bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectral-temporal measurement capabilities of third-order correlators
Authors: Bock Stefan , Oksenhendler Thomas , Püschel Thomas , Gebhardt René , Helbig Uwe , Pausch Richard , Ziegler Tim , Bernert Constantin , Zeil Karl , Irman Arie , Toncian Toma , Kiriyama Hiromitsu , Nishiuchi Mamiko , Kon Akira , Schramm Ulrich
Published: January 2023

We present a method extending scanning third-order correlator temporal pulse evolution measurement capabilities of high power short pulse lasers to spectral sensitivity within the spectral range exploited by typical chirped pulse amplification systems. Modelling of the spectral response achieved by angle tuning of the third harmonic generating crystal is applied and experimentally validated. Exemplary measurements of spectrally resolved pulse contrast of a Petawatt laser frontend illustrate the importance of full bandwidth coverage for the interpretation of relativistic laser target interaction in particular for the case of solid targets.
Lifetime visualization of femtosecond laser-induced plasma on GaP crystal
Authors: Guo Junqiang , Wang Mengmeng , Guo Qitong , Zhu Tong , Du Mingchen , Zhao Pu , Feng Lihui
Published: January 2023

Gallium phosphide (GaP) is a widely used and promising semiconductor material for photonics devices and we suppose the ultrafast laser can be a competitive tool for GaP processing. We used an 800 nm centered femtosecond (fs) laser with a pulse duration of 50 fs to irradiate the GaP crystal. The ablation threshold was first determined, and then the ultrafast dynamics including plasma expansion, shockwave formation and propagation, and spectral evolution were acquired and analyzed. The evolution of ejected plasma in the initial stage changed from cylindrical to planar propagation with the augment of laser fluence. The study on the propagation properties of shockwaves showed that the energy of propelling shockwaves accounted for 12% to 18% of the laser pulse energy at all fluences above the ablation threshold. A prominent plasma splitting was observed at a fluence slightly higher than the threshold, and a phenomenon that the plasma protruded out of the shockwaves was also found. Finally, the transient temperature and density of electron at different fluences were calculated. The temperature difference between the plasma and the shockwave proved the heating effect of the plasma during ablation.
Surface figure correction with roughness reduction using carbon-doped platinum film for high-precision X-ray mirror fabrication
Authors: Kim Jangwoo , Kim Jung Sue , Kim Jiho , Chae Boknam , Kim Jong Hyun , Lim Jun
Published: January 2023

To obtain the surface shape of an X-ray mirror with high precision, a differential deposition method was used instead of a direct removal method. To modify the mirror surface shape using the differential deposition method, it is necessary to coat it with a thick film, and the co-deposition method is used to suppress the increase in surface roughness. The addition of C to the Pt thin film, which is often used as an X-ray optical thin film, resulted in lower surface roughness compared with that with the Pt coating alone, and the stress change according to the thin film thickness was evaluated. Differential deposition controls the speed of the substrate during coating based on continuous motion. The stage was controlled by calculating the dwell time through deconvolution calculations based on the accurate measurement of the unit coating distribution and target shape. We successfully fabricated an X-ray mirror with high precision. This study indicated that an X-ray mirror surface could be manufactured by modifying the surface shape at a micrometer level through the coating. Changing the shape of existing mirrors can not only result in the manufacture of high-precision X-ray mirrors but also improve their performance.
Detection of copper ions in an aqueous solution by a dual-peak long period fiber grating functionalized with a polypyrrole–chitosan composite
Authors: Li Yaowei , Liu Ting , Ge Kaixin , Gan Wenbo , Dai Shixun , Xu Tiefeng , Zhang Peiqing
Published: January 2023

A dual-peak long period fiber grating (DP-LPFG) sensor functionalized by polypyrrole–chitosan composite was proposed for sensitive detection of Cu2+ ions in aqueous solution. The nitrogen atom on the polypyrrole ring and the amino group on the chitosan chain in the complex matrix can chelate the Cu2+ ions. Thus, the refractive index of the overlay changed and further modulated the transmission spectrum of DP-LPFG. After special design, the double peaks can move in opposite directions with the increase of Cu2+ ion concentration, thereby greatly improving detection sensitivity. The linear sensitivity of the fabricated sensor was measured to be 9.12 and 2.14 nm/ppm (0.61 and 0.14 nm/µM) for concentrations of 0.1–0.5 (1.5 µM-7.5 µM) and 0.5–2 ppm (7.5 µM-30 µM), respectively. In addition, the Langmuir isothermal model was used to evaluate the overall response of the sensor to Cu2+ ions quantitatively, and the detection limit was determined to be 0.05 ppb (0.75 nM). This ingenious sensor offers a new solution for sensitive detection of heavy metal ions in environmental water.
Trace photoacoustic SO2 gas sensor in SF6 utilizing a 266 nm UV laser and an acousto-optic power stabilizer
Authors: Chen Baisong , Li Haokun , Zhao Xiaoming , Gao Miao , Cheng Kun , Shao Xiaopeng , Wu Hongpeng , Dong Lei , Yin Xukun
Published: January 2023

A sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas sensor based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy technology in a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas matrix was demonstrated for SF6 decomposition components monitoring in the power system. A passive Q-switching laser diode (LD) pumped all-solid-state 266 nm deep-ultraviolet laser was exploited as the laser excitation source. The photoacoustic signal amplitude is linear related to the incident optical power, whereas, a random laser power jitter is inevitable since the immature laser manufacturing technology in UV spectral region. A compact laser power stabilization system was developed for better sensor performance by adopting a photodetector, a custom-made internal closed-loop feedback controller and a Bragg acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The out-power stability of 0.04% was achieved even though the original power stability was 0.41% for ∼ 2 hours. A differential two-resonator photoacoustic cell (PAC) was designed for weak photoacoustic signal detection. The special physical constants of SF6 buffer gas induced a high-Q factor of 85. A detection limit of 140 ppbv was obtained after the optimization, which corresponds to a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 3.2 × 10−9 cm-1WHz-1/2.
Generation of arbitrary complex fields with high efficiency and high fidelity by cascaded phase-only modulation method
Authors: Hu Cong , Xiao Yu , He Yuhang , Hu Yaodan , Xu Gang , Tang Xiahui
Published: January 2023

Independent or joint control over the amplitude and phase of the complex field by phase-only modulation element is crucial in numerous applications. Existing modulation methods can realize high levels of accuracy but are accompanied by noticeable losses in light-usage efficiency. Here a cascaded modulation method is proposed for the generation of arbitrary complex fields with high efficiency and high fidelity. This approach is based on a gradient descent optimization algorithm that minimizes a customized cost function. The major advantage of our approach over existing modulation methods is that the efficiency is significantly enhanced while ensuring high modulation accuracy. For the generation of Laguerre-Gaussian mode (LG01), with similar high accuracy, the efficiency by our approach can reach 79.5%, which is enhanced by 192% compared with the theoretical maximum efficiency of 41.5% [Opt. Express 25, 11692 (2017)10.1364/OE.25.011692]. Furthermore, the efficiency of existing modulation methods deteriorates rapidly as the target field turns more intricate, whereas in our approach it maintains at a relatively high level. The field generation fidelity and energy efficiency of the proposed cascaded modulation method are compared with that of several different single-pass modulation methods in generating a series of typical Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modes and an amplitude-only "OSA" pattern. Our proposed method features both high efficiency and high accuracy in the simulation and experiment, which may be of growing interest to applications such as optical manipulation or quantum communication.
A simple image processing pipeline to sharpen topology maps in multi-wavelength interference microscopy
Authors: Tinning Peter W. , Schniete Jana K. , Scrimgeour Ross , Kölln Lisa S. , Rooney Liam M. , Bushell Trevor J. , McConnell Gail
Published: January 2023

Multi-wavelength standing wave (SW) microscopy and interference reflection microscopy (IRM) are powerful techniques that use optical interference to study topographical structure. However, the use of more than two wavelengths to image the complex cell surface results in complicated topographical maps, and it can be difficult to resolve the three-dimensional contours. We present a simple image processing method to reduce the thickness and spacing of antinodal fringes in multi-wavelength interference microscopy by up to a factor of two to produce clearer and more precise topographical maps of cellular structures. We first demonstrate this improvement using model non-biological specimens, and we subsequently demonstrate the benefit of our method for reducing the ambiguity of surface topography and revealing obscured features in live and fixed-cell specimens.
Development of a high-speed line-scanning fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope for biological imaging
Authors: Mai Hanning , Jarman Anneliese , Erdogan Ahmet T. , Treacy Conor , Finlayson Neil , Henderson Robert K. , Poland Simon P.
Published: January 2023

We report the development of a novel line-scanning microscope capable of acquiring high-speed time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC)-based fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) imaging. The system consists of a laser-line focus, which is optically conjugated to a 1024 × 8 single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD)-based line-imaging complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), with 23.78 µm pixel pitch at 49.31% fill factor. Incorporation of on-chip histogramming on the line-sensor enables acquisition rates 33 times faster than our previously reported bespoke high-speed FLIM platforms. We demonstrate the imaging capability of the high-speed FLIM platform in a number of biological applications.
Photonic-assisted multiple microwave frequency measurement with improved robustness
Authors: Wang Guodong , Meng Qingqing , Li Yong Jun , Li Xuan , Zhou Yixiao , Zhu Zihang , Gao Congrui , Li He , Zhao Shanghong
Published: January 2023

A multiple microwave frequency measurement approach based on
frequency-to-time mapping (FTTM) is reported. The FTTM is constructed
by optical sideband sweeping and electric-domain intermediate
frequency envelope monitoring. Two optimized operations are
implemented. First, the use of balanced photodetection cancels out the
beat components generated by the signals under test (SUT) themselves,
so as to exclude frequency misjudgment. Second, a reference signal is
introduced to map the SUT frequency to a relative time difference
instead of an absolute time value, avoiding the measuring bias caused
by time synchronization. As a result, the proposed scheme with
improved robustness could be attractive for future practical
applications. An experiment is performed. Microwave frequency
measurement from 16 to 26 GHz is demonstrated, with an average error
of 7.53 MHz.
Nanosecond pulsed narrow-linewidth all-fiber source for ZGP-OPO pumping
Authors: Lorenz Dominik , Romano Clément , Panitzek Dieter , Forster Patrick , Schneider Julian , Büker Hendrik , Eichhorn Marc , Kieleck Christelle
Published: January 2023

We demonstrate a pulsed three-stage master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) at a wavelength of 2047 nm and its application for mid-IR generation via pumping a ZnGeP2 (ZGP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). A maximum MOPA output power of 19.8 W is reached while achieving a diffraction limited beam quality M2 <1.1. By applying the MOPA setup to pump a ZGP crystal in a linear OPO cavity, a combined signal and idler mid-IR output power of 8.1 W is reached. For the highest mid-IR output power, a mid-IR conversion efficiency of 44 % and beam quality factors M2 of 2.2 and 2.0 are determined for signal and idler, respectively.
Experimental characterisation of a planar phase-engineered metamaterial lenslet for millimetre astronomy
Authors: Gascard Thomas , Pisano Giampaolo , Doyle Simon , Thompson Jonathan , shitvov Alexey , Austermann Jason , Beall James , Hubmayr Johannes , Raymond Benjamin , Halverson Nils , Jaehnig Gregory , McKenney Christopher , Suzuki Aritoki
Published: January 2023

To unveil presently inscrutable details of the origins of our Universe imprinted in the Cosmic Microwave Background, future experiments in the millimetre and sub-millimetre range are focusing on the detection of fine features which necessitate large and sensitive detector arrays to enable multichroic mapping of the sky. Currently, various approaches for coupling light to such detectors are under investigation, namely: coherently summed hierarchical arrays, platelet horns and antenna coupled planar lenslets. The last option offers increased bandwidth and a simpler fabrication whilst maintaining the desired optical performance. In this work, the design, fabrication and experimental characterisation of a prototype planar metamaterial phase-engineered lenslet operating in W-band [75GHz;110GHz] is presented. Its radiated field, initially modelled and measured on a systematics limited optical bench, is compared against a simulated hyper-hemispherical lenslet, a more established technology. It is reported here that our device reaches the CMB specification for the next stages of experiments, demonstrating power coupling above 95%, beam gaussicity above 97% whilst maintaining ellipticity below 10% and cross-polarisation level below -21dB through its operating bandwidth. Such results underlines the potential advantages our lenslet can offer as focal optics for future CMB experiments.
Role played by port drains in a Maxwell fisheye lens
Authors: Liu Yangjie , Shen Qiyin , Gu Chaojie , Li Ming , Zhang Xuan , Jin Luling , Wen Meng , Wei Zhengrong
Published: January 2023

Maxwell fisheye lens was proposed to reach super-resolution with the addition of wave drain and the interaction of multiple drains is theoretically predicted to improve subwavelength resolution further. In this paper we discuss the role played by port drains in optical absolute instruments, and verify by full-wave simulation that coupling nature for wave source and drain applies correctly in the picture of scanning imaging for absolute instrument. This work prospects for scanning near fields shaped from far-field wave propagation.
Effect of fixational eye movements in corneal topography measurements with optical coherence tomography
Authors: de Castro Alberto , Martinez-Enriquez Eduardo , Marcos Susana
Published: January 2023

There is an increasing interest in applying Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to quantify the topography of the ocular structures. However, in its most usual configuration, OCT data is acquired sequentially while a beam is scanned through the region of interest, and the presence of fixational eye movements can affect the accuracy of the technique. Several scan patterns and motion correction algorithms have been proposed to minimize this effect but there is no consensus on the ideal parameters to obtain a correct topography. We have acquired corneal OCT images, with raster and radial patterns, and modeled the data acquisition in the presence of eye movements. The simulations replicate the experimental variability in shape (radius of curvature and Zernike polynomials), corneal power, astigmatism, and calculated wavefront aberrations. The variability of the Zernike modes is highly dependent on the scan pattern, with higher variability in the direction of the slow scan axis. The model can be a useful tool to design motion correction algorithms and to determine the variability with different scan patterns.
Boosting Few-Shot Confocal Endomicroscopy Image Recognition with Feature-Level MixSiam
Authors: Liu Qian , Zhou Jingjun , Dong Xiangjiang
Published: January 2023

As an emerging early diagnostic technology for gastrointestinal diseases, confocal
endoscopy lacks large-scale perfect annotated data, leading to a major challenge in learning
discriminative semantic features. So, how should we learn representations without labels or
a few labels? In this paper, we proposed a Feature-Level MixSiam method based on the
traditional siamese network for medical image recognition and applied it to gastrointestinal (GI)
disease classification by learning discriminative features from limited probe-based confocal laser
endoscopy (pCLE) images. The proposed method is divided into two stages: self-supervised
learning and few-shot learning. First, in the self-supervised learning stage, the novel feature level-based feature mixing approach introduced more task-relevant information via regularization,
facilitating the traditional siamese structure can adapt to the large intra-class variance of the pCLE
dataset. Then, in the few-shot learning stage, we adopted the pre-trained model obtained through
self-supervised learning as the base learner in the few-shot learning pipeline, enabling the feature
extractor to learn richer and more transferrable visual representations for rapid generalization
to other pCLE classification tasks when labeled data are limited. On two disjoint pCLE
gastrointestinal image datasets, the proposed method is evaluated. With the linear evaluation
protocol, Feature-Level MixSiam outperforms the baseline by 6% (Top-1) and supervised model
by 2% (Top1), which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed feature-level-based feature
mixing method. Furthermore, the proposed method outperforms the previous baseline method
for the few-shot classification task, which can help improve the classification of pCLE images
lacking large-scale annotated data for different stages of tumor development. The method has
been tested in two different datasets and has shown promise as a quantitative tool for assisting
pathologists in the diagnosis of diseases.
Viral infection in the ocean—A journey across scales
Authors: Vincent Flora , Vardi Assaf
Published: January 2023

Viruses are the most abundant biological entity in the ocean and infect a wide range of microbial life across bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. In this essay, we take a journey across several orders of magnitude in the scales of biological organization, time, and space of host–virus interactions in the ocean, aiming to shed light on their ecological relevance. We start from viruses infecting microbial host cells by delivering their genetic material in seconds across nanometer-size membranes, which highjack their host’s metabolism in a few minutes to hours, leading to a profound transcriptomic and metabolic rewiring. The outcome of lytic infection leads to a release of virions and signaling molecules that can reach neighboring cells a few millimeters away, resulting in a population whose heterogeneous infection level impacts the surrounding community for days. These population dynamics can leave unique metabolic and biogeochemical fingerprints across scales of kilometers and over several decades. One of the biggest challenges in marine microbiology is to assess the impact of viruses across these scales, from the single cell to the ecosystem level. Here, we argue that the advent of new methodologies and conceptual frameworks represents an exciting time to pursue these efforts and propose a set of important challenges for the field. A better understanding of host–virus interactions across scales will inform models of global ocean ecosystem function in different climate change scenarios.
Injury-related cell death and proteoglycan loss in articular cartilage: Numerical model combining necrosis, reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Kosonen Joonas P. , Eskelinen Atte S. A. , Orozco Gustavo A. , Nieminen Petteri , Anderson Donald D. , Grodzinsky Alan J. , Korhonen Rami K. , Tanska Petri
Published: January 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common musculoskeletal disease that leads to deterioration of articular cartilage, joint pain, and decreased quality of life. When OA develops after a joint injury, it is designated as post-traumatic OA (PTOA). The etiology of PTOA remains poorly understood, but it is known that proteoglycan (PG) loss, cell dysfunction, and cell death in cartilage are among the first signs of the disease. These processes, influenced by biomechanical and inflammatory stimuli, disturb the normal cell-regulated balance between tissue synthesis and degeneration. Previous computational mechanobiological models have not explicitly incorporated the cell-mediated degradation mechanisms triggered by an injury that eventually can lead to tissue-level compositional changes. Here, we developed a 2-D mechanobiological finite element model to predict necrosis, apoptosis following excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-1)-driven apoptosis in cartilage explant. The resulting PG loss over 30 days was simulated. Biomechanically triggered PG degeneration, associated with cell necrosis, excessive ROS production, and cell apoptosis, was predicted to be localized near a lesion, while interleukin-1 diffusion-driven PG degeneration was manifested more globally. Interestingly, the model also showed proteolytic activity and PG biosynthesis closer to the levels of healthy tissue when pro-inflammatory cytokines were rapidly inhibited or cleared from the culture medium, leading to partial recovery of PG content. The numerical predictions of cell death and PG loss were supported by previous experimental findings. Furthermore, the simulated ROS and inflammation mechanisms had longer-lasting effects (over 3 days) on the PG content than localized necrosis. The mechanobiological model presented here may serve as a numerical tool for assessing early cartilage degeneration mechanisms and the efficacy of interventions to mitigate PTOA progression.
Shuffling the yeast genome using CRISPR/Cas9-generated DSBs that target the transposable Ty1 elements
Authors: Qi Lei , Sui Yang , Tang Xing-Xing , McGinty Ryan J. , Liang Xiao-Zhuan , Dominska Margaret , Zhang Ke , Mirkin Sergei M. , Zheng Dao-Qiong , Petes Thomas D.
Published: January 2023

Although homologous recombination between transposable elements can drive genomic evolution in yeast by facilitating chromosomal rearrangements, the details of the underlying mechanisms are not fully clarified. In the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the most common class of transposon is the retrotransposon Ty1. Here, we explored how Cas9-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs) directed to Ty1 elements produce genomic alterations in this yeast species. Following Cas9 induction, we observed a significant elevation of chromosome rearrangements such as deletions, duplications and translocations. In addition, we found elevated rates of mitotic recombination, resulting in loss of heterozygosity. Using Southern analysis coupled with short- and long-read DNA sequencing, we revealed important features of recombination induced in retrotransposons. Almost all of the chromosomal rearrangements reflect the repair of DSBs at Ty1 elements by non-allelic homologous recombination; clustered Ty elements were hotspots for chromosome rearrangements. In contrast, a large proportion (about three-fourths) of the allelic mitotic recombination events have breakpoints in unique sequences. Our analysis suggests that some of the latter events reflect extensive processing of the broken ends produced in the Ty element that extend into unique sequences resulting in break-induced replication. Finally, we found that haploid and diploid strain have different preferences for the pathways used to repair double-stranded DNA breaks. Our findings demonstrate the importance of DNA lesions in retrotransposons in driving genome evolution.
Factors that determine women’s autonomy to make decisions about sexual and reproductive health and rights in Nepal: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Nepal Adweeti , Dangol Santa Kumar , Karki Sujan , Shrestha Niraj
Published: January 2023

Women’s autonomy on sexual and reproductive health issues is critical to women’s health and well-being. Women have the right to decide on their fertility and sexuality, be free from coercion and violence, and achieve well-being. This study has identified women’s autonomy regarding decision and exercise of their sexual reproductive health and rights and its association with determining factors in Nepal. Descriptive and analytical statistics such as bivariate and multivariate regression analysis were performed using data from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. The survey collected data from 12,862 women of reproductive age groups i.e. 15–49 years. However, for this study, we analyzed the data of only ever-married women and they were 9,875 in total. The analysis showed that women’s autonomy in exercising their sexual reproductive health rights is highly associated with media exposure after controlling demographic variables. The frequency of exposure to media (i. less than a week: adjusted odds ratio (AOR):1.383; confidence interval (CI):1.145–1.670, p<0.001, ii. at least once a week: AOR:1.657; CI:1.359–2.021, p<0.001) is positively associated with women’s autonomy. Furthermore, factors like women from Janajati (AOR:1.298; CI:1.071–1.576, p<0.01) and other Terai ethnic groups (AOR:1.471; CI:1.160–1.866, p<0.01), higher education attainment (AOR:1.482; CI:1.164–1.888, p<0.01), richest wealth quintile (AOR:1.527; CI:1.151–2.026, p<0.01), paid work (AOR:1.277; CI:1.045–1.561, p<0.05) and living in Lumbini Province (AOR:0.622; CI:0.486–0.797, p<0.001) and Sudur Paschim Province (AOR:0.723; CI:0.554–0.944, p<0.05) were found to be significantly associated with women’s autonomy in sexual and reproductive health decision making. Similarly, women’s autonomy is also increased with their increased age. In conclusion, women’s exposure to media, improved socio-economic status and increased age influence their autonomy to make decisions about sexual and reproductive health rights in Nepal. Therefore, this study underscores the need to address socio-economic barriers and improve women’s exposure to the media to enhance their autonomy further.
‘We don’t have the right to get sick’: A qualitative study of gaps in public health insurance among Im/migrant women in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Goldenberg Shira M. , Schafers Shaina , Grassby Maggie Hamel-Smith , Machado Stefanie , Lavergne Ruth , Wiedmeyer Mei-ling ,   on behalf of the IRIS Study Team
Published: January 2023

Globally, the exclusion of im/migrants from public health care systems remains a significant health and human rights issue, calling into question claims of ‘universality’ of public health systems where eligibility for coverage is determined by immigration status. We aimed to describe lived experiences of health insurance coverage and the health and social impacts of gaps in health insurance amongst im/migrant women in British Columbia (BC), Canada. This analysis draws on qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 78) with im/migrant women and im/migrant-focused service providers (n = 10) conducted between July 2018-March 2021 in Metro Vancouver, BC, as part of a larger community-based, mixed-methods study of im/migrants’ health access (IRIS). In contrast to common perceptions of Canada’s health system as ‘universal’, participants faced multifaceted barriers to health insurance and necessary healthcare for themselves and their families following arrival in BC. Narratives highlighted the ways in which ineligibility for public health insurance coverage resulted in unmet needs for essential sexual and reproductive health and preventive care among im/migrant women, children, and families. Participants also described ineligibility for public health insurance as resulting in a high economic burden, and that exclusion from public health insurance perpetuated experiences of discrimination, invisibility, and exclusion from systems of care amongst im/migrant participants. Despite these structural challenges, participant narratives highlighted the crucial role of community-based supports for minimizing harm and navigating oppressive immigration and health systems. Changes to immigration and health policies are required to remove barriers to public health care for im/migrant women and ensure that Canada’s health system is accessible to all. Expanding health insurance options to cover all residents and decoupling health insurance eligibility from immigration status are recommended, alongside implementation of ‘Sanctuary’ policies at the local level.
Interventions for treating obstetric fistula: An evidence gap map
Authors: Johnson Eugenie Evelynne , O’Connor Nicole , Hilton Paul , Pearson Fiona , Goh Judith , Vale Luke
Published: January 2023

Obstetric fistula is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, with between 50,000 and 100,000 new cases each year. The World Health Organization aims to eradicate it by 2030 but a clear idea of the extant evidence is unavailable. This evidence map compiled evidence on treatments for obstetric fistula to identify potential knowledge gaps. The protocol for this work was published on the Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/H7J35). A survey was developed, piloted and distributed online through organisations with an interest in obstetric fistula and snowballing. Results informed the evidence map framework. Searches were run on MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Global Index Medicus and ScanMedicine on 16 February 2022 to identify potentially eligible systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies and case-control studies. Forward and backward citation chaining was undertaken on relevant systematic reviews and included studies. Studies were screened, coded and assessed for risk of bias by a single reviewer, with a second checking a proportion. The evidence map results were compared to survey results. Thirty-nine people responded to the survey, half of which were clinicians. Of 9796 records identified, 37 reports of 28 studies were included in the evidence map. Many included studies were at some risk of bias; for observational studies, this was predominantly due to lack of controlling for confounders. Most studies (71%) assessed surgical interventions alone. Reporting on other intervention types was limited. Regarding outcome measures most important to survey respondents, 24 studies reported on cure/improvement in obstetric fistula and 20 on cure/improvement in urinary incontinence. Reporting on quality of life, faecal incontinence and sexual function was limited. There is currently little robust evidence to guide patients and practitioners on the most effective treatment option for obstetric fistula. Further research is required to address evidence gaps identified.
Socioeconomic factors impact the risk of HIV acquisition in the township population of South Africa: A Bayesian analysis
Authors: Leung Soo Cindy , Pant Pai Nitika , Bartlett Susan J. , Esmail Aliasgar , Dheda Keertan , Bhatnagar Sahir
Published: January 2023

With a prevalence almost twice as high as the national average, people living in South African townships are particularly impacted by the HIV epidemic. Yet, it remains unclear how socioeconomic factors impact the risk of HIV infection within township populations. Our objective was to estimate the extent to which socioeconomic factors (dwelling situation, education, employment status, and monthly income) explain the risk of HIV in South African township populations, after controlling for behavioural and individual risk factors. Using Bayesian logistic regression, we analysed secondary data from a quasi-randomised trial which recruited participants (N = 3095) from townships located across three subdistricts of Cape Town. We controlled for individual factors (age, sex, marital status, testing history, HIV exposure, comorbidities, and tuberculosis infection) and behavioural factors (unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, with sex workers, with a partner living with HIV, under the influence of alcohol or drugs), and accounted for the uncertainty due to missing data through multiple imputation. We found that residing in informal dwellings and not having post-secondary education increased the odds of HIV (aOR, 89% CrI: 1.34, 1.07–1.68 and 1.82, 1.29–2.61, respectively), after controlling for subdistrict of residence, individual, and behavioural factors. Additionally, our results suggest different pathways for how socioeconomic status (SES) affect HIV infection in males and female participants: while socioeconomic factors associated with lower SES seem to be associated with a decreased likelihood of having recently sough HIV testing among male participants, they are associated with increased sexual risk taking which, among female participants, increase the risk of HIV. Our analyses demonstrate that social determinants of health are at the root of the HIV epidemic and affect the risk of HIV in multiple ways. These findings stress the need for the deployment of programs that specifically address social determinants of health.
Control of Aedes mosquito populations using recombinant microalgae expressing short hairpin RNAs and their effect on plankton
Authors: Fei Xiaowen , Xiao Sha , Huang Xiaodan , Li Zhijie , Li Xinghan , He Changhao , Li Yajun , Zhang Xiuxia , Deng Xiaodong
Published: January 2023

New biocontrol strategies are urgently needed to combat vector-borne infectious diseases. This study presents a low-cost method to produce a potential mosquito insecticide that utilizes the microalgae released into suburban water sources to control mosquito populations.Chlorellamicroalgae are ubiquitous in local waters, which were chosen as the host for genetic transfection. This species facilitated the recombinant algae to adapt to the prevailing environmental conditions with rapid growth and high relative abundance. The procedure involved microalgae RNAi-based insecticides developed using short hairpin RNAs targeting theAedes aegyptichitin synthase A (chsa) gene inChlorella. These insecticides effectively silenced thechsagene, inhibitingAedesmetamorphosis in the laboratory and simulated-field trials. This study explored the impact of recombinant microalgae on the phytoplankton and zooplankton in suburban waters. High-throughput sequencing revealed that rapid reproduction of recombinantChlorellaindirectly caused the disappearance of some phytoplankton and reduced the protozoan species. This study demonstrated that a recombinant microalgae-based insecticide could effectively reduce the population ofAedesmosquitoes in the laboratory and simulated field trials. However, the impact of this technology on the environment and ecology requires further investigation.
Age-related changes in tau and autophagy in human brain in the absence of neurodegeneration
Authors: Chatterjee Shreyasi , Sealey Megan , Ruiz Eva , Pegasiou Chrysia M. , Brookes Keeley , Green Sam , Crisford Anna , Duque-Vasquez Michael , Luckett Emma , Robertson Rebecca , Richardson Philippa , Vajramani Girish , Grundy Paul , Bulters Diederik , Proud Christopher , Vargas-Caballero Mariana , Mudher Amritpal
Published: January 2023

Tau becomes abnormally hyper-phosphorylated and aggregated in tauopathies like Alzheimers disease (AD). As age is the greatest risk factor for developing AD, it is important to understand how tau protein itself, and the pathways implicated in its turnover, change during aging. We investigated age-related changes in total and phosphorylated tau in brain samples from two cohorts of cognitively normal individuals spanning 19–74 years, without overt neurodegeneration. One cohort utilised resected tissue and the other used post-mortem tissue. Total soluble tau levels declined with age in both cohorts. Phosphorylated tau was undetectable in the post-mortem tissue but was clearly evident in the resected tissue and did not undergo significant age-related change. To ascertain if the decline in soluble tau was correlated with age-related changes in autophagy, three markers of autophagy were tested but only two appeared to increase with age and the third was unchanged. This implies that in individuals who do not develop neurodegeneration, there is an age-related reduction in soluble tau which could potentially be due to age-related changes in autophagy. Thus, to explore how an age-related increase in autophagy might influence tau-mediated dysfunctions in vivo, autophagy was enhanced in a Drosophila model and all age-related tau phenotypes were significantly ameliorated. These data shed light on age-related physiological changes in proteins implicated in AD and highlights the need to study pathways that may be responsible for these changes. It also demonstrates the therapeutic potential of interventions that upregulate turnover of aggregate-prone proteins during aging.
Hospital at home: A systematic review of how medication management is conceptualised, described and implemented in practice—A study protocol
Authors: McGlen Sophie , Crowley Clare , Lasserson Daniel , Qamariat Zahra A. L. , Lim Rosemary H. M.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Hospital at Home (H@H) is a method of healthcare delivery, where hospital level interventions are conducted in the patient’s usual place of residence, offering an alternative to hospital admission. This often includes the ability to perform point of care diagnostics and treat conditions using a range of treatments traditionally associated with hospital admission, including intravenous medicines and oxygen. H@H services have been established worldwide but there is a wide variation in definition and delivery models and currently no documented evidence supporting the delivery of medicines and medicines management within the H@H model. Therefore, this study aims to 1) describe how medication management in H@H is conceptulised, 2) describe and identify key components of medication management in H@H and 3) describe and identify variability in the implementation of medication management services within H@H models.

Methods and analysis

We will search a range of databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL), publicly accessible documents and expert recommendations. Studies, reports and policy documents published between 1st January 2000 and 31st January 2022 will be included. Two independent reviewers will 1) screen and select studies based on a priori inclusion/exclusion, 2) conduct quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool on included studies and 3) extract data. Inductive thematic analysis (objectives 1 and 2), the SEIPS 2.0 model (objective 2) and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (objective 3) will be used to synthesise data.

Ethics and dissemination

This systematic review will use secondary data sources from published documents, and as such research ethical approval was not required. We will disseminate the findings of this study in a peer-reviewed journal and national/international conference(s).

Trial registration

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022300691. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022300691.
MaskID: An effective deep-learning-based algorithm for dense rebar counting
Authors: Li Wenrui , Cheng Jian , Chen Bo , Xue Yu , Wang Yi , Fu Yan , Zhou Junlin , Chen Duanbing
Published: January 2023

As a dense instance segmentation problem, rebar counting in a complex environment such as rebar yard and rebar transpotation has received significant attention in both academic and industrial contexts. Traditional counting approaches, such as manual counting and machine vision-based algorithms, are often inefficient or inaccurate since rebars with varied sizes and shapes are stacked overlapping, rebar image is not clear for complex light condition such as dawn, night and strong light, and other environmental noises exist in rebar image; thus, they no longer fulfil the requirements of modern automation. This paper proposes MaskID, an innovative counting method based on deep learning and heuristic strategies. First, an improved version of the Mask region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) was designed to obtain the segmentation results through splitting and rescaling so as to capture more detail in a large-scale rebar image. Then, a series of intelligent denoising strategies corresponding to aspect ratio of recognized box, overlapping recognized objects, object distribution and environmental noise, were applied to improve the segmentation results. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on open-competition and test-platform datasets. The F1-score was found to be over 0.99 on all datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for dense rebar counting and significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods.
The role of data-driven services strategy in platform competition: A system performance perspective
Authors: Hu Qiang , Xie Jiaping , Zhang Guangsi
Published: January 2023

In the era of big data, data-driven services (DDS) have become critical competitive strategies for digital platform-based enterprises. This paper considers two operational modes of e-commerce platforms, which are self-operated and third-party modes, respectively, and they each lead a platform system. The Hotelling model is adopted to describe the competitive market of both platforms. We characterize their system performance functions. The optimization models are built using game theory to discuss the DDS and price decisions. We obtain the implementation conditions of DDS strategies for both platforms and the dominant situations of their respective DDS levels. We find that a platform adopting the price reduction strategy can improve the performance of its platform system while reducing the competitor’s system performance. From the system performance perspective, continuous improvement of the DDS level may appear “harming others may not benefit oneself”; that is, continuously improving the DDS level leads to a decrease in the competitor’s system performance but not necessarily an increase in its system performance. Further, consumer welfare within both platform systems shows the law of “as one falls then another rises”. As the big data industry matures, self-operated platforms would demonstrate the advantages of service level, profit, and system performance. In contrast, third-party platforms would have an advantage in consumer welfare. These conclusions have important implications for e-commerce platforms developing data-driven operations-based strategies.
Soccer academy practitioners’ perceptions and application of bio-banding
Authors: Towlson Chris , Watson Demi Jo , Cumming Sean , Salter Jamie , Toner John
Published: January 2023

The primary aims of this study were to examine the application of maturity status bio-banding within professional soccer academy programmes and understand the methods employed, the intended objectives, and the potential barriers to bio-banding. Using a mixed method design, twenty-five professional soccer academy practitioners completed an online survey designed to examine their perceptions of the influence of maturation on practice, their perceptions and application of bio-banding, and the perceived barriers to the implementation of this method. Frequency and percentages of responses for individual items were calculated. In the next phase of the study, seven participants who had experience with, or knowledge of, the bio-banding process within an academy youth soccer setting were recruited to complete a semi-structured interview. Interview data was transcribed and analysed using a combination of deductive and inductive approaches to identify key themes. The main findings across the two phases of the study were that [1] there is consensus among the practitioners that the individual effect of maturation impacts their ability to accurately assess the soccer competencies, [2] the majority (80%) of the sample had implemented bio-banding, with practitioners showing a clear preference for using the Khamis and Roche method to bio-band players, with the greatest perceived benefit being during maturity-matched formats, specifically for late or post-PHV players, [3] Practitioners perceived that bio-banding enhances their ability to assess academy soccer players, and [4] practitioners who have used bio-banding believe that the method is an effective way of enhancing the perception of challenge thereby providing a number of psycho-social benefits. Findings suggest that a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach is required to enhance the likelihood of bio-banding being successfully implemented within the typical training schedules across the adolescent phase of the player development pathway.
Impact of customized add-on nighttime bracing in full-time brace treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
Authors: Bretschneider Henriette , Bernstein Peter , Disch Alexander C. , Seifert Jens
Published: January 2023

Study design

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective

Bracing is an accepted standard therapy for idiopathic scoliosis at Cobb angle ranges between 25° and 40°. However, it is unclear, if a specifically tailored regimen of daytime and nighttime braces (= double brace) yields superior results compared to the standard treatment (single brace for day and night).

Methods

One-hundred-fifteen patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) were assessed before initiation of bracing treatment and at the final follow-up 2 years after deposition of the brace. They were divided into two groups: double-brace group (n = 66, 4 male, 62 female, age 13.1 ± 1.9 (mean ± SD), primary curvature thoracic n = 35, lumbar n = 31) and single-brace group (n = 49, 8 male, 41 female, age 14.1 ± 1.9, primary curvature thoracic n = 18, lumbar n = 31). Each patient underwent clinical and radiological examinations and Cobb angles were measured.

Results

Both therapy regimens succeeded to either stop progression or improve scoliosis in over 85% of cases. The nighttime brace showed a significantly higher primary correction than the daytime brace. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in treatment success in the 2-year follow-up (p = 0.58).

Conclusion

It seems to be sufficient to treat idiopathic scoliosis with one well-tailored brace for day- and nighttime.