bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social support against depression in young adults’ group during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Gawrych Magdalena , Cichoń Ewelina , Kiejna Andrzej
Published: June 2022

Cel pracy

Niniejsze badanie miało na celu analizę występowania objawów depresyjnych w grupie uczących się młodych dorosłych, a także analizę wsparcia społecznego jako predyktora depresji w później adolescencji podczas pandemii COVID-19.

Metoda

Wśród osób uczęszczających do placówek edukacyjnych przeprowadzono ogólnokrajową ankietę online. Częściowo ustrukturalizowany kwestionariusz obejmował sekcję danych socjodemograficznych, dotyczącą stresorów, potrzeb i źródeł wsparcia, a także polską wersję skróconej Skali Depresji Kutchera dla Młodzieży (KADS). Ostateczna próba składała się z 1500 uczniów w wieku 18-23 lat. Do oceny związków między potrzebami i źródłami wsparcia oraz objawami depresyjnymi zastosowano wielomianową regresję logistyczną.

Wyniki

Najczęściej zgłaszanymi przez badanych potrzebami w zakresie wsparcia stanowi potrzeba wsparcia ze strony bliskich (rodziny, przyjaciół) (n = 843; 56,2%) oraz nauczycieli (np. troska, docenienie) (n = 603; 40,2%). 56% młodych dorosłych w Polsce doświadcza istotnych objawów depresji (95% [CI]: 1,82–13,96). Młodzi dorośli, którzy deklarują brak wsparcia społecznego uzyskali wyższy wynik KADS niż uczestnicy zgłaszający otrzymywanie wsparcia w jakiejkolwiek formie (b = 1,794; 95% BCa CI = 0,659, 2,947). Badani otrzymujący wsparcie od matki, od obojga rodziców i rodzeństwa mieli mniejsze nasilenie objawów depresji, podczas gdy ci, którzy otrzymywali wsparcie wyłącznie od ojca mieli bardziej nasilone objawy.

Wnioski

Badanie dostarcza wstępnych wyników na temat nasilenia objawów depresyjnych oraz potrzeb wsparcia uczących się młodych dorosłych podczas pandemii COVID-19. Zakres doświadczanych w tej grupie trudności wymaga zaangażowania i współdziałania psychiatrycznej opieki zdrowotnej, lokalnych społeczności i szkół w celu zapewnienia adekwatnej opieki.
Optimal Scheduling of Waitstaff with Different Experience Levels at a Restaurant Chain
Authors: Akhundov Najmaddin , Tahirov Nail , Glock Christoph H.
Published: June 2022

Restaurants often face strong pressure to reduce costs. Managers regularly respond by hiring temporary or part-time workers and by trying to reduce the size of the workforce as much as possible, which makes it difficult to develop a personnel schedule that provides sufficient service to the customers. The problem gets even more complicated if (frequent) employee turnover and demand fluctuations occur and if employees have different experience levels. This paper presents mathematical models to support waitstaff scheduling at a restaurant chain based in Baku, Azerbaijan, taking into account the managerial requirements of the company. The problem we address is equivalent to a general tour scheduling problem that assigns waitstaff to work shifts throughout the week. We develop three integer programming models taking account of factors, such as employee types and experience levels, differences in the complexity of customer orders, and side tasks and responsibilities, to find the optimal number of employees together with the best tour for each of them. The models are solved to optimality, and the results are applied at a branch of the restaurant chain in Baku. Compared with the existing schedule, the optimized schedule enabled the restaurant to reduce overstaffing levels by approximately 40% and labor costs by 20% while keeping the same service standards.
Utilization of PhET simulation in flipped classroom to improve students' critical thinking skills
Authors: Jufriansah Adi , Lering Lensiana , Donuata Pujianti B.
Published: June 2022

This research was conducted at Supra Talibura Junior High School, Sikka Regency, NTT, to determine the effect of increasing students' critical thinking skills after being given treatment using PhET Simulation in a flipped classroom setting. The trial sample used was 50 students divided into two classes. Each class was 25 people with purposive sampling. Data was collected by giving tests and questionnaires. Students are given apperception in videos a week before the learning takes place during the learning process. Giving videos aims to build students' initial learning knowledge to find out for themselves about learning topics: test t and N-gain analysis. Research results have been obtained; namely, there is an effect of using PhET from hypothesis testing and N-gain. At the same time, the results of the percentage of student response questionnaires indicate the level of student acceptance of the media used in learning.
Development of Arduino Uno-based real learning media for measuring density of objects
Authors: Matsun Matsun , Boisandi Boisandi , Sari Ira Nofita , Hadiati Soka , Zadrianus Mikael Trimon
Published: June 2022

The purpose of developing Arduino Uno-based physics learning media to measure density is to determine the level of feasibility based on the assessment of media experts and material experts, as well as to determine student responses to the development of learning media carried out. This study uses the ADDIE model which consists of 5 stages, namely analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the validation of the Arduino Uno-based physics learning media by two media experts obtained an average percentage score of 92.08% with very decent criteria and by two material expert validators obtained an average percentage score of 88, 75% with very decent criteria. Student responses to the Arduino Uno microcontroller-based physics learning media obtained an average percentage score of 84.58% with very decent criteria. The implication of this research is that teachers and students can use tools developed digitally and can compare them with manual experiments.
ECG of the month
Authors: Bloe Charles
Published: June 2022

In this issue's ECG of the month, Charles Bloe presents the case of a 49-year-old man who presented with nausea, vomiting and severe dizziness.
An overview of transanal irrigation devices: an update
Authors: Harris Gemma
Published: June 2022

Transanal irrigation (TAI) is safe and effective treatment for constipation and faecal incontinence, but it should not be carried out before less invasive options have been tried. A thorough patient assessment and consideration of their preferences and tolerance should determine suitability and system choice. The range of available TAI equipment can be overwhelming. Therefore, to aid health professionals, this article presents a summary of the latest available devices on the market, as well as guidance on how to select a suitable device. TAI devices can be categorised into low-or high-volume; cones, catheters or balloon inflating devices; manual, electric pump or gravity-fed systems; and bed systems. Determining whether a low or high volume of water is required is a good starting point for device selection. Nurses should be aware of available devices and select one most suitable for a patient, as well as adequately train them in its usage and provide follow-up support. Nurses should communicate the potential improvement to quality of life TAI can offer and encourage adherence to avoid premature discontinuation.
Giving nurses a voice through ‘listening to staff’ conversations to inform nurse retention and reduce turnover
Authors: Forde-Johnston Carol , Stoermer Florian
Published: June 2022

Health and social care employers in the UK cannot afford to lose nurses given the current nursing workforce crisis. A variety of staff engagement initiatives aim to improve employee retention. This article describes how Listening to Staff (L2S) events were used as part of a service review to inform nurse retention strategies in one acute hospital trust. Over a 3-year period, 576 nurses took part in L2S events that examined nurses' perspectives of teamworking and support as well as career plans in areas with high nurse turnover rates. Comparative content analysis was used to analyse narrative data, which informed managers' retention plans. Examination of retention data before and after L2S events showed nursing turnover decreased, suggesting a variety of strategies to retain staff may have improved nurse retention. Findings imply capturing nurses' perceptions through staff engagement events may offer solutions for nurse retention.
The comparative analysis of similarities and differences of U. Hajibeyli’s "Koroglu" and M. Glinka’s "Ivan Susanin" operas
Authors: İsmayilzade Nuride
Published: June 2022

The article reveals the role of Uzeyir Hajibeyli (U.Hajibeyov in the Soviet period) in the formation and development of Azerbaijani classical music. The period of formation and development of the composer's creativity in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the composer. In the context of the presence of the traditions of Russian classics in the opera works of Azerbaijani composers, for the first time in local musicology, a comparative analysis of the first Azerbaijani classical opera Koroglu by U.Hajibeyli and the first Russian classical opera “Ivan Susanin” by M. Glinka has been conducted. The main differences in the language of music, the tonal basis, the folklore material used, the author's research have shown the existence of common features of these two monumental works. The common features in the operas are manifested in the vivid expression of the will of the people, the heroism of the heroes and the intransigence against the oppressors, reflecting the national tonal structure of both peoples in the struggle and the general heroic character of the operas. The article also includes the history of creation of operas based on European classical opera traditions. In this research work, the common and different aspects of “Köroğlu” and “Ivan Susanin” operas are analyzed in terms of staging in certain time periods. The author also states the importance of Koroglu's hero image for Turkish peoples and as a result of this, the creation of the same name opera by the famous Turkish classical composer Ahmet Adnan Saygun in 1973. In addition, in the article, the author draws attention to the role and importance of the famous Azerbaijani composer and conductor Niyazi in this topic, based on historical data on the staging of A. Saygun's "Köroğlu" opera.
Ákvörðun þolenda ofbeldis að tilkynna brot til lögreglu
Authors: Valdimarsdóttir Margrét
Published: June 2022

Aðeins hluti þolenda ofbeldis tilkynnir til lögreglu og vanmetur því opinber afbrotatölfræði raunverulegan fjölda brota. Þar sem að vilji fólks til að tilkynna er mismunandi á milli hópa innihalda gögnin einnig kerfisbundna skekkju. Þannig getur verið að gögn sem eru notuð til að móta stefnu- og lagabreytingar í réttarkerfinu gefi upp ranga mynd af algengi og eðli brota. Í rannsókninni er skoðað hvaða tengsl tegund brotaflokks, félagsleg staða þolanda, og traust til lögreglu hafa á ákvörðun um að tilkynna ofbeldi. Rannsóknin byggir á samsettu gagnasetti þolendakannana sem lagðar voru fyrir árlega frá 2014 til 2021 (n = 19.440). Niðurstöður sýna að hlutfallslega færri þolendur kynbundins ofbeldis tilkynna til lögreglu en þolendur allra annarra brotaflokka. Mat þolanda á alvarleika brotsins hefur sterkustu áhrif á hvort ofbeldi til er tilkynnt til lögreglu. Ungt fólk og fólk utan höfuðborgarsvæðisins leitar síður til lögreglu en aðrir hópar. Í greininni er farið yfir flókin tengsl á milli trausts til lögreglu og ákvarðana um að tilkynna ofbeldi. Rannsóknin gefur til kynna að fólk sem hefur nýlega reynslu af ofbeldi beri minna traust en þau sem ekki hafa slíka reynslu, og traust er minna hjá þolendum kynbundins ofbeldis sem hafa tilkynnt en þeim sem ekki hafa tilkynnt til lögreglu. Þetta á ekki við um annars konar líkamsárásir. Rannsóknin gefur auk þess til kynna hlutfallslega fleiri þolendur alvarlegs ofbeldis í nánum samböndum tilkynni nú en á árunum 2014 til 2017.
Oft veltir lítil þúfa þungu hlassi: Sjálfræðisréttur skjólstæðinga, vanlíðan vegna frávika og traust innan heilbrigðisþjónustu
Authors: Vilhjálmsdóttir Ragnhildur Alda María , Hermannsdóttir Auður
Published: June 2022

Traust skjólstæðinga gagnvart heilbrigðisstéttum og heilbrigðisstofnunum er forsenda gæða innan heilbrigðisþjónustu. Traust snýr að tiltrú sjúklings um að hagsmunir hans séu hafðir að leiðarljósi og vanmáttur hans sé ekki misnotaður. Almennt vænta sjúklingar þess að sjálfræði þeirra sé virt, en í því felst að sjúklingi sé gert kleift að taka sjálfstæðar ákvarðanir varðandi meðferðir og inngrip. Erlendar rannsóknir hafa hins vegar sýnt að frávik frá rétti sjúklinga til sjálfræðis eru nokkuð algeng innan heilbrigðisþjónustu. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að varpa ljósi á hvað ákvarði traust til heilbrigðisþjónustu. Í því skyni var kannað hvort upplifun af atvikum sem snúa að frávikum frá rétti til sjálfræðis sé líkleg til að draga úr trausti skjólstæðinga innan heilbrigðisþjónustu. Í rannsókninni var sjónum sérstaklega beint að skjólstæðingum Kvennadeildar Landspítalans. Notast var við rafrænt hentugleikaúrtak þar sem skilyrði fyrir þátttöku var reynsla af þjónustu Kvennadeildar. Niðurstöðurnar sýndu að þeir skjólstæðingar sem hafa upplifað frávik frá rétti til sjálfræðis bera minna traust til heilbrigðisstarfsfólks og hafa meira vantraust gagnvart Landspítalanum heldur en þeir sem ekki hafa upplifað slík atvik. Jafnframt sýndu niðurstöðurnar að vanlíðan vegna fráviks frá rétti til sjálfræðis ýti undir vantraust gagnvart Landspítalanum en að það traust sem skjólstæðingar bera til lækna, hjúkrunarfræðinga og ljósmæðra geti spornað við myndun slíks vantrausts. Niðurstöðurnar gefa því tilefni til að ætla að góð samskipti og upplýsingagjöf til sjúklinga, þannig að þeir skynji að hagsmuna þeirra sé gætt og réttur þeirra virtur, sé líkleg til að ýta undir traust til heilbrigðisþjónustu. Aukið traust er líklegt til að stuðla að auknum gæðum, draga úr kostnaði og auka virði heilbrigðisþjónustu.
Assessment of a computed tomography imaging spectrometer using an optimized expectation-maximization algorithm
Authors: Narea-Jiménez F. , Castro-Ramos J. , Sánchez-Escobar J. J. , Muñoz-Morales A.
Published: June 2022

We designed and built a homemade computed tomography imaging spectrometer (CTIS) of

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of spatial resolution and 2 nm spectral resolution. The optical design considers a CTIS optical array coupled to a digital reflex camera. We reconstructed the intensity spectra of a fluorescent source, the diffuse reflectance of a ColorChecker, and samples of Capsicum annuum of three different colors, using the expectation-maximization sequential algorithm, optimized utilizing an array of indices to reduce the reconstruction time. The results obtained with a ColorChecker indicate a high positive correlation of 0.9745 with an average residual difference of 1.31% concerning the spectra obtained with a commercial integrating sphere spectrometer. The feasibility of the proposed CTIS system shows how to detect and evaluate the physiological changes resulting from the decomposition of the green fruit of the Capsicum annuum in a range from 500 to 650 nm.
Aberration analysis and compensate method of a BP neural network and sparrow search algorithm in deep ultraviolet lithography
Authors: Zhang Shuang , Zhang Libin , Gai Tianyang , Xu Peng , Wei Yayi
Published: June 2022

Mass production can be planned by utilizing the multiple patterning technology of 193 nm immersion scanners at the 7 nm technology node. In deep ultraviolet lithography, imaging performance is significantly affected by distortions of projection optics. For 7 nm immersion lithography layer patterns, distortions of the projection optics must be tightly controlled. This paper proposes an optimization method to determine the distribution of Zernike aberration coefficients. First, we build aberration prediction models using the backpropagation (BP) neural network. Then, we propose an aberration optimization method based on the sparrow search algorithm (SSA), using the common indicators of the lithography process window, depth of focus, mask error enhancement factor, and image log slope as the objective function. Some sets of optimized aberration distributions are obtained using the SSA optimization method. Finally, we compare the results of the SSA optimization algorithm with those obtained by rigorous computational simulations. The aberration combination distribution optimized by the SSA method is much more significant than the value under the zero aberration (ideal conditions), a nonoptimal distribution in deep ultraviolet lithography image simulation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the aberration optimization method has a high prediction accuracy.
Image reconstruction in non-reciprocal broken-ray tomography
Authors: Faulkner Matthew J. , Schotland John C. , Markel Vadim A. , Florescu Lucia
Published: June 2022

Optical methods of biomedical tomographic imaging are of considerable
interest due to their non-invasive nature and sensitivity to
physiologically important markers. Similarly to other imaging
modalities, optical methods can be enhanced by utilizing extrinsic
contrast agents. Typically, these are fluorescent molecules, which can
aggregate in regions of interest due to various mechanisms. In the
current approaches to imaging, the intrinsic (related to the tissue)
and extrinsic (related to the contrast agent) optical parameters are
determined separately. This can result in errors, in particular, due
to using simplified heuristic models for the spectral dependence of
the optical parameters. Recently, we have developed the theory of
non-reciprocal broken-ray tomography (NRBRT) for fluorescence imaging
of weakly scattering systems. NRBRT enables simultaneous
reconstruction of the fluorophore concentration as well as of the
intrinsic optical attenuation coefficient at both the excitation and
the emission wavelengths. Importantly, no assumption about the
spectral dependence of the tissue optical properties is made in NRBRT.
In this study, we perform numerical validation of NRBRT under
realistic conditions using the Monte Carlo method to generate forward
data. We demonstrate that NRBRT can be used for tomographic imaging of
samples of up to four scattering lengths in size. The effects of
physical characteristics of the detectors such as the area and the
acceptance angle are also investigated.
Resonance fluorescence engineering in hybrid systems consist of biexciton quantum dots and anisotropic metasurfaces
Authors: Fang Wei , Ou Congjie , Li Gao-xiang , Yang Yaping
Published: June 2022

The resonance fluorescence properties in the steady-state regime are investigated for a driven cascaded exciton-biexciton quantum dot coupled to the two-dimensional black phosphorus metasurfaces. It is shown that for the material parameters under consideration, both the elliptic and hyperbolic dispersion patterns of the surface plasmon modes are achievable according to the variation of the carrier concentration. Further study on the Purcell factor indicates unequal enhancements in the spontaneous decay of the orthogonal in-plane dipoles. Motivated by this intriguing phenomenon, we then investigate the steady-state properties of the driven quantum dot, where the populations of the dressed levels are highly tunable by engineering the anisotropy of the surfaces. As a result, the manipulation of the carrier concentration will lead to strong modifications in the resonance fluorescence. Under certain conditions, one can observe the squeezing of two-mode noise spectra with different resonances and polarizations. Although at the expense of declines in the photon-sideband detunings, it is feasible to enhance the two-mode squeezing by gate doping. Our proposal can be easily extended to other hybrid systems containing anisotropic metasurfaces, which are important for the development of quantum information science.
Onboard spectral calibration and validation of the satellite calibration spectrometer on HY-1C
Authors: Xu Heyu , Huang Wenxin , Si Xiaolong , Li Xin , Xu Weiwei , Zhang Liming , Song Qingjun , Gao Huiting
Published: June 2022

To monitor the spectral position drift, expansion and contraction of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the satellite calibration spectrometer (SCS) of the HY-1C satellite during on-orbit operation, an onboard spectral calibration method based on a wavelength diffuser is proposed in this paper. This method uses the wavelength diffuser reflectance measured prelaunch as the standard spectrum, convolves it with the spectral response function of the SCS to obtain a reference spectrum, uses the measured data of the onboard SCS as the measured spectrum, and obtains the spectral drift and variation of the FWHM through spectral line matching. Generally, the spectral response function of a hyperspectral remote sensor follows a Gaussian model, and so does that of the SCS. The spectral calibration results obtained based on the onboard wavelength diffuser are validated and evaluated in comparison to calibration based on an oxygen absorption line. Preliminary results show that (1) the SCS spectral drift is negative, indicating a shift in the shortwave direction, and its absolute value is gradually decreasing with increasing on-orbit operation time; (2) the mean values of the central wavelength and FWHM errors between the two calibration methods are 0.08 nm and 0.20 nm, respectively, indicating that the spectral calibration method based on the wavelength diffuser has high accuracy and reliability; and (3) the SCS spaceborne spectral calibration error has the greatest impact on radiometric calibration in Band 18, with an uncertainty of 0.99%, while the uncertainty in the other bands is less than 0.33%, indicating that the spectral calibration uncertainty meets radiometric calibration accuracy requirements.
Deep camera obscura: an image restoration pipeline for pinhole photography
Authors: Rego Joshua D. , Chen Huaijin , Li Shuai , Gu Jinwei , Jayasuriya Suren
Published: June 2022

Modern machine learning has enhanced the image quality for consumer and mobile photography through low-light denoising, high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, and improved demosaicing among other applications. While most of these advances have been made for normal lens-based cameras, there has been an emerging body of research for improved photography for lensless cameras using thin optics such as amplitude or phase masks, diffraction gratings, or diffusion layers. These lensless cameras are suited for size and cost-constrained applications such as tiny robotics and microscopy that prohibit the use of a large lens. However, the earliest and simplest camera design, the camera obscura or pinhole camera, has been relatively overlooked for machine learning pipelines with minimal research on enhancing pinhole camera images for everyday photography applications. In this paper, we develop an image restoration pipeline of the pinhole system to enhance the pinhole image quality through joint denoising and deblurring. Our pipeline integrates optics-based filtering and reblur losses for reconstructing high resolution still images (2600 × 1952) as well as temporal consistency for video reconstruction to enable practical exposure times (30 FPS) for high resolution video (1920 × 1080). We demonstrate high 2D image quality on real pinhole images that is on-par or slightly improved compared to other lensless cameras. This work opens up the potential of pinhole cameras to be used for photography in size-limited devices such as smartphones in the future.
Fabrication error tolerant broadband mode converters and their working principles
Authors: Masnad Md Mahadi , Zhang Guowu , Xu Dan-Xia , Grinberg Yuri , Liboiron-Ladouceur Odile
Published: June 2022

Computational inverse design techniques have shown potential to become reliable means for designing compact nanophotonic devices without compromising the performance. Much effort has been made to reduce the computation cost involved in the optimization process and obtain final designs that are robust to fabrication imperfections. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate TE0-TE1 and TE1-TE3 mode converters (MCs) on the silicon-on-insulator platform designed using the computationally efficient shape optimization method. These MCs have mode conversion efficiencies above 95%, and the insertion loss ranges from 0.3 dB to 1 dB over a wavelength span of 80 nm ranging from 1.5 µm to 1.58 µm. Maximum modal crosstalk found experimentally in the C-band is -19 dB. The conversion efficiency drops at most by 2.2% at 1.55 µm for 10 nm over/under etch, implying good robustness to dimensional variations. We present the mode conversion mechanism of these MCs by studying the simulated electromagnetic field patterns and validate with supportive data. We also demonstrate their performance in the time domain with a 28 Gbps OOK and a 20 GBaud PAM-4 payload transmissions, which supports their utility for high throughput data communications. The open eye diagrams exhibit Q-factors of 8 dB.
Luminescence-guided and visibly transparent solar concentrators based on silicon quantum dots
Authors: Han Shanshan , Wen Jingfei , Cheng Ziyao , Chen Guo , Jin Shengli , Shou Chunhui , Kuo Hao-Chung , Tu Chang-Ching
Published: June 2022

In this work, we demonstrate a new tapered prism-shaped luminescent solar concentrator (LSC), which guides most of the luminescence toward one edge instead of four, for the solar window application. Only one Si photovoltaic (PV) strip attached to the light-emitting sidewall is needed to collect the luminescence, which further reduces PV material cost and avoids electrical mismatch. To achieve high visible transmission and mitigate reabsorption, colloidal silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) with ultraviolet-selective absorption and large Stokes shift are used as the fluorophores. With the SiQD concentration equal to 8 mg mL−1, the SiQD-LSC as a solar window can attain a power conversion efficiency (PCE) equal to 0.27%, while ensuring high average visible transmission (AVT = 86%) and high color rendering index (CRI = 94 with AM1.5G as the incident spectrum). When adjusted to front-facing, the Si PV strip can harvest not only the direct sunlight but also the concentrated SiQD fluorescence guided from the LSC. As a result, the overall solar window PCE can be increased to 1.18%, and the PCE of the front-facing Si PV strip alone can be increased by 7% due to the luminescence guided from the SiQD-LSC.
Strong cladding mode excitation in ultrathin fiber inscribed Bragg grating with ultraviolet photosensitivity
Authors: Feng Dingyi , Li Zhihong , Zheng Hongrong , Jiang Biqiang , Albert Jacques , Zhao Jianlin
Published: June 2022

Strong UV-written Bragg gratings written in 50 µm-diameter cladding single mode fibers compatible with conventional fiber couple core guided light to dozens of cladding modes distributed across 140 nm in the 1400-1600 nm region, without the need for complex symmetry breaking mechanisms such as tilted, laterally offset, or localized gratings. The extent of the coupling to high order modes and the smaller cladding diameter both contribute to increasing the sensitivity to surrounding refractive index changes by more than one order of magnitude, and to an increased spacing between mode resonances to facilitate unambiguous measurements of larger index changes between 1.3 and 1.44. These improvements are confirmed by theoretical and experimental studies that also cover the temperature and strain differential sensitivities of the cladding mode resonances for complete multiparameter sensing capability.
Spatial Bessel-like beams along arbitrary convex trajectories based on a 3D-printed metasurface
Authors: Qu Mei-jun , Tian Ren-wen , Li Wen-yu , Su Jian-xun
Published: June 2022

A 3D-printed all-dielectric metasurface is presented in this Letter which can generate an accelerating beam with a circularly symmetric non-spreading transverse profile that can propagate along arbitrary convex trajectories. The curved trajectory is mapped to the corresponding direct-space spatial phases by the basic cube units with different geometrical heights. The required phase distribution is derived in detail based on the enveloping theory of differential geometry and the Bessel beam generation method. A metasurface with a preset trajectory is simulated and measured to demonstrate the validity of the phase distribution calculated by the proposed theory. The full-wave simulation and measurement results verify that the Bessel-like beam whose intensity follows a curved (off-axis) trajectory can be produced by the proposed metasurface. The generated hybrid beam merges the advantages of non-accelerating and accelerating diffractive-free beams. Therefore, the proposed metasurface has great potential in ultrahigh-speed communication, secure communication, near-field imaging, wireless energy transmission applications, and so on. The all-dielectric characteristic provides the proposed metasurface with the competitive advantages of low cost and easy large-scale processing.
Optical properties of as-deposited, annealed and laser-treated Ge2Sb2Te5 thin films
Authors: Prikryl Jan , Mistrik Jan , Krbal Milos
Published: June 2022

Knowledge of the correct optical properties of phase change materials (PCM) is important in the development of many devices. Here, we report on the differences in optical properties of as-deposited, annealed, laser-reamorphized and laser-recrystallized

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thin films. While as-deposited and laser-reamorphized

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show a similar spectral dependences of refractive indices and extinction coefficients with a small decrease in optical band gap from 0.63 to 0.59 eV, spectral dependences of annealed and laser-recrystallized

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differ significantly from each other in the entire measured spectral region with values of optical band gap 0.51 and 0.45 eV, respectively. We discuss the main differences in the optical functions between both crystalline phases using X-ray diffraction studies. We further present that the laser-reamorphized phase transforms to the crystalline phase at about 12 °C lower temperature in contrast to the as-deposited amorphous phase.
The population genetics of the causative agent of snake fungal disease indicate recent introductions to the USA
Authors: Ladner Jason T. , Palmer Jonathan M. , Ettinger Cassandra L. , Stajich Jason E. , Farrell Terence M. , Glorioso Brad M. , Lawson Becki , Price Steven J. , Stengle Anne G. , Grear Daniel A. , Lorch Jeffrey M.
Published: June 2022

Snake fungal disease (SFD; ophidiomycosis), caused by the pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo), has been documented in wild snakes in North America and Eurasia, and is considered an emerging disease in the eastern United States of America. However, a lack of historical disease data has made it challenging to determine whether Oo is a recent arrival to the USA or whether SFD emergence is due to other factors. Here, we examined the genomes of 82 Oo strains to determine the pathogen’s history in the eastern USA. Oo strains from the USA formed a clade (Clade II) distinct from European strains (Clade I), and molecular dating indicated that these clades diverged too recently (approximately 2,000 years ago) for transcontinental dispersal of Oo to have occurred via natural snake movements across Beringia. A lack of nonrecombinant intermediates between clonal lineages in Clade II indicates that Oo has actually been introduced multiple times to North America from an unsampled source population, and molecular dating indicates that several of these introductions occurred within the last few hundred years. Molecular dating also indicated that the most common Clade II clonal lineages have expanded recently in the USA, with time of most recent common ancestor mean estimates ranging from 1985 to 2007 CE. The presence of Clade II in captive snakes worldwide demonstrates a potential mechanism of introduction and highlights that additional incursions are likely unless action is taken to reduce the risk of pathogen translocation and spillover into wild snake populations.
Interpretable pairwise distillations for generative protein sequence models
Authors: Feinauer Christoph , Meynard-Piganeau Barthelemy , Lucibello Carlo
Published: June 2022

Many different types of generative models for protein sequences have been proposed in literature. Their uses include the prediction of mutational effects, protein design and the prediction of structural properties. Neural network (NN) architectures have shown great performances, commonly attributed to the capacity to extract non-trivial higher-order interactions from the data. In this work, we analyze two different NN models and assess how close they are to simple pairwise distributions, which have been used in the past for similar problems. We present an approach for extracting pairwise models from more complex ones using an energy-based modeling framework. We show that for the tested models the extracted pairwise models can replicate the energies of the original models and are also close in performance in tasks like mutational effect prediction. In addition, we show that even simpler, factorized models often come close in performance to the original models.
Sea level rise drives carbon and habitat loss in the U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal zone
Authors: Warnell Katie , Olander Lydia , Currin Carolyn
Published: June 2022

Coastal marshes and seagrass beds store millions of tons of carbon in their sediments and sequester carbon at higher per-area rates than most terrestrial ecosystems. There is substantial interest in this “blue carbon” as a carbon mitigation strategy, despite the major threat that sea level rise (SLR) poses to these habitats. Many projections of habitat and carbon change with SLR emphasize the potential for inland marsh migration and increased rates of marsh carbon sequestration, but do not consider carbon fluxes associated with habitat conversion. We integrated existing data and models to develop a spatial model for predicting habitat and carbon changes due to SLR in six mid-Atlantic U.S. states likely to face coastal habitat loss over the next century due to low tidal ranges and sediment supply. Our primary model projection, using an intermediate SLR scenario (1.2 m SLR by 2104), predicts loss of 83% of existing coastal marshes and 26% of existing seagrasses in the study area. In addition, 270,000 hectares of forest and forested wetlands in low-lying coastal areas will convert to coastal marshes. These SLR-driven habitat changes cause the study area to shift from a carbon sink to a source in our primary model projection. Given the many uncertainties about the habitat and carbon changes represented in our model, we also identified the parameters and assumptions that most strongly affected the model results to inform future research needs. These included: land availability for inland marsh migration, the baseline extent and location of coastal marshes, proportion of stored carbon emitted from lost habitats (coastal marsh sediments or terrestrial biomass carbon), and methane emissions from freshwater habitats. The study area switched from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source under SLR for all but three model runs; in those runs, net carbon sequestration declined by 57–99%.
Higher education responses to COVID-19 in the United States: Evidence for the impacts of university policy
Authors: Klein Brennan , Generous Nicholas , Chinazzi Matteo , Bhadricha Zarana , Gunashekar Rishab , Kori Preeti , Li Bodian , McCabe Stefan , Green Jon , Lazer David , Marsicano Christopher R. , Scarpino Samuel V. , Vespignani Alessandro
Published: June 2022

With a dataset of testing and case counts from over 1,400 institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States, we analyze the number of infections and deaths from SARS-CoV-2 in the counties surrounding these IHEs during the Fall 2020 semester (August to December, 2020). We find that counties with IHEs that remained primarily online experienced fewer cases and deaths during the Fall 2020 semester; whereas before and after the semester, these two groups had almost identical COVID-19 incidence. Additionally, we see fewer cases and deaths in counties with IHEs that reported conducting any on-campus testing compared to those that reported none. To perform these two comparisons, we used a matching procedure designed to create well-balanced groups of counties that are aligned as much as possible along age, race, income, population, and urban/rural categories—demographic variables that have been shown to be correlated with COVID-19 outcomes. We conclude with a case study of IHEs in Massachusetts—a state with especially high detail in our dataset—which further highlights the importance of IHE-affiliated testing for the broader community. The results in this work suggest that campus testing can itself be thought of as a mitigation policy and that allocating additional resources to IHEs to support efforts to regularly test students and staff would be beneficial to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in a pre-vaccine environment.
Selective role of the DNA helicase Mcm5 in BMP retrograde signaling during Drosophila neuronal differentiation
Authors: Rubio-Ferrera Irene , Baladrón-de-Juan Pablo , Clarembaux-Badell Luis , Truchado-Garcia Marta , Jordán-Álvarez Sheila , Thor Stefan , Benito-Sipos Jonathan , Monedero Cobeta Ignacio
Published: June 2022

The MCM2-7 complex is a highly conserved hetero-hexameric protein complex, critical for DNA unwinding at the replicative fork during DNA replication. Overexpression or mutation in MCM2-7 genes is linked to and may drive several cancer types in humans. In mice, mutations in MCM2-7 genes result in growth retardation and mortality. All six MCM2-7 genes are also expressed in the developing mouse CNS, but their role in the CNS is not clear. Here, we use the central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila melanogaster to begin addressing the role of the MCM complex during development, focusing on the specification of a well-studied neuropeptide expressing neuron: the Tv4/FMRFa neuron. In a search for genes involved in the specification of the Tv4/FMRFa neuron we identified Mcm5 and find that it plays a highly specific role in the specification of the Tv4/FMRFa neuron. We find that other components of the MCM2-7 complex phenocopies Mcm5, indicating that the role of Mcm5 in neuronal subtype specification involves the MCM2-7 complex. Surprisingly, we find no evidence of reduced progenitor proliferation, and instead find that Mcm5 is required for the expression of the type I BMP receptor Tkv, which is critical for the FMRFa expression. These results suggest that the MCM2-7 complex may play roles during CNS development outside of its well-established role during DNA replication.
The AalNix3&4 isoform is required and sufficient to convert Aedes albopictus females into males
Authors: Zhao Yijie , Jin Binbin , Liu Peiwen , Xiao Xiaolin , Cai Lijun , Xie Zhensheng , Kong Ling , Liu Tong , Yang Wenqiang , Wu Yang , Gu Jinbao , Tu Zhijian , James Anthony A. , Chen Xiao-Guang
Published: June 2022

Aedes albopictus is one of the most invasive insect species in the world and an effective vector for many important arboviruses. We reported previously that Ae. albopictus Nix (AalNix) is the male-determining factor of this species. However, whether AalNix alone is sufficient to initiate male development is unknown. Transgenic lines that express each of the three AalNix isoforms from the native promoter were obtained using piggyBac transformation. We verified the stable expression of AalNix isoforms in the transgenic lines and confirm that one isoform, AalNix3&4, is sufficient to convert females into fertile males (pseudo-males) that are indistinguishable from wild-type males. We also established a stable sex-converted female mosquito strain, AalNix3&4-♂4-pseudo-male. The pseudo-male mosquitoes can fly and mate normally with wild-type female, although their mating competitiveness is lower than wild-type. This work further clarifies the role of AalNix in the sex determination pathway and will facilitate the development of Ae. albopictus control strategies that rely on male-only releases such as SIT and sex-ratio distortion.
Associated factors study into the belated screening for leprosy in Benin
Authors: Gnimavo Ronald Sètondji , Sopoh Ghislain Emmanuel , Djossou Parfait , Anagonou Esaï Gimatal , Ayélo Gilbert Adjimon , Wadagni Anita Carolle Akpéédjé , Barogui Yves Thierry , Houezo Jean Gabin , Johnson Roch Christian
Published: June 2022

Introduction

In the absence of early treatment, leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, due to Mycobacterium leprae or Hansen Bacillus, causes irreversible grade 2 disability (G2D) numerous factors related to the individual, the community and the health care system are believed to be responsible for its late detection and management. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with belated screening for leprosy in Benin.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study conducted from January 1 to June 31, 2019, involving all patients and staff in leprosy treatment centers and public peripheral level health structures in Benin. The dependent variable of the study was the presence or not of G2D, reflecting late or early screening. We used a logistic regression model, at the 5% threshold, to find the factors associated with late leprosy screening. The fit of the final model was assessed with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test.

Results

A number of 254 leprosy patients were included with a mean age of 48.24 ± 18.37 years. There was a male dominance with a sex ratio of 1.23 (140/114). The proportion of cases with G2D was 58.27%. Associated factors with its belated screening in Benin were (OR; 95%CI; p) the fear of stigma related to leprosy (8.11; 3.3–19.94; <0.001), multiple visits to traditional healers (5.20; 2.73–9.89; <0.001) and multiple visits to hospital practitioners (3.82; 2.01–7.27; <0.001). The unawareness of leprosy by 82.69% of the health workers so as the permanent decrease in material and financial resources allocated to leprosy control were identified as factors in link with the health system that helps explain this late detection.

Conclusion

This study shows the need to implement strategies in the control programs to strengthen the diagnostic abilities of health workers, to improve the level of knowledge of the population on the early signs and symptoms of leprosy, to reduce stigmatization and to ban all forms of discrimination against leprosy patients.
Network pharmacology integrated molecular dynamics reveals the bioactive compounds and potential targets of Tinospora crispa Linn. as insulin sensitizer
Authors: Zuhri Ummu Mastna , Purwaningsih Erni Hernawati , Fadilah Fadilah , Yuliana Nancy Dewi
Published: June 2022

Insulin resistance is a metabolic disorder characterized by the decreased response to insulin in muscle, liver, and adipose cells. This condition remains a complex phenomenon that involves several genetic defects and environmental stresses. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of known phytochemical constituents of Tinospora crispa and its interaction with insulin-resistant target proteins by using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Tinoscorside A, Makisterone C, Borapetoside A and B, and β sitosterol consider the main phytoconstituents of Tinospora crispa by its binding with active sites of main protein targets of insulin resistance potential therapy. Moreover, Tinoscorside A was revealed from the docking analysis as the ligand that binds most strongly to the target protein, PI3K. This finding was strengthened by the results of MD simulation, which stated that the conformational stability of the ligand-protein complex was achieved at 15 ns and the formation of hydrogen bonds at the active site. In conclusion, Tinospora crispa is one of the promising therapeutic agent in type 2 diabetes mellitus management. Regulation in glucose homeostasis, adipolysis, cell proliferation, and antiapoptosis are predicted to be the critical mechanism of Tinospora crispa as an insulin sensitizer.
Overexpression of p-4EBP1 associates with p-eIF4E and predicts poor prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer patients with resection
Authors: Tang Yaoxiang , Luo Jiadi , Yang Yang , Liu Sile , Zheng Hongmei , Zhan Yuting , Fan Songqing , Wen Qiuyuan
Published: June 2022

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and its phosphorylated form (p-eIF4E) play a crucial role in the protein synthesis, both are under regulation of eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-interacting kinases (MNKs). This study aims to explore the potential prognostic significance of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4E in NSCLC patients. The expression of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4E in NSCLC patients was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in tissue microarrays (TMAs) containing 354 NSCLC and 53 non-cancerous lung tissues (Non-CLT). The overexpression percentage of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4E in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC) was significantly higher than that of Non-CLT. P-4EBP1 expression in patients with advanced clinical stage was higher than that in early stage. Expression of p-4EBP1 had a positive relationship with p-eIF4E expression both in lung SCC and ADC. NSCLC patients with high expression of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4E alone or in combination had a lower survival rate than that of other phenotypes. For NSCLC patients, p-4EBP1 is an independent poor prognostic factor as well as clinical stage, LNM and pathological grade. Overexpression of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4E might be novel prognostic marker for NSCLC, who possesses potential application value for NSCLC targeted therapy.
Memory augmented recurrent neural networks for de-novo drug design
Authors: Suresh Naveen , Chinnakonda Ashok Kumar Neelesh , Subramanian Srikumar , Srinivasa Gowri
Published: June 2022

A recurrent neural network (RNN) is a machine learning model that learns the relationship between elements of an input series, in addition to inferring a relationship between the data input to the model and target output. Memory augmentation allows the RNN to learn the interrelationships between elements of the input over a protracted length of the input series. Inspired by the success of stack augmented RNN (StackRNN) to generate strings for various applications, we present two memory augmented RNN-based architectures: the Neural Turing Machine (NTM) and the Differentiable Neural Computer (DNC) for the de-novo generation of small molecules. We trained a character-level convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the properties of a generated string and compute a reward or loss in a deep reinforcement learning setup to bias the Generator to produce molecules with the desired property. Further, we compare the performance of these architectures to gain insight to their relative merits in terms of the validity and novelty of the generated molecules and the degree of property bias towards the computational generation of de-novo drugs. We also compare the performance of these architectures with simpler recurrent neural networks (Vanilla RNN, LSTM, and GRU) without an external memory component to explore the impact of augmented memory in the task of de-novo generation of small molecules.