bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust Direct Aperture Optimization for Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning
Authors: Ripsman Danielle A. , Purdie Thomas G. , Chan Timothy C. Y. , Mahmoudzadeh Houra
Published: March 2022

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) allows for the design of customized, highly conformal treatments for cancer patients. Creating IMRT treatment plans, however, is a mathematically complex process, which is often tackled in multiple, simpler stages. This sequential approach typically separates radiation dose requirements from mechanical deliverability considerations, which may result in suboptimal treatment quality. For patient health to be considered paramount, holistic models must address these plan elements concurrently, eliminating quality loss between stages. This combined direct aperture optimization (DAO) approach is rarely paired with uncertainty mitigation techniques, such as robust optimization, because of the inherent complexity of both parts. This paper outlines a robust DAO (RDAO) model and discusses novel methodologies for efficiently integrating salient constraints. Because the highly complex RDAO model is difficult to solve, an original candidate plan generation (CPG) heuristic is proposed. The CPG produces rapid, high-quality, feasible plans, which are immediately clinically viable and can also be used to generate a feasible incumbent solution for warm-starting the RDAO model. Computational results obtained using clinical patient data sets with motion uncertainty show the benefit of incorporating the CPG, in terms of both the first incumbent solution and final output plan quality.

Summary of Contribution: This paper describes the derivation, implementation, and solution of a large-scale robust direct aperture optimization model for the problem of intensity-modulated radiation therapy planning for cancer treatment. The contribution to operations research lies in the design of a novel mixed-integer programming model that describes all salient mechanical and clinical deliverability requirements for modern delivery equipment. Because of the large-scale nature of the resulting model, a novel tractable heuristic for generating high-quality, feasible treatment plans, as well as warm starts for the full model, is proposed and demonstrated on five clinical patient data sets.
Crowdfunding the Front Lines: An Empirical Study of Teacher-Driven School Improvement
Authors: Keppler Samantha M. , Li Jun , Wu Di (Andrew)
Published: March 2022

The U.S. K–12 public education system has been notoriously hard to improve. Some argue new education technologies (EdTech) can help transform schools for the better. Yet, as large-scale policy reforms have had only limited success, it seems unlikely that small changes from EdTech could have any measurable impact. In this paper, we study DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that operates a teacher crowdfunding platform. We ask whether DonorsChoose improves educational outcomes, specifically at low-income schools. Combining DonorsChoose data with data on student test scores in Pennsylvania from 2012–2013 to 2017–2018, we find that an increase in the number of DonorsChoose projects funded at a school leads to higher student performance, after controlling for selection biases. For a school with zero funded projects, one funded project—of about $400 in value—translates to between two to nine more students scoring basic and above in all subjects in high school and science and language arts in primary and middle school. We find this effect is driven mostly by low-income schools, indicating funded projects help close the gap in educational outcomes between students at low- versus high-income schools. Based on a textual analysis of 20,000 statements from all funded teachers describing how project resources are used, we find two channels of improvement most effective in the lowest income schools. We demonstrate that, although DonorsChoose projects are small, they improve outcomes and reduce inequality because they come directly from frontline workers—teachers—who know most intimately the obstacles their students face and how to help.

This paper was accepted by Charles Corbett, operations management.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4331 .
Esto no lo estudié en la carrera
Authors: Barrera Gil Gemma
Published: March 2022

Editorial del número 11 de Didacticae.
trabajo práctico de laboratorio en clase de Ciencias Naturales durante la pandemia: Experiencias en Argentina y Colombia
Authors: Angulo-Delgado Fanny , Calle-Restrepo Alejandro , Soto-Lombana Carlos , Zorrilla Erica , Mazzitelli Claudia Alejandra
Published: March 2022

La enseñanza de las Ciencias Naturales, atendiendo al carácter experimental de estas disciplinas, incorpora como una estrategia didáctica fundamental los trabajos prácticos de laboratorio (TPL). Por esto, cuando se estableció indefinidamente la educación remota de emergencia en el marco de la pandemia, surgió la pregunta sobre qué decisiones estaban tomando los profesores de Ciencias Naturales respecto a los TPL. En este artículo se presentan las respuestas de 35 profesores colombianos y 51 profesores argentinos a una encuesta realizada a fin de conocer sus opiniones y acciones sobre la realización de TPL en este contexto. Los resultados muestran que los profesores adaptaron sus estrategias de enseñanza, apoyándose en los recursos digitales disponibles y replanteando los objetivos, a fin de realizar actividades experimentales. No obstante, también se identificaron prácticas que son irremplazables en su modalidad presencial, según las metas curriculares previstas, especialmente en educación superior. Los docentes evidenciaron ser muy sensibles a las implicaciones de las condiciones socioeconómicas de sus estudiantes, particularmente en contextos rurales donde no hay acceso a internet, de manera que ellos asumieron los costos de ciertas prácticas. Queda por seguir estudiando el impacto en la educación en ciencias de esta modalidad de los TPL durante la pandemia.
Single-mode sapphire fiber Bragg grating
Authors: Wang Mohan , Salter Patrick S. , Payne Frank P. , Shipley Adrian , Morris Stephen M. , Booth Martin J. , Fells Julian A. J.
Published: March 2022

Sapphire optical fiber has the ability to withstand ultrahigh temperatures and high radiation, but it is multimoded which prevents its use in many sensing applications. Problematically, Bragg gratings in such fiber exhibit multiple reflection peaks with a fluctuating power distribution. In this work, we write single-mode waveguides with Bragg gratings in sapphire using a novel multi-layer depressed cladding design in the 1550 nm telecommunications waveband. The Bragg gratings have a narrow bandwidth (<0.5 nm) and have survived annealing at 1000°C. The structures are inscribed with femtosecond laser direct writing, using adaptive beam shaping with a non-immersion objective. A single-mode sapphire fiber Bragg grating is created by writing a waveguide with a Bragg grating within a 425 µm diameter sapphire optical fiber, providing significant potential for accurate remote sensing in ultra-extreme environments.
Improved hyperspectral inversion of aquatic reflectance under non-uniform vertical mixing
Authors: Simis Stefan G. H. , Hunter Peter D. , Matthews Mark W. , Spyrakos Evangelos , Tyler Andrew , Vaičiūté Diana
Published: March 2022

Estimating the concentration of water constituents by optical remote sensing assumes absorption and scattering processes to be uniform over the observation depth. Using hyperspectral reflectance, we present a method to direct the retrieval of the backscattering coefficient (bb(λ)) from reflectance (> 600 nm) towards wavebands where absorption by water dominates the reflectance curve. Two experiments demonstrate the impact of hyperspectral inversion in the selected band set. First, optical simulations show that the resulting distribution of bb(λ) is sensitive to particle mixing conditions, although a robust indicator of non-uniformity was not found for all scenarios of stratification. Second, in the absence of spectral backscattering profiles from in situ data sets, it is shown how substituting the median of bb(λ) into a near infra-red / red band ratio algorithm improved chlorophyll-a estimates (root mean square error 75.45 mg m−3 became 44.13 mg m−3). This approach also allows propagation of the uncertainty in bb estimates to water constituent concentrations.
Scanning-free digital holography for decoupling the refractive index and thickness via a constrained equation of higher degree
Authors: Li Tuo , Zhang Duo , Zhang Qian , Lei Wenxiu , Dong Jun
Published: March 2022

Digital holography is one of the most popular quantitative phase imaging techniques, but the refractive index and the thickness are always coupled in the phase. To solve the decoupling problem, multiple scanning methods such as tomography and total reflection are usually used, which is time-consuming. To increase the imaging speed and reduce the system cost, it is urgent to seek the decoupling method of scanning-free digital holography. In this paper, we find that the decoupling method of scanning-free digital holography can be transformed into a problem of solving constrained higher order equations. By introducing the Fresnel reflection formula, a six-degree equation about refractive index is constructed and the corresponding algorithm for solving the equation is given. By using the algorithm, the refractive index and thickness can be decoupled successfully. A series of results show that the proposed method is effective and has high anti-noise performance. This method provides a mathematical possibility for scanning-free digital holography to decouple the refractive index and complex pixel stepped thickness distributions. Therefore, it may provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent development of a real scanning-free digital holography system, which may have potential applications in the measurement of optical devices produced by the modern film deposition process and etching process.
Nonlinear localization of high energy long wave laser pulses in fully correlated 3D turbulence
Authors: Kolesik Miroslav , Panagiotopoulos Paris , Moloney Jerome V.
Published: March 2022

We study the interplay between three-dimensional (3D) fully correlated optical turbulence and nonlinearity in time and 3D space resolved long-wavelength infrared pulsed beam propagation. Here the average self-trapped beam waist exceeds the inner scale in contrast to near-infrared filaments, and we find that their nonlinear self-channeling remains robust even in the presence of strong turbulence. More surprisingly, our simulation results invite a conjecture that in regimes where diffraction and nonlinearity are roughly balanced, turbulence can result in a tighter localization of the nonlinear beam core.
Variation of self-imaging length in multimode waveguides beyond the paraxial approximation
Authors: Deb Subimal , Sadhukhan Dhrubajyoti , Panigrahi Prasanta K.
Published: March 2022

We demonstrate the precise variation of self-imaging distance with width of a Gaussian input, centrally fed into a symmetric dielectric slab waveguide of width ∼20λ0. The width of the Gaussian is varied from the paraxial to completely nonparaxial domain. Unlike the paraxial case, the self-imaging distance is found to depend on the beam width and change with the number of excited modes in the waveguide. These features should be useful in designing devices that exploit self-imaging for improved efficiency, especially in nanophotonic circuits.
Non-Discrimination-by-Design: Handlungsempfehlungen für die Entwicklung von vertrauenswürdigen KI-Services
Authors: Rebstadt Jonas , Kortum Henrik , Gravemeier Laura Sophie , Eberhardt Birgid , Thomas Oliver
Published: March 2022

Neben der menschen-induzierten Diskriminierung von Gruppen oder Einzelpersonen haben in der jüngeren Vergangenheit auch immer mehr KI-Systeme diskriminierendes Verhalten gezeigt. Beispiele hierfür sind KI-Systeme im Recruiting, die Kandidatinnen benachteiligen, Chatbots mit rassistischen Tendenzen, oder die in autonomen Fahrzeugen eingesetzte Objekterkennung, welche schwarze Menschen schlechter als weiße Menschen erkennt. Das Verhalten der KI-Systeme entsteht hierbei durch die absichtliche oder unabsichtliche Reproduktion von Vorurteilen in den genutzten Daten oder den Entwicklerteams. Da sich KI-Systeme zunehmend als integraler Bestandteil sowohl privater als auch wirtschaftlicher Lebensbereiche etablieren, müssen sich Wissenschaft und Praxis mit den ethischen Rahmenbedingungen für deren Einsatz auseinandersetzen. Daher soll im Kontext dieser Arbeit ein wirtschaftlich und wissenschaftlich relevanter Beitrag zu diesem Diskurs geleistet werden, wobei am Beispiel des Ökosystems Smart Living auf einen sehr privaten Bezug zu einer diversen Bevölkerung bezuggenommen wird. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurden sowohl in der Literatur als auch durch Expertenbefragungen Anforderungen an KI-Systeme im Smart-Living-Ökosystem in Bezug auf Diskriminierungsfreiheit erhoben, um Handlungsempfehlungen für die Entwicklung von KI-Services abzuleiten. Die Handlungsempfehlungen sollen vor allem Praktiker dabei unterstützen, ihr Vorgehen zur Entwicklung von KI-Systemen um ethische Faktoren zu ergänzen und so die Entwicklung nicht-diskriminierender KI-Services voranzutreiben.
Encoding time in neural dynamic regimes with distinct computational tradeoffs
Authors: Zhou Shanglin , Masmanidis Sotiris C. , Buonomano Dean V.
Published: March 2022

Converging evidence suggests the brain encodes time in dynamic patterns of neural activity, including neural sequences, ramping activity, and complex dynamics. Most temporal tasks, however, require more than just encoding time, and can have distinct computational requirements including the need to exhibit temporal scaling, generalize to novel contexts, or robustness to noise. It is not known how neural circuits can encode time and satisfy distinct computational requirements, nor is it known whether similar patterns of neural activity at the population level can exhibit dramatically different computational or generalization properties. To begin to answer these questions, we trained RNNs on two timing tasks based on behavioral studies. The tasks had different input structures but required producing identically timed output patterns. Using a novel framework we quantified whether RNNs encoded two intervals using either of three different timing strategies: scaling, absolute, or stimulus-specific dynamics. We found that similar neural dynamic patterns at the level of single intervals, could exhibit fundamentally different properties, including, generalization, the connectivity structure of the trained networks, and the contribution of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Critically, depending on the task structure RNNs were better suited for generalization or robustness to noise. Further analysis revealed different connection patterns underlying the different regimes. Our results predict that apparently similar neural dynamic patterns at the population level (e.g., neural sequences) can exhibit fundamentally different computational properties in regards to their ability to generalize to novel stimuli and their robustness to noise—and that these differences are associated with differences in network connectivity and distinct contributions of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We also predict that the task structure used in different experimental studies accounts for some of the experimentally observed variability in how networks encode time.
Human discrimination and modeling of high-frequency complex tones shed light on the neural codes for pitch
Authors: Guest Daniel R. , Oxenham Andrew J.
Published: March 2022

Accurate pitch perception of harmonic complex tones is widely believed to rely on temporal fine structure information conveyed by the precise phase-locked responses of auditory-nerve fibers. However, accurate pitch perception remains possible even when spectrally resolved harmonics are presented at frequencies beyond the putative limits of neural phase locking, and it is unclear whether residual temporal information, or a coarser rate-place code, underlies this ability. We addressed this question by measuring human pitch discrimination at low and high frequencies for harmonic complex tones, presented either in isolation or in the presence of concurrent complex-tone maskers. We found that concurrent complex-tone maskers impaired performance at both low and high frequencies, although the impairment introduced by adding maskers at high frequencies relative to low frequencies differed between the tested masker types. We then combined simulated auditory-nerve responses to our stimuli with ideal-observer analysis to quantify the extent to which performance was limited by peripheral factors. We found that the worsening of both frequency discrimination and F0 discrimination at high frequencies could be well accounted for (in relative terms) by optimal decoding of all available information at the level of the auditory nerve. A Python package is provided to reproduce these results, and to simulate responses to acoustic stimuli from the three previously published models of the human auditory nerve used in our analyses.
Tracking and forecasting community responses to climate perturbations in the California Current Ecosystem
Authors: Hunsicker Mary E. , Ward Eric J. , Litzow Michael A. , Anderson Sean C. , Harvey Chris J. , Field John C. , Gao Jin , Jacox Michael G. , Melin Sharon , Thompson Andrew R. , Warzybok Pete
Published: March 2022

Ocean ecosystems are vulnerable to climate-driven perturbations, which are increasing in frequency and can have profound effects on marine social-ecological systems. Thus, there is an urgency to develop tools that can detect the response of ecosystem components to these perturbations as early as possible. We used Bayesian Dynamic Factor Analysis (DFA) to develop a community state indicator for the California Current Ecosystem (CCE) to track the system’s response to climate perturbations, and to forecast future changes in community state. Our key objectives were to (1) summarize environmental and biological variability in the southern and central regions of the CCE during a recent and unprecedented marine heatwave in the northeast Pacific Ocean (2014–2016) and compare these patterns to past variability, (2) examine whether there is evidence of a shift in the community to a new state in response to the heatwave, (3) identify relationships between community variability and climate variables; and (4) test our ability to create one-year ahead forecasts of individual species responses and the broader community response based on ocean conditions. Our analysis detected a clear community response to the marine heatwave, although it did not exceed normal variability over the past six decades (1951–2017), and we did not find evidence of a shift to a new community state. We found that nitrate flux through the base of the mixed layer exhibited the strongest relationship with species and community-level responses. Furthermore, we demonstrated skill in creating forecasts of species responses and community state based on estimates of nitrate flux. Our indicator and forecasts of community state show promise as tools for informing ecosystem-based and climate-ready fisheries management in the CCE. Our modeling framework is also widely applicable to other ecosystems where scientists and managers are faced with the challenge of managing and protecting living marine resources in a rapidly changing climate.
Transposable element landscapes in aging Drosophila
Authors: Yang Nachen , Srivastav Satyam P. , Rahman Reazur , Ma Qicheng , Dayama Gargi , Li Sizheng , Chinen Madoka , Lei Elissa P. , Rosbash Michael , Lau Nelson C.
Published: March 2022

Genetic mechanisms that repress transposable elements (TEs) in young animals decline during aging, as reflected by increased TE expression in aged animals. Does increased TE expression during aging lead to more genomic TE copies in older animals? To address this question, we quantified TE Landscapes (TLs) via whole genome sequencing of young and aged Drosophila strains of wild-type and mutant backgrounds. We quantified TLs in whole flies and dissected brains and validated the feasibility of our approach in detecting new TE insertions in aging Drosophila genomes when small RNA and RNA interference (RNAi) pathways are compromised. We also describe improved sequencing methods to quantify extra-chromosomal DNA circles (eccDNAs) in Drosophila as an additional source of TE copies that accumulate during aging. Lastly, to combat the natural progression of aging-associated TE expression, we show that knocking down PAF1, a conserved transcription elongation factor that antagonizes RNAi pathways, may bolster suppression of TEs during aging and extend lifespan. Our study suggests that in addition to a possible influence by different genetic backgrounds, small RNA and RNAi mechanisms may mitigate genomic TL expansion despite the increase in TE transcripts during aging.
Simple scoring tool to estimate risk of hospitalization and mortality in ambulatory and emergency department patients with COVID-19
Authors: Webb Brandon J. , Levin Nicholas M. , Grisel Nancy , Brown Samuel M. , Peltan Ithan D. , Spivak Emily S. , Shah Mark , Stenehjem Eddie , Bledsoe Joseph
Published: March 2022

Background

Accurate methods of identifying patients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of poor outcomes has become especially important with the advent of limited-availability therapies such as monoclonal antibodies. Here we describe development and validation of a simple but accurate scoring tool to classify risk of hospitalization and mortality.

Methods

All consecutive patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 from March 25-October 1, 2020 within the Intermountain Healthcare system were included. The cohort was randomly divided into 70% derivation and 30% validation cohorts. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted for 14-day hospitalization. The optimal model was then adapted to a simple, probabilistic score and applied to the validation cohort and evaluated for prediction of hospitalization and 28-day mortality.

Results

22,816 patients were included; mean age was 40 years, 50.1% were female and 44% identified as non-white race or Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity. 6.2% required hospitalization and 0.4% died. Criteria in the simple model included: age (0.5 points per decade); high-risk comorbidities (2 points each): diabetes mellitus, severe immunocompromised status and obesity (body mass index≥30); non-white race/Hispanic or Latinx ethnicity (2 points), and 1 point each for: male sex, dyspnea, hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrythmia, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, chronic liver disease, cerebrovascular disease, and chronic neurologic disease. In the derivation cohort (n = 16,030) area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUROC) was 0.82 (95% CI 0.81–0.84) for hospitalization and 0.91 (0.83–0.94) for 28-day mortality; in the validation cohort (n = 6,786) AUROC for hospitalization was 0.8 (CI 0.78–0.82) and for mortality 0.8 (CI 0.69–0.9).

Conclusion

A prediction score based on widely available patient attributes accurately risk stratifies patients with COVID-19 at the time of testing. Applications include patient selection for therapies targeted at preventing disease progression in non-hospitalized patients, including monoclonal antibodies. External validation in independent healthcare environments is needed.
What’s in a face: Automatic facial coding of untrained study participants compared to standardized inventories
Authors: Höfling T. Tim A. , Alpers Georg W. , Büdenbender Björn , Föhl Ulrich , Gerdes Antje B. M.
Published: March 2022

Automatic facial coding (AFC) is a novel research tool to automatically analyze emotional facial expressions. AFC can classify emotional expressions with high accuracy in standardized picture inventories of intensively posed and prototypical expressions. However, classification of facial expressions of untrained study participants is more error prone. This discrepancy requires a direct comparison between these two sources of facial expressions. To this end, 70 untrained participants were asked to express joy, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, and fear in a typical laboratory setting. Recorded videos were scored with a well-established AFC software (FaceReader, Noldus Information Technology). These were compared with AFC measures of standardized pictures from 70 trained actors (i.e., standardized inventories). We report the probability estimates of specific emotion categories and, in addition, Action Unit (AU) profiles for each emotion. Based on this, we used a novel machine learning approach to determine the relevant AUs for each emotion, separately for both datasets. First, misclassification was more frequent for some emotions of untrained participants. Second, AU intensities were generally lower in pictures of untrained participants compared to standardized pictures for all emotions. Third, although profiles of relevant AU overlapped substantially across the two data sets, there were also substantial differences in their AU profiles. This research provides evidence that the application of AFC is not limited to standardized facial expression inventories but can also be used to code facial expressions of untrained participants in a typical laboratory setting.
An empirical evaluation of Lex/Yacc and ANTLR parser generation tools
Authors: Ortin Francisco , Quiroga Jose , Rodriguez-Prieto Oscar , Garcia Miguel
Published: March 2022

Parsers are used in different software development scenarios such as compiler construction, data format processing, machine-level translation, and natural language processing. Due to the widespread usage of parsers, there exist different tools aimed at automizing their generation. Two of the most common parser generation tools are the classic Lex/Yacc and ANTLR. Even though ANTLR provides more advanced features, Lex/Yacc is still the preferred choice in many university courses. There exist different qualitative comparisons of the features provided by both approaches, but no study evaluates empirical features such as language implementor productivity and tool simplicity, intuitiveness, and maintainability. In this article, we present such an empirical study by conducting an experiment with undergraduate students of a Software Engineering degree. Two random groups of students implement the same language using a different parser generator, and we statistically compare their performance with different measures. Under the context of the academic study conducted, ANTLR has shown significant differences for most of the empirical features measured.
Chronic cholecystitis: Diagnostic and therapeutic insights from formerly bile-farmed Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus)
Authors: Kalogeropoulu Szilvia K. , Lloyd Emily J. , Rauch Hanna , Redtenbacher Irene , Häfner Michael , Burgener Iwan A. , Painer-Gigler Johanna
Published: March 2022

Across Southeast Asia and China, more than 17000 Asian bears are kept under suboptimal conditions and farmed for their bile to meet the consumer demand for traditional medicine products. Years of unsterile and repetitive bile extraction contribute to the development of chronic sterile or bacterial cholecystitis, a pathology commonly diagnosed in formerly bile-farmed bears. In both human and veterinary medicine, the diagnostic value of the macroscopic bile examination for assessing gallbladder disease is unclear. The objective of this study is to identify the role of gallbladder bile color, viscosity, and turbidity, while comparing them with established markers of cholecystitis. Moreover, it aims to define the optimal duration of oral antibiotic treatment for chronic bacterial cholecystitis in bears associated with bile farming. Thirty-nine adult, formerly bile-farmed Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) were examined under anesthesia and underwent percutaneous ultrasound guided cholecystocentesis. A total of 59 bile samples were collected with 20 animals sampled twice to evaluate the therapeutic success. All bile aspirates were assessed macroscopically and microscopically followed by submission for bacterial culture and antimicrobial sensitivity. In the majority of bears, samples with cytological evidence of bactibilia lacked inflammatory cells and did not always correlate with positive bacterial cultures. The most common bacterial isolates wereEnterococcus spp,Streptococcus spp and Escherichia coli. Based on our findings, the optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for chronic bacterial cholecystitis is 30 days. Moreover, unlike Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) and gallbladder wall thickness, the organoleptic properties of bile were found to be reliable markers of chronic gallbladder inflammation with color and turbidity indicating cholestasis. The current study highlights the importance of cholecystocentesis for the management of gallbladder disease and provides initial results on the possible diagnostic value of macroscopic bile examination.
Device performances analysis of p-type doped silicene-based field effect transistor using SPICE-compatible model
Authors: Chuan Mu Wen , Riyadi Munawar Agus , Hamzah Afiq , Alias Nurul Ezaila , Mohamed Sultan Suhana , Lim Cheng Siong , Tan Michael Loong Peng
Published: March 2022

Moore’s Law is approaching its end as transistors are scaled down to tens or few atoms per device, researchers are actively seeking for alternative approaches to leverage more-than-Moore nanoelectronics. Substituting the channel material of a field-effect transistors (FET) with silicene is foreseen as a viable approach for future transistor applications. In this study, we proposed a SPICE-compatible model for p-type (Aluminium) uniformly doped silicene FET for digital switching applications. The performance of the proposed device is benchmarked with various low-dimensional FETs in terms of their on-to-off current ratio, subthreshold swing and drain-induced barrier lowering. The results show that the proposed p-type silicene FET is comparable to most of the selected low-dimensional FET models. With its decent performance, the proposed SPICE-compatible model should be extended to the circuit-level simulation and beyond in future work.
Exploring rural inhabitants’ perceptions towards food wastage during COVID-19 lockdowns: Implications for food security in Pakistan
Authors: Zhao Jin , Madni Ghulam Rasool , Anwar Muhammad Awais
Published: March 2022

The lessening of food wastage, specifically among nations where about half of its worldwide quantity is produced, has turned to be a mammoth challenge for environmental, social and economic sustainability, and represents one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) within the Agenda 2030. The quantity of food being thrown away in spite of being in an edible condition has become alarming in middle and high income countries. The COVID-19 lockdown strategy, both at local and international levels, has expressively altered work, life and food consumption behaviors globally, directing to food wastage as a multi sectoral issue. Pakistan has no exception to such manifestations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the perceptions of rural people of Pakistan regarding food wastage during the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate whether behavior about food wastage among rural households varied or not during the pandemic, a descriptive survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and 963 responses were selected for further empirical investigations. The findings of the study reveal that food waste actually decreased in spite of an increased amount of purchased food during the lockdown. Our results highlight that the effect of the pandemic has led to reduction in food wastage among rural respondents, an increased consciousness for the morals of food waste, and awareness of environmental impacts of food wastage. The conclusions of this study highlight that rural consumers of Pakistan are emerging with a new level of responsiveness about food wastage with possible positive impact on the environment in terms of decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other pollutants. The study findings imply that this pandemic time provides a suitable window to raise awareness about food wastage among rural as well as urban households while contemplating effective strategies to overcome the issue of food wastage in the country.
Can Anganwadi services strengthening improve the association between maternal and child dietary diversity? Evidence from Project Spotlight implemented in tribal dominated Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts of Maharashtra, India
Authors: Kumar Abhishek , Rajpal Sunil , Alambusha Ruby , Sharma Smriti , Joe William
Published: March 2022

Dietary intake is a fundamental determinant of maternal and child nutrition. This paper presents evidence on whether maternal and child dietary diversity can be improved with systemic improvements focused on strengthening training, capacity building, and behavior change communication among frontline workers to encourage improved nutritional practices among mothers and children in the intervention area. The evidence is derived from Project Spotlight intervention that was jointly implemented by Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts in tribal dominated Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts in Maharashtra. Based on a pre-post comparison of baseline (2019) and endline (2021) household survey data it is confirmed that there is a significant association between maternal and child dietary diversity in the study area. Notably, dietary diversity in mother-child dyads is marked with a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as eggs and flesh foods. Econometric analysis further reveals that the association between maternal and child dietary diversity has improved after the systems strengthening interventions. The paper concludes that local interventions such as Project Spotlight for strengthening counselling services and coverage by frontline workers and enhancing knowledge and awareness on maternal and child dietary diversity among communities are important for improving maternal and child nutrition.
Clinical parameters of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae disease and ivermectin treatment in New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) pups
Authors: Michael Sarah A. , Hayman David T. S. , Gray Rachael , Roe Wendi D.
Published: March 2022

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae infection causes significant mortality of endangered New Zealand sea lion pups at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands. Gross necropsy and histopathology findings are well reported, but little is known about the clinical course of disease in affected pups. To determine factors feasible as clinical screening tools for hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in live pups, 150 pups over two field seasons (2016–18) were recruited shortly after birth for a prospective cohort study. A randomised controlled clinical treatment trial with the anthelmintic ivermectin was conducted concurrently and risk factor data and biological samples were collected approximately fortnightly. Treatment with ivermectin has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae mortality in pups, so effects on clinical parameters between the treated and control cohorts were also investigated. A broader sample of pups were monitored for clinical signs to investigate the course of disease in affected pups. Clinical signs, haematology and oral and rectal swabs to detect gastrointestinal carriage of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae were not useful for detection of disease prior to death. Of those pups that died due to hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, only 26.1% (18/69) had any clinical signs prior, likely a reflection of the peracute course of disease. On comparison of haematological parameters between ivermectin-treated and control pups, significantly lower total plasma protein and higher eosinophil counts were seen in control versus treated pups, however standard length as a surrogate for age was a more important influence on parameters overall than ivermectin treatment. This study also highlighted a cohort of pups with severe clinical signs suggestive of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae infection were lost to follow up at the end of the monitored season, which could be contributing to cryptic juvenile mortality.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition, regulated by β-catenin and Twist, leads to esophageal wall remodeling in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis
Authors: Garcia Elizabeth , Ladak Zeenat , Landry Takaaki , Wollin Michael , Persad Amit R. L. , Sergi Consolato M. , Huynh Hien Q. , Persad Rabindranath , Persad Sujata
Published: March 2022

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is an antigen-triggered inflammatory condition of the esophageal lining characterized by eosinophilic infiltration. EoE is associated with significant remodeling, and although this remodeling is reversed by current treatment regimens, symptoms of EoE and associated remodeling reappear upon cessation of therapies. We hypothesized that structural remodeling of cell-cell adhesion is a key factor in the pathogenesis of EoE and that epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) was a viable molecular process to lead to this remodeling. Endoscopically obtained biopsy samples from 18 EoE and 18 control pediatric patients were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy to measure intercellular spaces (IS) between cells. Biopsy samples from all groups were analyzed for cellular levels of cell-cell adhesion proteins: E-cadherin, zonula occludens associated protein-1 (ZO-1), and N-cadherin. We also analyzed for cellular levels and localization two of transcription factors, Twist1 and β-catenin, that are associated with promoting EMT. The IS was significantly increased in the EoE group compared to the control. We observed a significant decrease in E-cadherin and ZO-1 levels and a concomitant increase in N-cadherin levels in EoE samples compared to control. Further, while there was no significant change in cellular levels of β-catenin, we observed an altered localization of the protein from the cell membrane in control tissue to a nuclear/perinuclear localization in EoE. We observed higher levels of the transcription factor Twist1 in the EoE group compared to normal which was localized mainly at the nucleus. Our results suggest that the integrity of normally sealed esophageal epithelia is compromised in the EoE patients compared to control subjects, and this is due to alterations in the expression of cell adhesion molecules at the esophageal epithelium. Our data also suggest that EMT, potentially regulated by transcription factors β-catenin and Twist1, may be responsible for the molecular alteration which leads to the remodeling of esophageal epithelia in EoE.
The Revised Medical Care Act is associated with a decrease in hospital death for the total Japanese older adult population regardless of dementia status: An interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Wammes Joost D. , Nakanishi Miharu , van der Steen Jenny T. , MacNeil Vroomen Janet L.
Published: March 2022

Background

In 2006, Japan introduced the Revised Medical Care Act aimed to shift end-of-life care from hospitals to communities. For patients and families, dying in hospital can be highly distressing. Persons with dementia are especially susceptible to negative hospital-related outcomes. This study aims to evaluate whether the Revised Medical Care Act is associated with a decrease in the proportion of hospital deaths for older adults and persons with dementia over a 20-year period covering the reform.

Methods and findings

This is a population-level, repeated cross-sectional study using mortality data from Vital Statistics Japan. Participants were Japanese older adults 65 years or older with and without dementia who died between 1996 and 2016. The policy intervention was the 2006 Revised Medical Care Act that increased community care infrastructure. The primary outcome was location of death in hospital, nursing home, home, or elsewhere. The trend in the proportion of location of death, before and after the reforms was estimated using an interrupted time-series analysis. All analyses were adjusted for sex and seasonality. Of the 19,307,104 older adult decedents, 216,442 had dementia identified on their death certificate. Death in nursing home (1.10, 95% CI 1.10–1.10), home (1.08, 95% CI 1.08–1.08), and elsewhere (1.07, 95% CI 1.07–1.07) increased over time compared to hospital deaths for the total population after reform implementation. Nursing home (1.04, 95% CI 1.03–1.05) and home death (1.11, 95% CI 1.10–1.12) increased after reform implementation for persons with dementia.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that the 2006 Revised Medical Care Act was associated with decreased older adults dying in hospital regardless of dementia status; however, hospital continues as the primary location of death.
Willingness to take COVID-19 vaccination in low-income countries: Evidence from Ethiopia
Authors: Strupat Christoph , Shigute Zemzem , Bedi Arjun S. , Rieger Matthias
Published: March 2022

Background

In low-income countries, vaccination campaigns are lagging, and evidence on vaccine acceptance, a crucial public health planning input, remains scant. This is the first study that reports willingness to take COVID-19 vaccines and its socio-demographic correlates in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country.

Methods

The analysis is based on a nationally representative survey data of 2,317 households conducted in the informal economy in November 2020. It employs two logistic regression models where the two outcome variables are (i) a household head’s willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine or not, and (ii) if yes if they would also hypothetically pay (an unspecified amount) for it or not. Predictors include age, gender, education, marital status, income category, health insurance coverage, sickness due to COVID-19, chronic illness, trust in government, prior participation in voluntary activities, urban residence.

Results

Willingness to take the vaccine was high (88%) and significantly associated with COVID-19 cases in the family, trust in government and pro-social behavior. All other predictors such as gender, education, income, health insurance, chronic illness, urban residence did not significantly predict vaccine willingness at the 5% level. Among those willing to take the vaccine, 33% also answered that they would hypothetically pay (an unspecified amount) for it, an answer that is significantly associated with trust in government, health insurance coverage and income.

Conclusion

The results highlight both opportunities and challenges. There is little evidence of vaccine hesitancy in Ethiopia among household heads operating in the informal economy. The role played by trust in government and pro-social behavior in motivating this outcome suggests that policy makers need to consider these factors in the planning of COVID-19 vaccine campaigns in order to foster vaccine uptake. At the same time, as the willingness to hypothetically pay for a COVID-19 vaccine seems to be small, fairly-priced vaccines along with financial support are also needed to ensure further uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.
Pedestrian flow characteristics through different angled bends: Exploring the spatial variation of velocity
Authors: Hannun Jamal , Dias Charitha , Taha Alaa Hasan , Almutairi Abdulaziz , Alhajyaseen Wael , Sarvi Majid , Al-Bosta Salim
Published: March 2022

Common geometrical layouts could potentially be bottlenecks, particularly during emergency and high density situations. When pedestrians are interacting with such complex geometrical settings, the congestion effect might not be uniform over the bottleneck area. This study uses the trajectory data collected through a controlled laboratory experiment to explore the spatial variation of speeds when a group of people navigates through bends. Four turning angles, i.e., 45°, 90°, 135° and 180°, with a straight corridor and two speed levels, i.e., normal speed walking and slow running (jogging), were considered in these experiments. Results explained that the speeds are significantly different over the space within the bend for all angles (except 0°) under both speed levels. In particular, average walking speeds are significantly lower near the inner corner of the bend as compared to the outer corner. Further, such speed variations are magnified when the angle of the bend and desired speed increase. These outcomes indicate that even smaller turning angles, e.g., 45° could create bottlenecks near the inner corner of the bend, particularly when the walking speeds are high. The findings of this study could be useful in understanding the congestion and bottleneck effects associated with complex geometrical settings, and calibrating microscopic simulation tools to accurately reproduce such effects.
The relationship of body mass index and mid-upper arm circumference with anemia in non-pregnant women aged 19–49 years in Indonesia: Analysis of 2018 Basic Health Research data
Authors: Nainggolan Olwin , Hapsari Dwi , Titaley Christiana Rialine , Indrawati Lely , Dharmayanti Ika , Kristanto Antonius Yudi
Published: March 2022

Background and objectives

Anemia remains a major public health problem worldwide. This study examined the relationship between anemia and the nutritional status of non-pregnant women aged 19–49 years in Indonesia.

Methods and study design

The data were derived from the 2018 Basic Health Research Data of Indonesia. We used information from 11,471 non-pregnant women aged 19–49 years. The dependent variable was anemia (hemoglobin level <12 g/dL). The independent variable was women’s nutritional status, a combined indicator of body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Our analysis controlled for women’s age, education, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the presence of communicable or non-communicable diseases. We performed logistic regression analyses.

Results

The prevalence of anemia in non-pregnant women aged 19–49 years was 22.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.4–23.3). Women with overweight and obesity were less likely to develop anemia than those with a normal BMI, regardless of their MUAC score. The highest odds for developing anemia were observed in underweight women with low MUAC scores (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.83, 95%CI: 2.19–3.68). Higher odds ratios were also observed in women with insufficient physical activity, despite their sufficient consumption of fruits or vegetables (aOR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.06–3.28). However, women who had been diagnosed with a non-communicable disease had a reduced likelihood of developing anemia (aOR = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.67–0.83).

Conclusions

Strengthening health promotion activities to improve nutritional status and healthy behaviors, particularly a healthy diet, remains important for women in Indonesia to reduce the prevalence of anemia and improve their overall health status.