bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison between the effects of ultrasound guided intra-articular injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, and their combination in hip osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Nouri Farshad , Babaee Marzieh , Peydayesh Parya , Esmaily Hadi , Raeissadat Seyed Ahmad
Published: September 2022

Background

Intra articular (IA) injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) are of the new methods in the management of hip osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of IA injections of PRP, HA and their combination in patients with hip OA. HA and PRP are two IA interventions that can be used in OA in the preoperative stages. Due to the different mechanisms of action, these two are proposed to have a synergistic effect by combining.

Methods

This is a randomized clinical trial with three parallel groups. In this study, patients with grade 2 and 3 hip OA were included, and were randomly divided into three injection groups: PRP, HA and PRP + HA. In either group, two injections with 2 weeks’ interval were performed into the hip joint under ultrasound guidance. Patients were assessed before the intervention, 2 months and 6 months after the second injection, using the visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Lequesne questionnaires.

Results

One hundred five patients were enrolled randomly in HA, PRP and PRP + HA groups. All three groups showed significant improvement in WOMAC, VAS, and Lequesne at 2 months and 6 months compared with baseline. Comparison of the 3 groups demonstrated significant differences regarding WOMAC and Lequesne total scores and the activities of daily living (ADL) subscale of Lequesne (P = 0.041, 0.001 and 0.002, respectively), in which the observed improvement at 6th month was significantly higher in the PRP + HA and PRP groups compared to the HA group.

Conclusion

Although all 3 interventions were associated with improvement of pain and function in patients with hip OA, the therapeutic effects of PRP and PRP + HA injections lasted longer (6 months), and the effects of these two interventions on patients’ performance, disability, and ADL were superior to HA in the long run. Moreover, the addition of HA to PRP was not associated with a significant increase in the therapeutic results.

Trial registration

The study was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) websitehttp://www.irct.ir/, a WHO Primary Register setup, with the registration number of IRCT20130523013442N30 on 29/11/2019.
A triple-classification for differentiating renal oncocytoma from renal cell carcinoma subtypes and CK7 expression evaluation: a radiomics analysis
Authors: Yu Ziyang , Ding Jie , Pang Huize , Fang Hongkun , He Furong , Xu Chenxi , Li Xuedan , Ren Ke
Published: September 2022

Background

To investigate the value of computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics model analysis in differentiating renal oncocytoma (RO) from renal cell carcinoma subtypes (chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, clear cell carcinoma) and predicting the expression of Cytokeratin 7 (CK7).

Methods

In this retrospective study, radiomics was applied for patients with RO, chRCC and ccRCC who underwent surgery between January 2013 and December 2019 comprised the training cohort, and the testing cohort was collected between January and October 2020. The corticomedullary (CMP) and nephrographic phases (NP) were manually segmented, and radiomics texture parameters were extracted. Support vector machine was generated from CMP and NP after feature selection. Shapley additive explanations were applied to interpret the radiomics features. A radiomics signature was built using the selected features from the two phases, and the radiomics nomogram was constructed by incorporating the radiomics features and clinical factors. Receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate the above models in the two sets. Furthermore, Rad-score was used for correlation analysis with CK7.

Results

A total of 123 patients with RO, chRCC and ccRCC were analyzed in the training cohort and 57 patients in the testing cohort. Subsequently, 396 radiomics features were selected from each phase. The radiomics features combining two phases yielded the highest area under the curve values of 0.941 and 0.935 in the training and testing sets, respectively. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was statistically significant between Rad-score and CK7.

Conclusion

We proposed a non-invasive and individualized CT-based radiomics nomogram to differentiation among RO, chRCC and ccRCC preoperatively and predict the immunohistochemical protein expression for accurate clinical diagnosis and treatment decision.
Current status of umbilical cord blood storage and provision to private biobanks by institutions handling childbirth in Japan
Authors: Murata Maho , Kawabe Kenichiro , Hatta Taichi , Maeda Shoichi , Fujita Misao
Published: September 2022

Background

The Act Regarding the Promotion of the Appropriate Supply of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Transplant regulates only how public banks store and provide umbilical cord blood (UCB) for research or transplantation. Japan had no laws to regulate how the private banks manage the procedures, harvesting, preparation, and storage of such blood. As a result, the status of UCB distribution remains unknown. We conducted a survey to investigate the current status of UCB storage and provision to private biobanks by Japanese institutions that handle childbirth.

Methods

Questionnaire forms were mailed to 3,277 facilities handling childbirth that were registered in the Japan Council for Quality Health Care website.

Results

Of the 1,192 institutions handling childbirth that participated in the survey (response rate: 36.7%), 34.4% responded that they currently provide UCB to private biobanks, while 16.1% of facilities did so in the past. Moreover, some institutions currently provide or formerly provided UCB to medical treatment facilities (2.6%), research institutions (5.9%), companies (2.2%), or overseas treatment facilities, research institutions, or companies (0.3%). A certain number of institutions handling childbirth did not even provide explanations or obtain consent when the UCB was harvested from private bank users.

Conclusions

This is the first study to determine the status of UCB provision to private banks by Japanese institutions handling childbirth. Future studies will need to examine in detail how institutions handling childbirth provide explanations to private bank users and UCB providers as well as how these institutions obtain consent.
Prevalence, characteristics, and respiratory arousal threshold of positional obstructive sleep apnea in China: a large scale study from Shanghai Sleep Health Study cohort
Authors: Huang Weijun , Wang Xiaoting , Xu Chong , Xu Huajun , Zhu Huaming , Liu Suru , Zou Jianyin , Guan Jian , Yi Hongliang , Yin Shankai
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and respiratory arousal threshold (ArTH) of Chinese patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) according to the Cartwright Classification (CC) and Amsterdam Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnea Classification (APOC).

Methods

A large-scale cross-sectional study was conducted in our sleep center from 2007 to 2018 to analyze the clinical and polysomnography (PSG) data of Chinese POSA patients. Low ArTH was defined based on PSG indices.

Results

Of 5,748 OSA patients, 36.80% met the CC criteria, and 42.88% the APOC criteria, for POSA. The prevalence of POSA was significantly higher in women than men (40.21% and 46.52% vs. 36.13% and 42.18% for CC and APOC, respectively). Chinese POSA patients had a lower apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and lower oxygen desaturation index, shorter duration of oxygen saturation (SaO2) < 90%, and a higher mean SaO2 and higher lowest SaO2 value compared to subjects with non-positional OSA (NPOSA). More than 40% of the POSA patients had a low ArTH; the proportion was extremely high in the supine-isolated-POSA (si-POSA) group and APOC I group. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, higher mean SaO2 and lower AHI during sleep were positive predictors of POSA.

Conclusions

According to the CC and APOC criteria, more than 1/3 of our Chinese subjects with OSA had POSA. Chinese POSA patients had less severe OSA and nocturnal hypoxia. Compared to NPOSA patients, significantly more patients with POSA had a low ArTH. A low ArTH may be an important endotype in the pathogenesis of POSA, especially in patients with si-POSA and APOC I. Further studies are necessary to develop personalized management strategies for POSA patients.

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn; No. ChiCTR1900025714 (retrospectively registered).
Prevalence of cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection and genotype distribution in Shanghai, China
Authors: Li Xiaoxiao , Xiang Fenfen , Dai Junhua , Zhang Tao , Chen Zixi , Zhang Mengzhe , Wu Rong , Kang Xiangdong
Published: September 2022

Background

The evaluation of human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence rate dynamics and genotype distribution could support the adoption of more targeted prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. We aimed to assess the infection status and genotype characteristics of HPV among gynecological outpatients in Shanghai, China.

Methods

Clinical specimens were collected from patients attending gynaecological department of the Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, between January 2015 and December 2019. The cervicovaginal infection of 17 high-risk genotypes and 10 low-risk genotypes were analyzed by Luminex-based multiple assays.

Results

The overall HPV infection rate was 18.81% (95% CI 18.31–19.30%) in Shanghai city, with high-risk, low-risk and mixed high- and low-risk HPV prevalence being 11.65% (95% CI 11.24–12.06%), 4.19% (95% CI 3.94–4.44%) and 2.96% (95% CI 2.74–3.17%), respectively. The five most prevalent high-risk genotypes were HPV-52 (2.95%), HPV-16 (2.34%), HPV-58 (2.07%), HPV-53 (1.67%) and HPV-39 (1.36%). The most common low-risk genotype was HPV-61 (1.52%), followed by HPV-6 (1.29%) and HPV-81 (1.19%). Moreover, the coverage of HPV genotype by nonavalent vaccine was 10.42%, and non-vaccine-covered high-risk genotype was 7.70%. The 15–24 years age group demonstrated the highest HPV prevalence (43.14%), and significant differences were observed among different age groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study revealed the HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among women in Shanghai city, which could serve as guidance for HPV vaccination and preventative strategies against cervical cancer in this area.
Knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of spinal manipulation: a cross-sectional survey of Italian physiotherapists
Authors: Mourad Firas , Yousif Marzia Stella , Maselli Filippo , Pellicciari Leonardo , Meroni Roberto , Dunning James , Puentedura Emilio , Taylor Alan , Kerry Roger , Hutting Nathan , Kranenburg Hendrikus Antonius
Published: September 2022

Background and Objective

High-velocity low-amplitude thrust spinal manipulation (SM) is a recommended and commonly used manual therapy intervention in physiotherapy. Beliefs surrounding the safety and effectiveness of SM have challenged its use, and even advocated for its abandonment. Our study aimed to investigate the knowledge and beliefs surrounding SM by Italian physiotherapists compared with similar practitioners in other countries.

Methods

An online survey with 41 questions was adapted from previous surveys and was distributed via a mailing list of the Italian Physiotherapists Association (March 22–26, 2020). The questionnaire was divided into 4 sections to capture information on participant demographics, utilization, potential barriers, and knowledge about SM. Questions were differentiated between spinal regions. Attitudes towards different spinal regions, attributes associated with beliefs, and the influence of previous educational background were each evaluated.

Results

Of the 7398 registered physiotherapists, 575 (7.8%) completed the survey and were included for analysis. The majority of respondents perceived SM as safe and effective when applied to the thoracic (74.1%) and lumbar (72.2%) spines; whereas, a smaller proportion viewed SM to the upper cervical spine (56.8%) as safe and effective. Respondents reported they were less likely to provide and feel comfortable with upper cervical SM (respectively, 27.5% and 48.5%) compared to the thoracic (respectively, 52.2% and 74.8%) and lumbar spines (respectively, 46.3% and 74.3%). Most physiotherapists (70.4%) agreed they would perform additional screening prior to upper cervical SM compared to other spinal regions. Respondents who were aware of clinical prediction rules were more likely to report being comfortable with SM (OR 2.38–3.69) and to perceive it as safe (OR 1.75–3.12). Finally, physiotherapists without musculoskeletal specialization, especially those with a traditional manual therapy background, were more likely to perform additional screening prior to SM, use SM less frequently, report being less comfortable performing SM, and report upper cervical SM as less safe (p < 0.001).

Discussion

The beliefs and attitudes of physiotherapists surrounding the use of SM are significantly different when comparing the upper cervical spine to other spinal regions. An educational background in traditional manual therapy significantly influences beliefs and attitudes. We propose an updated framework on evidence-based SM.
Prevalence of haplotype DQ2/DQ8 and celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Zubkiewicz-Kucharska Agnieszka , Jamer Tatiana , Chrzanowska Joanna , Akutko Katarzyna , Pytrus Tomasz , Stawarski Andrzej , Noczyńska Anna
Published: September 2022

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD) coexist very often. Identification of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ2/DQ8 can confirm the genetic predisposition to CD. Negative result of this test allows to exclude CD with a high probability. It was suggested that in individuals with higher risk of CD, including T1D patients, the implementation of genetic testing should reduce the number of patients requiring systematic immunological screening. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of different haplotypes predisposing to CD in children and adolescents with previously diagnosed T1D. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 166 T1D children (91 girls) in whom HLA DQ2/DQ8 alleles were tested. In 9.6% CD was also diagnosed. Results: In 12.7% both HLA DQ2/DQ8 were negative. In 87.3% patients HLA DQ2 and/or DQ8 was positive, including 27.7% patients with both haplotypes DQ2.5 and DQ8 positive. In all CD patients the disease predisposing alleles were positive, while none of the HLA DQ2/DQ8 negative children were diagnosed with CD. Conclusions: The prevalence of HLA DQ2.5 and the HLA DQ2.5 / HLA DQ8 configuration is higher in patients with T1D, and CD compared to children with T1D alone. The combination of HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8 most significantly increases the risk of developing CD. The group of HLA DQ2/DQ8 negative patients with improbable CD diagnosis, is relatively small. Most of T1D patients HLA DQ2/DQ8 positive need further regular antibody assessment. In patients with T1D, who are at high risk of developing CD, genetic testing may be considered to select those who require further systematic serological evaluation. Due to its retrospective nature, the study was not registered in the database of clinical trials and the Clinical trial registration number is not available.
Frequency and costs of low-value preoperative tests for patients undergoing low-risk procedures in the veterans health administration
Authors: Harris Alex H. S. , Bowe Thomas , Kamal Robin N. , Sears Erika D. , Hawn Mary , Eisenberg Dan , Finlay Andrea K. , Hagedorn Hildi J. , Mudumbai Seshadri
Published: September 2022

Background

Clinical practice guidelines discourage routine preoperative screening tests for patients undergoing low-risk procedures. This study sought to determine the frequency and costs of potentially low-value preoperative screening tests in Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients undergoing low-risk procedures.

Methods

Using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse, we identified Operative Stress Score class 1 procedures (“very minor”) performed without general anesthesia in VA during fiscal year 2019 and calculated the overall national and facility-level rates and costs of nine common tests received in the 30 preoperative days. Patient factors associated with receiving at least one screening test, and the number of tests received, were examined.

Results

Eighty-six thousand three hundred twenty-seven of 178,775 low-risk procedures (49.3%) were preceded by 321,917 potentially low-value screening tests representing $11,505,170 using Medicare average costs. Complete blood count was the most common (33.2% of procedures), followed by basic metabolic profile (32.0%), urinalysis (26.3%), electrocardiography (18.9%), and pulmonary function test (12.4%). Older age, female sex, Black race, and having more comorbidities were associated with higher odds of low-value testing. Transthoracic echocardiogram occurred prior to only 4.5% of the procedures but accounted for 47.8% of the total costs ($5,499,860). In 129 VA facilities, the facility-level proportion of procedures preceded by at least one test ranged from 0 to 81.2% and facility-level costs ranged from $0 to $388,476.

Conclusions

Routine preoperative screening tests for very low-risk procedures are common and costly in some VA facilities. These results highlight a potential target to improve quality and value by reducing unnecessary care. Measures of low-value perioperative care could be integrated into VA’s extensive quality monitoring and improvement infrastructure.
Quantum scissors for noiseless linear amplification of polarization frequency hyper-encoded coherent state
Authors: Zhong Wei , Li Yu-Peng , Sheng Yu-Bo , Zhou Lan
Published: September 2022

Quantum scissor (QS) is a powerful tool to realize the optical truncation and noiseless linear amplification (NLA) of the Fock state. The hyper-encoding technology which encodes messages in two or more degrees of freedom of a photon is a promising tool for increasing the channel capacity of photons and has been widely used in quantum computing and quantum communication fields. Here, we propose the one-photon and three-photon QSs for the frequency-encoded and polarization frequency hyper-encoded coherent states, which can realize the one-order and three-order truncation and NLA of the coherent state, and preserve the encoded features of the photons. The quantum scissors for the hyper-encoded coherent state would introduce some unwanted disturb items with small probability. Our QSs can be extended to distill the hyper-encoded multi-spatial-mode entanglement. Our QSs have application potential in the future quantum information processing field.
Racial Inequalities in Adolescents' Exposure to Racial and Socioeconomic Segregation, Collective Efficacy, and Violence
Authors: Pinchak Nicolo P. , Browning Christopher R. , Calder Catherine A. , Boettner Bethany
Published: September 2022

In the United States, Black youth tend to grow up in remarkably less resourced neighborhoods than White youth. This study investigates whether and to what extent Black youth are moreover exposed to less resourced activity spaces beyond the home. We draw on GPS data from a large sample of urban youth in the Columbus, Ohio–based Adolescent Health and Development in Context study (2014–2016) to examine to what extent Black youth experience nontrivial, disproportionate levels of exposure to more disadvantaged and segregated contexts in their daily routines compared with similarly residentially situated White youth. Specifically, we estimate Black–White differences in nonhome exposure to concentrated disadvantage, racial segregation, collective efficacy, and violent crime. We find that Black youths' activity spaces have substantially higher rates of racial segregation and violent crime than those of White youth, and substantially lower levels of collective efficacy—even after accounting for a host of individual- and home neighborhood–level characteristics. We find more modest evidence of differences in exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage. These findings have important implications for neighborhood-centered interventions focused on youth well-being and the contextual effects and segregation literatures more generally.
The temporal dynamics of the sea urchin regulome
Authors: Feuda Roberto
Published: September 2022

In this work, we used Nanostring N-counter technology, to evaluate the mRNA expression level of more than 330 regulatory genes over 34 time points covering the first three days of development of the sea urchin larvae. The hierarchical clustering of the mRNAs expression levels has identified groups corresponding to the major developmental landmarks (e.g. maternal to zygotic transition and gastrulation). Furthermore, comparison with previous experiments indicates high reproducibility of mRNA level temporal dynamics across batches. Finally, we generated an online tool to visualise gene expression during sea urchin larval development. The site can be accessed at and https://www621.lamp.le.ac.uk/nanostring_app/nanostring/.
Kinesin-1 transports morphologically distinct intracellular virions during vaccinia infection
Authors: Xu Amadeus , Basant Angika , Schleich Sibylle , Newsome Timothy P. , Way Michael
Published: September 2022

Intracellular mature viruses (IMVs) are the first and most abundant infectious form of vaccinia virus to assemble during its replication cycle. IMVs can undergo microtubule-based motility, but their directionality and the motor involved in their transport remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that IMVs, like intracellular enveloped viruses (IEVs), the second form of vaccinia that are wrapped in Golgi-derived membranes, recruit kinesin-1 and undergo anterograde transport. In vitro reconstitution of virion transport in infected cell extracts revealed that IMVs and IEVs move toward microtubule plus ends with respective velocities of 0.66 and 0.56 µm/s. Quantitative imaging established that IMVs and IEVs recruit an average of 139 and 320 kinesin-1 motor complexes, respectively. In the absence of kinesin-1, there was a near-complete loss of in vitro motility and reduction in the intracellular spread of both types of virions. Our observations demonstrate that kinesin-1 transports two morphologically distinct forms of vaccinia. Reconstitution of vaccinia-based microtubule motility in vitro provides a new model to elucidate how motor number and regulation impacts transport of a bona fide kinesin-1 cargo.
Distinct roles of the Chlamydia trachomatis effectors TarP and TmeA in the regulation of formin and Arp2/3 during entry
Authors: Romero Matthew D. , Carabeo Rey A.
Published: September 2022

The obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis manipulates the host actin cytoskeleton to assemble actin-rich structures that drive pathogen entry. The recent discovery of TmeA, which, like TarP, is an invasion-associated type III effector implicated in actin remodeling, raised questions regarding the nature of their functional interaction. Quantitative live-cell imaging of actin remodeling at invasion sites revealed differences in recruitment and turnover kinetics associated with the TarP and TmeA pathways, with the former accounting for most of the robust actin dynamics at invasion sites. TarP-mediated recruitment of actin nucleators, i.e. formins and the Arp2/3 complex, was crucial for rapid actin kinetics, generating a collaborative positive feedback loop that enhanced their respective actin-nucleating activities within invasion sites. In contrast, the formin Fmn1 was not recruited to invasion sites and did not collaborate with Arp2/3 within the context of TmeA-associated actin recruitment. Although the TarP-Fmn1-Arp2/3 signaling axis is responsible for the majority of actin dynamics, its inhibition had similar effects as the deletion of TmeA on invasion efficiency, consistent with the proposed model that TarP and TmeA act on different stages of the same invasion pathway.
Pictorial guide for variants of Covid-19: CT imaging and interpretation
Authors: Bonito Giacomo , Martinelli Valeria , Vullo Francesco , Basilico Fabrizio , Polito Eleonora , Izzo Antonella , Corso Laura , Ricci Paolo
Published: September 2022

Typical radiologic images of Covid-19 pneumonia consists in a wide spectrum of chest manifestations, which range from peripheral predominant ground-glass opacities to an organizing pneumonia pattern, with additional features including crazy-paving, consolidations, fibrotic streaks and linear opacities.

With variants imaging profile of Covid-19 evolves, producing relatively atypical/indeterminate CT pattern of pulmonary involvement, which overlap with imaging features of a variety of other respiratory diseases, including infections, drug reaction and hypersensitivity pneumonia. Our knowledge of these radiological findings is incomplete and there is a need to strengthen the recognition of the many faces of Covid-19 pneumonia.
Easing batch image processing from OMERO: a new toolbox for ImageJ
Authors: Pouchin Pierre , Zoghlami Rayan , Valarcher Rémi , Delannoy Maxence , Carvalho Manon , Belle Clémence , Mongy Marc , Desset Sophie , Brau Frédéric
Published: September 2022

The Open Microscopy Environment Remote Objects (OMERO) is an open-source image manager used by many biologists to store, organize, view, and share microscopy images, while the open-source software ImageJ/Fiji is a very popular program used to analyse them. However, there is a lack of an easy-to-use generic tool to run a workflow on a batch of images without having to download them to local computers, and to automatically organize the results in OMERO. To offer this functionality, we have built (i) a library in Java: “Simple OMERO Client”, to communicate with an OMERO database from Java software, (ii) an ImageJ/Fiji plugin to run a macro-program on a batch of images from OMERO and (iii) a new set of Macro Functions, “OMERO Macro extensions“, dedicated to interact with OMERO in macro-programming. The latter is intended for developers, with additional possibilities using tag criteria, while the “Batch OMERO plugin” is more geared towards non-IT scientists and has a very easy to use interface. Each tool is illustrated with a use case.
Using smartphone surveys to personalize interventions: development and piloting of the Bayesian Statistical Individualization Algorithm (BaSICA)
Authors: Kaiser Tim , Roth Maria
Published: September 2022

This article provides details on the development of a statistical learning algorithm developed for constructing personalized treatment plans for psychotherapy. The algorithm takes data collected via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) as an input. From this, it constructs an idiographic disorder model that reflects the latent dimensions of this patient’s psychopathology and their temporal interrelations. The priority of individual problems is derived from this statistical model. Based on this, treatment modules from cognitive-behavioral therapy are ranked so that the problems with the highest priority are dealt with first. A case study is used to illustrate the different analysis steps of the algorithm from data collection to the treatment plan.
Students' Digital Competence and Perceived Learning: The mediating role of Learner Agility
Authors: Patwardhan Vidya , Mallya Jyothi , Shedbalkar Rahul , Srivastava Sandeep , Bolar Kartikeya
Published: September 2022

Background:  The ravages of COVID-19 escalated the penetration of online education and usage of digital technologies. While educational institutions across the globe adopted different forms of computer-mediated communication, the institutes in India have gradually attuned to the new normal, notwithstanding the initial glitches of adopting new technology and shifting to blended. It became increasingly significant to gain a better understanding of students’ perspectives of newly emerged learning environment. This motivated the researchers to study the digital competencies (DC) and their impact on students’ learning agility (LA) and perceived learning (PL) in professional/technical education. 

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a DigiComp 2.1 framework was attempted to investigate the relationship between DC and PL among higher education students in India. The data from 359 graduate and post-graduate students were analyzed using Structural equation modelling and Process Macro 4.0.

Results: The findings of this study revealed that DC has a significant positive impact on PL (b = 0.33; p < 0.001), indicating that higher learners' DC leads to higher learning outcomes. Similarly, DC also had a significant positive impact on LA (b = 0.59; p < 0.001), suggesting that the higher DC of learners leads to higher learning agility. Further, a positive significant relationship was also found between LA and PL (b = 0.21; p < 0.001). This significant positive path reveals that higher learners' agility leads to higher student learning outcomes.

Discussion: Post-COVID, DC, a technology-related skill set is linked to the academic performance of teachers and students.  Our findings reveal that DC significantly positively impacts PL and LA.  Therefore, we recommend that the higher educational institutes in India consider the inclusion of DC in their curriculum as a fundamental competence for a better learning outcome for learners.
From pedagogical toward technological pedagogical content knowledge frameworks and their effectiveness in teaching mathematics: A mapping review
Authors: Habiyaremye Hashituky Telesphore , Ntivuguruzwa Celestin , Ntawiha Philothere
Published: September 2022

Background: A study to reveal existing pedagogical or technological pedagogical content knowledge frameworks is crucial to inform and their effectiveness in teaching mathematics. This review study intended to explore the trends of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework, how it has changed over time until the most recent version of technological and pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) was developed, and its effectiveness in teaching mathematics.

Methods: We initially downloaded 273 articles from the first 30 Google Scholar pages and analyzed 229 journal articles. We got 24 frameworks from 64 journal articles since Shulman’s first model in 1986. About 52 out of 229 were mathematics studies. Among these studies, we found that 18 studies have extensively investigated the use of identified frameworks.

Results: The frameworks were presented and descriptively discussed in chronological order. The empirical studies that compared the role of pedagogical and technological pedagogical content knowledge models among classrooms with teachers who possess and do not possess such skills were demonstrated.

Conclusions: The gap in empirical studies was identified, and further studies about the intervention of PCK and TPACK models were suggested to gain more insight into the mathematics classroom.
Apoyo social, soledad, vulnerabilidad y satisfacción con la vida en personas mayores de México
Authors: Andrade Palos Patricia , Sánchez Hernández María Enriqueta , Betancourt Ocampo Diana , González-González Alejandro
Published: September 2022

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar los efectos directos e indirectos del apoyo social, la soledad y la vulnerabilidad percibida en la satisfacción de vida (SV) de dos grupos de personas mayores en México, uno de 60 a 69 años de edad y el otro de 70 a 99. Se contó con una muestra no probabilística de 4.433 personas mayores, 61.8 % fueron mujeres y 38.2 % hombres. Se utilizaron los siguientes instrumentos: la escala de soledad de la Universidad de California; la escala de Red Social de Lubben (LSNS-6) para evaluar el apoyo social percibido; la Escala de Vulnerabilidad Percibida de Myall et al.; la escala de Satisfacción con la Vida de Diener et al., así como un cuestionario sociodemográfico. Los resultados mostraron un buen ajuste de los modelos, en los que se aprecia que para ambos grupos es mayor la varianza explicada de SV al relacionar apoyo social con soledad y vulnerabilidad, que si se mide el efecto directo del apoyo sobre SV. Esta investigación aporta elementos para el desarrollo de programas y políticas públicas que contribuyan al bienestar de personas mayores.
The Predictive Role of MBI, Age, Economic Income, Mental Health, Personality and Internalization of Appearance Patterns on Body Dissatisfaction in Adults, Men and Women
Authors: Pires Ferreira Akerman Laila , Callegaro Borsa Juliane
Published: September 2022

This article presents the results of an investigation of the predictive role of Body Mass Index (BMI), age, internalization of the socially established patterns of appearance, personality traits, mental health, and economic income on adults’ body dissatisfaction. In this study, 156 men (28.5 %) and 391 (71.5 %) women participated (M age = 28.9). All participants responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory (MHI5), the Reduced Personality Markers, the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3, for its initials in Portuguese), and the Situational Body Satisfaction Scale (ESSC, for its initials in Portuguese). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed. For women, significant predictors of the variable dissatisfaction and fat were BMI (β = 0.52), internalization (β = 0.45), neuroticism (β = 0.12), and mental health (β = - 0.13), whereas among men, these were BMI (β = 0.59) and internalization (β = 0.38). […] Results identify differences between men and women and multiple variables that influence body dissatisfaction.
Evaluating the effectiveness of octenidine-containing wash mitts in reducing infections in intensive care
Authors: Scott Vikki-Jo
Published: September 2022

Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at a greater risk of developing hospital-acquired infections (HCAIs). Decontamination, which usually includes a regimen of body washing with an antimicrobial skin cleanser, is used to prevent HCAIs. Approaches can be: targeted, where carriers are identified and decontaminated; or universal, where all patients undergo a decontamination regimen. Universal rather than targeted decontamination is more effective at reducing infection rates and is more cost-effective. Decontamination in the ICU can lower HCAI rates across the entire hospital. Microbial resistance to chlorhexidine, however, which is the main active agent used for decontamination is increasing, and there are also adverse effects, leading to interest in octenidine as an alternative. This article explores the use of octenidine-containing single-use wash mitts in ICUs, which have been positively evaluated regarding antimicrobial activity, and ease and effectiveness of use.
Electrosurgery and surgical site infection
Authors: Winter George
Published: September 2022

Although preventable, surgical site infections have not seen a significant decrease in recent years. George Winter discusses why this could be and the role electrosurgery could play in decreasing the rate of infection
Glaucoma: pharmacological management and iatrogenic causes
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: September 2022

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of glaucoma are essential to preserve sight. Broadly, three approaches lower intraocular pressure (IOP): laser trabeculoplasty, surgery and drugs. This article briefly introduces the main pharmacological classes that reduce IOP, explores some factors that healthcare professionals (HCPs) should consider when using drugs to protect vision and stresses the importance of vigilance by all HCPs to avoid side effects, including iatrogenic glaucoma. The article also introduces some insights into the biological basis of glaucoma that could result in new drugs.
AVALIAÇÃO DA IMPLANTAÇÃO DA POLÍTICA NACIONAL DE SAÚDE INTEGRAL DA POPULAÇÃO NEGRA NO QUE CONCERNE A ATENÇÃO DA SAÚDE DA MULHER NEGRA NO ESTADO DA BAHIA
Authors: Da Silva Santos Layla Nayara
Published: September 2022

Ao longo de várias décadas, o Brasil foi conhecido como o país da “democracia racial”, por ser formado pela miscigenação de povos e culturas, tendo sua composição populacional composta de 202,7 milhões de habitantes, sendo que destes 50,7% corresponde à população negra (compreendendo 43,1% composto de pardos e 7,6% de pretos).
Què en fem, d’una pandèmia? Retrat, més o menys veraç, de dos anys de la LIJ
Authors: Portell Rifà Joan
Published: September 2022

Habitualment els articles d’aquest anuari són com una corretja de distribució: es recull allò que ha derivat dels anys anteriors, es transforma i s’aboca de nou a fi que el món continuï girant. Però això no és possible en el bienni 2020-2021, dos anys de «trasbals total», com els va definir el mestre i mediador Jaume Centelles.

L’article que teniu a les mans no vol ser, doncs, res més que un document testimonial dels canvis que va viure el món del llibre, tots plegats i en pròpia pell, derivats de la pandèmia de la COVID-19. El text fa passada per totes i cada una de les baules del llibre, des dels autors als lectors, a fi de relatar des del petit detall als grans traços de dos anys de la nostra història que han deixat llums i ombres en el llibre i la lectura. Llums, com la capacitat d’adaptació de la població en general i de determinats gremis en particular, i ombres, com les derivades d’algunes actituds dels nostres governants, d’alguns responsables de biblioteques o de les dificultats de supervivència d’alguns autors. Deixeu, doncs, que aquest document suposi un exemple d’allò que vam experimentar i, sigui poc o molt, esdevingui també un aprenentatge que ens ajudi i guiï de cara a un futur ben avorrit.

A més l’article inclou un apartat que en edicions anteriors havia esdevingut un capítol amb entitat pròpia: un recull de les recerques que a diversos nivells s’han presentat i que han aportat una pedra més de l’edifici necessari per saber d’on venim, qui som i cap a on anem. La jubilació de la doctora Teresa Colomer, encarregada anteriorment d’aquest capítol, afegit a la crisi derivada de la pandèmia que també ha afectat les recerques, ha suposat que s’inclogui en aquest capítol.

Com es podrà veure, una part de la informació que es recull en aquesta contribució s’ha obtingut gràcies a la participació desinteressada de moltes de les persones de referència del món de la LIJ. Les entrevistes, sempre plenes de saviesa cada una d’elles, han estat una font inesgotable de coneixement i plaer i la millor forma d’aconseguir pouar fins al fons de l’actualitat del bienni 2020-2021.
Polarization control of 795  nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers by in-phase surface gratings
Authors: Fu Qiuxue , Sun Yurun , Yu Shuzhen , Wang Ancheng , Yin Jiajing , Dong Jian-Rong
Published: September 2022

795 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with in-phase surface gratings are fabricated and investigated theoretically and experimentally. The polarization characteristics of 795 nm VCSELs with various grating periods and depths are analyzed using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method; the dependence of polarization stability on the profile of gratings demonstrates that the trapezoid grating ridge slightly enhances the orthogonal polarization suppression ratio (OPSR), but increases the threshold current. The fabricated VCSELs with a sub-wavelength in-phase surface grating of a duty cycle of 0.5 show stabilized output polarization at the cost of increasing the threshold current which is in agreement with the calculations. The grating VCSELs with a period of 200 nm and an oxide aperture of3.43µm×4.39µmproduce a single-mode output with an OPSR of 16.6 dB and a slope efficiency of 0.42 W/A at 85°C.
Brillouin scattering for refractive index sensing in non-adiabatic tapers
Authors: Catalano E. , Vallifuoco R. , Bernini R. , Zeni L. , Minardo A.
Published: September 2022

We demonstrate the use of non-adiabatic tapers for refractive index sensing in optical fibers based on Brillouin scattering. By exciting higher order optical modes along the taper, the Brillouin gain spectrum becomes multipeaked, where each peak exhibits a different sensitivity to the refractive index of the surrounding medium. By this method, we demonstrate a sensitivity enhancement of the Brillouin frequency shift to refractive index changes by a factor of ≈ 4, compared to an adiabatic taper with the same waist diameter. Furthermore, the use of the spectral difference between two Brillouin gain peaks provides a temperature-independent measurement of the external refractive index.
Self-induced backaction in optical waveguides
Authors: Abbassi Mohammad Ali , Mehrany Khashayar
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we study the backaction effect on the force exerted upon Rayleigh particles in guided structures. We show that the backaction becomes stronger as the group velocity of the guided modes is decreased, which is not unexpected since the fall of group velocity increases the interaction time between the particle and the electromagnetic field. Interestingly, the sign of the group velocity affects the pushing and pulling nature of the exerted electromagnetic force. We specifically investigate the case of a single mode optical waveguide both in the propagating and evanescent regimes, and show that the backaction enables us to enhance the ratio of the potential depth to the trapping intensity, and thereby can be a beneficial tool for nondestructive trapping of small nanoparticles. We further show that backaction can induce some resonances in the optical force in the evanescent regime. These resonances can be employed for sorting of nanoparticles.
Magnetic moiré effects and two types of topological transition in a twisted-bilayer hyperbolic metasurface with double-split ring arrays
Authors: Liu Yi , Ouyang Chunmei , Xu Quan , Ma Jiajun , Li Yanfeng , Han Jiaguang , Zhang Weili
Published: September 2022

Moiré configurations have recently attracted much attention due to their ability to enhance photonic responses and manipulate surface waves in the subwavelength ranges. However, previous studies have usually been focused on natural hyperbolic materials with limitations on patterning procedures, controlling rotation angles, and merely manipulating electric surface plasmons. Here, we theoretically and numerically investigate a novel magnetic moiré hyperbolic metasurface in the terahertz region, which enables two types of topological transition and a plethora of unusual magnetic moiré effects (magnetic surface wave manipulation, dispersion engineering, magic angles, spacer-dependent topological transition, and local field enhancement). This work extends twistronics and moiré physics to the terahertz region and magnetic polaritons, with potential applications in quantum physics, energy transfer, and planarized magnetic plasmonic devices.
Tri-channel metasurface for watermarked structural-color nanoprinting and holographic imaging
Authors: Zhao Naixuan , Li Zile , Zhu Guodong , Li Jiaxin , Deng Liangui , Dai Qi , Zhang Weiguo , He Zhixue , Zheng Guoxing
Published: September 2022

Structural-color nanoprinting, which can generate vivid colors with spatial resolution at subwavelength level, possesses potential market in optical anticounterfeiting and information encryption. Herein, we propose an ultracompact metasurface with a single-cell design strategy to establish three independent information channels for simultaneous watermarked structural-color nanoprinting and holographic imaging. Dual-channel spectrum manipulation and single-channel phase manipulation are combined together by elaborately introducing the orientation degeneracy into the design of variable dielectric nanobricks. Hence, a structural-color nanoprinting image covered with polarization-dependent watermarks and a holographic image can be respectively generated under different decoded environments. The proposed metasurface shows a flexible method for tri-channel image display with high information capacity, and exhibits dual-mode anticounterfeiting with double safeguards, i.e., polarization-controlled watermarks and a far-field holographic image. This study provides a feasible route to develop multifunctional metasurfaces for applications including optical anticounterfeiting, information encryption and security, information multiplexing, etc.
Optical refrigeration of payloads to T < 125 K
Authors: Kock Jackson L. , Albrecht Alexander R. , Epstein Richard I. , Sheik-Bahae Mansoor
Published: September 2022

A modified all-solid-state optical cryocooler prototype based on
anti-Stokes fluorescence in a 10%-doped Yb:YLF crystal cooled a
payload to temperatures below 125 K
starting from room temperature. To achieve this record performance,
the optical refrigerator employed a novel, to the best of our
knowledge, textured-MgF2 thermal link to improve the
thermal transport and fluorescence escape. Additionally, it used
spectrally selective, high-reflection coatings in the pump circulator
cavity to suppress parasitic lasing and amplified spontaneous
emission.
Active terahertz beam manipulation with photonic spin conversion based on a liquid crystal Pancharatnam–Berry metadevice
Authors: Zhao Hui-Jun , Fan Fei , Ji Yun-Yun , Jiang Song-Lin , Tan Zhi-Yu , Chang Sheng-Jiang
Published: September 2022

Active terahertz (THz) beam manipulation is urgently needed for applications in wireless communication, radar detection, and remote sensing. In this work, we demonstrate a liquid crystal (LC) integrated Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) metadevice for active THz beam manipulation. Through theoretical analysis and simulation design, the geometric phase of the PB metasurface is engineered to match the tunable anisotropic phase shift of LCs under an external magnetic field, and dynamic beam deflection accompanied by spin conversion is obtained. The experimental results show that the device realizes a dynamic modulation depth of

>
94
%

and maximum efficiency of over 50% for the different spin states. Moreover, due to the broadband operating characteristics of devices at 0.7–1.3 THz, the deflection angles are frequency dependent with a scanning range of over

±
20
°

to

±
32.5
°

. Moreover, the two conjugate spin states are always spatially separated in different deflection directions with an isolation degree of over 10 dB. Therefore, this metadevice provides a scheme of active THz beam deflection and spin state conversion, and it also achieves both controllable wavelength division multiplexing and spin division multiplexing, which have important potential in large-capacity THz wireless communication.
PrMFTP: Multi-functional therapeutic peptides prediction based on multi-head self-attention mechanism and class weight optimization
Authors: Yan Wenhui , Tang Wending , Wang Lihua , Bin Yannan , Xia Junfeng
Published: September 2022

Prediction of therapeutic peptide is a significant step for the discovery of promising therapeutic drugs. Most of the existing studies have focused on the mono-functional therapeutic peptide prediction. However, the number of multi-functional therapeutic peptides (MFTP) is growing rapidly, which requires new computational schemes to be proposed to facilitate MFTP discovery. In this study, based on multi-head self-attention mechanism and class weight optimization algorithm, we propose a novel model called PrMFTP for MFTP prediction. PrMFTP exploits multi-scale convolutional neural network, bi-directional long short-term memory, and multi-head self-attention mechanisms to fully extract and learn informative features of peptide sequence to predict MFTP. In addition, we design a class weight optimization scheme to address the problem of label imbalanced data. Comprehensive evaluation demonstrate that PrMFTP is superior to other state-of-the-art computational methods for predicting MFTP. We provide a user-friendly web server of PrMFTP, which is available athttp://bioinfo.ahu.edu.cn/PrMFTP.