bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Competencia comunicativa, didáctica de la lengua y adaptación sociosanitaria: ¿Una aceleración de la cuarta revolución industrial?
Authors: López Valero Amando , Hernández Delgado Lourdes , Jerez Martínez Isabel , Encabo Fernández Eduardo
Published: March 2022

En este artículo se reflexiona sobre el área de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura y las implicaciones que sobre ella tienen tanto la cuarta revolución industrial como la situación sociosanitaria que se plantea en la sociedad. Nuestro objetivo principal es valorar si los presupuestos tradicionales que se han tenido en cuenta para el desarrollo de esta didáctica específica pueden tener validez en unos contextos donde prepondera lo digital. Analizamos, de igual modo, qué competencias pueden ser destacadas en la educación lingüística y literaria actual, además de las posibles modificaciones de contenidos y necesidades que relacionadas con tales elementos se presentan a la persona. Aspectos como el uso de lo asíncrono también serán objeto de reflexión con el fin de comprobar si las prácticas comunicativas en el marco de la Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura son cambiantes. Todo ello deriva en la conclusión concerniente a la potencial recualificación del docente hacia una perspectiva más digital en aras de una adaptación a los recientes acontecimientos sociales que motivan cambios estructurales en la sociedad.
Diffraction gratings based on a multilayer silicon nitride waveguide with high upward efficiency and large effective length
Authors: Li Wen-Ling , Liu Jing-Wei , Cheng Guo-An , Huang Qing-Zhong , Zheng Rui-Ting , Wu Xiao-Ling
Published: March 2022

Diffraction gratings with high upward diffraction efficiency and large effective length are required for chip-scale light detection and ranging. We propose a diffraction grating based on a multilayer silicon nitride waveguide, which theoretically achieves an upward diffraction efficiency of 92%, a near-field effective length of 376 µm, and a far-field divergence angle of 0.105° at a wavelength of 850 nm. The diffraction grating has a high tolerance to process variations based on Monte Carlo analysis. When the conditions are

±

5
%

layer thickness variation,

±

50

n
m

lithographic variation, and

±

20

n
m

wavelength drift, more than 71% of the grating samples have a diffraction efficiency higher than 80%, and 100% of the samples have an effective length larger than 200 µm (corresponding to a far-field divergence

<

0.2

∘

). Furthermore, the near-field effective length of the grating with an upward diffraction efficiency above 90% can be adjusted from hundreds of microns to centimeters by changing the etching layer thickness and the grating duty cycle. This diffraction grating has a potential application in optical sensing and imaging from visible to near-IR wavelengths.
Imaging Systems and Applications: introduction to the feature
issue
Authors: Imai Francisco
Published: March 2022

Imaging systems have numerous applications in industrial, military, consumer, and
medical settings. Assembling a complete imaging system requires the
integration of optics, sensing, image processing, and display
rendering. This issue features original research covering several
aspects of imaging systems ranging from microscopic to radar imaging
scale. Various applications include pulsed thermographic imaging for
underdrawing visualization in paintings, image spectral classification
using a single pixel camera, and an improved algorithm for
millimeter-wave near-field one-side stationary bistatic synthetic
aperture radar. Other applications include a cost-effective device
capable of quantitative measurement of the embryo and endosperm areas
of brown rice and resolution improvement of a microsphere-assisted
microscope with arrays of plasmonic structures.
Remote laser-speckle sensing of heart sounds for health assessment and biometric identification
Authors: Cester Lucrezia , Starshynov Ilya , Jones Yola , Pellicori Pierpaolo , Cleland John G. F. , Faccio Daniele
Published: March 2022

Assessment of heart sounds is the cornerstone of cardiac examination, but it requires a stethoscope, skills and experience, and a direct contact with the patient. We developed a contactless, machine-learning assisted method for heart-sound identification and quantification based on the remote measurement of the reflected laser speckle from the neck skin surface in healthy individuals. We compare the performance of this method to standard digital stethoscope recordings on an example task of heart-beat sound biometric identification. We show that our method outperforms the stethoscope even allowing identification on the test data taken on different days. This method might allow development of devices for remote monitoring of cardiovascular health in different settings.
On the benefits of point-to-multipoint coherent optics for multilayer capacity planning in ring networks with varying traffic profiles
Authors: Pavon-Marino P. , Skorin-Kapov N. , Bueno-Delgado M. V. , Bäck J. , Napoli A.
Published: March 2022

Point-to-multipoint (P2MP) coherent optics using digital subcarrier multiplexing have recently been proposed as a promising new technology to reduce the cost and complexity of optical transport networks, particularly those in metro aggregation scenarios with hub-and-spoke (H&S) traffic patterns. In this paper, we perform a case study on fault tolerant ring networks with more general traffic profiles to assess the benefits of P2MP optics for alternative network scenarios such as those appearing in metro rings. We propose mixed integer linear programming formulations for multilayer capacity planning to minimize total transceiver costs, considering both point-to-point and P2MP transceivers, as well as a heuristic approach for the more complex P2MP case. Results indicate that P2MP optics can bring several advantages for all tested traffic profiles, ranging from pure uniform flows to mostly H&S. Transceiver cost savings are achieved in various cases, greater at higher network loads and for traffic patterns that are mostly H&S. Results also show that P2MP optics prompt a multilayer redesign of the network with significantly reduced spectrum usage and a reduced number of IP hops, resulting in lower optical–electronic–optical and IP processing latency and lower IP layer equipment costs for all traffic profiles.
Incremental PCA algorithm for fringe pattern demodulation
Authors: Gómez-Pedrero José A. , Estrada Julio C. , Alonso Jose , Quiroga Juan A. , Vargas Javier
Published: March 2022

This work proposes a new algorithm for demodulating fringe patterns using principal component analysis (PCA). The algorithm is based on the incremental implantation of the singular value decomposition (SVD) technique for computing the principal values associated with a set of fringe patterns. Instead of processing an entire set of interferograms, the proposed algorithm proceeds in an incremental way, processing sequentially one (as minimum) interferogram at a given time. The advantages of this procedure are twofold. Firstly, it is not necessary to store the whole set of images in memory, and, secondly, by computing a phase quality parameter, it is possible to determine the minimum number of images necessary to accurately demodulate a given set of interferograms. The proposed algorithm has been tested for synthetic and experimental interferograms showing a good performance.
Polarization meta-converter for dynamic polarization states shifting with broadband characteristic
Authors: Qin Zhe , Li Yongfeng , Wang He , Wan Weipeng , Li Chenchen , Zhu Zhibiao , Cheng Yang , Li Songyan , Chen Hongya , Wang Jiafu , Qu Shaobo
Published: March 2022

Polarization, as an important property of light, has been widely discussed in modern detecting and radar systems. A polarization converter that can be used to achieve dynamic control is regarded as an excellent alternative for implementing the integrated functionalities of communication and stealth. In this work, we propose a paradigm of meta-converter for dynamic polarization states shifting from linear-to-linear (LTL) to linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization. The strategy is achieved by loading voltage-controlled PIN diodes on the double-arrows metallic meta-resonators. The operation modes can be switched by changing the bias voltage. When the PIN diodes are turned on, the polarization meta-converter (PMC) will reflect and convert a linearly polarized electromagnetic (EM) wave into a circularly polarized one in 5.6–15.5 GHz with an axial ratio (AR) below 3dB. When the PIN diodes are turned off, the PMC will reflect and convert a linearly polarized EM wave into the orthogonal counterpart in 7.6–15.5 GHz with a polarization conversion ratio (PCR) over 88%. Simulations and experimental results show a good agreement, which manifests the feasibility of our proposed meta-converter. Moreover, the proposed PMC has great potential for polarization-dependent communication and stealth systems.
RF properties of circular-ranging OCT signals
Authors: Lippok Norman , Vakoc Benjamin J.
Published: March 2022

Circular-ranging optical coherence tomography (CR–OCT) systems that use
a time–stepped frequency comb source generate interference fringe
signals that are more complex than those of a conventional
swept–source OCT system. Here, we define a common terminology for
describing these signals, and we develop a mathematical framework that
relates the radio-frequency (RF) properties of these fringe signals to
the parameters of the frequency comb source. With this framework, we
highlight non-intuitive mechanisms whereby the design of the frequency
comb source can affect imaging performance. We show, for example, that
amplitude–pulsed time–stepped frequency comb sources have a
sensitivity advantage over constant power time–stepped frequency comb
sources. More broadly, this framework and associated terminology
provide a foundation on which to design and optimize time–stepped
frequency comb sources and systems.
Quasi-non-diffracting static light sheets generated by holistically optimized pupil masks
Authors: Tang Cheng , Li Jianping
Published: March 2022

Thin and wide light sheets are crucial for light sheet microscopy with wide field of views and near diffraction-limited resolutions. Non-diffracting light sheets feature wide span ranges but often come with strong sidelobes or increased thicknesses. We develop a computational optimization method for creating light sheets that balance the trade-offs between thickness, non-diffracting range and sidelobes. We show in theory and experiment that our optimized mask extends the static light sheet’s non-diffracting range by 50 % while keeping its sidelobes below the 20 % level.
Boltzmann-distribution-dominated persistent luminescence ratiometric thermometry in NaYF4:Pr3+
Authors: Li Leipeng , Wu Zhuqin , Wang Chunzheng , Han Xiumei , Marciniak Lukasz , Yang Yanmin
Published: March 2022

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, optical temperature measurement method is proposed, i.e., persistent luminescence intensity ratio (PLIR) thermometry. The PLIR thermometry relies on the micro-sized NaYF4:Pr3+ material that can emit persistent luminescence (PersL) uninterruptedly after being charged by x ray irradiation. The 3P1→3H5 and 3P0→3H5 PersL transitions, locating separately at ∼ 522 and 538 nm, have been confirmed to follow the Boltzmann distribution. The emitting intensity ratio of this pair of PersL lines is thus found to be a good indicator of the variation of temperature. Our work is expected to enrich the optical temperature sensing family.
Continuous-wave operation of 405  nm distributed Bragg reflector laser diodes based on GaN using 10th-order surface gratings
Authors: Kang J. H. , Wenzel H. , Freier E. , Hoffmann V. , Fricke J. , Brox O. , Matalla M. , Einfeldt S.
Published: March 2022

Single longitudinal mode continuous-wave operation of GaN-based distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser diodes with 10th-order surface gratings is demonstrated. The DBR consists of periodic V-shaped grooves on a 2 μm wide ridge waveguide fabricated by using electron-beam lithography and plasma etching. The effect of different lengths of the DBR section and the gain section on the device performance has been studied. Periodic mode hops to the adjacent longitudinal Fabry–Perot resonator mode at shorter wavelength have been observed when increasing the operation current. Between the mode hops, single longitudinal mode emission at around 405 nm is achieved with a full width at half-maximum of 0.03 nm. A linear redshift of the emission wavelength with increasing temperature of 0.019 nm/K was derived.
Demonstration of electrically injected vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with post-supported high-contrast gratings
Authors: Zhang Jing , Hao Chenxi , Zheng Wanhua , Bimberg Dieter , Liu Anjin
Published: March 2022

We experimentally demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge electrically injected vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with post-supported high-contrast gratings (HCGs) at 940 nm. The HCG-VCSELs have two posts to support the air-suspended HCGs, which are realized by simple fabrication without critical point drying. The HCG-VCSEL achieves a threshold current of about 0.65 mA and a side-mode suppression ratio of 43.6 dB under continuous-wave operation at 25°C. Theoretically the HCG-VCSEL with aλ/2-cavity for the transverse magnetic polarization has a smaller effective mode length of1.38·(λ/n). Thus, the relaxation resonance frequency can be increased by 16% compared with that of the conventional VCSEL. The modulation speed of 100 Gbit/s for the HCG-VCSEL is expected in the on–off keying modulation format. Our easy design of HCG-VCSELs has great potential for applications in optical interconnects, sensing, illumination, and so on.
Complementary encoding of spatial information in hippocampal astrocytes
Authors: Curreli Sebastiano , Bonato Jacopo , Romanzi Sara , Panzeri Stefano , Fellin Tommaso
Published: March 2022

Calcium dynamics into astrocytes influence the activity of nearby neuronal structures. However, because previous reports show that astrocytic calcium signals largely mirror neighboring neuronal activity, current information coding models neglect astrocytes. Using simultaneous two-photon calcium imaging of astrocytes and neurons in the hippocampus of mice navigating a virtual environment, we demonstrate that astrocytic calcium signals encode (i.e., statistically reflect) spatial information that could not be explained by visual cue information. Calcium events carrying spatial information occurred in topographically organized astrocytic subregions. Importantly, astrocytes encoded spatial information that was complementary and synergistic to that carried by neurons, improving spatial position decoding when astrocytic signals were considered alongside neuronal ones. These results suggest that the complementary place dependence of localized astrocytic calcium signals may regulate clusters of nearby synapses, enabling dynamic, context-dependent variations in population coding within brain circuits.
Lipidomic risk scores are independent of polygenic risk scores and can predict incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in a large population cohort
Authors: Lauber Chris , Gerl Mathias J. , Klose Christian , Ottosson Filip , Melander Olle , Simons Kai
Published: March 2022

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) represent significant disease burdens for most societies and susceptibility to these diseases is strongly influenced by diet and lifestyle. Physiological changes associated with T2D or CVD, such has high blood pressure and cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, are often apparent prior to disease incidence. Here we integrated genetics, lipidomics, and standard clinical diagnostics to assess future T2D and CVD risk for 4,067 participants from a large prospective population-based cohort, the Malmö Diet and Cancer-Cardiovascular Cohort. By training Ridge regression-based machine learning models on the measurements obtained at baseline when the individuals were healthy, we computed several risk scores for T2D and CVD incidence during up to 23 years of follow-up. We used these scores to stratify the participants into risk groups and found that a lipidomics risk score based on the quantification of 184 plasma lipid concentrations resulted in a 168% and 84% increase of the incidence rate in the highest risk group and a 77% and 53% decrease of the incidence rate in lowest risk group for T2D and CVD, respectively, compared to the average case rates of 13.8% and 22.0%. Notably, lipidomic risk correlated only marginally with polygenic risk, indicating that the lipidome and genetic variants may constitute largely independent risk factors for T2D and CVD. Risk stratification was further improved by adding standard clinical variables to the model, resulting in a case rate of 51.0% and 53.3% in the highest risk group for T2D and CVD, respectively. The participants in the highest risk group showed significantly altered lipidome compositions affecting 167 and 157 lipid species for T2D and CVD, respectively. Our results demonstrated that a subset of individuals at high risk for developing T2D or CVD can be identified years before disease incidence. The lipidomic risk, which is derived from only one single mass spectrometric measurement that is cheap and fast, is informative and could extend traditional risk assessment based on clinical assays.
House design and risk of malaria, acute respiratory infection and gastrointestinal illness in Uganda: A cohort study
Authors: Musiime Alex K. , Krezanoski Paul J. , Smith David L. , Kilama Maxwell , Conrad Melissa D. , Otto Geoffrey , Kyagamba Patrick , Asiimwe Jackson , Rek John , Nankabirwa Joaniter I. , Arinaitwe Emmanuel , Akol Anne M. , Kamya Moses R. , Staedke Sarah G. , Drakeley Chris , Bousema Teun , Lindsay Steve W. , Dorsey Grant , Tusting Lucy S.
Published: March 2022

House construction is rapidly modernizing across Africa but the potential benefits for human health are poorly understood. We hypothesised that improvements to housing would be associated with reductions in malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and gastrointestinal illness in an area of low malaria endemicity in Uganda. Data were analysed from a cohort study of male and female child and adult residents (n = 531) of 80 randomly-selected households in Nagongera sub-county, followed for 24 months (October 4, 2017 to October 31, 2019). Houses were classified as modern (brick walls, metal roof and closed eaves) or traditional (all other homes). Light trap collections of mosquitoes were done every two weeks in all sleeping rooms. Every four weeks, we measured malaria infection (using microscopy and qPCR to detect malaria parasites), incidence of malaria, ARI and gastrointestinal illness. We collected 15,780 adult female Anopheles over 7,631 nights. We collected 13,277 blood samples of which 10.2% (1,347) were positive for malaria parasites. Over 958 person years we diagnosed 38 episodes of uncomplicated malaria (incidence 0.04 episodes per person-year at risk), 2,553 episodes of ARI (incidence 2.7 episodes per person-year) and 387 episodes of gastrointestinal illness (incidence 0.4 episodes per person-year). Modern houses were associated with a 53% lower human biting rate compared to traditional houses (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32–0.67, p<0.001) and a 24% lower incidence of gastrointestinal illness (aIRR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59–0.98, p = 0.04) but no changes in malaria prevalence, malaria incidence nor ARI incidence. House improvements may reduce mosquito-biting rates and gastrointestinal illness among children and adults. For the health sector to leverage Africa’s housing modernization, research is urgently needed to identify the healthiest house designs and to assess their effectiveness across a range of epidemiological settings in sub-Saharan Africa.
Human rights as a framework for eliminating female genital schistosomiasis
Authors: Williams Caitlin R. , Seunik Maximillian , Meier Benjamin Mason
Published: March 2022

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) affects tens of millions of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, yet this inequitable threat is often overlooked by advocates in both the neglected tropical disease (NTD) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) communities. FGS causes both acute infection and long-term sexual and reproductive health harm to marginalized women and girls, with gender, poverty, and rurality combining to invisibilize the disease. Human rights and gender imperatives can help to galvanize efforts to control and eliminate FGS, as they have for other NTDs. Specifically, international human rights obligations can frame state efforts to address FGS across healthcare settings, upstream social determinants of health, scientific research, and policy implementation. This article analyzes human rights–based approaches to FGS control and elimination efforts, outlining several areas for forward-looking reforms to health policy, programing, and practice. Building from the lessons learned in applying human rights–based approaches to advance progress on other NTDs, this analysis seeks to provide the NTD community with shared understanding around international legal obligations to engage SRHR advocates and draw heightened attention to FGS. Such human rights–based approaches to FGS control and elimination can help to reduce stigma and improve care for the millions of women and girls currently affected by this preventable disease.
Thriving in a pandemic: Determinants of excellent wellbeing among New Zealanders during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown; a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Beaglehole Ben , Williman Jonathan , Bell Caroline , Stanley James , Jenkins Matthew , Gendall Philip , Hoek Janet , Rapsey Charlene , Every-Palmer Susanna
Published: March 2022

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions are associated with adverse psychological impacts but an assessment of positive wellbeing is required to understand the overall impacts of the pandemic.

Methods

The NZ Lockdown Psychological Distress Survey is an on-line cross-sectional survey of 3487 New Zealanders undertaken during a strict lockdown for COVID-19. The lockdown extended from 25 March 2020 to 28 April 2020 and the survey was undertaken between 15 April 2020 and 27 April 2020. The survey measured excellent wellbeing categorised by a WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) score ≥22. The survey also contained demographic and pre-lockdown questions, subjective and objective lockdown experiences, and questions on alcohol use. The proportion of participants with excellent wellbeing is reported with multivariate analysis examining the relative importance of individual factors associated with excellent wellbeing.

Results

Approximately 9% of the overall sample (303 participants) reported excellent wellbeing during the New Zealand lockdown. In the multivariable analysis, excellent wellbeing status was positively associated with increasing age (p<0.001), male gender (p = 0.044), Māori and Asian ethnicity (p = 0.008), and lower levels of education (certificate/diploma level qualification or less) (p<0.001). Excellent wellbeing was negatively associated with smoking (p = 0.001), poor physical (p<0.001) and mental health (p = 0.002), and previous trauma (p = 0.033).

Conclusion

Nine percent of New Zealanders reported excellent wellbeing during severe COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Demographic and broader health factors predicted excellent wellbeing status. An understanding of these factors may help to enhance wellbeing during any future lockdowns.
Nursing students’ perception towards educational environment in governmental Universities of Southwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study
Authors: Fego Melese Workneh , Olani Adugna , Tesfaye Temamen
Published: March 2022

Background

Educational environment refers to the diverse physical facilities, the clinical settings where students learn, the design and delivery of the curriculum, and involve the skills, and attitudes of the teachers. Due to various undesirable aspects of the educational environment, students often do not attain the expected professional standard of nursing care. There is limited evidence on students’ perception of their educational environment in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Thus, this study aimed to assess nursing students’ perceptions of their educational environment in government Universities of Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based qualitative case study was employed. Eight participants were interviewed from government Universities of southwest Ethiopia. Face to face in-depth interview was used to generate data. The interviews were conducted for forty-five minutes to one hour using an open-ended semi-structured guiding questionnaire. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, and analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach; finally, themes were derived and presented with narration.

Results

The analysis of this study yields four themes categorized as curriculum, instructors’, organizations’, and students. The result of the study revealed that there were poor institutions students support systems, inadequate skills and knowledge in certain instructors, inadequate instructional materials and teaching aids, scarce facilities in students’ practical areas, accommodation, and transportation.

Conclusion

Improvement of nursing students’ educational environment was recognized as a strong attention-seeking area. The majority of the key informants stated that the educational environment is not suitable for the teaching-learning process. Thus, to create a conducive educational environment, the Minister of education, Universities, instructors, and other concerned bodies should design and implement strategies targeted at the aforementioned problems.
The Insight of In Silico and In Vitro evaluation of Beta vulgaris phytochemicals against Alzheimer’s disease targeting acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Rehman Sidra , Ali Ashfaq Usman , Sufyan Muhammad , Shahid Imran , Ijaz Bushra , Hussain Mureed
Published: March 2022

B. vulgaris extracts possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory along with its role in improving memory disorders. Subsequently, in vitro and in silico studies of its purified phytochemicals may expand complementary and alternative Alzheimer’s therapeutic option. Super activation of acetylcholinesterase enzyme is associated explicitly with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) ultimately resulting in senile dementia. Hence, acetylcholinesterase enzyme inhibition is employed as a promising approach for AD treatment. Many FDA approved drugs are unable to cure the disease progression completely. The Present study was devised to explore the potential bioactive phytochemicals of B. vulgaris as alternative therapeutic agents against AD by conducting in vitro and in silico studies. To achieve this, chemical structures of phytochemicals were recruited from PubChem. Further, these compounds were analyzed for their binding affinities towards acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. Pharmacophoric ligand-based models showed major characteristics like, HBA, HBD, hydrophobicity, aromaticity and positively ionizable surface morphology for receptor binding. Virtual screening identified three hit compounds including betanin, myricetin and folic acid with least binding score compared to the reference drug, donepezil (-17 kcal/mol). Further, in vitro studies for anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of betanin and glycine betaine were performed. Dose response analysis showed 1.271 μM and 1.203 μM 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for betanin and glycine betaine compounds respectively. Our findings indicate that phytoconstituents of B. vulgaris can be implicated as an alternative therapeutic drug candidate for cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
“What’s the best way to document information concerning psychiatric patients? I just don’t know”—A qualitative study about recording psychiatric patients notes in the era of electronic health records
Authors: Chivilgina Olga , Elger Bernice S. , Benichou Mehdi Mohamed , Jotterand Fabrice
Published: March 2022

This paper reports the results of a qualitative study regarding the main attitudes and concerns of Swiss psychiatrists related to the utility, usability and acceptability of EHR and how they address the pitfalls of sharing sensitive information with other parties. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were carried out. Applied thematic analysis was used to identify themes with regard to participation. Three main themes were identified: 1) strengths of the use of EHR in the clinical context; 2) limitations of EHR; and 3) recommendations on preserving confidentiality in health records. The study shows variable practices of EHR use in psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland and a lack of standards on how to document sensitive information in EHR.
“A story with gaps”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of ICU survivors’ experience
Authors: Flahault Cécile , Vioulac Christel , Fasse Léonor , Bailly Sébastien , Timsit Jean-François , Garrouste-Orgeas Maité
Published: March 2022

ICU survivors may experience various long-term sequelae, recognized as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, that includes psychiatric symptoms: anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders symptoms (PTSD). While it was hypothesized that an ICU diary could help patients after discharge, improving their hospitalization memories and quality of life, it is unclear whether it may reduce psychiatric disorders, in particular PTSD. We performed a qualitative exploration of survivors’ subjective experience of their ICU stay, their representations, memories, meaning-making of their experience and use of their ICU diary. Five participants (ICU survivors, 3 men and 2 women, who received a diary) were included in this study. We conducted non-directive interviews 6 months after discharge. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Major recurring themes of discourse included: (1) The nightmare of the ICU experience: from an impression of vagueness to dispossession, (2) The positive image of health-care workers during intensive care, (3) The place of the relatives and health-care workers’ writings in the diary: either a support or a barrier, (4) The difficult return back home, and daily life after intensive care. Participant’s representation of their ICU experience seemed to reflect the meaning they had given it through their own reflections and that of health-care workers in the diary. For some participant, the diary was associated to the pain and strangeness of the ICU experience; therefore, their recovery required them to take some distance with it. The ICU diary allowed participants to construct their illness narratives, and to become aware of the presence and support of health-care workers. The diary was also perceived as the witness of a period they wished to forget.

Trial registration: NCT02519725.
Hierarchical lifelong topic modeling using rules extracted from network communities
Authors: Khan Muhammad Taimoor , Azam Nouman , Khalid Shehzad , Aziz Furqan
Published: March 2022

Topic models extract latent concepts from texts in the form of topics. Lifelong topic models extend topic models by learning topics continuously based on accumulated knowledge from the past which is updated continuously as new information becomes available. Hierarchical topic modeling extends topic modeling by extracting topics and organizing them into a hierarchical structure. In this study, we combine the two and introduce hierarchical lifelong topic models. Hierarchical lifelong topic models not only allow to examine the topics at different levels of granularity but also allows to continuously adjust the granularity of the topics as more information becomes available. A fundamental issue in hierarchical lifelong topic modeling is the extraction of rules that are used to preserve the hierarchical structural information among the rules and will continuously update based on new information. To address this issue, we introduce a network communities based rule mining approach for hierarchical lifelong topic models (NHLTM). The proposed approach extracts hierarchical structural information among the rules by representing textual documents as graphs and analyzing the underlying communities in the graph. Experimental results indicate improvement of the hierarchical topic structures in terms of topic coherence that increases from general to specific topics.
Exercise-induced increase in blood-based brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise intervention trials
Authors: Shobeiri Parnian , Karimi Amirali , Momtazmanesh Sara , Teixeira Antônio L. , Teunissen Charlotte E. , van Wegen Erwin E. H. , Hirsch Mark A. , Yekaninejad Mir Saeed , Rezaei Nima
Published: March 2022

Background

Exercise training may affect the blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but meta-analyses have not yet been performed comparing pre- and post-intervention BDNF concentrations in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Objective

To perform a meta-analysis to study the influence of exercise on BDNF levels and define components that modulate them across clinical trials of exercise training in adults living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method

Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PEDro database, CINAHL) were searched up to June 2021. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, we included 13 articles in the meta-analysis, including 271 subjects. To investigate sources of heterogeneity, subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis were conducted. We performed the meta-analysis to compare pre- and post-exercise peripheral levels of BDNF in PwMS.

Results

Post-exercise concentrations of serum BDNF were significantly higher than pre-intervention levels (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD): 0.33, 95% CI: [0.04; 0.61], p-value = 0.02). Meta-regression indicated that the quality of the included studies based on the PEDro assessment tool might be a source of heterogeneity, while no significant effect was found for chronological age and disease severity according to the expanded disability status scale.

Conclusion

This systematic review and meta-analysis shows that physical activity increases peripheral levels of BDNF in PwMS. More research on the effect of different modes of exercise on BDNF levels in PwMS is warranted.
Uricase-deficient rats with similarly stable serum uric acid to human’s are sensitive model animals for studying hyperuricemia
Authors: Gao Yinfang , Yu Yun , Qin Wan , Fan Nan , Qi Yalin , Chen Huan , Duan Weigang
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study was to provide a sensitive model animal for studying hyperuricemia. Male uricase-deficient rats, named Kunming-DY rats, were raised for 130 days, or orally administered with purines and other chemicals. Serum uric acid (SUA) in the animals was assayed, and the UA level in their organs and their 24-h excretion was determined. Genes in the jejunum, ileum, kidney and liver related to UA synthesis and transportation were detected by quantitative RNA sequencing. Uricase-deficient rats have a high level of SUA and are sensitive to xanthine, adenosine, inosine, allopurinol, and alcohol. Besides, the high level of SUA in male uricase-deficient rats was stable, much higher than that in wild-type rats but similar to that in men. The distribution pattern of UA in uricase-deficient rats’ organs was different from that in wild-type rats. The kidney, liver, and small intestine were the top three organs where UA distributed, but the UA in the small intestine, colon, lung, thymus, and brain was less affected by uricase deficiency, indicating that these organs are constitutive distribution organs in UA. The 24-h UA excreted by a uricase-deficient rat was about five times higher than that excreted by a wild-type rat. However, the 24-h UA excreted through feces was not significantly changed. Both the urine volume and UA in uricase-deficient rats significantly increased, and more than 90% of UA was excreted via urine. The expression of xanthine dehydrogenase was not upregulated. Some genes of transporter associated with uric acid excretion in the kidney were significantly regulated, though not sufficient to explain the increase in SUA. In conclusion, male uricase-deficient rats’ UA metabolism is similar to that of men. The elevation of SUA in uricase-deficient rats is caused by uricase deficiency, and uricase-deficient rats are a sensitive model for studying hyperuricemia.
Clinical findings, viral load, and outcomes of COVID-19: Comparison of patients with negative and positive initial chest computed tomography
Authors: Kim Cherry , Kim Ji-Yeon , Lee Eun Joo , Kang Yu Min , Song Kyoung-Ho , Kim Eu Suk , Kim Eun Jin , Sheen Seungsoo , Lee Yoo Ra , Kang BeoDeul , Kim Joon Ho , Woo Myoung Lyeol , Park Chul Hee , Kwon Soohoon , Choo Eun Ju , Kim Tark , Kim Donghoon , Oh Hong Sang , Choi Won Suk
Published: March 2022

Reports detailing the clinical characteristics, viral load, and outcomes of patients with normal initial chest CT findings are lacking. We sought to compare the differences in clinical findings, viral loads, and outcomes between patients with confirmed COVID-19 who initially tested negative on chest CT (CT negative) with patients who tested initially positive on chest CT (CT positive). The clinical data, viral loads, and outcomes of initial CT-positive and CT-negative patients examined between January 2020 and April 2020 were retrospectively compared. The efficacy of viral load (cyclic threshold value [Ct value]) in predicting pneumonia was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC). In total, 128 patients underwent initial chest CT (mean age, 54.3 ± 19.0 years, 50% male). Of those, 36 were initially CT negative, and 92 were CT positive. The CT-positive patients were significantly older (P < .001) than the CT-negative patients. Only age was significantly associated with the initial presence of pneumonia (odds ratio, 1.060; confidence interval (CI), 1.020-1-102; P = .003). In addition, age (OR, 1.062; CI, 1.014–1.112; P = .011), fever at diagnosis (OR, 6.689; CI, 1.715–26.096; P = .006), and CRP level (OR, 1.393; CI, 1.150–1.687; P = .001) were significantly associated with the need for O2 therapy. Viral load was significantly higher in the CT-positive group than in the CT-negative group (P = .017). The cutoff Ct value for predicting the presence of pneumonia was 27.71. Outcomes including the mean hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, and O2 therapy were significantly worse in the CT-positive group than in the CT-negative group (all P < .05). In conclusion, initially CT-negative patients showed better outcomes than initially CT-positive patients. Age was significantly associated with the initial presence of pneumonia, and viral load may help in predicting the initial presence of pneumonia.
Co-infection of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C among HIV-infected patients: A cross-sectional study from tertiary care hospital of eastern Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Lok Bahadur , Yadav Gopal K. , Pradhan Saugat , Sharma Abhilasha , Pandit Tejendra , Chhetry Roshan , Khanal Basudha
Published: March 2022

Introduction

This study was conducted with an objective to analyze prevalence and risk factors associated with co-infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV-positive patients with reference to their CD4+ T cell status.

Materials and methods

HIV-positive patients visiting the HIV clinic for CD4+ T cells testing at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences were tested for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Data regarding age, gender, mode of HIV transmission, duration of HIV diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy status, antiretroviral therapy duration, hepatitis B or C status, and CD4+ T cells count were collected via face-to-face interview, and hospital records. The data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2019 v16.0 (Microsoft, WA, USA) and statistical analysis was performed by using statistical package for social sciences, IBM SPSS® v21 (IBM, Armonk, New York).

Results

Out of 474 HIV-positive patients, HIV-HBV, HIV-HCV, and HIV-HBV-HCV co-infections were seen in 2.95% (14/474), 18.14% (86/474), and 2.53% (12/474) respectively. The primary route of infection was intra-venous drug use (IVDU) in those co-infected with HBV only (8, 57.14%), HCV only (46, 53.49%), and both HBV and HCV (8, 66.67%). HIV patients infected via IVDU were 2.40 times more likely to have HIV-HCV co-infection as compared to those infected via sexual route (AOR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.49,3.86). Similarly, HIV patients with CD4+ T cells count less than 350 cells/mm3were more likely to have HIV-HBV-HCV co-infection as compared to those with CD4 count equal to and more than 350 cells/mm3(AOR 13.84, 95% CI: 2.90,66.10).

Conclusion

HIV-positive patients are at high risk of hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C co-infection. Intravenous drug use, and lower CD4+T cells count are the most important risk predictors of co-infection. All HIV-positive patients should be carefully screened with hepatitis B and hepatitis C tests during their follow-up.
Joint optimization of high-speed train timetables, speed levels and stop plans for increasing capacity based on a compressed multilayer space-time network
Authors: Chen Angyang , Zhang Xingchen , Chen Junhua , Wang Zhimei
Published: March 2022

With the steady increase in passenger volume of high-speed railways in China, some high-speed railway sections have faced a difficult situation. To provide more transport services, it is necessary to add as many trains as possible in a section to increase capacity. To solve this problem, a compressed multilayer space-time network model is constructed with the maximum number of trains that can be scheduled in the train timetable as the objective. The combination of the train stop plan and speed level is represented by the layer of network where the train is located, and constraints such as train selection, train safety, train overtake and cross-line trains are considered. A method based on timing-cycle iterative optimization is designed to decompose the original problem into multiple subproblems, and the solving order of the subproblems is determined by a heuristic greedy rule. Taking the Beijing-Jinan section of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway as an example, the maximum number of trains was increased by 12.5% compared with the timetable before optimization. The saturated timetables provide detailed schedules, which helps decision-makers better adjust the timetable to run more trains.
Multiple knockout mutants reveal a high redundancy of phytotoxic compounds contributing to necrotrophic pathogenesis of Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Leisen Thomas , Werner Janina , Pattar Patrick , Safari Nassim , Ymeri Edita , Sommer Frederik , Schroda Michael , Suárez Ivonne , Collado Isidro G. , Scheuring David , Hahn Matthias
Published: March 2022

Botrytis cinerea is a major plant pathogen infecting more than 1400 plant species. During invasion, the fungus rapidly kills host cells, which is believed to be supported by induction of programmed plant cell death. To comprehensively evaluate the contributions of most of the currently known plant cell death inducing proteins (CDIPs) and metabolites for necrotrophic infection, an optimized CRISPR/Cas9 protocol was established which allowed to perform serial marker-free mutagenesis to generate multiple deletion mutants lacking up to 12 CDIPs. Whole genome sequencing of a 6x and 12x deletion mutant revealed a low number of off-target mutations which were unrelated to Cas9-mediated cleavage. Secretome analyses confirmed the loss of secreted proteins encoded by the deleted genes. Infection tests with the mutants revealed a successive decrease in virulence with increasing numbers of mutated genes, and varying effects of the knockouts on different host plants. Comparative analysis of mutants confirmed significant roles of two polygalacturonases (PG1, PG2) and the phytotoxic metabolites botrydial and botcinins for infection, but revealed no or only weak effects of deletion of the other CDIPs. Nicotiana benthamiana plants with mutated or silenced coreceptors of pattern recognition receptors, SOBIR1 and BAK1, showed similar susceptibility as control plants to infection by B. cinerea wild type and a 12x deletion mutant. These results raise doubts about a major role of manipulation of these plant defence regulators for B. cinerea infection. Despite the loss of most of the known phytotoxic compounds, the on planta secretomes of the multiple mutants retained substantial phytotoxic activity, proving that further, as yet unknown CDIPs contribute to necrosis and virulence. Our study has addressed for the first time systematically the functional redundancy of fungal virulence factors, and demonstrates that B. cinerea releases a highly redundant cocktail of proteins to achieve necrotrophic infection of a wide variety of host plants.
Infodemic, disinformation and fake news
Authors: Revez Jorge , Corujo Luís
Published: March 2022

This study’s purpose is to systematically review the literature to identify the most recent library practices against fake news. Previous findings showed most studies emphasize academic libraries practices and are mainly focused on information literacy instruction. This article updates prior research aiming to acknowledge the tangible practices of libraries, discuss their efficiency, and continue a categorization of those practices. It was performed a systematic literature review of the last 12 months (October 2020-September 2021) to retrieve the most recent library practices. After the extraction, with a final set of 17 documents, a multi-step qualitative analysis, and a categorization were developed. The current debate is still around information literacy strategies that intend to reiterate an authority-based source evaluation versus the challenge to recognize an emotional-based reaction to fake news in a post-truth world. The role of libraries is cornered in an instructional framework, while disinformation is pervasive in several information ecosystems. The role of libraries in a Post-truth society is still an open debate, yet there is almost a consensus that libraries should engage in partnerships and be part of a multidisciplinary approach.
Medidas públicas y privadas para combatir la desinformación. Un análisis comparativo
Authors: Magallón-Rosa Raúl , Molina-Cañabate Juan Pedro , Sánchez-Duarte José Manuel
Published: March 2022

El objetivo de esta investigación se centra en analizar y describir las principales medidas públicas y privadas adoptadas por los actores implicados en la lucha contra la desinformación a nivel global.
Para ello se plantean cinco factores que han determinado las respuestas de los estados a este nuevo escenario de democracia digital disfuncional: la dimensión competencial y geográfica, la distinción entre estrategias, medidas y objetivos, la definición de los actores implicados y sus funciones en las respuestas tomadas, la distinción temporal de las acciones y objetivos y las pautas de coordinación y seguimiento que necesitan las políticas destinadas a combatir la desinformación y limitar los desórdenes informativos.
El nuevo contexto presenta desafíos conceptuales que tendrán consecuencias legales afectando a la definición legislativa de desinformación, pero también a la propia noción de periódico digital y a la de censura en tiempos de sobreinformación.
COMBINED EXTRUSION OF GLASSES WITH A CONICAL BOTTOM. METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF FREE EXTRUSION AT INITIAL DEFORMATION BY SHEAR OF THE CENTRAL REGION
Authors: Vorontsov A. L. , Lebedeva D. A.
Published: March 2022

The methodology for calculating the energy-power and deformation parameters of the process of free extrusion of glasses with a conical bottom part, starting from the shear of the central region. The extrusion of both non-hardening and hardening material is considered. In the latter case, the account of the hardening of the extruded material is described in detail. The above formulas allow us to determine such important parameters of the stamping process as total and specific deforming force, maximum pressure on the die wall, and an increase in the yield stress.