bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of osteoporosis and osteopenia management among renal transplant recipients
Authors: Afifi Mohammed K. , Kenawy Ahmed S. , El Demellawy Heba H. , Azouz Amany A. , Al-Otaibi Torki , Gheith Osama , ElMonem Mohamed Abd , AbdElhalim Mohamed S. , Hussein Raghda R. S.
Published: November 2021

Background

Osteoporosis and osteopenia occur frequently in renal transplant recipients due to long-term use of immune-suppressants including corticosteroids. Previous treatment options like bisphosphonates had acceptable but rather unsatisfactory results after transplant. The aim of the current study is to directly compare the efficacy of denosumab and oral ibandronate in late RTR with low bone mineral density.

Results

The study was conducted Iin Hamed Al-Essa Kidney transplant center, Kuwait, in 2020. The data of 52 denosumab and 48 ibandronate patients were collected at the baseline and after one year of treatment. Spine and hip T-score readings, side effects, and other laboratory results were analyzed to evaluate the use of both medications. The mean number of months after transplant was 25 (± 13.9) months. After one year of treatment, denosumab alleviated both spinal osteoporosis and osteopenia T-score values from −3.13 to −2.4 (p = 0.008) and from −1.9 to −1.5 (p = 0.015), respectively. Besides, it reduced hip osteoporosis and osteopenia insignificantly from −3.45 to −3.1 and from −1.5 to −1.3, respectively (p > 0.05). Ibandronate improved spinal osteopenia from −1.6 to −1.55 (p = 0.97) and failed to show any positive impact on other sites; the spinal osteoporosis changed from −2.8 to −3 and hip osteoporosis and osteopenia changed from −3.1 to −3.12 and from −1.4 to −1.45, respectively (p > 0.05). The use of ibandronate was more associated with gastrointestinal tract (GIT) side effects, while hypocalcemia episodes were significantly higher in the denosumab group.

Conclusion

Denosumab improved both spinal and hip T-score values in comparison with ibandronate in RTR. Close monitoring is required for denosumab patients to prevent the associated hypocalcemia.

Graphical Abstract
Hemorrhagic ascites endometriosis could be a cause: a case report
Authors: Abdelkader Nadia Abdelaaty , Sherief Ahmed F. , Soliman Enass Mohamed , Elsamman Mahmoud , Fayed Salah T. , Sakr Mohamed A.
Published: November 2021

Background

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus (called “the endometrium”) is found outside the uterus, where it induces a chronic inflammatory reaction that may result in scar tissue.

Endometriosis with massive ascites causing abdominal distension and other symptoms simulating malignancy has been described in the literature.

Case presentation

A case of a 27-year-old woman who presented to the Ascites Study Group Tropical Medicine department Ain Shams University in collaboration with the Egyption Club of Ascites (ECA) with increased central abdominal contour, shifting dullness, and hemorrhagic transudate hypocellular ascites with no malignant cells and bilateral ovarian cysts.

A long stepwise approach was conducted to the patient, and after exclusion of other causes of hemorrhagic ascites, the patient was prepared for laparoscopy.

The diagnosis of endometriosis was made.

The patient was discharged on goserelin acetate subcutaneous injection every 28 days with good response, and she regularly follows up with our study group on scheduled visits monthly according to her clinical status.

Conclusions

Endometriosis could be a possible cause of massive hemorrhagic obscured ascites.

The unexplained infertility should increase the probability of the endometriosis.
Dynamic guardianship of potato landraces by Andean communities and the genebank of the International Potato Center
Authors: Lüttringhaus Sophia , Pradel Willy , Suarez Víctor , Manrique-Carpintero Norma C. , Anglin Noelle L. , Ellis David , Hareau Guy , Jamora Nelissa , Smale Melinda , Gómez Rene
Published: November 2021

Background

Potato landraces (Solanum spp.) are not only crucial for food security and sustenance in Andean communities but are also deeply rooted in the local culture. The crop originated in the Andes, and while a great diversity of potato persists, some landraces have been lost. Local communities and the genebank of the International Potato Center (CIP) partnered to re-establish some of these landraces in situ by supplying clean seed potatoes to farmers. Over time, the genebank formalized a repatriation program of potato landraces. Repatriation is the process of returning native germplasm back to its place of origin, allowing a dynamic exchange between ex situ and in situ conditions. So far, no comprehensive description of CIP’s repatriation program, the changes it induced, nor its benefits, has been carried out.

Methods

We addressed this research gap by analyzing CIP genebank distribution data for repatriated accessions, conducting structured interviews with experts of the repatriation program, and applying duration and benefit analyses to a survey dataset of 301 households.

Results

Between 1997 and 2020, 14,950 samples, representing 1519 accessions, were distributed to 135 communities in Peru. While most households (56%) abandoned the repatriated material by the fourth year after receiving it, the in situ survival probability of the remaining material stabilized between 36% in year 5 and 18% in year 15. Households where the plot manager was over 60 years old were more likely to grow the repatriated landraces for longer periods of times. While male plot management decreased survival times compared to female plot management, higher levels of education, labor force, wealth, food insecurity, and geographic location in the southern part of Peru were associated with greater survival times. Most farmers reported nutritional and cultural benefits as reasons for maintaining landrace material. Repatriated potatoes enabled farmers to conserve potato diversity, and hence, re-establish and broaden culinary diversity and traditions.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to apply an economic model to analyze the duration of in situ landrace cultivation by custodian farmers. We provide an evidence base that describes the vast scope of the program and its benefits.
Study on optimal conditions of flocculation in deinking wastewater treatment
Authors: Li Ming , Hu Kaitang , Wang Jin
Published: November 2021

Flocculation is an important method to treat paper manufacturing wastewater. Coagulants and flocculants added to wastewater facilitate the aggregation and sedimentation of various particles in the wastewater and lead to the formation of floc networks which can be easily removed using physical methods. The goal of this paper is to determine the optimal hydraulic conditions using machine learning in order to enable efficient flocculation and improve performance during the treatment of deinking wastewater. Experiments using polymerized aluminum chloride as flocculant to treat deinking wastewater were carried out. Based on the orthogonal array test, 16 different combinations of hydraulic conditions were chosen to investigate the performance of flocculation, which was indicated by the turbidity of the solution after treatment. To develop a model representing the relationship between the hydraulic conditions and the performance of wastewater treatment, the machine learning methods, support vector regression and Gaussian process regression, were compared, whereby the support vector regression method was chosen. According to the fitness function derived from the support vector regression model, a genetic algorithm was applied to evaluate the optimal hydraulic conditions. Based on the optimal conditions determined by the genetic algorithm and real-life experience, a set of hydraulic conditions were implemented experimentally. After treatment under higher stirring speed at 120 rpm for 1 min and lower stirring speed at 20 rpm for 5 min at a temperature of 20 °C, the turbidity of deinking wastewater was measured as 1 NTU. The turbidity reduction was as high as 99.6%, which indicated good performance of the deinking wastewater treatment.
Toward a Foucauldian Literary Criticism
Authors: Devitt Ryan
Published: November 2021

The article argues for the renewed relevance of Foucault's early essays on literature, written throughout the 1960s, given a return to anthropological reflection in so much literary theory today (especially through affect theory and “new” phenomenologies—both of which rely on older categories supplied by psychoanalysis). On one hand, Foucault reminds us of all the “warped and twisted forms of reflection” that arise from anthropological thought, with its assumptions regarding the “unthought” and the hidden structures of sense and perception. This same Foucault, on the other hand, is deeply engaged with literature; his writings on a range of authors—from Homer and Cervantes, to Friedrich Hölderlin and the Marquis de Sade, to Georges Bataille and Maurice Blanchot—constitute nothing less than an oeuvre. And yet, despite proposals to move beyond Foucauldian critique and its orthodoxy in literary studies today, hardly anything has been thought or said about this body of work in which Foucault, as David Carroll points out, “has the most to say about literature and language.” This lacuna is all the more surprising, since Foucault's early essays offer a rich and fruitful understanding of the being of literature as more than a limpid reflection of the body. In his reading of Bataille and Blanchot in particular, Foucault offers a unique vision of literature that is neither suspicious nor negative but that, in connection with his well-known critique of finitude, culminates in a hopeful call for openness.
Canon Studies in China: Traditions, Modernization, and Revisions in the Global Context
Authors: Hui Haifeng
Published: November 2021

Though particular texts have long held culturally foundational authority, debates over the idea of a canon and the texts that are to compose it are a much more recent phenomenon, one that originated in the United States and quickly spread to other countries. The present article situates China in the international trend of canon studies by tracing how the Chinese conceptualization of the canon was modernized in the 1990s by Western ideas when canon studies were introduced to China by Dutch scholar Douwe W. Fokkema. While embracing the Western notion of the canon as always in a dynamic process of change that involves aesthetic qualities as well as a power mechanism, Chinese scholars, under the influence of culturally specific practices of literary criticism, the Confucian principle of the golden mean, and the more recent Marxist teaching of dialectical thinking, refuse to replicate Western discourses, instead adhering to a more dialectical treatment of the mutually antagonistic positions. Moreover, China's rising international status and its pursuit of wider global influence have led Chinese scholars to approach literary (re)historiography as an opportunity to showcase Chinese scholarship and to enhance China's national image.
IP6K1 upregulates the formation of processing bodies by influencing protein-protein interactions on the mRNA cap
Authors: Shah Akruti , Bhandari Rashna
Published: November 2021

Inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1) is a small molecule kinase that catalyzes the conversion of the inositol phosphate IP6 to 5-IP7. We show that IP6K1 acts independently of its catalytic activity to upregulate the formation of processing bodies (P-bodies), which are cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules that store translationally repressed mRNA. IP6K1 does not localise to P-bodies, but instead binds to ribosomes, where it interacts with the mRNA decapping complex – the scaffold protein EDC4, activator proteins DCP1A/B, decapping enzyme DCP2 and RNA helicase DDX6. Along with its partner 4E-T, DDX6 is known to nucleate protein-protein interactions on the 5′ mRNA cap to facilitate P-body formation. IP6K1 binds the translation initiation complex eIF4F on the mRNA cap, augmenting the interaction of DDX6 with 4E-T (also known as EIF4ENIF1) and the cap-binding protein eIF4E. Cells with reduced IP6K1 show downregulated microRNA-mediated translational suppression and increased stability of DCP2-regulated transcripts. Our findings unveil IP6K1 as a novel facilitator of proteome remodelling on the mRNA cap, tipping the balance in favour of translational repression over initiation, thus leading to P-body assembly.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Melanopsin phototransduction: beyond canonical cascades
Authors: Contreras Ely , Nobleman Alexis P. , Robinson Phyllis R. , Schmidt Tiffany M.
Published: November 2021

Melanopsin is a visual pigment that is expressed in a small subset of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). It is involved in regulating non-image forming visual behaviors, such as circadian photoentrainment and the pupillary light reflex, while also playing a role in many aspects of image-forming vision, such as contrast sensitivity. Melanopsin was initially discovered in the melanophores of the skin of the frog Xenopus, and subsequently found in a subset of ganglion cells in rat, mouse and primate retinas. ipRGCs were initially thought to be a single retinal ganglion cell population, and melanopsin was thought to activate a single, invertebrate-like Gq/transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC)-based phototransduction cascade within these cells. However, in the 20 years since the discovery of melanopsin, our knowledge of this visual pigment and ipRGCs has expanded dramatically. Six ipRGC subtypes have now been identified in the mouse, each with unique morphological, physiological and functional properties. Multiple subtypes have also been identified in other species, suggesting that this cell type diversity is a general feature of the ipRGC system. This diversity has led to a renewed interest in melanopsin phototransduction that may not follow the canonical Gq/TRPC cascade in the mouse or in the plethora of other organisms that express the melanopsin photopigment. In this Review, we discuss recent findings and discoveries that have challenged the prevailing view of melanopsin phototransduction as a single pathway that influences solely non-image forming functions.
Computational Studies for Crystal Structures of Helicate Lanthanide Complexes Based on X-ray Analyses
Authors: Nakayama Naofumi , Hijikata Masahiro , Ohmagari Hitomi , Tanaka Hideyuki , Inazuka Yudai , Saito Daisuke , Obata Shigeaki , Ohta Kazuo , Kato Masako , Goto Hitoshi , Hasegawa Miki
Published: November 2021

Computational approaches to elucidate the phase transitions in lanthanide complexes will support understanding their electronic structure changes by weak stimuli such as gas adsorptions. There are no examples as molecular models of Ln complexes for defining parameters, due to various molecular shapes with unexpected coordination numbers resulting in different packings with different Ln ions. Here, we succeeded in determining molecular force field parameters (van der Waals; vdW for Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm; and torsion parameters of the ligand) to apply the structural optimization of a series of Ln complexes taking uniform helicate for ten Ln ions with the same ligand, L, which reported previously as LnL. SmL, ErL, and TmL were newly synthesized for this calculation and the structure and luminescence properties experimentally determined. The coordination distances surrounding Ln are along the lanthanoid contraction. It is the first case to clarify the lanthanoid contraction in a 10-coordination system of a series of Ln ions. The applied optimized structures with these parameters for Eu well exhibit correspondence to observed results for four analogous of EuL. This work will strongly push development of luminescent Ln complexes with soft-crystalline behaviour.
Spatial Geometric Cells — Quasipolyhedra
Authors: Efremov A. , Vereschagina T. , Kadykova Nina , Rustamyan Vyacheslav
Published: November 2021

Tiling of three-dimensional space is a very interesting and not yet fully explored type of tiling. Tiling by convex polyhedra has been partially investigated, for example, works [1, 15, 20] are devoted to tiling by various tetrahedra, once tiling realized by Platonic, Archimedean and Catalan bodies. The use of tiling begins from ancient times, on the plane with the creation of parquet floors and ornaments, in space - with the construction of houses, but even now new and new areas of applications of tiling are opening up, for example, a recent cycle of work on the use of tiling for packaging information [17]. Until now, tiling in space has been considered almost always by faceted bodies. Bodies bounded by compartments of curved surfaces are poorly considered and by themselves, one can recall the osohedra [14], dihedra, oloids, biconuses, sphericon [21], the Steinmetz figure [22], quasipolyhedra bounded by compartments of hyperbolic paraboloids described in [3] the astroid ellipsoid and hyperbolic tetrahedra, cubes, octahedra mentioned in [6], and tiling bodies with bounded curved surfaces was practically not considered, except for the infinite three-dimensional Schwartz surfaces, but they were also considered as surfaces, not as bodies., although, of course, in each such surface, you can select an elementary cell and fill it with a body, resulting in a geometric cell. With this work, we tried to eliminate this gap and described approaches to identifying geometric cells bounded by compartments of curved surfaces. The concept of tightly packed frameworks is formulated and an approach for their identification are described. A graphical algorithm for identifying polyhedra and quasipolyhedra - geometric cells are described.
Acquired Hyperzincaemia Due to Zinc-Laden Denture Adhesives Leading to Hypocupraemia as a Cause of Neutropenia
Authors: Amisha FNU , Saluja Prachi , Gautam Nitesh , Biyani Shubham , Kakadia Sunilkumar
Published: November 2021

Introduction: Copper deficiency or hypocupraemia is a rare cause of anaemia and neutropenia. Case description: We hereby present the case of a 34-year-old female with gastric bypass surgery who presented with neutropenic fever, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, later found to have extended-spectrum beta-lactamase resistant Escherichia coli urinary tract infection and small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome, with her anaemia and neutropenia being caused by copper deficiency due to hyperzincaemia induced by using zinc denture adhesive cream. Discussion: Various causes of copper deficiency have been recognized including, but not limited to, malnutrition, gastrectomy, gastric bypass surgery, protein-losing enteropathies (coeliac disease, tropical sprue), Wilson disease and Menkes syndrome. Copper deficiency caused by zinc overuse is not very prevalent. The haematologic abnormalities associated with copper deficiency are neutropenia, sideroblastic anaemia and/or pancytopenia. Conclusion: Because of its low prevalence and nonspecific haematologic and clinical manifestations, the diagnosis of zinc-induced copper deficiency (ZICD) can be missed.
Intra-aortic balloon pumps in cardiogenic shock: an overview
Authors: O'Donovan Kate
Published: November 2021

The intra-aortic balloon pump was first introduced for the treatment of cardiogenic shock. It is now the most commonly used form of circulatory support, despite disappointing findings from the intra-aortic balloon pump SHOCK II trial ( Thiele et al, 2012 ). Common placement is via the femoral artery into the aorta, with the tip of the balloon sitting below the left subclavian artery and the distal end above the renal arteries. The balloon is timed to inflate at the beginning of diastole augmenting coronary perfusion and deflate on the R wave just before systole, reducing the afterload. Patients who may be considered for intra-aortic balloon pump insertion are those experiencing ST elevation myocardial infarction or complex ischaemic disease and cardiogenic shock. Despite advances in catheter size and technology, potential complications include bleeding from the insertion site, limb ischaemia and compartment syndrome. Cardiovascular nurses require specialist knowledge and skills concerning balloon console technology, nursing care and potential complications.
Do registered nurses have the tools to appropriately assess student nurses in the taking and interpretation of electrocardiograms?
Authors: Kirk Mary , Wright Christine
Published: November 2021

The Nursing and Midwifery Council highlights that, at the point of qualifying, registered nurses should be able to undertake routine investigations, interpret and share the findings, as appropriate. This includes electrocardiograms. Registered nurses who act as practice assessors for student nurses need to have the skills themselves to be able to appropriately assess the student. This article investigates whether practice assessors hold the appropriate knowledge and skills to be able to undertake assessments. The understanding of the terminology ‘interpreting findings’ can be seen in different ways and this could influence nurses' skills acquisition. At what point does a nurse not require supervision and is considered competent in the skill of taking an electrocardiogram and interpretation? There is no national standard in England to agree the level at which competence is achieved. Student training in practice may vary due to the placement experiences gained throughout their training. From reviewing the literature and standards, it is suggested that registered nurses have varying standards of skills when it comes to interpreting electrocardiograms, derived from their training both as a student and as a nurse. It may also be influenced by the Registered Nurses workplace setting and whether regular and specialist electrocardiogram analysis is required. There appears to be no published evidence/information into current training provision for electrocardiogram analysis within England within a student nurses core curriculum.
Supporting patients to make meaning, create connections and live life post cardiac event
Authors: Higgins Rosemary
Published: November 2021

Rosemary Higgins shares her insight into supporting patients mentally and emotionally after a cardiac event
Using transanal irrigation in the management of low anterior resection syndrome: a service audit
Authors: Embleton Rebecca , Henderson Michelle
Published: November 2021

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a collection of symptoms that can occur as a result of a low anterior resection for bowel cancer. Transanal irrigation (TAI) can be used to manage these symptoms. This article describes a retrospective audit of 15 patients who were using TAI to manage symptoms of LARS. The aim of the audit was to ascertain whether the use of TAI improved outcomes for these patients. The data suggest that TAI has reduced both the frequency of bowel movements and episodes of faecal incontinence. Those patients using higher volumes of water seem to have experienced more benefit than those patients using lower volumes of water. These findings are consistent with current literature around TAI for LARS and suggest research into optimum volume of water would be beneficial.
Causing or inciting sexual activity with persons who have a mental disorder
Authors: Griffith Richard
Published: November 2021

Richard Griffith, Senior Lecturer in Health Law at Swansea University, discusses the implications of a Court of Appeal decision that considers the scope of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 39, in relation to care workers
The alarming gap between theory and practice in NHS patient safety
Authors: Tingle John
Published: November 2021

John Tingle, Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some recently published patient safety reports
Research on Solar Adsorption Refrigeration System
Authors: Jiang Di , Tang Dongya
Published: November 2021

In order to achieve solar adsorption refrigeration, this paper studies thesurface water source solar absorption refrigeration system combined withsurface water source cooling and solar absorbent refrigeration techniques: thesolar radiation intensity is adjusted by changing the distance between iodinetungsten lamps and solar cold tubes. The results show that the entire cyclehas a range of solar radiation intensity of 400 to 1000 W/m2, and the indoorambient temperature ranges from 19 to 25◦C, and the humidity is maintainedaround 40%. The highest temperature in the solar cold tube adsorption bed is12◦C; during the adsorption process, the temperature drops to about 20◦C; thesolar cold tube is 160 kJ in one cycle of the solar cold tube, and the coolingcoefficient is about 0.15. Conclusion: solar cold tubes can effectively utilizesolar refrigeration, it is a refrigeration method for environmentally friendly,no greenhouse effects and ozone destruction, which has potential applicationvalue and has energy saving and environmental protection.
Safety Protection Technology of Power Monitoring System Based on Feature Extraction Algorithm
Authors: Xiangbei Che , Yuhong Ouyang , Wenqian Kang , Jing Su
Published: November 2021

The network security protection technology of power monitoring systemsis of great significance. Aiming at the power network monitoring and pro-tection technology problem, the paper proposes an active monitoring andprotection strategy based on a feature extraction algorithm. The algorithmcan calculate the transfer degree of security incidents based on evidencetheory. First, the paper obtains a specific state transition diagram based onthe security topology of a generalized random power communication net-work. Then, we analyze the relationship between power system informationsecurity and engineering security based on the system’s operating results andfeature extraction algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate the rapideffectiveness of this method.
Electrical Harmonic Energy Measurement Based on Wavelet Packet Decomposition and Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Liu Mengshuang , Shi Xudong , Yang Chen
Published: November 2021

In order to study the accurate measurement of electric energy in complexindustrial field, a method of harmonic electric energy measurement basedon wavelet packet decomposition and reconstruction algorithm, as well asthe calculation formula of harmonic power and the principle of harmonicelectric energy measurement are proposed. Using db42 wavelet function tocarry out harmonic energy metering simulation analysis, the results showthat: The fundamental frequency of the simulation signal is 50 Hz, two-layerwavelet packet transform is adopted, the simulation input signals within 40fundamental wave cycles are taken, and the sampling frequency fs is 800 Hz.Conclusion: The three-phase harmonic energy metering device based onvirtual instrument technology has realized the measurement of each harmonicactive power and reactive power, and the accuracy reaches 0.2 s.
Fault Diagnosis Knowledge Reasoning of Switching Network in Distributed Generation Based on Petri Net
Authors: Liu Ziquan , Zhu Xueqiong , Ma Jingtan , Hui Fu Hui , Zhao Ke , Hu Chengbo
Published: November 2021

Telephone network based on IMS technology has been widely applied inpower production and dispatching communication, especially in distributedpower stations. Analysis and positioning failure of IMS network is arduous,because it’s dependent on IP data communication network. In this paper,we first introduced IMS switching network architecture and distributed gen-eration communication network architecture, analyzed and summarized allkinds of network malfunction. Combining typical IMS network fault con-nection relations, we introduced an improved Petri net fault handling modeland reasoning method. The diagnosis and positioning results could reflectthe defects of equipment logic functions. This method on fault diagnosisand location of substation network has been proved to be effective throughpractical application.
Stability Enhancement of PV Powered Microgrid using Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm Based Intelligent Controller Under Grid-connected Mode
Authors: Venkatesan Anantha Krishnan , Natarajan Senthil Kumar
Published: November 2021

An effective and robust controller is designed using Levenberg-Marquardt(LM) algorithm-based Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) based distributed generation units for stabilizing the grid-connected microgrid (MG) under load changes and irradiance variations. Atest system comprising of two PV units and one diesel generator unit con-nected to the utility grid is modelled and considered for the controller designin MATLAB/Simulink environment. PV generated power is injected into thegrid through voltage source converter (VSC) regulated by using the proposedANN controller. Based on the grid voltage and available PV generation,the ANN controller regulates the inverter current by setting the referencevoltage vector to synthesize gating pulses for the inverter. The robustnessof the controller design is analysed and validated through time-domainsimulations by subjecting it to extreme operating conditions. The controllerperformance is evaluated by Integral Square Error (ISE) and Integral TimeAbsolute Error (ITAE) for the test system. The results are compared with conventional PI and PID controllers to prove the superior performing ANNcontroller.
Chemical Bath Deposition of Cd1−xZnxS as Buffer Layer in CIGS Solar Cell
Authors: Xue Yuming , Wang Xinyu , Zhang Liming , Zhang Shipeng , Wang Lang , Sun Hang
Published: November 2021

Cd1−xZnxS thin films were deposited on glass substrates by chemical bathdeposition (CBD). The effect of ZnSO4 solution concentration on the prop-erties of the thin films was analyzed. The concentration of ZnSO4 solutionaffects the deposition rate of Cd1−xZnxS thin films. When the deposition rateis low, Cd1−xZnxS cubic crystal phase is formed. The surface morphology ofhexagonal Cd1−xZnxS thin films is denser than that of cubic phase, the latticemismatch rate of cubic phase Cd1−xZnxS thin films and CIGS is lower, only0.56%, the interfacial state density is lower. SCAPS software was used tosimulate the performance of the buffer layer and the conversion efficiencyof the cubic phase Cd1−xZnxS buffer layer in CIGS Solar Cell was up to23.50%. Based on the EDS results, the functional relationship between thecontents of Zn2+ and Cd2+ in the films and the bandgap content was deduced.
Application of Demand-side Technology in Power System Intelligent Regulation
Authors: Zhu Hui , Li Zhaoming , Chen Sisi , Peng Xiaojie
Published: November 2021

To reduce peak demand for electricity, smooth load curve shape, improvepower system safety and efficiency, this paper, by using intelligent homeappliance user operation comfort model is set up to quantify the acceptance,this paper proposes a maximum minimum load management algorithm basedon optimization strategy to change electric power use time and power con-sumption mode.The results show that the proposed model and algorithm canforecast and manage the power load well, and can reduce the peak to averageratio by 14.3% and the total expenditure by 15.3% while maintaining theoperating comfort of power users to the maximum.The load managementproblem of multiple power users can reach Nash equilibrium in a finitenumber of iterations, and this Nash equilibrium point is also the globaloptimal point.
A Study on Reliability of Smart Meters based on Monte-Carlo Method and Fault Trees
Authors: Chen Ye , Chen Ziyi , Liao Yaohua Liao , Zhu Mengmeng , Hong Zhihu , Jiang Zhangnan
Published: November 2021

Smart meters are widely used in the power supply system, and their oper-ational reliability is closely related to the user’s power supply reliability. Itis difficult for intelligent power metering equipment to accurately predict itsoperational reliability and lifespan based on the existing technical specifi-cations. In order to improve the accuracy of predicting the reliability andthe maintenance cycle of the smart meter, this paper proposes a method forpredicting the reliability of the smart meter based on the Monte Carlo methodand fault tree. Firstly, the occurrence time of the bottom sampling event issimulated by the Monte-Carlo method based on the statistical data of theannual failure rate of each module of the smart meter. Then, according to theFault Tree analysis of smart meters, the occurrence of the event is transformed into the fault time of the whole smart meters. The interval statistics are usedto obtain the reliability value of the smart meter. In the end, the curve of thereliability function is obtained after fitting the reliability value. The resultsshow that the reliability of the smart meter obeys the exponential distributionduring the operation of 100 years. When it comes to the tenth year, thereliability is 0.9519. This algorithm provides a guide for accurately predictingits reliability and maintenance cycles by modularly analyzing the faults ofsmart meters.
Falling through the care cracks: younger people in long-term care homes
Authors: Lai Poland
Published: November 2021

The COVID-19 casualties in long-term care homes (nursing homes) around the world are usually described as our collective failure in care towards older adults. The plight of younger long-term care residents appears to be forgotten in the midst of long-term care tragedies. This article summarises a small number of key informant interviews (conducted in 2017) that shed light on why younger adults reside in long-term care homes in Ontario, Canada. To put it simply, the younger residents have nowhere to go. Diverting younger people with disabilities from long-term care will help alleviate pressures on long-term care systems as respective governments race to reform them.
Contextualising everyday ethics in social care work based on two case studies of Norwegian long-term care
Authors: Christensen Karen , Bikova Mariya
Published: November 2021

The ageing population and long-term care policies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries have put pressure on social care work, creating patterns of difficult ethical situations. This article contributes to contextualising such situations by applying a ‘micro-ethics’ perspective and a theoretical framework that connects micro-ethics to macro-sociological contexts, and combines the concept of ‘moral distress’ (of healthcare professionals) with feminist ethics. Based on two case studies from an ethnographic study of Norway’s long-term care, findings demonstrate how ethically difficult moments connect with structural factors, including bureaucratic, managerialist and de-professionalised models of social care work, and new relationships between older people and their families.
High-resolution microwave frequency measurement based on dynamic frequency-to-power mapping
Authors: Song Shijie , Chew Suen Xin , Nguyen Linh , Yi Xiaoke
Published: November 2021

In this paper, we propose a microwave frequency measurement system that simultaneously achieves a large measurement range, high resolution, and linear frequency mapping in a compact configuration with a single laser and photodetector. The system is based on a novel dynamic microwave amplitude comparison function (ACF), which performs the power comparison in cascaded time intervals. The continuous movement of the dynamic ACF generates a series of steep and linear frequency-to-power mapping intervals, which can be seamlessly pieced together without sacrificing the frequency measurement range, thus breaking the trade-off between measurement resolution, linearity, and range. The proposed frequency measurement system is experimentally demonstrated by using an integrated silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microring resonator with an optical bandwidth of 1.8 GHz and outperforms current solutions by achieving a measurement resolution of over 80 dB/GHz throughout a frequency measurement range up to 20 GHz. Meanwhile, the highly linear system shows excellent accuracy where the average measurement error throughout the range is only 47.2 MHz, which is around 0.31% of the total measurement range.
Doppler-broadened four-wave mixing under double-resonance optical pumping in the 5S1/2–5P3/2–4D5/2 transition of warm 87Rb atoms
Authors: Jeong Hansol , Kim Heewoo , Bae Jinhyuk , Park Jiho , Moon Han Seb
Published: November 2021

We investigate stimulated four-wave mixing (FWM) in the 5S1/2–5P3/2–4D5/2 transition of warm 87Rb atoms. Here, the telecommunication wavelength (1529 nm) of the 5P3/2–4D5/2 transition is nearly twice that of the 5S1/2–5P3/2 transition (780 nm). The observed FWM signals of the 5P3/2–4D5/2 transition indicate that the FWM process is significantly influenced by the two-photon Doppler broadening due to the wavelength difference between both transitions and the double-resonance optical pumping (DROP) effect due to two-step excitation. We elucidate the suppression of the FWM process due to the DROP effect using a simple six-level atomic model.
Modelling two-laser asynchronous optical sampling using a single 2-section semiconductor mode-locked laser diode
Authors: Ejidike I. , McCracken R. A. , Bajek D.
Published: November 2021

We present a theoretical overview and a proposed methodology which demonstrates SLASOPS (single laser asynchronous optical sampling) as a single-laser alternative to the conventional two-laser ASOPS technique. We propose the optical and electronic setup in which SLASOPS may be achieved experimentally with a single 2-section mode-locked laser diode as the pulsed-laser source and simulate how asynchronous optical sampling is generated and detected theoretically. We highlight the technique’s ability to provide customizable scan ranges, scan rates and scan resolutions through variation of the imbalance in the interferometer arms and by tuning the repetition rate of the pulsed-laser source, which we present as optical cross-correlations between pulse pairs. We incorporate jitter into the system mathematically to assess the limitations on resolving both intensity and interferometric cross-correlation traces and to investigate the effects of averaging such traces in real-time. Analysis is then carried out on cross-correlation trace amplitude, width, and temporal positioning in order to discuss the technique’s ability for deployment in typical optical sampling applications. In particular we note SLASOPS’ ability to conduct asynchronous optical sampling using only a single laser, halving both the expense and technical requirements, doing so at megahertz scan rates, and within a spatial precision of just a few microns.
Passive 3D location estimation of non-line-of-sight objects from a scattered thermal infrared light field
Authors: Sasaki Takahiro , Hashemi Connor , Leger James R.
Published: November 2021

We propose a novel passive procedure to estimate the 3D location of non-line-of-sight objects by measuring the light field of scattered long-wavelength infrared radiation. By scanning an infrared camera in a horizontal plane, the scattered light is collected as a light field cube. We introduce mathematics that separate the weak information-bearing signal in the light field cube from residual scattered light and utilize this information to determine highly precise object locations. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the 3D localization procedure in a life-sized hallway consisting of diffusive walls using human-temperature non-line-of-sight objects.
High-power 1640 nm Er:Y2O3 ceramic laser at room temperature
Authors: Xie Hangbin , Zhang Jianing , Wang Fei , Shen Deyuan , Wang Jun , Tang Dingyuan
Published: November 2021

We report on the high-power operation of an Er:Y2O3 ceramic laser at approximately 1.6 µm using a low-scattering-loss, 0.25 at. % Er3+-doped ceramic sample fabricated in-house via a co-precipitation process. The laser is in-band pumped by an Er, Yb fiber laser at 1535.6 nm and generates 10.2 W of continuous-wave (CW) output power at 1640.4 nm with a slope efficiency of 25% with respect to the absorbed pump power. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an approximately 1.6 µm Er:Y2O3 laser at room temperature. The prospects for further scaling of the output power and lasing efficiency via low Er3+ doping and reduced energy-transfer upconversion are discussed.
Integrating deep learning with microfluidics for biophysical classification of sickle red blood cells adhered to laminin
Authors: Praljak Niksa , Iram Shamreen , Goreke Utku , Singh Gundeep , Hill Ailis , Gurkan Umut A. , Hinczewski Michael
Published: November 2021

Sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder affecting a sizeable global demographic, manifests in sickle red blood cells (sRBCs) with altered shape and biomechanics. sRBCs show heightened adhesive interactions with inflamed endothelium, triggering painful vascular occlusion events. Numerous studies employ microfluidic-assay-based monitoring tools to quantify characteristics of adhered sRBCs from high resolution channel images. The current image analysis workflow relies on detailed morphological characterization and cell counting by a specially trained worker. This is time and labor intensive, and prone to user bias artifacts. Here we establish a morphology based classification scheme to identify two naturally arising sRBC subpopulations—deformable and non-deformable sRBCs—utilizing novel visual markers that link to underlying cell biomechanical properties and hold promise for clinically relevant insights. We then set up a standardized, reproducible, and fully automated image analysis workflow designed to carry out this classification. This relies on a two part deep neural network architecture that works in tandem for segmentation of channel images and classification of adhered cells into subtypes. Network training utilized an extensive data set of images generated by the SCD BioChip, a microfluidic assay which injects clinical whole blood samples into protein-functionalized microchannels, mimicking physiological conditions in the microvasculature. Here we carried out the assay with the sub-endothelial protein laminin. The machine learning approach segmented the resulting channel images with 99.1±0.3% mean IoU on the validation set across 5k-folds, classified detected sRBCs with 96.0±0.3% mean accuracy on the validation set across 5k-folds, and matched trained personnel in overall characterization of whole channel images withR2= 0.992, 0.987 and 0.834 for total, deformable and non-deformable sRBC counts respectively. Average analysis time per channel image was also improved by two orders of magnitude (∼ 2 minutes vs ∼ 2-3 hours) over manual characterization. Finally, the network results show an order of magnitude less variance in counts on repeat trials than humans. This kind of standardization is a prerequisite for the viability of any diagnostic technology, making our system suitable for affordable and high throughput disease monitoring.
HillTau: A fast, compact abstraction for model reduction in biochemical signaling networks
Authors: Bhalla Upinder S.
Published: November 2021

Signaling networks mediate many aspects of cellular function. The conventional, mechanistically motivated approach to modeling such networks is through mass-action chemistry, which maps directly to biological entities and facilitates experimental tests and predictions. However such models are complex, need many parameters, and are computationally costly. Here we introduce the HillTau form for signaling models. HillTau retains the direct mapping to biological observables, but it uses far fewer parameters, and is 100 to over 1000 times faster than ODE-based methods. In the HillTau formalism, the steady-state concentration of signaling molecules is approximated by the Hill equation, and the dynamics by a time-coursetau. We demonstrate its use in implementing several biochemical motifs, including association, inhibition, feedforward and feedback inhibition, bistability, oscillations, and a synaptic switch obeying the BCM rule. The major use-cases for HillTau are system abstraction, model reduction, scaffolds for data-driven optimization, and fast approximations to complex cellular signaling.
Binding-induced functional-domain motions in the Argonaute characterized by adaptive advanced sampling
Authors: Pourjafar-Dehkordi Danial , Zacharias Martin
Published: November 2021

Argonaute proteins in combination with short microRNA (miRNAs) can target mRNA molecules for translation inhibition or degradation and play a key role in many regulatory processes. The miRNAs act as guide RNAs that associate with Argonaute and the complementary mRNA target region. The complex formation results in activation of Argonaute and specific cleavage of the target mRNA. Both the binding and activation processes involve essential domain rearrangements of functional importance. For the Thermus Thermophilus Argonaute (TtAgo) system guide-bound (binary) and guide/target-bound (ternary) complexes are known but how the binding of guide and target mediate domain movements is still not understood. We have studied the Argonaute domain motion in apo and guide/target bound states using Molecular Dynamics simulations and a Hamiltonian replica exchange (H-REMD) method that employs a specific biasing potential to accelerate domain motions. The H-REMD technique indicates sampling of a much broader distribution of domain arrangements both in the apo as well as binary and ternary complexes compared to regular MD simulations. In the apo state domain arrangements corresponding to more compact (closed) states are mainly sampled which undergo an opening upon guide and guide/target binding. Whereas only limited overlap in domain geometry between apo and bound states was found, a larger similarity in the domain distribution is observed for the simulations of binary and ternary complexes. Comparative simulations on ternary complexes with 15 or 16 base pairs (bp) formed between guide and target strands (instead of 14) resulted in dissociation of the 3’-guide strand from the PAZ domain and domain rearrangement. This agrees with the experimental observation that guide-target pairing beyond 14 bps is required for activation and gives a mechanistic explanation for the experimentally observed activation process.
Dynamic genome plasticity during unisexual reproduction in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus deneoformans
Authors: Fu Ci , Davy Aaliyah , Holmes Simeon , Sun Sheng , Yadav Vikas , Gusa Asiya , Coelho Marco A. , Heitman Joseph
Published: November 2021

Genome copy number variation occurs during each mitotic and meiotic cycle and it is crucial for organisms to maintain their natural ploidy. Defects in ploidy transitions can lead to chromosome instability, which is a hallmark of cancer. Ploidy in the haploid human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is exquisitely orchestrated and ranges from haploid to polyploid during sexual development and under various environmental and host conditions. However, the mechanisms controlling these ploidy transitions are largely unknown. During C. deneoformans (formerly C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D) unisexual reproduction, ploidy increases prior to the onset of meiosis, can be independent from cell-cell fusion and nuclear fusion, and likely occurs through an endoreplication pathway. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this ploidy transition, we identified twenty cell cycle-regulating genes encoding cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK), and CDK regulators. We characterized four cyclin genes and two CDK regulator genes that were differentially expressed during unisexual reproduction and contributed to diploidization. To detect ploidy transition events, we generated a ploidy reporter, called NURAT, which can detect copy number increases via double selection for nourseothricin-resistant, uracil-prototrophic cells. Utilizing this ploidy reporter, we showed that ploidy transition from haploid to diploid can be detected during the early phases of unisexual reproduction. Interestingly, selection for the NURAT reporter revealed several instances of segmental aneuploidy of multiple chromosomes, which conferred azole resistance in some isolates. These findings provide further evidence of ploidy plasticity in fungi with significant biological and public health implications.