bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Racialized Health Inequities: Quantifying Socioeconomic and Stress Pathways Using Moderated Mediation
Authors: Brown Tyson H. , Hargrove Taylor W. , Homan Patricia , Adkins Daniel E.
Published: May 2023

Racism drives population health inequities by shaping the unequal distribution of key social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic resources and exposure to stressors. Research on interrelationships among race, socioeconomic resources, stressors, and health has proceeded along two lines that have largely remained separate: one examining differential effects of socioeconomic resources and stressors on health across racialized groups (moderation processes), and the other examining the role of socioeconomic resources and stressors in contributing to racial inequities in health (mediation processes). We conceptually and analytically integrate these areas using race theory and a novel moderated mediation approach to path analysis to formally quantify the extent to which an array of socioeconomic resources and stressors—collectively and individually—mediate racialized health inequities among a sample of older adults from the Health and Retirement Study. Our results yield theoretical contributions by showing how the socioeconomic status–health gradient and stress processes are racialized (24% of associations examined varied by race), substantive contributions by quantifying the extent of moderated mediation of racial inequities (approximately 70%) and the relative importance of various social factors, and methodological contributions by showing how commonly used simple mediation approaches that ignore racialized moderation processes overestimate—by between 5% and 30%—the collective roles of socioeconomic status and stressors in accounting for racial inequities in health.
Transmandibular Cervical Corpectomy for Persistent Spinal Cord Compression in a Patient With Klippel-Feil Syndrome: A Technical Note and Systematic Review
Authors: Nie James W. , Sadeh Morteza , Almadidy Zayed , Callahan Nicholas , Neckrysh Sergey
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND:

Few studies have described a transmandibular approach for decompression in a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) for cervical myelopathy.

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the transmandibular approach in a KFS patient with cervical myelopathy and to perform a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

METHODS:

A systematic review was performed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Embase and PubMed databases were searched from January 2002 to November 2022 for articles examining patients with KFS undergoing cervical decompression and/or fusion for cervical myelopathy and/or radiculopathy were included. Articles describing compression due to nonbony causes, lumbar/sacral surgery, nonhuman studies, or symptoms only from basilar invagination/impression were excluded. Data collected were sex, median age, Samartzis type, surgical approach, and postoperative complications.

RESULTS:

A total of 27 studies were included, with 80 total patients. Thirty-three patients were female, and the median age ranged from 9 to 75 years. Forty-nine patients, 16 patients, and 13 patients were classified as Samartzis Types I, II, and III, respectively. Forty-five patients, 21 patients, and 6 patients underwent an anterior, posterior, and combined approach, respectively. Five postoperative complications were reported. One article reported a transmandibular approach for access to the cervical spine.

CONCLUSION:

Patients with KFS are at risk of developing cervical myelopathy. Although KFS manifests heterogeneously and may be treated through a variety of approaches, some manifestations of KFS may preclude traditional approaches for decompression. Surgical exposure through the anterior mandible may prove an option for cervical decompression in patients with KFS.
Coupled protein quality control during nonsense-mediated mRNA decay
Authors: Inglis Alison J. , Guna Alina , Gálvez-Merchán Ángel , Pal Akshaye , Esantsi Theodore K. , Keys Heather R. , Frenkel Evgeni M. , Oania Robert , Weissman Jonathan S. , Voorhees Rebecca M.
Published: May 2023

Translation of mRNAs containing premature termination codons (PTCs) results in truncated protein products with deleterious effects. Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is a surveillance pathway responsible for detecting PTC containing transcripts. Although the molecular mechanisms governing mRNA degradation have been extensively studied, the fate of the nascent protein product remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we use a fluorescent reporter system in mammalian cells to reveal a selective degradation pathway specifically targeting the protein product of an NMD mRNA. We show that this process is post-translational and dependent on the ubiquitin proteasome system. To systematically uncover factors involved in NMD-linked protein quality control, we conducted genome-wide flow cytometry-based screens. Our screens recovered known NMD factors but suggested that protein degradation did not depend on the canonical ribosome-quality control (RQC) pathway. A subsequent arrayed screen demonstrated that protein and mRNA branches of NMD rely on a shared recognition event. Our results establish the existence of a targeted pathway for nascent protein degradation from PTC containing mRNAs, and provide a reference for the field to identify and characterize required factors.
The Secular Decrease in UK Safe Asset Market Power
Authors: Choi Jason , Dang Duong , Kirpalani Rishabh , Perez Diego J.
Published: May 2023

We document the decline in market power of the U.K. in safe assets and quantify the resulting losses. We estimate an increasing elasticity of demand for U.K. public debt during the latter half of the 20th century. This is in sharp contrast to the U.S., which displays the opposite pattern with decreasing elasticities of demand during this time. We argue that the decline in market power of the U.K. in safe assets resulted in a sizable decline in seigniorage revenues.
Innovation for Innovators: The Financing of Intangibles
Authors: Babus Ana , Marzani Matias , Moreira Sara
Published: May 2023

This paper examines the characteristics of firms that adopt new financial products and their association with measures of performance. We build a novel firm-level panel dataset and document a positive association between intangible capital and the adoption of new products. We also find that access to external financing through new types of securities is associated with size growth and further investments into intangibles. These findings have important implications for understanding the role that financial innovation can play in meeting the financing needs of firms that rely heavily on intangible capital.
International Sanctions and Limits of Lerner Symmetry
Authors: Itskhoki Oleg , Mukhin Dmitry
Published: May 2023

After a wave of globalization, trade wars and financial sanctions again become frequent tools of international policymaking, leading to an increased interest in the consequences and effectiveness of international sanctions. Itskhoki and Mukhin (2022b) show that Lerner symmetry provides an important benchmark with import and export sanctions equivalent in terms of their effects on allocations and welfare. This abstracts from several practical issues, including the timing of sanctions, interactions between trade and financial restrictions, and the effects of sanctions on the financial sector. We incorporate these features to study their implications and emphasize points of departure from Lerner symmetry.
Emoticons as Performance Feedback for College Students: A Large-Classroom Field Experiment
Authors: Patel Darshak , Roush Justin
Published: May 2023

We use a field experiment in a large college classroom to study the use of written representations of emotion (“emoticons”) as a form of feedback on exams. We find that treatment improved student attendance, quiz scores, homework scores, and test scores. We document heterogeneous impacts based on the type of emoticon received and gender. Improvements were driven by those who received disapproving emoticons but scored above the mean. Female students were responsible for the improved homework and test scores, while men drove improvements in attendance. Both genders improved similarly on quiz scores. We discuss two psychological theories supporting a treatment effect.
Are Business Applications Early Economic Indicators?
Authors: Asturias Jose , Dinlersoz Emin , Haltiwanger John , Hutchinson Rebecca
Published: May 2023

Are business applications early indicators of economic activity? Our analysis indicates that monthly year-over-year growth in applications for likely employer businesses significantly leads growth in total nonfarm employment and has a positive correlation with it. In addition, growth in applications for likely employers leads growth in almost all other monthly Principal Federal Economic Indicators considered. These findings are robust to the inclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic period. Business applications for likely employers appear to be a strong leading indicator of aggregate economic activity.
Self-Preferencing at Amazon: Evidence from Search Rankings
Authors: Farronato Chiara , Fradkin Andrey , MacKay Alexander
Published: May 2023

We study whether Amazon engages in self-preferencing on its marketplace by favoring its own brands (e.g., Amazon Basics) in search. To address this question, we collect new micro-level consumer search data using a custom browser extension installed by a panel of study participants. Using this methodology, we observe search positions, search behavior, and product characteristics. We find that Amazon-branded products are indeed ranked higher than observably similar products in consumer search results. The prominence given to Amazon brands is 30 percent to 60 percent of the prominence granted to sponsored products.
Matching and Network Effects in Ride-Hailing
Authors: Castillo Juan Camilo , Mathur Shreya
Published: May 2023

A recent empirical literature models search and matching frictions by means of a reduced-form matching function. An alternative approach is to simulate the matching process directly. In this paper, we follow the latter approach to model matching in ride-hailing. We compute the matching function implied by the matching process. It exhibits increasing returns to scale, and it does not resemble the commonly used Cobb-Douglas functional form. We then use this matching function to quantify network externalities. A subsidy on the order of $2 per trip is needed to correct for these externalities and induce the market to operate efficiently.
Fiscal Stimulus and the Systematic Response of Monetary Policy
Authors: Wolf Christian K.
Published: May 2023

Economic theory suggests that the effects of fiscal stimulus can vary substantially with the systematic response of monetary policy. Empirical estimates of the causal effects of fiscal shocks implicitly embed a particular monetary reaction: they provide treatment effects that average across in-sample monetary policy. Building on McKay and Wolf (2022), I discuss how evidence on monetary policy shocks can be used to predict the effects of fiscal stimulus under arbitrary monetary policy reaction. I review the underlying theory, propose a simple empirical strategy, and present an application.
Sprouting Cities: How Rural America Industrialized
Authors: Eckert Fabian , Juneau John , Peters Michael
Published: May 2023

We study the joint process of urbanization and industrialization in the US economy between 1880 and 1940. We show that only a small share of aggregate industrialization is accounted for by the relocation of workers from remote rural areas to industrial hubs like Chicago or New York City. Instead, most sectoral shifts occurred within rural counties, dramatically transforming their sectoral structure. Most within-county industrialization occurred through the emergence of new “factory” cities with notably higher manufacturing shares rather than the expansion of incumbent cities. In contrast, today's shift toward services seems to benefit large incumbent cities the most.
Matching Pell Grants: Implications for College Debt and Parental Transfers
Authors: Beeson Patricia , Coen-Pirani Daniele , La Voice Jessica , Ripoll Marla
Published: May 2023

We study the causal effect of the net price of college on student debt, schooling investment, and parental transfers by exploiting a natural experiment. A large public US university introduced a program to match Pell Grants in academic year 2019-2020. We use a difference-in-difference approach to measure the impact of this policy on the variables of interest and interpret our findings using a simple structural model of human capital investment under credit constraints.
The Effects of Higher Student Loan Limits on Access to High-Earnings Graduate Programs
Authors: Denning Jeffrey T. , Turner Lesley J.
Published: May 2023

Graduate student debt is the predominant form of financial aid for postbaccalaureate students and represents almost half of outstanding student debt, yet little is known about the effect of publicly funded graduate loans on student outcomes. To fill this gap, we examine the creation of the federal Graduate PLUS Student Loan program, which effectively eliminated loan limits for graduate students. Using a difference-in-difference identification strategy and administrative data on graduate students entering public and nonprofit universities in Texas, we show that access to additional liquidity through Grad PLUS had no effect on underrepresented students' access to high-earnings graduate programs.
The Effects of the Monthly and Lump-Sum Child Tax Credit Payments on Food and Housing Hardship
Authors: Parolin Zachary , Ananat Elizabeth , Collyer Sophie , Curran Megan , Wimer Christopher
Published: May 2023

We investigate the effects of the expanded 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) on material hardship among households with children over April 2021-May 2022, using the Census Household Pulse Survey and difference-in-difference analyses of household types with different eligibility. Monthly CTC payments (July-December 2021) reduced food insufficiency by at least 2.4 pp (20 percent); the spring 2022 lump-sum payment reduced the likelihood that households were behind on rent by at least 1.2 pp (10 percent). Results are consistent with spending lump sums differently from monthly payments, the former going disproportionately toward arrears and the latter toward ongoing food/nutrition costs.
Homophily and Community Structure at Scale: An Application to a Large Professional Network
Authors: Martínez Dahbura Juan Nelson , Komatsu Shota , Nishida Takanori , Mele Angelo
Published: May 2023

Professional networks affect labor market outcomes, efficiency, and knowledge diffusion. We study a large business card exchange network from Eight, a contact and career management app popular in Japan. Our empirical analysis is guided by a structural model of equilibrium network formation, with observable and unobservable heterogeneity, estimated via a two-steps approach that reduces computational challenges. In the first step, we recover the unobservable types; in the second step, we estimate the structural parameters, conditioning on estimated unobservables. Our results highlight the role of shared contacts and homophily in observables and unobservables in shaping the network of professional contacts.
The Girly Economics of Care Work: Implications for Economic Statistics
Authors: Heggeness Misty L.
Published: May 2023

Unpaid care is work. Yet, the field of economics struggles to acknowledge and measure its value. In modern home economics, the household is unitary and harmonious, time in the home is leisure, and power dynamics are unimportant. Even with the development of household bargaining models, we ignore unpaid care, writing it off as a chosen preference. This view and interpretation bleeds into official statistics hindering our ability to tackle gender inequality and measure all economic activity. In doing so, our profession does a disservice to public policymakers and vulnerable populations, and risks stifling economic growth and opportunity for all.
Why Did COVID-19 Vaccinations Lag in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? Lessons from Descriptive and Experimental Data
Authors: Mobarak Ahmed Mushfiq
Published: May 2023

Two years after COVID-19 vaccine rollouts began, COVID-19 vaccination rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to lag. Tracing individual country experiences with vaccine procurement in the early stages of the pandemic suggests that international supply chain failures caused initial delays. High vaccine hesitancy in the population and last-mile delivery challenges within LMICs were other possible limiting factors. This paper summarizes descriptive and experimental research on vaccine demand and supply in LMICs to evaluate these competing claims. The weight of the evidence suggests that external supply restrictions and internal distribution challenges (rather than vaccine hesitancy) appear to be paramount.
Addressing the Surge in Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Authors: Amuedo-Dorantes Catalina , Bucheli José , Lopez Mary
Published: May 2023

Unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) account for a growing share of apprehensions along the US-Mexico border. Contrary to past UMC flows, which were primarily comprised of older youth fleeing violence in Mexico, recent UMC flows include children of all ages escaping life-threatening conditions in Central America's Northern Triangle. To manage the growing influx of UMC, the Biden Administration established surge facilities, which rely on emergency standards to house and care for the children. We show that surge facilities created capacity in traditional shelters, enabling them to accommodate tender-age children and reducing the number of children in foster care.
Applicants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Authors: Edwards Ashley , Ortagus Justin , Smith Jonathan , Smythe Andria
Published: May 2023

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play an important role in the postsecondary education of Black students in the United States. Using data on where 1.2 million Black SAT takers send their SAT scores, we examine which students consider attending HBCUs and the common alternatives to HBCUs. Students with average SAT scores are the most likely to consider HBCUs, and students with the highest SAT scores are the least likely. Students who are relatively interested in HBCUs tend to also consider less selective, in-state, public options. However, that relationship is counteracted when the HBCUs under consideration are relatively more selective.
The legal and institutional framework for the protection of religious rights in Nigeria and the right to wear Hijab in public institutions.
Authors: ELIKWU CAESAR    MANUCHIMSO , Olujobi Olusola Joshua , YEBISI EBENEZER   TUNDE
Published: May 2023

Background: Religion and its exercise are one of the most sensitive discourses in different parts of the world, especially in Nigeria. The constitution and other laws ensure citizens are afforded basic human rights of which religious rights are included and yet regulated. There are questions of interpretation as the extent to which such rights can be enjoyed and the efficacy of both the legal and institutional frameworks protecting religious rights in Nigeria.

Methods: This article utilises a doctrinal legal research approach utilising existing literature, statutes, and laws enacted towards the protection of religious rights in Nigeria with the consideration of primary and secondary sources of laws including the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), judicial precedents, International Conventions, law textbooks, and peer-reviewed journals. A comparative analysis of Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and Kazakhstan was done to gain perspectives on balancing conflicting interests in light of Nigeria's heterogeneous status. As part of the contribution to knowledge, a hybrid model for mitigating the socio-legal effect of the usage of hijab in Nigeria’s public institutions is presented to further enrich Nigeria’s jurisprudence.

Results:  Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state, demonstrates that the government must protect the public interests as it relates to religious rights regardless of faith or religion. The study reveals that the current legal approach without further legislative intervention on religious issues will be inadequate to address the problem. Therefore, this study presents a hybrid model for mitigating the socio-legal effect of the usage of hijab in Nigeria’s public institutions to avoid harm and further enrich Nigeria’s jurisprudence.

Conclusions: This study concludes that Nigeria's legal and institutional frameworks are adequate for their purpose although they must be tweaked to conform with current trends when required to be at par with the widely accepted or world standard.
Field study of parasitic contamination of fruits, vegetables and leafy greens in the Ecuadorian Andes
Authors: González-Ramírez Luisa Carolina , Djabayan-Djibeyan Pablo , Prato José G. , García Ríos Cecilia Alejandra , Carrero Julio César , Trelis María , Fuentes Màrius Vicent
Published: May 2023

Background: Raw vegetables have been considered vehicles of enteroparasites. South American countries are among the most important exporters of fresh vegetables; Ecuador has tropical climates and soils rich in organic matter that allow it to harvest throughout the year for sale to different countries. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of the parasitic contamination of fruits, vegetables and leafy greens grown in an agricultural area of the Ecuadorian Andes.

Methods: A field study, cross-sectional, snowball sampling was conducted on 1,416 samples (516 fruits, 488 vegetables, and 412 leafy greens). Each sample were washed with water, and the resulting solution after removing the vegetables, was subjected to 24-hour sedimentation. The concentrated sediment underwent microscopic analysis.

Results: Parasites were detected in 63.4% of the samples, leafy greens were the most contaminated (76.9%) (P<0.0001), (vegetables 67.8% and fruit 48.4%), of these, cabbage (100%), onions (84%) and strawberries (60.2%) were the most contaminated. Protozoa were more frequent (49.6%) than helminths (15.5%) (P<0.0001). Blastocystis sp. (33.5%) was the highest, followed by Eimeria spp. (26.3%), Entamoeba spp. (10.3%), Giardia spp. (8.3%), Balantidium spp. (6.9%); Cryptosporidium spp. (6.6%), Cyclospora spp. (4.4%), Cystoisospora spp. (0.5%); Strongylida (15.5%) and Ascaris spp. (0.4%).

Conclusion: The consumption of fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens from these crops is a possible source of infection to humans and animals in this area or in nonendemic areas where these products are marketed. This study establishes the need for strict hygienic measures in growing; this will be properly achieved by the treatment of the soil, manure and water used for cultivation.
Anion gap(AG) or serum lactate-in search of a better prognostic marker in sepsis a cross-sectional study in a rural tertiary care hospital
Authors: Dubey Apurva , Acharya Sourya , Kumar Sunil , Shukla Samarth , Mahajan Satish , Bawankule Shilpa , Giri Anamika
Published: May 2023

Background: In intensive care units, sepsis is a common diagnosis.  Serum lactate rise has been established as an essential measure for predicting the outcome of sepsis. Higher anion gap(AG) has been associated with an increased risk of death in critically ill individuals. We measured blood lactate levels and AG and looked at how these predicted in-hospital outcomes (death or discharge).This study aimed to estimate anion gap values in sepsis syndrome, to measure the serum lactate levels in sepsis syndrome, to correlate the anion gap and serum lactate values with the outcome (mortality and discharge) in patients with sepsis syndrome.

Methods: The Department of Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College conducted this single-center, prospective, observational cross-sectional study with a cohort design. A total of 160 patients with sepsis were screened in the ICU. Sepsis was diagnosed using SEPSIS-3 criteria.

Results: In this study, we included 160 patients with sepsis with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score >2.Mean serum lactate was 5.1±1.2 mmol/L and it was ≥4 mmol/L in 90% of patients. Mean AG was 14.0±3.9 and it was ≥12 in 75.6% of patients. Similarly, the proportion of patients who had lactate levels ≥4 mmol/L was higher in those with AG ≥12 than AG <12 (95.9% vs. 71.8%, p<0.0001). The AUC of ROC in predicting mortality was significant for both serum lactate (AUC 0.797, p<0.0001) and AG (AUC 0.835, p<0.0001).

Conclusions:Along with other parameters predicting mortality, serum lactate and AG also act as important predictors of mortality in sepsis patients. We conclude that on admission serum lactate ≥4 mmol/L and AG ≥12 can be used in predicting short-term mortality in patients with sepsis.
#WeAreMaunaKea: key aspects of national minorities’ political mobilization (Hawaii, USA)
Authors: Gladchenko Irina
Published: May 2023

The article shows the impact of the information society development on the glocalization of mobilization processes on the case of the TMT telescope construction by the global scientific community in Hawaii, USA, on a mountain sacred to the Native Hawaiian people. The study uses the case study method, qualitative analysis, and concept analysis method. The paper reflects methodological features of a detailed analysis of the development of local protest using social media Instagram communication technologies. The aim of the proposed work is a detailed analysis of the local community mobilization process. The chosen case is interesting because it allows studying both mobilization and demobilization technologies of a social conflict. As a result of the study, the necessity of having a leader in the group, the consolidation of the protest group around a sociopolitical symbol, and the construction of a coherent discourse within the mobilized community are shown. The importance of forming a delayed event is determined. At the same time, the mechanism of using demobilization technologies aimed at blurring the focus of the protest group is demonstrated. The study aims to contribute to the development of contemporary political mobilization theory, as well as to offer an analysis of theoretical concepts on a practical example. The paper shows how the global scientific community managed to stop the construction of local mobilization social protest and open the way for the giant telescope TMT on the sacred mountain Mauna Kea.
Chronic sinusitis diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Korzec Tomasz , Raczkiewicz Przemysław , Panek Eliasz , Jasłowski Damian , Rzeszutko Mateusz , Panasiuk Dominika , Skrętowicz Mateusz , Szponarowicz Patrycja , Snopkowski Bartosz , Sosnowski Jakub
Published: May 2023

The growing popularity and use of endoscopic surgery in the field of otolaryngology prompts an attempt to organize knowledge about possible methods of surgery in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Chronic sinusitis is an inflammatory process involving the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses, lasting more than 12 weeks. The system of fissures in the lateral wall of the nasal cavity is an ostiomal ductal complex, the obstruction of which is the direct cause of chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. FESS is a modern method in which access to the paranasal sinuses is obtained through the nasal cavity. The aim of the procedure is to widen, above all, too narrow sections of the middle meatus and the orifice-ductal complex. Compared to traditional methods, it is less invasive, allows you to regain the proper function of the maxillary sinus and, moreover, allows you to correct a deviated nasal septum, remove or reduce overgrown turbinates during one operation using the same access. Although traditional methods of surgery are still used in some groups of patients, modern minimally invasive endoscopic surgery strongly limits their use and becomes the method of first choice.
Method:
The literature was reviewed using the Pub med search engine and Google scholar using the words: Chronic nasal sinusitis, reasons of chronic nasal sinusitis, FESS, acute nasal sinusitis, nasal sinusitis radiology.
The solution to drug resistance of Gram-negative bacteria – Cefiderocol
Authors: Kołodziej Magdalena , Gorczyca Kamila , Jastrzębska Ilona , Węgorowski Paweł , Wieczorek Michał
Published: May 2023

Introduction: A major public health problem is the emergence of anti-gram-negative antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Cefiderocol is a new agent targeting Gram-negative bacteria, including strains with resistance to carbapenems.

Aim of the study: Analysis of the efficiency of cefiderocol in the treatment of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria, the drug's mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug.

Material and Methods: Search of the PubMed database using the following keywords: cefiderocol, resistance, gram negative bacteria. Only full-length articles were taken into consideration.

Results: The studies show that cefiderocol is active against Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa, B. cepacia and A. baumannii and effective in the treatment of pneumonia in both non-ventilated and ventilated patients. Moreover, it has been used in the treatment of sepsis as a rescue therapy.

Conclusion: Cefiderocol is an effective treatment for infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. However, more research is needed to learn more about the use of this drug, side effects and resistance mechanisms.
ILCR. International Law Clinic Reports. Informes de la Clínica Jurídica Internacional. Vol. 4
Authors: Olasolo Héctor , Blaise MacLean R.J. , Villarraga Zschommler Luisa , Linares Botero Sofía , Freydell Federico , Abril Rincón Anggie Paola , Bocanegra Oyola Valentina , Bonilla Tovar María Juliana , Bustamante Chávez Sol Cristina , Gómez Salgado Valentina , Guerrero Gutiérrez Daniel Camilo , Guzmán Salinas Laura Daniela , Hurtado Fonseca Andrea Jimena , Martínez Agudelo Ana María , Petronilla Cruz Quispe Dayanna Margot , Tobón Vélez Laura , Velásquez Aponte Daniela , Herrera Carbuccia Olga
Published: May 2023

El cuarto volumen de la colección International Law Clinic Reports (ILCR) / Informes de la Clínica Jurídica Internacional (ICJI) aborda cuestiones jurídicas relacionadas con el sistema de reparaciones de la Corte Penal Internacional, en esta ocasión se analiza la cuestión jurídica del daño transgeneracional. El daño transgeneracional fue identificado en los descendientes de los sobrevivientes del Holocausto y ha sido objeto de numerosos estudios e investigaciones. Los crímenes graves previstos en el Estatuto como la violación, los abusos sexuales, el genocidio, las masacres, entre otros, pueden afectar generaciones futuras provocando consecuencias traumatizantes en los descendientes que podrían dar lugar a reparación.
Velocidad de procesamiento en escolares chilenos con y sin Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (TDAH)
Authors: Gatica-Ferrero Sergio Andrés , Milla-Cano Cristopher , Ardiles-González Elizabeth , Rosas-Molina Valeria
Published: May 2023

El tdah es el trastorno del neurodesarrollo más diagnosticado en escolares. La evidencia indica que las funciones ejecutivas, como es el caso de la velocidad de procesamiento y la memoria de trabajo, están afectadas en estudiantes con tdah, aunque no existe un acuerdo definitivo sobre su presencia sistemática en este trastorno. Esta investigación pretende determinar si la velocidad de procesamiento y la memoria de trabajo corresponden a variables cognitivas en el tdah. Participaron 138 estudiantes de 10 a 17 años, y se determinó tdah con la escala vadtrs. Se evaluó velocidad de procesamiento con una tarea de rapidez grafomotora y memoria de trabajo con una tarea de dígitos. Se utilizó un diseño transversal, univariante e intersujeto para el análisis de los datos. El vadtrs detectó un grupo con tdah (N = 97) y otro sin tdah (N = 41). A ambos grupos se aplicaron tareas de velocidad de procesamiento y memoria de trabajo, y los análisis permitieron detectar diferencias significativas en estas variables entre los grupos con y sin tdah. El grupo con tdah fue dividido según su presentación, no se detectaron diferencias significativas en velocidad de procesamiento, la memoria de trabajo mostró un rendimiento significativamente menor en las presentaciones de tdah inatenta y combinada. La velocidad de procesamiento y la memoria de trabajo parecen distinguir entre sujetos con y sin tdah, la velocidad de procesamiento no parece distinguir entre presentaciones y la memoria de trabajo aparece alterada en aquellas presentaciones en que el componente atencional es definitorio.
How far I've come: reflecting on my progress after 6 months in the role
Authors: George Heather
Published: May 2023

In her series on the early steps of a newly qualified nurse, Heather George, Critical Care Staff Nurse, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary ( heather.george2@nhs.scot ), considers how experience is improving her confidence
Strategies for Producing Reliable Trends Forecasting of COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia using Dynamic Mode Decomposition
Authors:   School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM Penang 11800, Malaysia, Ahmad Noor Atinah , Othman Nurul Ashikin ,   School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM Penang 11800, Malaysia
Published: May 2023

Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) with time delay embedding is used to predict dynamic patterns in univariate time series. An important pattern that can be extracted using DMD is the trend or global change in a time series which is useful for producing reliable forecast. DMD utilizes the computationally effi cient singular value decomposition (SVD) to produce a low rank approximation of the linear operator that brings about the dynamic patterns in the time series. Trend in the time series is translated as dynamic modes of the operator with low frequencies. The time evolution of this low frequency pattern produces forecast of the time series. In this paper, we outline the strategies for extracting trend component from COVID-19 time series of Malaysia. It is discovered that, other than identifying modes with slow varying frequencies, we need to also resolve the time stamp delay, so that mean-square error of the reconstructed time series is minimal. Information of the magnitude and phase of DMD modes are useful to identify persistent patterns and remove nonstationary ones. We compare the performance of DMD with another SVD-based method which is the singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and our results highlight certain fundamental difference between these two methods. The forecasts from SSA tend to lean towards the direction of maximum variance, producing low reconstruction error but slow to detect sudden changes in the time series. On the other hand, forecasts from DMD captures the phases of dominant modes that dictates the overall global pattern, hence providing a better prediction of future dynamics of the time series.
A reflection on the NHS, health security, and refugees
Authors: Louise Borley Aleshia
Published: May 2023

In 2021 a sudden influx of refugees arrived in the UK from Afghanistan, at a time when the British public were being encouraged to access healthcare services to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations. This report examines the successes and failures of care provision in the NHS across the country, in particular Wolverhampton, whereby refugees accessed healthcare provision in a local Primary Care Network. The report considers the author’s personal experiences while working within the local Primary Care Network, in addition to published research, in the context of health security. Furthermore, it highlights recommended improvements within the NHS to provide aid to the vulnerable, while preserving the system set out to create health security.
Political parties, interest groups and the contestations of home care: the case of France
Authors: Ledoux Clémence
Published: May 2023

This article makes a contribution to the literature on the new politics of the welfare state. Taking the case of home care for the elderly in France, it shows that contestation around this policy has been rooted more in the opposition between different interest groups as regards marketisation than in gender issues. However, in a highly feminised sector, the results of this contestation have had gendered effects. Neither left- nor right-wing governments have sought to halt the process of marketisation; instead, they have replicated the opposition between interest groups and defended the development of different forms of care marketisation, with different, gendered consequences for the valuation of care work.
Applied Optics Research at imec: introduction to the feature issue
Authors: Bourdoux Andre , Malinowski Pawel , Jovanov Ljubomir , Birnbaum Tobias
Published: May 2023

This feature issue provides an overview of the current applied optics research activities taking place at imec, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center, at its campuses in Leuven, Brussels and Ghent, Belgium. The issue contains articles covering wide range of topics on imaging systems, image processing, new materials, optical devices, sensors and detectors.
Two-stage deep learning method for sparse-view fluorescence molecular tomography reconstruction
Authors: Zhang Xuanxuan , Jia Yunfei , Cui Jiapei , Zhang Jiulou , Cao Xu , Zhang Lin , Zhang Guanglei
Published: May 2023

Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) is a preclinical optical tomographic imaging technique that can trace various physiological and pathological processes at the cellular or even molecular level. Reducing the number of FMT projection views can improve the data acquisition speed, which is significant in applications such as dynamic problems. However, a reduction in the number of projection views will dramatically aggravate the ill-posedness of the FMT inverse problem and lead to significant degradation of the reconstructed images. To deal with this problem, we have proposed a deep-learning-based reconstruction method for sparse-view FMT that only uses four perpendicular projection views and divides the image reconstruction into two stages: image restoration and inverse Radon transform. In the first stage, the projection views of the surface fluorescence are restored to eliminate the blur derived from photon diffusion through a fully convolutional neural network. In the second stage, another convolutional neural network is used to implement the inverse Radon transform between the restored projections from the first stage and the reconstructed transverse slices. Numerical simulation and phantom and mouse experiments are carried out. The results show that the proposed method can effectively deal with the image reconstruction problem of sparse-view FMT.
High-speed RF spectral analysis using a Rayleigh backscattering speckle spectrometer
Authors: Murray Matthew J. , Murray Joseph B. , Schermer Ross T. , McKinney Jason D. , Redding Brandon
Published: May 2023

Persistent wideband radio frequency (RF) surveillance and spectral analysis is increasingly important, driven by the proliferation of wireless communication and RADAR technology. However, conventional electronic approaches are limited by the ∼1 GHz bandwidth of real-time analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). While faster ADCs exist, high data rates prohibit continuous operation, limiting these approaches to acquiring short snapshots of the RF spectrum. In this work, we introduce an optical RF spectrum analyzer designed for continuous, wideband operation. Our approach encodes the RF spectrum as sidebands on an optical carrier and relies on a speckle spectrometer to measure these sidebands. To achieve the resolution and update rate required for RF analysis, we use Rayleigh backscattering in single-mode fiber to rapidly generate wavelength-dependent speckle patterns with MHz-level spectral correlation. We also introduce a dual-resolution scheme to mitigate the trade-off between resolution, bandwidth, and measurement rate. This optimized spectrometer design enables continuous, wideband (15 GHz) RF spectral analysis with MHz-level resolution and a fast update rate of 385 kHz. The entire system is constructed using fiber-coupled off-the-shelf-components, providing a powerful new approach for wideband RF detection and monitoring.
Strong coupling of multiple optical interface modes with ultra-narrow linewidth in one-dimensional topological photonic heterostructures
Authors: Qiu Wei , Zhou Leiming , Wang Yuchen , Jiang Xiaoyun , Huang Chan , Zhou Lin , Zhan Qiwen , Hu Jigang
Published: May 2023

Coherent coupling of optical modes with a high Q-factor underpins realization of efficient light-matter interaction with multi-channels in resonant nanostructures. Here we theoretically studied the strong longitudinal coupling of three topological photonic states (TPSs) in a one-dimensional topological photonic crystal heterostructure embedded with a graphene monolayer in the visible frequencies. It is found that the three TPSs can strongly interplay with one another in the longitudinal direction, enabling a large Rabi splitting (∼ 48 meV) in spectral response. The triple-band perfect absorption and selective longitudinal field confinement have been demonstrated, where the linewidth of hybrid modes can reach 0.2 nm with Q-factor up to 2.6 × 103. Mode hybridization of dual- and triple-TPSs were investigated by calculation of the field profiles and Hopfield coefficients of the hybrid modes. Moreover, simulation results further show that resonant frequencies of the three hybrid TPSs can be actively controlled by simply changing the incident angle or structural parameters, which are nearly polarization independent in this strong coupling system. With the multichannel, narrow-band light trapping and selectively strong field localization in this simple multilayer regime, one can envision new possibilities for developing the practical topological photonic devices for on-chip optical detection, sensing, filtering, and light-emitting.
Generalized FDTD scheme for the simulation of electromagnetic scattering in moving structures
Authors: Deck-Léger Zoé-Lise , Bahrami Amir , Li Zhiyu , Caloz Christophe
Published: May 2023

Electromagnetic scattering in moving structures is a fundamental topic in physics and engineering. Yet no general numerical solution to related problems has been reported to date. We introduce here a generalized FDTD scheme to remedy this deficiency. That scheme is an extension of the FDTD standard Yee cell and stencil that includes not only the usual, physical fields but also auxiliary, unphysical fields allowing a straightforward application of moving boundary conditions. The proposed scheme is illustrated by four examples – a moving interface, a moving slab, a moving crystal and a moving gradient – with systematic validation against exact solutions.
Monomer-mixed hole transport layers for improving hole injection of quantum dot light-emitting diodes
Authors: Kim Yiseul , Park Hwaeun , Yoon Jinsu , Yoon Hyungsoo , Jeong Sujin , Kim Dahyun , Hong Yongtaek
Published: May 2023

Quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) are promising components for next-generation displays and related applications. However, their performance is critically limited by inherent hole-injection barrier caused by deep highest-occupied molecular orbital levels of quantum dots. Herein, we present an effective method for enhancing the performance of QLEDs by incorporating a monomer (TCTA or mCP) into hole-transport layers (HTL). The impact of different monomer concentrations on the characteristics of QLEDs were investigated. The results indicate that sufficient monomer concentrations improve the current efficiency and power efficiency. The increased hole current using monomer-mixed HTL suggests that our method holds considerable potential for high-performance QLEDs.
High-resolution imaging of the whole eye with photoacoustic microscopy
Authors: Samanta Deepayan , Paul Souradip , Paramanick Arijit , Raval Vishal R , Suheshkumar Singh Mayanglambam
Published: May 2023

Observation and characterization of any changes in anatomical structures of ocular components remain as a conventional technique for diagnosis, staging, therapeutic treatments, and post-treatment monitoring of any ophthalmic disorders. The existing technologies fail to provide imaging of all of the various components of the eye simultaneously at one scanning time, i.e., one can recover vital patho-physiological information (structure and bio-molecular content) of the different ocular tissue sections only one after another. This article addresses the longstanding technological challenge by use of an emerging imaging modality [photoacoustic imaging (PAI)] in which we integrated a synthetic aperture reconstruction technique (SAFT). Experimental results—with experiments being conducted in excised tissues (goat eye)—demonstrated that we can simultaneously image the entire structure of the eye (∼2.5 cm) depicting clearly the distinctive ocular structures (cornea, aqueous humor, iris, pupil, eye lens, vitreous humor, and retina). This study uniquely opens an avenue for promising ophthalmic (clinical) applications of high clinical impact.
H-Seg: a horizontal reconstruction volume segmentation method for accurate depth estimation in a computer-generated hologram
Authors: Madali Nabil , Gilles Antonin , Gioia Patrick , Morin Luce
Published: May 2023

In this work, we introduce a novel approach for depth estimation in a computer-generated hologram by employing horizontal segmentation of the reconstruction volume instead of conventional vertical segmentation. The reconstruction volume is divided into horizontal slices and each slice is processed using a residual U-net architecture to identify in-focus lines, enabling determination of the slice’s intersection with the 3D scene. The individual slice results are then combined to generate a dense depth map of the scene. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, with improved accuracy, faster processing times, lower graphics processing unit (GPU) utilization, and smoother predicted depth maps than existing state-of-the-art models.
Experimental upstream transmission of continuous variable quantum key distribution access network
Authors: Wang Xiangyu , Chen Ziyang , Li Zhenghua , Qi Dengke , Yu Song , Guo Hong
Published: May 2023

Continuous variable quantum key distribution that can be implemented using only low-cost and off-the-shelf components reveals great potential in practical large-scale realization. Access networks, as a modern network necessity, connect many end-users to the network backbone. In this work, we first demonstrate upstream transmission quantum access networks using continuous variable quantum key distribution. A two-end-user quantum access network is then experimentally realized. Through phase compensation, data synchronization, and other technical upgrades, we achieve a secret key rate of the total network of 390 kbits/s. In addition, we extend the case of a two-end-user quantum access network to the case of a multiplicity of users, and analyze the network capacity in the case of a multiplicity of users by measuring the additive excess noise from different time slots.
Monotile integrators
Authors: Rehn Henning
Published: May 2023

In a recent paper, an aperiodic tesselation of the plane with a monotile was published. The monotile was sometimes called an "einstein" - one stone.
Very soon, the question came up how an optical element shaped this way would behave in illumination optics.