bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nurses' and auxiliary nurse midwives' adherence to essential birth practices with peer coaching in Uttar Pradesh, India: a secondary analysis of the BetterBirth trial
Authors: Molina Rose L. , Neal Brandon J. , Bobanski Lauren , Singh Vinay Pratap , Neville Bridget A. , Delaney Megan Marx , Lipsitz Stuart , Karlage Ami , Shetye Mrunal , Semrau Katherine E. A.
Published: January 2020

Background

The BetterBirth trial tested the effect of a peer coaching program around the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist for birth attendants in primary-level facilities in Uttar Pradesh, India on a composite measure of perinatal and maternal mortality and maternal morbidity. This study aimed to examine the adherence to essential birth practices between two different cadres of birth attendants—nurses and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs)—during and after a peer coaching intervention for the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of birth attendant characteristics, coaching visits, and behavior uptake during the BetterBirth trial through birth attendant surveys, coach observations, and independent observations. Descriptive statistics were calculated overall, and by staffing cadre (staff nurses and ANMs) for demographic characteristics. Logistic regression using the Pearson overdispersion correction (to account for clustering by site) was used to assess differences between staff nurses and ANMs in the intervention group during regular coaching (2-month time point) and 4 months after the coaching program ended (12-month time point).

Results

Of the 570 birth attendants who responded to the survey in intervention and control arms, 474 were staff nurses (83.2%) and 96 were ANMs (16.8%). In the intervention arm, more staff nurses (240/260, 92.3%) received coaching at all pause points compared to ANMs (40/53, 75.5%). At baseline, adherence to practices was similar between ANMs and staff nurses (~ 30%). Overall percent adherence to essential birth practices among ANMs and nurses was highest at 2 months after intervention initiation, when frequent coaching visits occurred (68.1% and 64.1%, respectively,p = 0.76). Practice adherence tapered to 49.2% among ANMs and 56.1% among staff nurses at 12 months, which was 4 months after coaching had ended (p = 0.68).

Conclusions

Overall, ANMs and nurses responded similarly to the coaching intervention with the greatest increase in percent adherence to essential birth practices after 2 months of coaching and subsequent decrease in adherence 4 months after coaching ended. While coaching is an effective strategy to support some aspects of birth attendant competency, the structure, content, and frequency of coaching may need to be customized according to the birth attendant training and competency.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT2148952; Universal Trial Number: U1111–1131-5647.
Correction to: The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Instrument Review Project: a methodology to promote rigorous evaluation
Authors: Lewis Cara C. , Stanick Cameo F. , Martinez Ruben G. , Weiner Bryan J. , Kim Mimi , Barwick Melanie , Comtois Katherine A.
Published: January 2020

Following publication of the original article [1] the authors reported an important acknowledgement was mistakenly omitted from the ‘Acknowledgements’ section. The full acknowledgement is included in this Correction article:
Monteggia-like lesions in adults treated with radial head arthroplasty—mid-term follow-up of 27 cases
Authors: Jung Matthias , Groetzner-Schmidt Corinna , Porschke Felix , Grützner Paul A. , Guehring Thorsten , Schnetzke Marc
Published: January 2020

Background

The aim of the study was to analyze the functional and radiological outcome of Monteggia-like lesions in adults with unreconstructible fracture of the radial head and treatment with radial head arthroplasty.

Methods

Twenty-seven patients (mean age 56 years; range 36 to 79 years) with a Monteggia-like lesion and treatment with radial head replacement were included in this retrospective study. Minimum follow-up was 2 years. Clinical assessment included the pain level with the visual analog scale in rest (VASR) and under pressure (VASP), range of motion, Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), and Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score (DASH). A detailed radiological evaluation was performed. Complications and revisions were also analyzed.

Results

After a mean follow-up period of 69 months (range, 24 to 170) the mean DASH score was 30 ± 24, the MEPS averaged 77 ± 20 points, the mean VASR was 2.1 ± 2.4, and VASP was 4.5 ± 3.5. Mean loss of extension was 24° ± 18 and flexion was 124° ± 20. Heterotopic ossifications were noted in 12 patients (44%). A total of 17 complications were noted in 11 patients (41%), leading to 15 revision surgeries in 9 patients (33%). Patients with a complicated postoperative course showed a worse clinical outcome compared with patients without complications measured by MEPS (68 ± 22 vs. 84 ± 16), DASH (49 ± 16 vs. 20 ± 22) and ulnohumeral motion (77° ± 31 vs. 117° ± 23).

Conclusions

Monteggia-like lesions with unreconstructible radial head fracture and treatment with radial head replacement are prone to complications and revisions.
Diagnostic studies of abortion in Danish cattle 2015–2017
Authors: Wolf-Jäckel Godelind Alma , Hansen Mette Sif , Larsen Gitte , Holm Elisabeth , Agerholm Jørgen Steen , Jensen Tim Kåre
Published: January 2020

Background

Abortion is a major source of economic losses in cattle breeding. Abortion occurs due to a wide range of causes, but infections are the most frequently diagnosed. However, establishing an aetiological diagnosis remains challenging due to the large variety of bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and fungi that have been associated with abortion in cattle. Economic restraints limit the range of diagnostic methods available for routine diagnostics, and decomposition of the conceptus or lack of proper fetal and/or maternal samples further restrict the diagnostic success. In this study, we report recent diagnostic findings from bovine abortions in Denmark, a country that has a large dairy sector and is free from most infectious agents causing epizootic abortion in cattle. The aims of the study were: (i) to identify infectious causes of bovine abortion in Denmark, (ii) to categorise the diagnostic findings based on the level of diagnostic certainty, and (iii) to assess the diagnostic rate. Due to economic restraints, only a limited panel of routine diagnostic methods were available. Placentas and/or fetuses from mid- to late-term abortions and stillbirths (n = 162) were submitted to the Danish National Veterinary Institute between January 2015 and June 2017. The aborted materials were examined macroscopically, histologically, and by bacterial culture. Maternal blood samples were tested for bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) antibodies.

Results

The likely aetiology of the abortion was diagnosed in 52 cases, resulting in a diagnostic rate of 33%. The most common cause was protozoal infection (19%) followed by infection withTrueperella pyogenes(3%),Staphylococcus aureus(2%), and non-haemolyticEscherichia coli(2%). Lesions in fetuses with a protozoal infection were consistent with neosporosis. In many cases (38%), inflammatory changes were found in the placenta and/or fetal organs but no specific aetiology was identified. Neither infection withBrucellaspp. nor maternal BVDV antibodies were detected. The majority of submitting herds (92%) were each represented by fewer than three abortion cases over the study period.

Conclusions

Protozoal infection, most likely neosporosis, was the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortion and the only one associated with potential epizootic abortion events. Despite using a reduced number of diagnostic methods in comparison to other abortion studies, the diagnostic rate of this study was within the range reported in an earlier Danish study, as well as in recent international studies. The low number of submitted cases per herd and the sparse anamnestic information provided at submission hampered conclusions on the potential epizootic character of the abortion events in question.
Spontaneous trigger words associated with confirmed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a descriptive pilot study of emergency calls
Authors: Tamminen Joonas , Lydén Erik , Kurki Jan , Huhtala Heini , Kämäräinen Antti , Hoppu Sanna
Published: January 2020

Background

According to the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), the trigger words used by callers that are associated with cardiac arrest constitute a scientific knowledge gap. This study was designed to find hypothetical trigger words in emergency calls in order to improve the specificity of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest recognition.

Methods

In this descriptive pilot study conducted in a Finnish hospital district, linguistic contents of 80 emergency calls of dispatcher-suspected or EMS-encountered out-of-hospital cardiac arrests between January 1, 2017 and May 31, 2017 were analysed. Spontaneous trigger words used by callers were transcribed and grouped into 36 categories. The association between the spontaneous trigger words and confirmed true cardiac arrests was tested with logistic regression.

Results

Of the suspected cardiac arrests, 51 (64%) were confirmed as true cardiac arrests when ambulance personnel met the patient. A total of 291 spontaneous trigger words were analysed. ‘Is not breathing’ (n = 9 [18%] in the true cardiac arrest group vs n = 1 [3%] in the non-cardiac arrest group, odds ratio [OR] 6.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72–50.0), ‘the patient is blue’ (n = 9 [18%] vs n = 1 [3%], OR 6.00, 95% CI 0.72–50.0), ‘collapsed or fallen down’ (n = 12 [24%] vs n = 2 [7%], OR 4.15, 95% CI 0.86–20.1) and ‘is wheezing’ (n = 17 [33%] vs n = 5 [17%], OR 2.40, 95% CI 0.78–7.40) were frequently used to describe true cardiac arrest. ‘Is snoring’ was associated with a false suspicion of cardiac arrest (n = 1 [2%] vs n = 6 [21%], OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.009–0.67).

Conclusions

In our pilot study, no trigger word was associated with confirmed cardiac arrest. ‘Is wheezing’ was a frequently used spontaneous trigger word among later confirmed cardiac arrest victims.
Estimating dose-response for time to remission with instrumental variable adjustment: the obscuring effects of drug titration in Genome Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression Trial (GENDEP): clinical trial data
Authors: Hellier Jennifer , Emsley Richard , Pickles Andrew
Published: January 2020

Background

Threshold regression, in which time to remission is modelled as a stochastic drift towards a boundary, is an alternative to the proportional hazards survival model and has a clear conceptual mechanism for examining the effects of drug dose. However, for both threshold regression and proportional hazard models, when dose titration occurs during treatment, the estimated causal effect of dose can be biased by confounding. An instrumental variable analysis can be used to minimise such bias.

Method

Weekly antidepressant dose was measured in 380 men and women with major depression treated with escitalopram or nortriptyline for 12 weeks as part of the Genome Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) study. The averaged dose relative to maximum prescribing dose was calculated from the 12 trial weeks and tested for association with time to depression remission. We combined the instrumental variable approach, utilising randomised treatment as an instrument, with threshold regression and proportional hazard survival models.

Results

The threshold model was constructed with two linear predictors. In the naïve models, averaged daily dose was not associated with reduced time to remission. By contrast, the instrumental variable analyses showed a clear and significant relationship between increased dose and faster time to remission, threshold regression (velocity estimate: 0.878, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.152–1.603) and proportional hazards (log hazards ratio: 3.012, 95% CI: 0.086–5.938).

Conclusions

We demonstrate, using the GENDEP trial, the benefits of these analyses to estimate causal parameters rather than those that estimate associations. The results for the trial dataset show the link between antidepressant dose and time to depression remission. The threshold regression model more clearly distinguishes the factors associated with initial severity from those influencing treatment effect. Additionally, applying the instrumental variable estimator provides a more plausible causal estimate of drug dose on treatment effect. This validity of these results is subject to meeting the assumptions of instrumental variable analyses.

Trial registration

EudraCT, 2004–001723-38; ISRCTN,03693000. Registered on 27 September 2007.
Small extracellular vesicles derived from embryonic stem cells restore ovarian function of premature ovarian failure through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
Authors: Liu Mengyu , Qiu Yu , Xue Zhuowei , Wu Ruoyu , Li Jie , Niu Xin , Yuan Ji , Wang Yang , Wu Qingkai
Published: January 2020

Background

Premature ovarian failure (POF) has a great impact on reproductive endocrine function in females, and it is an important cause of infertility. Previous studies have demonstrated that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from stem cells play an important role in tissue regeneration. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of sEVs derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs-sEVs) on damaged ovaries and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods

Mice POF models were established by injecting mice with cyclophosphamide and busulfan. Then, ESCs-sEVs were intravenously transplanted into POF mice. The plasma of mice was harvested at 1 and 2 weeks after treatment to analyze the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), estradiol (E2), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) by ELISA. The morphology of ovaries and follicles was observed by H&E staining, and apoptosis of granulosa cells was detected by TUNEL. In vitro, EdU and CCK-8 tests were used to evaluate the proliferation of cultured granulosa cells stimulated by ESCs-sEVs. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of PI3K/AKT and apoptotic-related proteins.

Results

After transplantation of ESCs-sEVs, the levels of serum sex hormones recovered to normal levels. In addition, the number of follicles was significantly increased, and the number of apoptotic cells was decreased. The results in vitro revealed that ESCs-sEVs could significantly improve the proliferation rate of granulosa cells and increase the expression of phosphorylated PI3K and AKT. Meanwhile, the positive effect on proliferation and the negative effect on apoptosis observed in granulosa cells were obviously decreased when the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was inhibited.

Conclusion

Our findings suggested that ESCs-sEVs could improve ovarian function by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which could provide a promising clinical therapy for POF.
Long non-coding RNA FER1L4 promotes osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stromal cells via miR-874-3p and vascular endothelial growth factor A
Authors: Huang Yiping , Han Yineng , Guo Runzhi , Liu Hao , Li Xiaobei , Jia Lingfei , Zheng Yunfei , Li Weiran
Published: January 2020

Background

Periodontal ligament stromal cells (PDLSCs) are ideal cell sources for periodontal tissue repair and regeneration, but little is known about what determines their osteogenic capacity. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulatory molecules at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. However, their roles in the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs are still largely unknown.

Methods

The expression of lncRNA Fer-1-like family member 4 (FER1L4) during the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Overexpression or knockdown of FER1L4 was used to confirm its regulation of osteogenesis in PDLSCs. Alkaline phosphatase and Alizarin red S staining were used to detect mineral deposition. Dual luciferase reporter assays were used to analyze the binding of miR-874-3p to FER1L4 and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Bone regeneration in critical-sized calvarial defects was assessed in nude mice. New bone formation was analyzed by micro-CT, hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson’s trichrome staining, and immunohistochemical analyses.

Results

FER1L4 levels increased gradually during consecutive osteogenic induction of PDLSCs. Overexpression of FER1L4 promoted the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs, as revealed by alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin red S staining, and the expression of osteogenic markers, whereas FER1L4 knockdown inhibited these processes. Subsequently, we identified a predicted binding site for miR-874-3p on FER1L4 and confirmed a direct interaction between them. Wild-type FER1L4 reporter activity was significantly inhibited by miR-874-3p, whereas mutant FER1L4 reporter was not affected. MiR-874-3p inhibited osteogenic differentiation and reversed the promotion of osteogenesis in PDLSCs by FER1L4. Moreover, miR-874-3p targeted VEGFA, a crucial gene in osteogenic differentiation, whereas FER1L4 upregulated the expression of VEGFA. In vivo, overexpression of FER1L4 led to more bone formation compared to the control group, as demonstrated by micro-CT and the histologic analyses.

Conclusion

FER1L4 positively regulates the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs via miR-874-3p and VEGFA. Our study provides a promising target for enhancing the osteogenic potential of PDLSCs and periodontal regeneration.
Long noncoding RNA HULC accelerates the growth of human liver cancer stem cells by upregulating CyclinD1 through miR675-PKM2 pathway via autophagy
Authors: Wang Chen , Jiang Xiaoxue , Li Xiaonan , Song Shuting , Meng Qiuyu , Wang Liyan , Lu Yanan , Xin Xiaoru , Pu Hu , Gui Xin , Li Tianming , Lu Dongdong
Published: January 2020

Background

The functions of HULC have been demonstrated in several cancers. However, its mechanism has not been elucidated in human liver cancer stem cells.

Methods

Liver cancer stem cells were isolated from Huh7 cells; gene infection and tumorigenesis test in vitro and in vivo were performed.

Results

We demonstrate that HULC promotes growth of liver cancer stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, HULC enhances the expression of Sirt1 dependent on miR675 and then induces the cellular autophagy through Sirt1. HULC enhances CyclinD1 and thereby increases pRB and inhibited P21 WAF1/CIP 1 via autophagy-miR675-PKM2 pathway in human liver cancer stem cells. Ultimately, our results demonstrate that CyclinD1 is required for the oncogenic functions of HULC in liver cancer stem cells.

Conclusions

It reveals the key molecular signaling pathways for HULC and provides important basic information for finding effective tumor therapeutic targets based on HULC.
Review of “The Model Thinker” by Scott Page
Authors: Niazi Muaz A. , Iantovics László Barna , Temkin Anatoly
Published: January 2020

Book details

Scott E. Page

The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You.

Hatchett Book Group.

448 pages; ISBN-10: 0465094627; ISBN-13: 978-0465094622. 18.56 USD.
Role of offset and gradient architectures of 3-D melt electrowritten scaffold on differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts
Authors: Abbasi Naghmeh , Ivanovski Saso , Gulati Karan , Love Robert M. , Hamlet Stephen
Published: January 2020

Background

Cell-scaffold based therapies have the potential to offer an efficient osseous regenerative treatment and PCL has been commonly used as a scaffold, however its effectiveness is limited by poor cellular retention properties. This may be improved through a porous scaffold structure with efficient pore arrangement to increase cell entrapment. To facilitate this, melt electrowriting (MEW) has been developed as a technique able to fabricate cell-supporting scaffolds with precise micro pore sizes via predictable fibre deposition. The effect of the scaffold’s architecture on cellular gene expression however has not been fully elucidated.

Methods

The design and fabrication of three different uniform pore structures (250, 500 and 750 μm), as well as two offset scaffolds with different layout of fibres (30 and 50%) and one complex scaffold with three gradient pore sizes of 250–500 - 750 μm, was performed by using MEW. Calcium phosphate modification was applied to enhance the PCL scaffold hydrophilicity and bone inductivity prior to seeding with osteoblasts which were then maintained in culture for up to 30 days. Over this time, osteoblast cell morphology, matrix mineralisation, osteogenic gene expression and collagen production were assessed.

Results

The in vitro findings revealed that the gradient scaffold significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity in the attached osteoblasts while matrix mineralization was higher in the 50% offset scaffolds. The expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin genes were also upregulated compared to other osteogenic genes following 30 days culture, particularly in offset and gradient scaffold structures. Immunostaining showed significant expression of osteocalcin in offset and gradient scaffold structures.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that the heterogenous pore sizes in gradient and fibre offset PCL scaffolds prepared using MEW significantly improved the osteogenic potential of osteoblasts and hence may provide superior outcomes in bone regeneration applications.
Integrated analysis of directly captured microRNA targets reveals the impact of microRNAs on mammalian transcriptome
Authors: Bjerke Glen A. , Yi Rui
Published: January 2020

MicroRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulation is widespread, relatively mild but functionally important. It remains challenging to unequivocally identify miRNA targeted RNAs at a genomic scale and determine how changes in miRNA levels affect the transcriptome. Here, we captured individual miRNAs and their targeted RNA sites in wild-type, miR-200 family knockout and induced epithelial cells. We detected 1797 miRNAs interacting with 13,830 transcripts at 616,127 sites by sequencing 1,230,019 unique miRNA:RNA chimeras. Although mRNA sites that are bound by miRNAs and contain matches to seed sequences confer the strongest regulation, ∼40%–60% of miRNA bound regions do not contain seed matches. Different miRNAs have different preferences to seed matches and 3′ end base-pairing. For individual miRNAs, the effectiveness of mRNA regulation is highly correlated with the number of captured miRNA:mRNA chimeras. Notably, elevated miR-200 expression robustly represses existing targets with little impact on newly recognized targets. Global analysis of directly captured mRNA targets reveals pathways that are involved in cancer and cell adhesion and signaling pathways that are highly regulated by many different miRNAs in epithelial cells. Comparison between experimentally captured and TargetScan predicted targets indicates that our approach is more effective in identifying bona fide targets by reducing false positive and negative predictions. This study reveals the global binding landscape and impact of miRNAs on the mammalian transcriptome.
Synthesis of low immunogenicity RNA with high-temperature in vitro transcription
Authors: Wu Monica Z. , Asahara Haruichi , Tzertzinis George , Roy Bijoyita
Published: January 2020

The use of synthetic RNA for therapeutics requires that the in vitro synthesis process be robust and efficient. The technology used for the synthesis of these in vitro-transcribed RNAs, predominantly using phage RNA polymerases (RNAPs), is well established. However, transcripts synthesized with RNAPs are known to display an immune-stimulatory activity in vivo that is often undesirable. Previous studies have identified double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a major by-product of the in vitro transcription (IVT) process, as a trigger of cellular immune responses. Here we describe the characterization of a high-temperature IVT process using thermostable T7 RNAPs to synthesize functional mRNAs that demonstrate reduced immunogenicity without the need for a post-synthesis purification step. We identify features that drive the production of two kinds of dsRNA by-products—one arising from 3′ extension of the run-off product and one formed by the production of antisense RNAs—and demonstrate that at a high temperature, T7 RNAP has reduced 3′-extension of the run-off product. We show that template-encoded poly(A) tailing does not affect 3′-extension but reduces the formation of the antisense RNA by-products. Combining high-temperature IVT with template-encoded poly(A) tailing prevents the formation of both kinds of dsRNA by-products generating functional mRNAs with reduced immunogenicity.
Performances Analysis on Power Quality Problems Mitigation by using Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC)
Authors: Thit May Phone
Published: January 2020

Nowadays, power quality is one of the major problems in electric power distribution system. The poor power quality at distribution level can affect the operation and performance of sensitive and critical loads. In the distribution systems, poor power quality results in various problems such as higher power losses, harmonics, sag and swells in the voltage, and poor power factor., etc. Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) is the only versatile device which can mitigate several power quality problems related with distribution system. A UPQC that combines the operations of a Distribution Static Compensator (D-STATCOM) and Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) together with the shunt and series active control devices. UPQC can solve the problems related to the voltage/current harmonics, voltage sag/swell and unbalance in distribution system. To evaluate the performance improvement in the system, a model of UPQC is developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK with a typical distribution network. In this research, UPQC is applied for power quality enhancement of Myaungtagar industrial distribution substation, Myanmar. Enhancements in power quality by UPQC are evaluated under maximum load condition.Keywords—Power Quality, UPQC, Series Controller, Shunt controller, Harmonics
Preoperative embolization in surgical treatment of long bone metastasis: a systematic literature review
Authors: Geraets Stijn E. W. , Bos P. Koen , van der Stok Johan
Published: January 2020

Surgery of long bone metastases is associated with a significant risk of perioperative blood loss, which may necessitate blood transfusion. Successful embolization (> 70% obliteration of vascularity) can be achieved in 36–75% of cases. The reported rate of embolization-related complications is 0–9%. Three out of six level III evidence studies showed a reduction in perioperative blood loss and/or blood transfusion requirement after preoperative embolization of renal cell carcinoma metastasis in long bones; three out of six studies did not. One level III evidence study did not show a reduction in perioperative blood loss and/or transfusion requirement after preoperative embolization of hepatocellular carcinoma metastases in long bones. There were no studies found that support preoperative embolization of thyroid metastases or other frequent long bone metastases (e.g. mamma carcinoma, lung carcinoma, or prostate carcinoma). The clinical level of evidence of the studies found is low and randomized studies taking into account primary tumour, location of metastases and type of surgery are therefore desired.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:17-25. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.190013
Single-frequency chirally coupled-core all-fiber amplifier with 100  W in a linearly polarized TEM00 mode
Authors: Hochheim Sven , Steinke Michael , Wessels Peter , de Varona Omar , Koponen Joona , Lowder Tyson , Novotny Steffen , Neumann Jörg , Kracht Dietmar
Published: January 2020

Large mode area fibers have become indispensable in addressing the power requirements of laser sources in gravitational wave detectors. Besides high power capabilities, the system must provide an excellent beam quality and polarization. In this Letter, we present the characterization of a monolithic high-power fiber amplifier at 1064 nm, built using an ytterbium-doped chirally coupled-core fiber, which achieves an output power of 100 W in a linearly polarized

T
E
M

00

mode in an all-fiber setup.
Strain tuning of the emission axis of quantum emitters in an atomically thin semiconductor
Authors: Chakraborty Chitraleema , Mukherjee Arunabh , Moon Hyowon , Konthasinghe Kumarasiri , Qiu Liangyu , Hou Wenhui , Peña Tara , Watson Carla , Wu Stephen M. , Englund Dirk , Vamivakas Nick
Published: January 2020

Strain engineering is a natural route to control the electronic and
optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Recently, 2D
semiconductors have also been demonstrated as an intriguing host of
strain-induced quantum-confined emitters with unique valley properties
inherited from the host semiconductor. Here, we study the continuous
and reversible tuning of the light emitted by such localized emitters
in a monolayer tungsten diselenide embedded in a van der Waals
heterostructure. Biaxial strain is applied on the emitters via strain
transfer from a lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate (PMN-PT)
piezoelectric substrate. Efficient modulation of the emission energy
of several localized emitters up to 10 meV has been demonstrated on
application of a voltage on the piezoelectric substrate. Further, we
also find that the emission axis rotates by

∼

40
∘

as the magnitude of the biaxial
strain is varied on these emitters. These results elevate the prospect
of using all electrically controlled devices where the property of the
localized emitters in a 2D host can be engineered with elastic fields
for an integrated opto-electronics and nano-photonics platform.
Brillouin wavelength-selective all-optical polarization conversion
Authors: Samaniego Diego , Vidal Borja
Published: January 2020

The manipulation of the polarization properties of light in guided media is crucial in many classical and quantum optical systems. However, the capability of current technology to finely define the state of polarization of particular wavelengths is far from the level of maturity in amplitude control. Here, we introduce a light-by-light polarization control mechanism with wavelength selectivity based on the change of the phase retardance by means of stimulated Brillouin scattering. Experiments show that any point on the Poincaré sphere can be reached from an arbitrary input state of polarization with little variation of the signal amplitude (

<
2.5
  
dB

). Unlike other Brillouin processing schemes, the degradation of the noise figure is small (1.5 dB for a full

2
π

rotation). This all-optical polarization controller can forge the development of new polarization-based techniques in optical communication, laser engineering, sensing, quantum systems, and light-based probing of chemical and biological systems.
All-optical tuning of a diamond micro-disk resonator on silicon
Authors: Hill Paul , Klitis Charalambos , Guilhabert Benoit , Sorel Marc , Gu Erdan , Dawson Martin D. , Strain Michael J.
Published: January 2020

High-quality integrated diamond photonic devices have previously been demonstrated in applications from non-linear photonics to on-chip quantum optics. However, the small sample sizes of single crystal material available, and the difficulty in tuning its optical properties, are barriers to the scaling of these technologies. Both of these issues can be addressed by integrating micrometer-scale diamond devices onto host photonic integrated circuits using a highly accurate micro-assembly method. In this work a diamond micro-disk resonator is integrated with a standard single-mode silicon-on-insulator waveguide, exhibiting an average loaded

Q

-factor of

3.1
×

10

4

across a range of spatial modes, with a maximum loaded

Q

-factor of

1.05
×

10

5

. The micrometer-scale device size and high thermal impedance of the silica interface layer allow for significant thermal loading and continuous resonant wavelength tuning across a 450 pm range using a milliwatt-level optical pump. This diamond-on-demand integration technique paves the way for tunable devices coupled across large-scale photonic circuits.
First-photon imaging via a hybrid penalty
Authors: Peng Xiao , Zhao Xin-Yu , Li Li-Jing , Sun Ming-Jie
Published: January 2020

First-photon imaging is a photon-efficient, computational imaging technique that reconstructs an image by recording only the first-photon arrival event at each spatial location and then optimizing the recorded photon information. The optimization algorithm plays a vital role in image formation. A natural scene containing spatial correlation can be reconstructed by maximum likelihood of all spatial locations constrained with a sparsity regularization penalty, and different penalties lead to different reconstructions. The

l

1

-norm penalty of wavelet transform reconstructs major features but blurs edges and high-frequency details of the image. The total variational penalty preserves edges better; however, it induces a “staircase effect,” which degrades image quality. In this work, we proposed a hybrid penalty to reconstruct better edge features while suppressing the staircase effect by combining wavelet

l
1

-norm and total variation into one penalty function. Results of numerical simulations indicate that the proposed hybrid penalty reconstructed better images, which have an averaged root mean square error of 12.83%, 5.68%, and 10.56% smaller than those of the images reconstructed by using only wavelet

l
1

-norm penalty, total variation penalty, or recursive dyadic partitions method, respectively. Experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical ones, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed hybrid penalty. Having been verified in a first-photon imaging system, the proposed hybrid penalty can be applied to other noise-removal optimization problems.
PLANKTON DISTRIBUTION IN CONTROLLED WATER OF MILKFISH LARVA CULTURE SYSTEM
Authors: Nasukha Afifah , Aslianti Titiek
Published: January 2020

The selection of planktons as live feed for milkfish larvae is a vital tool to meet the natural character as herbivorous species and to fulfill the needs for nutritious food for fish larval growth and survival. Phytoplankton Nannochloropsis sp. and zooplankton rotifer (Brachionus sp.) were two-selected plankton used as the main food source for the milkfish larvae. We performed this study in two times larval culture batch with four observations of tanks as replication. The results showed that we nourished both targeted planktons as larval food, regarding the positive impacts on larval growth (12±1,37 mm of total length, 7±4.89 mg of body weight) and a high survival rate (65.93–77.70%) achieved at the end of the culture period. Plankton diversity analysis presented that Class of rotifer (Monogononta) and Nannochloropsis sp. (Eustigmatophyceae) were both counted as the most dominant plankton group found in the rearing media, showing a decent sign of food supply for fish in rearing water column. The total number of planktons was high and had the tendency to follow the concentration of selected planktons over the culture period in the controlled water.
AKTIVITAS LARVISIDAL EKSTRAK ETIL ASETAT DAN HEKSANA DARI FILTRAT Beauveria bassiana TERHADAP Aedes aegypti
Authors: Aryantha I Nyoman Pugeg , Dwiantara Wahyu Setyaji
Published: January 2020

Beauveria bassiana produces several metabolites that are toxic to insects so that it can be used as a biological insect control agent as an alternative to synthetic pesticides. The aim of this study was to determine the larvicidal activity of ethyl acetate and hexane extract from B. bassiana filtrate culture against Aedes aegypti 2nd instar larvae. This research was it cooked by determining the optimum age of spore inoculum of B. bassiana on the Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) based on the number of spores and its viability. Afterwards, we determine the incubation time of B. bassiana in the Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) in order to obtain filtrate culture which have highest mortality effects against Ae. aegypti 2nd instar larvae. B. bassiana filtrate culture was extracted with hexane and ethyl acetate and tested aegypti for larvicidal activity with a concentration range of 50, 100, 200, 300 ppm. The LC50 value was carried out by probit analysis. The results showed that ninth day old culture in the PDA was the optimum age of spore inoculum with the spore number and viability were 2.54 x 107 spore/mL and 93.46% respectively. The filtrate of sixth day old culture in PDB medium gave 100% mortality against 2nd instar Ae. Aegypti larvae. LC50 values of ethyl acetate and hexane extract were 117.28 dan 287.09 ppm. These results showed that the ethyl acetate and hexane extract of B. bassiana filtrate culture have biopesticide potential against 2nd instar Ae. aegypti larvae.
Trends in Wait Time for Colorectal Cancer Screening and Diagnosis 2013-2016
Authors: Hubers Jeffrey , Sonnenberg Amnon , Gopal Deepak , Weiss Jennifer , Holobyn Thomas , Soni Anurag
Published: January 2020

OBJECTIVES:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening has increased in the United States during the past 20 years, resulting in an increased demand for colonoscopy. We tested the hypothesis that such increase resulted in longer wait times for colonoscopy and influenced CRC diagnosis.

METHODS:

A total of 36,623 consecutive colonoscopies performed at the University of Wisconsin from April 8, 2013, until December 31, 2016, were included in the analysis. Wait times for colonoscopy were stratified by consecutive 6-month periods and indications of screening/surveillance vs diagnostic colonoscopy.

RESULTS:

Despite unchanged number of endoscopists, more colonoscopies were performed in 2015–2016 than in 2013–2014 (20,897 vs 15,726, respectively, P = 0.004). The mean wait time for colonoscopy increased from 68 days in 2013–2014 to 111 days in 2015–2016 (P < 0.0001), with most change affecting screening/surveillance colonoscopy. In 170 patients with a newly diagnosed CRC, the wait time did not significantly change between 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 (21 vs 27 days, respectively, P = 0.2206).

DISCUSSION:

An increase in screening/surveillance colonoscopies resulted in a substantial rise in the number of procedures between 2013 and 2016. This increase was associated with longer wait times for screening/surveillance but not diagnostic colonoscopy. Longer wait times did not result in later CRC stage at diagnosis.
Impactos socioambientais da construção de barragens sobre territórios rurais
Authors: Silva Leandro Muniz Barbosa da , Selva Vanice Santiago Fragoso , Aguiar Wagner José de
Published: January 2020

O Rio Jaboatão, que corta o município de Moreno, anualmente transborda, afetando uma parcela significativa da população que mora nos locais próximos ao seu entorno. Com o intuito de resolver os problemas de abastecimento de água e minimizar o impacto das enchentes do rio, o governo do Estado de Pernambuco está construindo em parceria com a Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa), a Barragem do Engenho Pereira, situada no município de Moreno. Se for concluída, a construção alagará uma área de 263 hectares de terras às margens do rio, estendendo-se por áreas do Assentamento Rural Hebert de Souza (AHS). Em razão desta medida, 42 famílias de pequenos agricultores do assentamento foram removidas para outra localidade e indenizadas no ano de 2013. O objetivo da pesquisa foi analisar os impactos socioambientais ocasionados pela implantação das obras de construção da Barragem do Engenho Pereira sobre a comunidade do AHS. Foram utilizadas técnicas de entrevista coletiva e individual para analisar a percepção dos assentados atingidos. A implantação da obra da barragem vem ocasionando diversos problemas, desencadeou conflitos, impactos ao meio físico-natural e uso ineficiente dos recursos públicos. Os resultados demonstram uma correlação entre os impactos negativos apontados pelo Estudo de Impacto Ambiental e Relatório de Impacto Ambiental (EIA/RIMA) do empreendimento com os relatos feitos pelos entrevistados. Nota-se um claro descaso dos órgãos responsáveis pela construção do empreendimento. Pouco foi levado em consideração no que diz respeito aos impactos causados pela dinâmica dos deslocamentos das famílias e direitos básicos foram violados.
Analysis Of Usability In FIFA 15 and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 15 Using Mc Call’s Quality Factors
Authors: Yudistira Yudistira , Yazid Ahmad Subhan , Fatwanto Agung
Published: January 2020

FIFA 15 and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 15 are soccer games that are popular in Indonesia. Usability testing needs to be done to assess user interest and satisfaction with both and provide an overview of the comparison of them. The framework used for testing is McCall’S. The test combines operability matrix and training matrix to determine software quality. McCall’S was chosen because it has a reliable and comprehensive quality factor indicators. The results of the tests carried out were data on the operability level of PES15 games of 76.81% ± 15.76% and FIFA15 games of 70.65% ± 20.73%. Testing of training matrices produced 15.96 ± 21.74 seconds for PES15 and 78.29 ± 25.73 seconds for FIFA15 game training matrix. The data shows that reusability of PES15 is better than FIFA15.
Antisymmetry of the Stochastical Order on all Ordered Topological Spaces
Authors: Fritz Tobias
Published: January 2020

In this short note, we prove that the stochastic order of Radon probability measures on any ordered topological space is antisymmetric. This has been known before in various special cases. We give a simple and elementary proof of the general result.
Co-cultured Bone-marrow Derived and Tendon Stem Cells: Novel Seed Cells for Bone Regeneration
Authors: Liu Yang , Yuan Chengsong , Zhou Mei , Tang Kanglai
Published: January 2020

Tendon-bone healing after injury is an unsolved problem. Several types of stem cells are used as seed cells. However, the optimal co-culture ratio of different types of cells suitable for tissue engineering as well as the stimulator for facilitating the differentiation of stem cells in tendon-bone healing is unclear. In this study, the proliferation of both bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) and tendon stem cells (TSCs) was increased at a 1:1 co-cultured ratio, and proliferation was suppressed by Tenascin C (TNC). TNC treatment can promote osteogenesis or chondrogenesis of both BMSCs and TSCs under a 1:1 co-cultured ratio. In addition, the expression level of Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) increased in the process of TNC-induced osteogenesis and decreased in the process of TNC-induced chondrogenesis. Furthermore, the level of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) was upregulated during the osteogenesis and chondrogenesis of both BMSCs and TSCs after TNC treatment. Although our study was conducted in rats with no direct evaluation of the resulting cells for tendon-bone healing and regeneration, we show that the proliferation of BMSCs and TSCs was enhanced under a 1:1 co-cultured ratio. TNC has a significant impact on the proliferation and differentiation of co-cultured BMSCs and TSCs. IGF-IR, ROCK, and MEK may become involved in the process after TNC treatment.
Isolation and characterisation of the agarolytic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas ruthenica
Authors: Khalifa Ashraf , Aldayel Munira
Published: January 2020

Agar is a polysaccharide that primarily constitutes the cell wall of red algae. It is a good source of carbon and energy for many microbes. In the present study, an agarolytic bacterium, UQAD-3, was obtained from the waters of Al-Uqair, the Arabian Gulf, Al-Ahsaa, Saudi Arabia. UQAD-3 exhibited agarolytic activity when grown on agar as the sole source of carbon and energy. The strain was identified asPseudoalteromonas ruthenicabased on comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA, with 99.6% similarity. This finding was further confirmed by phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, which highlighted that UQAD-3 was assembled within the Pseudoalteromonas clade and constituted a monophyletic subcluster with P. ruthenica, KMM 300T. The strain was further characterised biochemically using the Biolog Gen III microtest system. UQAD-3 showed positive reactions to 16 (17%) of the 94 diverse traits assessed. Good growth was reported in 10% NaCl indicating its moderate halophilic nature. These observations indicate the agarolytic potential of the strain and opens new horizons for industrial applications in the future.
Enhanced adsorption of sulfonamide antibiotics in water by modified biochar derived from bagasse
Authors: Qin Pinzhu , Huang Dawei , Tang Rong , Gan Fangqun , Guan Ying , Lv Xiaoxiao
Published: January 2020

In this study, biochars derived from bagasse were prepared and their ability for the adsorption of four kinds of sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfamethoxazol, thiazole, methylpyrimidine, dimethylpyrimidine) was investigated. Results showed that the modified biochar can efficiently adsorb sulfonamides in water. The biochar obtained at 500oC and modified with 30% hydrogen peroxide was chosen as the adsorbent. Under optimum conditions, pH 4 and 35°C, great adsorption performance was exhibited in the adsorption process of the four sulfonamide antibiotics. The productivity of the modified biochar was ~ 89% compared to un-modified biochar which is ~31%. The successful preparation of biochar from bagasse indicates that it is a good way to reuse the resources. Besides the adsorption of antibiotics, the obtained material also has a great prospect in the removal of other pollutants.
Doubly-adaptive artificial compression methods for incompressible flow
Authors: Layton William , McLaughlin Michael
Published: January 2020

This report presents adaptive artificial compression methods in which the time-step and artificial compression parameter ε are independently adapted. The resulting algorithms are supported by analysis and numerical tests. The first and second-order methods are embedded. As a result, the computational, cognitive, and space complexities of the adaptive ε, k algorithms are negligibly greater than that of the simplest, first-order, constant ε, constant k artificial compression method.
On convergent schemes for a two-phase Oldroyd-B type model with variable polymer density
Authors: Sieber Oliver
Published: January 2020

The paper is concerned with a diffuse-interface model that describes two-phase flow of dilute polymeric solutions with a variable particle density. The additional stresses, which arise by elongations of the polymers caused by deformations of the fluid, are described by Kramers stress tensor. The evolution of Kramers stress tensor is modeled by an Oldroyd-B type equation that is coupled to a Navier–Stokes type equation, a Cahn–Hilliard type equation, and a parabolic equation for the particle density. We present a regularized finite element approximation of this model, prove that our scheme is energy stable and that there exist discrete solutions to it. Furthermore, in the case of equal mass densities and two space dimensions, we are able to pass to the limit rigorously as the regularization parameters and the spatial and temporal discretization parameters tend towards zero and prove that a subsequence of discrete solutions converges to a global-in-time weak solution to the unregularized coupled system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first existence result for a two-phase flow model of viscoelastic fluids with an Oldroyd-B type equation. Additionally, we show that our finite element scheme is fully practical and we present numerical simulations.