one solitude speak to, or with, or for, another? Can our aloneness—note the irony of the first-person plural—ever be said to be shared? Can it be said at all? Medieval theologians, especially Gregory the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Meister Eckhart, serve as guides in the wilderness here, alongside various voices from the history of North American popular music. Solitude, they show, is a richly mixed terrain, where we may get lost in our self-atomizing pride or, just as easily, open ourselves to the world’s (and the divine’s) endlessly unpredictable self-disclosure. To cultivate solitude is something like a game we play with the present and the past, with ourselves and one another. Being alone is complicated.
Desert Polyphony
Authors: Mackendrick Karmen
Published: May 2023

Some environments are more conducive to solitude than others. They offer more space between people, even more distance from other living things. But they might, in their quiet, also offer room for an unusual kind of conversation, in unusual kinds of voices. In Western monotheistic traditions, the desert is a traditional site of solitude but also of encounter between human and divine. In the stories of such encounters for a series of biblical prophets—Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist—isolation and encounter entangle. This article focuses on that encounter as a matter of voice. Drawing in particular on the theoretical work of Maurice Blanchot and Jean-Luc Nancy, it argues that prophetic voice is polyphonic in its isolation, as some trace of divinity always echoes through it. In most circumstances, such echoes are inaudible over the noise of many speaking voices. The desert setting both offers enough quiet for prophetic voices to be heard, and itself enters into the conversation as a voice—for example, of thunder or wind—that can sound in the silence in ways it could not in the city.
A Note on Temporary Supply Shocks with Aggregate Demand Inertia
Authors: Caballero Ricardo J. , Simsek Alp
Published: May 2023

We study optimal monetary policy during temporary supply contractions when aggregate demand has inertia and the central bank is concerned about future constraints on expansionary policy. In this environment, it is optimal to run the economy hot until supply recovers. However, the policy does not remain loose throughout the low-supply phase. Overall, when the initial aggregate demand is low, the goal is to frontload the rate cuts to raise demand in anticipation of the recovery of supply. If inflation also has inertia, the central bank still overheats the economy during the low-supply phase but gradually cools it down over time. (JEL E12, E21, E23, E31, E43, E52)
Cryopreservation of human embryos in an in-vitro fertilisation procedure: the need for a legal framework in NIGERIA
Authors: Ayeni Joy Victoria , Omidoyin Taiye Joshua , Bamidele Ifeoluwayimika
Published: May 2023

Background: The opportunity to completely ‘stop biological time’ using cryopreservation, as it is used in embryo cryopreservation, provides for the selection and long-term storage of high-quality preimplantation embryos for future usage. While this is a beneficial medical procedure, it has however posed some legal issues such as the legal status of an embryo, ownership of the embryo, reproductive autonomy, posthumous reproduction, surrogacy, and the required storage period for embryos. The ethical debate has been around what to do with surplus frozen human embryos, such as donation, adoption, and destruction of embryos. The aim of this research is to assess the need for a legal framework regarding cryopreservation of human embryos.

Methods: The objectives are to examine and analyze the legal and ethical implications of the cryopreservation process of human embryos in an in-vitro fertilization procedure to identify the shortcomings of the 2016 Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill. This is legal research and adopts the doctrinal method of research, using both the primary and secondary sources of information. The primary sources include legislation, international instruments and case laws; the secondary sources include textbooks and journal articles. The doctrinal approach was employed to describe and analyse the legal and ethical issues relating to cryopreservation in Nigeria, focused on the analysis of legal principles available in Nigeria in relation to cryopreservation of human embryos.

Results: This study finds that there are no laws on assisted reproductive technology regulating the cryopreservation of human embryos in an in-vitro fertilisation procedure in Nigeria. The study concludes that the lack of a legal framework on assisted reproductive technology in Nigeria is the major issue that has left the legal and ethical issues without direction.

Conclusions: This work recommends the need for a legal framework for ART in Nigeria and a review of the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2016.
Some Galois connections arising from Morita contexts of semigroups
Authors: Lepik Alvin
Published: May 2023

We show that a unitary surjective Morita context connecting two semigroups yields Galois connections between certain lattices of compatible relations whenever either semigroup has common weak local units. In the event both semigroups have common weak local units, we obtain mutually inverse lattice isomorphisms that preserve reflexivity, symmetricity and transitivity between the lattices of compatible relations on the semigroups.
PH approximation of two-barrier ruin probability for Lévy risk having two-sided PH jumps
Authors: Pärna Kalev , Ali Mohammad Jamsher
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we study a Lévy risk process consisting of Brownian component together with premiums and claims that are phase-type with many phases. Our aim is to approximate the probability of ruin without touching an upper barrier a. In line with this, the study demonstrates that the described Lévy risk process can essentially be replaced with a simpler risk process in which both premiums and claims are phase-type with just few phases.
Benefits of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) supplementation in obesity
Authors: Nowak Alicja , Bogusz Klaudia , Baran Natalia , Maksymowicz Marcela , Bielak Adriana , Nowak Aleksandra , Cywka Łucja , Szwed Weronika , Machowiec Piotr
Published: May 2023

Introduction and purpose: Ashwagandha (fam. Solanaceae) also known as Withania somnifera, is an herb commonly used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. It is sometimes called Indian ginseng or winter cherry and it is used for its extensive health benefits for millennia as a Rasayana. Ashwagadha supplementation is playing an increasing role not only as an adaptogen, but is beneficial in the context of health in individuals struggling with obesity. This is a growing field of research and the aim of this brief review is to provide an update on the positive effects of Ashwagandha supplementation on the health of those dealing with obesity. 

Description of the state of knowledge: Ashwagandha has a wide range of positive effects, most common are sedative, anti-stress, immunomodulatory and anti-cancer effects. The literature also draws attention to other results such as binding insulin sensitivity, increasing endurance, effects on adipogenesis and lipogenesis. Ashwagandha lowers blood cortisol levels, inhibits fat accumulation and the expression of genes involved into excessive fat tissue accumulation. 

Summary: Regular intake of Ashwagandha is associated with health benefits in people struggling with obesity. As an adaptogen with adipogenic potential, Ashwagandha has great potential to participate in future adjunctive obesity therapy and the prevention of other similar and obesity-related diseases, but further research is needed in this area.
Implantation of a leadless pacemaker as a promising solution for patients with arythmia – current state of knowledge
Authors: Maciąg Anna , Branewska Justyna , Olszanicka Anna , Kołodziejczyk Kacper , Ostrowska Barbara , Hop Izabela , Matysek Mikołaj , Niemiec Rafał , Galas Adam , Imioło Jan
Published: May 2023

Introduction: In cardiac electrotherapy, new solutions are constantly sought to minimise the invasiveness of methods used so far and reduce the risk of complications. Implantation of traditional cardiac pacemakers carries risks of high probability that may cause both early and late adverse effects which are associated with presence of subcutaneous lodge and intravenous wires. A significant reduction in complications may be achieved by using leadless pacemakers the main representative of which is MicraTM (MicraTM transcatheter pacing system: TPS, Medtronic plc, Mounds View, MN, USA). Micra is 90% smaller than conventional pacemaker. The generator and electrode system is contained in one capsule-like device that is implanted directly into the right ventricle of the heart. The transcatheter pacing system is less invasive because it is placed in the heart with the use of a catheter via a femoral vein. thus no chest incision and scar.
Purpose of the work: The aim is to present the subject of leadless cardiac pacing with the use of Micra device based on a review of current scientific publications.
Methods and materials: The available medical literature related to cardiac pacing was analysed taking leadless technology into account. The analysed material was obtained from PubMed and Google Scholar.
Conclusion: Cardiac electrotherapy with the use of leadless Micra pacemaker is a great example of substantial technological progress. Due to its structure and form, it is a beneficial alternative to a traditional pacemaker. It also offers promising solutions for the future. This is, however, a relatively new method of stimulation requiring further observation and analysis.
Estampas del Gran Japón y la visualización del trabajo a través de la xilografía en el Japón de Meiji.
Authors: Abad de los Santos Rafael
Published: May 2023

Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la obra Estampas del Gran Japón, que incluye 30 grabados realizados por el artista Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842-1894) con motivo de la Iª Exposición Nacional de Fomento organizada en este país asiático en 1877. La técnica de la impresión xilográfica, que dio origen a las célebres “estampas del mundo flotante” (ukiyo-e) era ya entonces un método tradicional de expresión artística en Japón. Por otra parte, aunque la representación del mundo del trabajo había ocupado un lugar destacado en el arte japonés, las estampas xilográficas se enfocaban principalmente en la cultura urbana del ocio, así como en paisajes naturales. Por tanto, los grabados de Hiroshige III constituían una novedad temática, que permite una aproximación a una realidad social que había sido tratada de forma marginal hasta entonces. El análisis realizado en este artículo revelará otros aspectos, como la relación entre Hiroshige III y el editor Ōkura Magobei, así como la historia editorial de esta colección de grabados.
Propiedades psicométricas de la “Escala de valoración de la capacidad de autocuidado” en adolescentes mexicanos
Authors: Díaz de León Castañeda Christian , Valencia Guzmán María Jazmín , Martínez Ávila Brenda , Lemus Loeza Mónica
Published: May 2023

Introducción: este trabajo tuvo por objetivo contribuir en el estudio de la validez y confiabilidad de la versión en español de la Escala de Valoración de Capacidad de Autocuidado (ASA) en adolescentes. Materiales y Métodos: se construyó un cuestionario con los 24 ítems de la Escala ASA junto con ítems para explorar variables socio-demográficas, conductas y condiciones de salud. Se aplicó el cuestionario a 541 adolescentes mexicanos. Se realizaron como técnicas de análisis: análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE); análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC); determinación de consistencia interna (Coeficientes α y w); y análisis de relación con otras variables basado en comparación de grupos. Se analizó el desempeño de diferentes estructuras de la escala ASA. Resultados: Se lograron obtener dos propuestas basadas en la Escala ASA para su uso en adolescentes, una basada en un modelo unidimensional (20 ítems), así como una basada en un modelo de tres factores (14 ítems). Estas propuestas tuvieron buen desempeño en el AFC, así como en consistencia interna. Además, presentaron evidencia de validez basada en la relación con conductas y condiciones relacionadas con la salud. Conclusión: se presenta evidencia de validez y confiabilidad que sustenta el uso de dos versiones reducidas de la Escala ASA en adolescentes.
Prevalence, onset, evolution, and prediction of spasticity poststroke
Authors: Sepulveda Paulina , Rivas Claudia , Rivas Rodrigo , Saiz José Luis , Doussoulin Arlette
Published: May 2023

Introduction: Because of the the complex physiopathology of spasticity, it is distinguished as one of the most significant positive clinical signs of upper motor neuron syndrome, constituting a clinical feature that has great impact in the neurorehabilitation setting. Thus, the current study aimed to determine the prevalence, onset, evolution, and prediction of spasticity after a stroke. Materials and Methods: A correlational, longitudinal design was used. A total of 136 patients were evaluated at the following times: 10 days (T1), 3 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) poststroke. The initial evaluation included sociodemographic and clinical data (T1). Muscle tone was measured (T1, T2, and T3) using the Modified Ashworth Scale. Results: The prevalence of poststroke spasticity in the elbow was 37.5% at T1 and 57.4% at T2 and T3. Among patients with motor damage, the onset of spasticity occurred at T1 in 44.7%, between T1 and T2 in 23.7%, and between T2 and T3 in 0.9%. Significant predictors of the alteration in muscular tone for at least two of the evaluation times were ethnic self-classification, type, area, extent of stroke, and number of sessions. Conclusions: Spasticity onset occurs during the first 10 days after a stroke. More clinical than sociodemographic variables predicted spasticity.
Estrés psicológico y angustia por diabetes en adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2: Una revisión sistemática
Authors: Aguiar Bernal Iris Rocío , Miranda Félix Patricia Enedina , Ortiz Félix Rosario Edith
Published: June 2023

Introducción: La diabetes mellitus tipo 2 es una enfermedad crónica que puede causar estrés psicológico en el desarrollo de la enfermedad y como suceso estresante, mientras que la angustia por diabetes es asociada a estresores como el descontrol de los niveles de glucosa, presencia de complicaciones agudas o crónicas, disciplina y apego en el tratamiento integral. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la literatura científica disponible sobre el estrés psicológico y angustia por diabetes en relación con el control glucémico en adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Materiales y métodos: Para la búsqueda de literatura se utilizaron las bases de datos Pubmed, Medline, Biblioteca Virtual en Salud, CINAHL, EBSCO, Wiley y Google. Se incluyeron artículos indexados en bases de datos con idioma inglés, español y portugués, de diseños descriptivos, correlaciónales y experimentales publicados en el periodo de 2010 a 2020. Los artículos fueron evaluados a través del Check list de Joanna Briggs Institute. Resultados: Se analizaron 10 artículos que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión, algunos estudios mostraron asociación del estrés psicológico y angustia por diabetes con la hemoglobina glucosilada, además, se encontró que el estrés psicológico es mayormente en mujeres y la angustia por diabetes es predictor del control glucémico pobre, provoca un manejo inadecuado de glucosa, aumenta la hemoglobina glucosilada y también, es una de las causas de mortalidad en hombres. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos muestran que existe mayor relación entre la angustia por diabetes y el control glucémico en estos pacientes.
Uncovering the Neural Processes of Privacy: A Neurally Informed Behavioral Intervention to Protect Information Privacy
Authors: Reeck Crystal , Guo Xue , Dimoka Angelika , Pavlou Paul A.
Published: May 2023

People are increasingly aware that their information is being tracked online. Although people generally self-report privacy to be important to them, in practice they often disclose far more private information than their self-reported privacy preferences. This “privacy paradox” could be better understood by uncovering the neural processes underlying the privacy calculus: weighing the risks against the benefits of disclosure. We assess the neural processes shaping privacy tradeoffs to characterize the neural mechanisms underlying privacy tradeoffs to design behavioral interventions that help people make better decisions that align with their privacy preferences. In Study 1, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to identify the neural correlates of the privacy calculus. In Study 2, we leveraged brain insights to design and test a neurally informed behavioral intervention to help people protect their privacy. Our results show that altering the timing when information is presented precisely at the time of decision (specifically within a second) directs attention to privacy risks versus benefits, therefore discouraging participants from disclosing their private information. Identifying the neural processes of privacy helps elucidate the privacy calculus and sheds light on the privacy paradox and guides the design of neurally informed behavioral interventions to help people protect their privacy.
Attention Constraints and Learning in Categories
Authors: Bhui Rahul , Jiao Peiran
Published: May 2023

Many decision makers are thought to economize on attention by processing information at the simpler level of a category. We directly test whether such category focus reflects an adaptive response to attention constraints, in five preregistered experiments using an information sampling paradigm with mouse tracking. Consistent with rational principles, participants focus more on category-level information when individual differences are small, when the category contains more members, and when time constraints are more severe. Participants are sensitive to the statistical structure of the category even when it must be learned from experience, and they respond to a latent shift in this structure. Beliefs about category members tend to cluster together more when category focus is high—a key element of rational inattention. However, this is counteracted by greater weight placed on salient and idiosyncratic information when the category is large. Our results broadly substantiate influential theories of categorical thinking, giving us a clearer view on the drivers and consequences of inattention.

This paper was accepted by Marie Claire Villeval, behavioral economics and decision analysis.

Funding: This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research (N00014-21-1-2170), the Pershing Square Fund for Research on the Foundations of Human Behavior, and an NWO Vidi grant (VI.Vidi.201.059).

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4803 .
Optimal Robust Policy for Feature-Based Newsvendor
Authors: Zhang Luhao , Yang Jincheng , Gao Rui
Published: June 2023

We study policy optimization for the feature-based newsvendor, which seeks an end-to-end policy that renders an explicit mapping from features to ordering decisions. Most existing works restrict the policies to some parametric class that may suffer from suboptimality (such as affine class) or lack of interpretability (such as neural networks). Differently, we aim to optimize over all functions of features. In this case, the classic empirical risk minimization yields a policy that is not well-defined on unseen feature values. To avoid such degeneracy, we consider a Wasserstein distributionally robust framework. This leads to an adjustable robust optimization, whose optimal solutions are notoriously difficult to obtain except for a few notable cases. Perhaps surprisingly, we identify a new class of policies that are proven to be exactly optimal and can be computed efficiently. The optimal robust policy is obtained by extending an optimal robust in-sample policy to unobserved feature values in a particular way and can be interpreted as a Lipschitz regularized critical fractile of the empirical conditional demand distribution. We compare our method with several benchmarks using synthetic and real data and demonstrate its superior empirical performance.

This paper was accepted by J. George Shanthikumar, data science.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4810 .
Focal myositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle: a rare and uncommon cause of cervical mass
Authors: Docquier Léa , Jannot Xavier , Córdoba-Sosa Zaida , Pierre Léa , Austrusseau Pierre Alexis , Andres Emmanuel , Lorenzo Villalba Noel
Published: May 2023

We report on a 70-year-old male patient admitted to the internal medicine department for evaluation of a right cervical mass. He had been treated with antibiotics as an outpatient by his primary care doctor. Upon admission the patient was asymptomatic, but within a few hours his cervical mass enlarged; this enlargement was confined to the right sternocleidomastoid muscle. Complete blood investigations including serology and autoimmunity were negative. The neck scan and MRI were in favour of myositis. No other lesions were found either in the nasal fibre-optic exam or in the thoracic-abdominal-pelvic scan. The biopsy of the muscle showed a lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory infiltrate of the perimysium. The diagnosis of focal myositis was made. The patient clinically improved during hospitalisation with complete resolution of symptoms without any specific intervention.
A ‘spoonful’ of physiotherapy: the importance of the terminology that the multidisciplinary team use when referring patients for treatment
Authors: Polastri Massimiliano
Published: May 2023

This editorial discusses the role of physiotherapy within therapeutic care, and the process of referrals.
Has Twitter made a big mistake with 2FA?
Authors: Potter Luke
Published: May 2023

Twitter is going through tumultuous changes, many of them seemingly on a whim, as new owner Elon Musk struggles to monetise the platform. However, in the pursuit of profit, some of the modifications risk making the social network more dangerous for users.
Breaking the silence, challenging the official discourse: the torture of far-left militants during the 1970s–1980s in Italy and its denials
Authors: Rossi Federica
Published: May 2023

Drawing on critical literature on state violence, torture and social movements, and based on archival documents and secondary sources, this article explores the cases of torture of far-left militants during the 1970s–1980s in Italy. It shows that these cases are still surrounded by silence, despite recent revelations and confessions by police officers, and analyses mechanisms of denial and recurrent tropes in the official discourse that contributed to shield state institutions and silence testimonies. It engages with the ‘emergency’ as a legal and discursive paradigm, creating sociopolitical conditions that enabled state violence and sustained its denial. Finally, it challenges the liberal approaches that postulate the incompatibility of liberal democratic government with state violence, and reminds the key role played by solidarity campaigns and mobilisations to condemn torture and demand truth and accountability.
Tunable and switchable multi-wavelength actively Q-switched random fiber laser based on an electro-optic modulator and Sagnac loop filter
Authors: Liu Zhanzhi , Pan Honggang , Zhang Ailing , Peng Yaomei , Li Shuo , Zhang Bo , Chen Zhipan
Published: June 2023

In this article, an actively Q-switched multi-wavelength random fiber
laser based on a Sagnac loop filter and electro-optic modulator is
proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The random distributed
feedback media is a section of a 25 km long single-mode fiber.
When the pump power is 350 mW, the polarization angle of the
Sagnac loop filter can be adjusted by polarization controller to
achieve the switching of a single, double, triple, and quadruple
channels laser output. In the case of a single laser channel, dual
laser channels, and three laser channels output, multiple laser
channels can be tuned simultaneously with a fixed wavelength interval.
In addition, by changing the waveform of the external signal source,
the light and dark pulses can be switched. Owing to the half-open
cavity structure and the high gain of the erbium-doped fiber, the
laser threshold was reduced to 25 mW, and the light conversion
efficiency was 0.67%. The laser is an ideal light source for medical
imaging and long-distance sensing.
Challenges and prospects for multi-chip microlens imprints on front-side illuminated SPAD imagers
Authors: Bruschini Claudio , Antolovic Ivan Michel , Zanella Frédéric , Ulku Arin C. , Lindner Scott , Kalyanov Alexander , Milanese Tommaso , Bernasconi Ermanno , Pešić Vladimir , Charbon Edoardo
Published: June 2023

The overall sensitivity of frontside-illuminated, silicon single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays has often suffered from fill factor limitations. The fill factor loss can however be recovered by employing microlenses, whereby the challenges specific to SPAD arrays are represented by large pixel pitch (> 10 µm), low native fill factor (as low as ∼10%), and large size (up to 10 mm). In this work we report on the implementation of refractive microlenses by means of photoresist masters, used to fabricate molds for imprints of UV curable hybrid polymers deposited on SPAD arrays. Replications were successfully carried out for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, at wafer reticle level on different designs in the same technology and on single large SPAD arrays with very thin residual layers (∼10 µm), as needed for better efficiency at higher numerical aperture (NA > 0.25). In general, concentration factors within 15-20% of the simulation results were obtained for the smaller arrays (32×32 and 512×1), achieving for example an effective fill factor of 75.6-83.2% for a 28.5 µm pixel pitch with a native fill factor of 28%. A concentration factor up to 4.2 was measured on large 512×512 arrays with a pixel pitch of 16.38 µm and a native fill factor of 10.5%, whereas improved simulation tools could give a better estimate of the actual concentration factor. Spectral measurements were also carried out, resulting in good and uniform transmission in the visible and NIR.
Magneto-optical spatial light modulator driven by current-induced domain wall motion for holographic display applications
Authors: Aoshima Ken-ichi , Funabashi Nobuhiko , Higashida Ryo , Kawana Mayumi , Aso Shintaro , Shibasaki Junichi , Yamaguchi Yuta , Machida Kenji
Published: June 2023

We have developed a magneto-optical spatial light modulator (MO-SLM) with a 10 k × 5 k pixel layout and with a pixel pitch horizontally of 1 µm and vertically of 4 µm. An MO-SLM device pixel has a magnetic nanowire made of Gd-Fe magneto-optical material whose magnetization was reversed by current-induced magnetic domain wall motion. We successfully demonstrated the reconstruction of holographic images, showing large viewing zone angles as wide as 30 degrees and visualizing different depths of the objects. These characteristics are unique to holographic images, providing physiological depth cues which may play a vital role in three-dimensional (3D) perception.
Enhancing Faraday and Kerr rotations based on the toroidal dipole mode in an all-dielectric magneto-optical metasurface
Authors: Tang Qin , Zhang Dandan , Liu Tingting , Liu Wenxing , Liao Qinghua , He Jizhou , Xiao Shuyuan , Yu Tianbao
Published: May 2023

The magneto-optical Faraday and Kerr effects are widely used in modern optical devices. In this Letter, we propose an all-dielectric metasurface composed of perforated magneto-optical thin films, which can support the highly confined toroidal dipole resonance and provide full overlap between the localized electromagnetic field and the thin film, and consequently enhance the magneto-optical effects to an unprecedented degree. The numerical results based on the finite element method show that the Faraday and Kerr rotations can reach −13.59° and 8.19° in the vicinity of toroidal dipole resonance, which are 21.2 and 32.8 times stronger than those in the equivalent thickness of thin films. In addition, we design an environment refractive index sensor based on the resonantly enhanced Faraday and Kerr rotations, with sensitivities of 62.96 nm/RIU and 73.16 nm/RIU, and the corresponding maximum figures of merit 132.22°/RIU and 429.45°/RIU, respectively. This work provides a new, to the best of our knowledge, strategy for enhancing the magneto-optical effects at nanoscale, and paves the way for the research and development of magneto-optical metadevices such as sensors, memories, and circuits.
UV-laser-diode-pumped visible Tb3+:LiLuF4 lasers
Authors: Badtke Moritz , Kalusniak Sascha , Tanaka Hiroki , Kränkel Christian
Published: May 2023

We investigate the dependence of the visible laser performance of Tb3+:LiLuF3 (Tb:LLF) on the ultraviolet (UV) pumping wavelength and present the first, to the best of our knowledge, UV-laser-diode-pumped Tb3+-based laser. We find an onset of thermal effects already at moderate pump power for UV pump wavelengths with strong excited-state absorption (ESA), which vanishes at pump wavelengths with weak ESA. Pumping with a UV laser diode emitting at 378.5 nm enables continuous wave laser operation in a 3-mm short Tb3+(28 at.%):LLF crystal. Slope efficiencies of 36% at 542/544 nm and 17% at 587 nm are obtained with a minimum laser threshold as low as 4 mW.
Modelling the spread and mitigation of an emerging vector-borne pathogen: Citrus greening in the U.S.
Authors: Nguyen Viet-Anh , Bartels David W. , Gilligan Christopher A.
Published: June 2023

Predictive models, based upon epidemiological principles and fitted to surveillance data, play an increasingly important role in shaping regulatory and operational policies for emerging outbreaks. Data for parameterising these strategically important models are often scarce when rapid actions are required to change the course of an epidemic invading a new region. We introduce and test a flexible epidemiological framework for landscape-scale disease management of an emerging vector-borne pathogen for use with endemic and invading vector populations. We use the framework to analyse and predict the spread of Huanglongbing disease or citrus greening in the U.S. We estimate epidemiological parameters using survey data from one region (Texas) and show how to transfer and test parameters to construct predictive spatio-temporal models for another region (California). The models are used to screen effective coordinated and reactive management strategies for different regions.
CRISPR-Analytics (CRISPR-A): A platform for precise analytics and simulations for gene editing
Authors: Sanvicente-García Marta , García-Valiente Albert , Jouide Socayna , Jaraba-Wallace Jessica , Bautista Eric , Escobosa Marc , Sánchez-Mejías Avencia , Güell Marc
Published: May 2023

Gene editing characterization with currently available tools does not always give precise relative proportions among the different types of gene edits present in an edited bulk of cells. We have developed CRISPR-Analytics, CRISPR-A, which is a comprehensive and versatile genome editing web application tool and a nextflow pipeline to give support to gene editing experimental design and analysis. CRISPR-A provides a robust gene editing analysis pipeline composed of data analysis tools and simulation. It achieves higher accuracy than current tools and expands the functionality. The analysis includes mock-based noise correction, spike-in calibrated amplification bias reduction, and advanced interactive graphics. This expanded robustness makes this tool ideal for analyzing highly sensitive cases such as clinical samples or experiments with low editing efficiencies. It also provides an assessment of experimental design through the simulation of gene editing results. Therefore, CRISPR-A is ideal to support multiple kinds of experiments such as double-stranded DNA break-based engineering, base editing (BE), primer editing (PE), and homology-directed repair (HDR), without the need of specifying the used experimental approach.
Neural network and kinetic modelling of human genome replication reveal replication origin locations and strengths
Authors: Arbona Jean-Michel , Kabalane Hadi , Barbier Jeremy , Goldar Arach , Hyrien Olivier , Audit Benjamin
Published: May 2023

In human and other metazoans, the determinants of replication origin location and strength are still elusive. Origins are licensed in G1 phase and fired in S phase of the cell cycle, respectively. It is debated which of these two temporally separate steps determines origin efficiency. Experiments can independently profile mean replication timing (MRT) and replication fork directionality (RFD) genome-wide. Such profiles contain information on multiple origins’ properties and on fork speed. Due to possible origin inactivation by passive replication, however, observed and intrinsic origin efficiencies can markedly differ. Thus, there is a need for methods to infer intrinsic from observed origin efficiency, which is context-dependent. Here, we show that MRT and RFD data are highly consistent with each other but contain information at different spatial scales. Using neural networks, we infer an origin licensing landscape that, when inserted in an appropriate simulation framework, jointly predicts MRT and RFD data with unprecedented precision and underlies the importance of dispersive origin firing. We furthermore uncover an analytical formula that predicts intrinsic from observed origin efficiency combined with MRT data. Comparison of inferred intrinsic origin efficiencies with experimental profiles of licensed origins (ORC, MCM) and actual initiation events (Bubble-seq, SNS-seq, OK-seq, ORM) show that intrinsic origin efficiency is not solely determined by licensing efficiency. Thus, human replication origin efficiency is set at both the origin licensing and firing steps.
Combinations of genes at the 16p11.2 and 22q11.2 CNVs contribute to neurobehavioral traits
Authors: Vysotskiy Mikhail ,   Autism Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium,   Bipolar Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium,   Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Weiss Lauren A.
Published: June 2023

The 16p11.2 and 22q11.2 copy number variants (CNVs) are associated with neurobehavioral traits including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obesity, and intellectual disability. Identifying specific genes contributing to each disorder and dissecting the architecture of CNV-trait association has been difficult, inspiring hypotheses of more complex models, such as multiple genes acting together. Using multi-tissue data from the GTEx consortium, we generated pairwise expression imputation models for CNV genes and then applied these elastic net models to GWAS for: ASD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, BMI (obesity), and IQ (intellectual disability). We compared the variance in these five traits explained by gene pairs with the variance explained by single genes and by traditional interaction models. We also modeled polygene region-wide effects using summed predicted expression ranks across many genes to create a regionwide score. We found that in all CNV-trait pairs except for bipolar disorder at 22q11.2, pairwise effects explain more variance than single genes. Pairwise model superiority was specific to the CNV region for all 16p11.2 traits and ASD at 22q11.2. We identified novel individual genes over-represented in top pairs that did not show single-gene signal. We also found that BMI and IQ have significant regionwide association with both CNV regions. Overall, we observe that genetic architecture differs by trait and region, but 9/10 CNV-trait combinations demonstrate evidence for multigene contribution, and for most of these, the importance of combinatorial models appears unique to CNV regions. Our results suggest that mechanistic insights for CNV pathology may require combinational models.
Assessing the risk of West Nile Virus seasonal outbreaks and its vector control in an urbanizing bird community: An integrative R0-modelling study in the city of Merida, Mexico
Authors: Flores-Ferrer Alheli , Suzán Gerardo , Waleckx Etienne , Gourbière Sébastien
Published: May 2023

Urbanization is a global trend associated with key socio-economic issues, one of them being to control the transmission of infectious diseases to a urban fraction of the world’s population that shall reach 68% in 2050. While urban growth has been shown to favor mosquito species responsible for the transmission of the West Nile Virus (WNV), a major human arbovirosis, the effects of concomitant changes in the host bird communities remain hard to anticipate albeit essential to quantify disease risk and to plan control initiatives. We developed a R0 modelling of WNV transmission in a urban bird community to assess the risk of outbreak in Merida, one of the cities with the highest growth rate in Mexico. The model was parameterized using ecological and epidemiological data collected over the past 15-years on the local vector, Culex quinquefasciatus, and avian community. We identified a 3-weeks summer period during which the vector population strongly amplifies the WNV enzootic transmission and lead to a significant risk of outbreaks in humans. Extensive sensitivity analyses showed that urbanization induced changes in the bird community could lead to an up-to 6-fold increase in the duration of the risk period, while the daily risk could rise by 40%. Interestingly, the increase in Quiscalus mexicanus abundance had 4–5 times larger impact than any other change in the bird community. In such a context, annihilating the current and future risk of WNV outbreaks in Merida requires reducing the mosquito population by 13% and up to 56%, respectively. This study provides an integrative assessment of the current and future risks of WNV outbreak in the fast urbanizing city of Merida, and points toward the implementation of epidemiological monitoring combined with preemptive measures targeting both C. quinquefasciatus and Q. mexicanus populations, as they are expected to have synergistic effects.
An economic evaluation of Wolbachia deployments for dengue control in Vietnam
Authors: Turner Hugo C. , Quyen Duong Le , Dias Reynold , Huong Phan Thi , Simmons Cameron P. , Anders Katherine L.
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Dengue is a major public health challenge and a growing problem due to climate change. The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia is a novel form of vector control against dengue. However, there remains a need to evaluate the benefits of such an intervention at a large scale. In this paper, we evaluate the potential economic impact and cost-effectiveness of scaled Wolbachia deployments as a form of dengue control in Vietnam–targeted at the highest burden urban areas.

Methods

Ten settings within Vietnam were identified as priority locations for potential future Wolbachia deployments (using a population replacement strategy). The effectiveness of Wolbachia deployments in reducing the incidence of symptomatic dengue cases was assumed to be 75%. We assumed that the intervention would maintain this effectiveness for at least 20 years (but tested this assumption in the sensitivity analysis). A cost-utility analysis and cost-benefit analysis were conducted.

Results

From the health sector perspective, the Wolbachia intervention was projected to cost US$420 per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. From the societal perspective, the overall cost-effectiveness ratio was negative, i.e. the economic benefits outweighed the costs. These results are contingent on the long-term effectiveness of Wolbachia releases being sustained for 20 years. However, the intervention was still classed as cost-effective across the majority of the settings when assuming only 10 years of benefits

Conclusion

Overall, we found that targeting high burden cities with Wolbachia deployments would be a cost-effective intervention in Vietnam and generate notable broader benefits besides health gains.