bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Who Gives Back? Evidence from India on Successful Entrepreneurial Exit and Involvement in Philanthropy
Authors: Hans Leena Kinger , Vissa Balagopal (Bala)
Published: March 2022

Although successful commercial entrepreneurship has beneficial consequences for the economy, it is unclear whether it is unequivocally good for broader society. We shed light on this macro issue by delving into a specific micropathway linking commercial entrepreneurship with positive spillover effects for broader society. We ask which commercial entrepreneurs who have experienced economic success through a financial exit event from their for-profit venture engage in philanthropy—defined as systematically stimulating, supporting, and shaping social change efforts—after exit. Utilizing the status characteristics framework, we conceptualize how hierarchical positions on ascribed social status characteristics (caste and gender in our setting) and achieved social status characteristics (eliteness of Indian tertiary educational attainment and overseas tertiary educational attainment in our setting) regulate successful commercial entrepreneurs’ subsequent involvement in philanthropy. We argue that successful commercial entrepreneurs from disadvantaged ascribed-status groups or privileged achieved-status groups are more likely to transition to philanthropic activities because they more keenly perceive the need for societal change and are also more motivated to take action. Quantitative analyses on a sample of 673 Indian entrepreneurs who experienced a successful financial exit from their for-profit venture during 2003–2013, supplemented by qualitative interviews, support our theorizing. We advance management research by highlighting founder transitions from successful commercial entrepreneurship to philanthropy as a hitherto understudied mechanism driving positive social change. We thus open up new research avenues around the less-studied exit stage of entrepreneurship that allows for the integration of currently unconnected literatures around corporate philanthropy, elites, entrepreneurship, and social impact.

Funding: B. Vissa gratefully acknowledges financial support from INSEAD’s Emerging Markets Institute.

Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1572 .
Lived experiences of women with memories of childbirth
Authors: Suzuki Yumiko , Okubo Noriko
Published: March 2022

Background

Few studies have explored women's experiences of the memories of childbirth. This study aimed to describe how women recall memories of childbirth in their daily life, in order to improve childbirth and postpartum care.

Methods

A descriptive phenomenology was used. Unstructured interviews with six women recruited using snowball sampling were conducted, asking them to reflect on their childbirth memories and the experience of memory recall.

Results

In daily life, women did not recall the memories of childbirth often. After childbirth, women focused on living in the present. They had usually forgotten childbirth memories, but sometimes memories were evoked as a source of support or distress, depending on context.

Conclusions

Midwives should be cognisant of women's individual circumstances. Their role exceeds that of a medical specialist during the intrapartum period, as they are involved in creating impactful memories. These results also support the significance of long-term care.
Twenty-First Century Essential Employability Skills for English as a Foreign Language Undergraduates in a Context of the Mekong Delta
Authors: Phan Van Thi Tuyet , Nguyen Linh Dang Thuy , Nguyen Khang Duy
Published: March 2022

This study aimed to investigate essential employability skills for English as a foreign language (EFL) students in the Mekong Delta for the context of the 21st century. It was also to determine the similarities and differences between the important employability skills from the perspectives of the employers and EFL students. In this study, a questionnaire was delivered to EFL students who were juniors and seniors at a university in the South of Vietnam, majoring in English Education and English Studies (English Interpreter). At the same time, interviews were realized on both EFL students and employers. The findings showed that both EFL students and employers highlighted the attributes of self-confidence, receptiveness to feedback, and the use of body language in communication. The types of employability skills are similarly recognized among employers and EFL students in the same fields of employment. However, a significant difference was also found among employers on different job-specific skills. The results also indicated that EFL undergraduates were all highly aware of preparing the employability skills for their future professions.
CONTRIBUIÇÕES DE PAULO FREIRE FRENTE O COTIDIANO MIDIÁTICO DISCENTE
Authors: Tietsche Reis Claudia , Ramos de Azevedo Maria Antonia
Published: March 2022

Este artigo investiga a capacidade de adaptação dos princípios pedagógicos de Paulo Freire diante das constantes mudanças na realidade discente por meio das mídias. A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa analisou-se o projeto político pedagógico de uma escola freireana e foram entrevistadas, semiestruturalmente, sua equipe gestora e três professoras do ensino fundamental. Utilizou-se o método paradigma indiciário proposto por Carlo Ginzburg (1989) para discussão. Concluiu-se que os princípios pedagógicos freireanos se adaptam a novas realidades ao incentivar a autonomia dos professores e considerar o contexto social como base formativa para a construção do indivíduo. Ao promover a interdisciplinaridade dos conteúdos praticados em forma de projetos que se modificam ano a ano, possibilita-se estar atento aos interesses dos alunos. Freire (2014a, p. 133), ao propor que o sujeito deva reconhecer sua inconclusão em permanente movimento na história, viabiliza a abertura ao mundo e aos outros em uma relação dialógica constante.
CRIANÇAS EM SITUAÇÃO DE ACOLHIMENTO INSTITUCIONAL E O ENSINO REMOTO: UM OLHAR DESDE A EPISTEMOLOGIA FREIRIANA
Authors: De Almeida de Moura Mariana , Paulo da Silva Marta Regina
Published: March 2022

A pandemia mundial de Covid-19 pautou grandes mudanças na área da Educação. Diante do cenário de distanciamento social, as secretarias de educação adotaram medidas em caráter emergencial para a efetivação do ensino remoto. O presente ensaio propõe uma reflexão acerca das crianças em situação de acolhimento institucional em face a este contexto de ensino remoto. Defende, inspirado na epistemologia esperançosa, inconformada e acolhedora de Paulo Freire, a necessidade de desvelar as (in)visibilidades que marcam as vidas destas crianças, reconhecendo-as como sujeitos políticos e de direitos, e a educação como um ato político e amoroso que vise a emancipação de todos e todas.
The bee community (Hymenoptera, Apidae) of Ilha Grande, Babitonga bay, Santa Catarina State, Brazil: structure, insularity and interaction network
Authors: Da Silva Jonata Rodrigo Cavassola , Mouga Denise Monique Dubet da Silva , Dec Enderlei
Published: March 2022

Island biotic communities tend to be less diverse than mainland communities. This work aimed to describe the bee community of Ilha Grande, Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and its interactions with floral resources. Entomological net-sweeps were used to collect bees in flight or on flowering plants for 7 hours a day, monthly, for two years. A total of 785 specimens were sampled in the field, belonging to 50 species or morphotypes with four indeterminate individuals. The most representative subfamilies were Apinae (58.59%), Halictinae (40.43%), Colletinae (0.8%) and Megachilinae (0.1%), while the most abundant species were Apis mellifera (305 individuals), Dialictus sp. 1 (182) and Dialictus sp. 2 (32). The presence of Apis mellifera decreased diversity throughout the year. Relative abundance and richness of Halictinae were greater on the island on mainland. Richness of Apinae was lower on the island than that on the mainland due to the absence of Meliponina. A total of 55 botanical species were identified in association with bees, with Schinus terebinthifolius (105 visits) being the most visited. Interaction network metrics indicate an asymmetric, nested, and poorly specialized network. The results corroborate the Theory of Island Biogeography and demonstrate little interference/favoring of some taxa as well as the absence of others.
Laser-pulse-induced temperature, thermal stress, and
crater morphology effect during multipulse nanosecond laser
manufacturing
Authors: Lu Qiang , Lu Fake , He Xiaoliang , Jiang Zhilong , Lu Hongyan , Zhu Fan , Liu Cheng , Wang Shouyu , Kong Yan
Published: March 2022

We construct a numerical model
for multipulse laser drilling. It is found that the previous
laser-pulse-induced temperature accumulation, thermal stress
occurrence, and crater morphology change promote subsequent pulse
laser drilling. Among them, previous laser-pulse-induced temperature
accumulation contributes significantly to the drilled crater depth
when the workpiece temperature is higher than its melting point just
before the subsequent laser pulse irradiation, especially in a short
pulse interval condition. The crater morphology change becomes the
main contributor when the workpiece temperature decreases below the
melting point, often in a long pulse interval condition. Besides, the
previous occurrence of laser-pulse-induced thermal stress always has
had little influence on the drilled crater. This work can be a
theoretical reference, especially for multipulse laser
manufacturing.
Evolution of temporal broadening of ultrashort optical pulse propagation in general ocean turbulence
Authors: Wang ShuaiLing , Yang DongHui , Yu Zhou , Hu Zheng-Da , Zhang YiXin , Zhu Yun
Published: March 2022

Theoretical and experimental explorations have demonstrated that both anisotropy and unstable stratification exist in general ocean turbulence. Recent analyses of temporal broadening of ultrashort optical pulses in oceanic turbulence have adopted the assumptions that the propagation path in the

z

direction was isotropic, or turbulent cells are simply premised on circular symmetry in the

xy

plane. In this paper, circular symmetry of turbulent cells in the

xy

plane is no longer maintained, and two anisotropic factors describing the anisotropic scales in the

xy

plane are introduced to study the temporal broadening of ultrashort optical pulses. Moreover, unstable stratification of oceanic turbulence indicates the eddy diffusivities of temperature and salt are no longer equal. By Rytov approximation and the temporal-moments method, a new model is proposed for the temporal broadening of ultrashort optical pulse propagation in general ocean turbulence. We focus on the effects of asymmetric turbulent cells, unstable stratification, and other characteristics in general ocean turbulence on the temporal broadening. This work provides a theoretical basis for improving the transmission quality of ultrashort optical pulses and the performance of underwater optical communication systems.
Theoretical study of laser intensity noise effect on CW-STED microscopy
Authors: Mendoza-Coto Alejandro , Manzo Jaime Danay , Pérez Mellor Ariel Francis , Coto Hernández Iván
Published: March 2022

Spatial resolution of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy varies with sample labeling techniques and microscope components, e.g., lasers, lenses, and photodetectors. Fluctuations in the intensity of the depletion laser decrease achievable resolution in STED microscopy; the stronger the fluctuations, the higher the average intensity needed to achieve a given resolution. This phenomenon is encountered in every STED measurement. However, a theoretical framework that evaluates the effect of intensity fluctuations on spatial resolution is lacking. This paper presents an analytical formulation based on a stochastic model that characterizes the impact of the laser fluctuations and correlation time on the depletion efficiency in continuous-wave (CW) STED microscopy. We compared analytical results with simulations using a wide range of intensity noise conditions and found a high degree of agreement. The stochastic model used considers a colored noise distribution for the laser intensity fluctuations. Simple analytical expressions were obtained in the limit of small and large fluctuations’ correlation time. These expressions fitted very well the available experimental data. Finally, this work offers a starting point to model other laser noise effects in various microscopy implementations.
Nonparaxial optical transfer function for arbitrary illumination in partially coherent imaging systems and the oblique source application
Authors: Müllers David , Kuhl Jonas , Kontermann Stefan
Published: March 2022

Recent research in quantitative phase and refractive index microscopy showed promising results with methods using a partially coherent imaging setup, such as partially coherent optical diffraction tomography. For these methods, the phase optical transfer function (POTF), which describes the transmission of spatial frequencies by the imaging system, is crucial. Here, a one-dimensional integral representation of the POTF for imaging systems with arbitrary illumination is derived. It generalizes the existing expression, which is limited to axially symmetric setups. From the general integral form, an analytical solution is derived for the case of oblique homogeneous disk-shaped illumination. This demonstrates the potential of the general representation by offering an additional approach for illumination design in quantitative phase and refractive index microscopy.
S-, C- and L-band transmission over a 157 nm bandwidth using doped fiber and distributed Raman amplification
Authors: Puttnam Benjamin J. , Luís Ruben S. , Rademacher Georg , Mendez-Astudillio Manuel , Awaji Yoshinari , Furukawa Hideaki
Published: March 2022

We investigate optical transmission of an ultra-wideband signal in a standard single mode fiber. Using a near continuous optical bandwidth exceeding 157 nm across the S-, C- and L-bands, we combine doped-fiber amplifiers covering S, C and L-bands with distributed Raman amplification to enable high-quality transmission of polarization division multiplexed (PDM)-256-quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) signals over a 54 km standard single-mode fiber. We receive 793 × 24.5 GBd signals from 1466.34 nm to 1623.57 nm and measure a data rate estimated from the generalized mutual information (GMI) of 256.4 Tb/s and an LDPC decoded throughput of 244.3 Tb/s. The measured data rates exceed the highest previously measured in a single mode fiber, showing the potential for S-band transmission to enhance achievable data rates in optical fibers.
Orbital angular momentum mode sorting based on a hybrid radial-angular hybrid lens
Authors: Zhou Junhe , Pu Haoqian , Wang Qiqi
Published: March 2022

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes have their phase distribution as exp (jlθ), which resembles the plane wave in the Cartesian coordinates. Like the traditional lens, which can focus the plane wave on the focal plane, the angular lens can focus the OAM beam in the angular domain, albeit with a relatively long tail due to the unsatisfied angular focal condition for the non-ring shape beams. In this paper, a hybrid lens in the angular domain and the radial domain is proposed. The radial lens with the specific radially distributed phase guarantees the angular focal condition is met for the beams with an arbitrary beam waist or radial field distribution, which significantly improves the performance for the OAM modes sorting by the angular lens. The discrimination of the different OAM modes can be achieved efficiently based on such a single optical component, i.e., the proposed hybrid radial-angular lens, with the OAM modes inter-mode crosstalk as 3.7% when the topological charge difference is 3.
Compact broadband ( O, E, S, C, L & U bands) silicon TE-pass polarizer based on ridge waveguide adiabatic S-bends
Authors: Zafar Humaira , Zhai Yanfen , Villegas Juan E. , Ravaux Florent , Kennedy Kenneth L. , Pereira Mauro F. , Rasras Mahmoud , Shamim Atif , Anjum Dalaver H.
Published: March 2022

A compact, ultra-broadband and high-performance silicon TE-pass polarizer is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. It is based on partially-etched (ridge) waveguide adiabatic S-bends, input/output tapers and side gratings on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. A compact footprint and weak back reflections are obtained due to the bent waveguide and the tapers, respectively. An extremely high extinction ratio is achieved by scattering the undesired light in the slab section using the side gratings. The 3D FDTD simulations show a TE loss less than 0.3 dB and an extinction ratio greater than 30 dB over a 500 nm wavelength range (1200 nm to 1700 nm). Measured results show a high TM loss (> 35 dB) and a low TE insertion loss (< 1.5 dB), over a 200 nm wavelength range (1450 nm to 1650 nm). The measured TE loss is < 0.6 dB at a communication wavelength of 1550 nm. The footprint of the optimized design is 65 µm × 20 µm.
Ultrafast farfield simulation of non-paraxial computer generated holograms
Authors: Linss Sebastian , Michaelis Dirk , Zeitner Uwe D.
Published: March 2022

The simulation of large-area diffractive optical elements (DOEs) is challenging when non-paraxial propagation and coupling effects between neighboring structures shall be considered. We developed a novel method for the farfield simulation of DOEs, especially computer-generated holograms (CGHs) with lateral feature sizes in the wavelength range. It uses a machine learning approach to predict the optical function based on geometry parameters. Therefore, training data are calculated by physical simulation methods to create a linear regression model. With the trained model a very fast computation of the farfield is possible with high conformity to results of rigorous methods.
Rubbing-free liquid crystal electro-optic device based on organic single-crystal rubrene
Authors: Selvaraj Pravinraj , Li Po-Yin , Antony Mareena , Wang Yu-Wu , Chou Jyh-Pin , Chen Zhi-Hao , Hsu Che-Ju , Huang Chi-Yen
Published: March 2022

Liquid crystals (LCs) have been a vital component of modern communication and photonic technologies. However, traditional LC alignment on polyimide (PI) requires mechanically rubbing treatment to control LC orientation, suffering from dust particles, surface damage, and electrostatic charges. In this paper, LC alignment on organic single-crystal rubrene (SCR) has been studied and used to fabricate rubbing-free LC devices. A rubrene/toluene solution is spin-coated on the indium–tin–oxide (ITO) substrate and transformed thereafter to the orthorhombic SCR after annealing. Experimental result reveals that SCR-based LC cell has a homogeneous alignment geometry, the pretilt angle of LCs is low and the orientation of LCs is determined with capillary filling action of LCs. LC alignment on SCR performs a wider thermal tolerance than that on PI by virtue of the strong anchoring nature of LCs on SCR due to van der Waals and π–π electron stacking interactions between the rubrene and LCs. SCR-based LC cell performs a lower operation voltage, faster response time, and higher voltage holding ratio than the traditional PI-based LC cell. Organic SCR enables to play a role as weakly conductive alignment layer without rubbing treatment and offers versatile function to develop novel LC devices.
Feature issue introduction: ultra-wideband optical communications
Authors: Zhuge Qunbi , Chen Xi , Plant David V. , Shieh William
Published: March 2022

This Feature Issue covers the important aspects to develop ultra-wideband optical communication systems including optoelectronics, impairment modeling and compensation, optical amplification, superchannel and multi-band transmission and control, and so forth. This Introduction provides a summary of the articles on these topics in this Feature Issue.
Optical power detector with broad spectral coverage, high detectivity, and large dynamic range
Authors: Rossi Jussi , Uotila Juho , Sharma Sucheta , Hieta Tuomas , Laurila Toni , Teissier Roland , Baranov Alexei , Ikonen Erkki , Vainio Markku
Published: March 2022

Optical power measurements are needed in practically all technologies based on light. Here, we report a general-purpose optical power detector based on the photoacoustic effect. Optical power incident on the detector’s black absorber produces an acoustic signal, which is further converted into an electrical signal using a silicon-cantilever pressure transducer. We demonstrate an exceptionally large spectral coverage from ultraviolet to far infrared, with the possibility for further extension to the terahertz region. The linear dynamic range of the detector reaches 80 dB, ranging from a noise-equivalent power of 6 

n

W

/

H

z

to 600 mW (independent of signal averaging time).
Rod genesis driven by mafba in an nrl knockout zebrafish model with altered photoreceptor composition and progressive retinal degeneration
Authors: Liu Fei , Qin Yayun , Huang Yuwen , Gao Pan , Li Jingzhen , Yu Shanshan , Jia Danna , Chen Xiang , Lv Yuexia , Tu Jiayi , Sun Kui , Han Yunqiao , Reilly James , Shu Xinhua , Lu Qunwei , Tang Zhaohui , Xu Chengqi , Luo Daji , Liu Mugen
Published: March 2022

Neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) is an essential gene for the fate determination and differentiation of the precursor cells into rod photoreceptors in mammals. Mutations in NRL are associated with the autosomal recessive enhanced S-cone syndrome and autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. However, the exact role of Nrl in regulating the development and maintenance of photoreceptors in the zebrafish (Danio rerio), a popular animal model used for retinal degeneration and regeneration studies, has not been fully determined. In this study, we generated an nrl knockout zebrafish model via the CRISPR-Cas9 technology and observed a surprising phenotype characterized by a reduced number, but not the total loss, of rods and over-growth of green cones. We discovered two waves of rod genesis, nrl-dependent and -independent at the embryonic and post-embryonic stages, respectively, in zebrafish by monitoring the rod development. Through bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, we characterized the gene expression profiles of the whole retina and each retinal cell type from the wild type and nrl knockout zebrafish. The over-growth of green cones and mis-expression of green-cone-specific genes in rods in nrl mutants suggested that there are rod/green-cone bipotent precursors, whose fate choice between rod versus green-cone is controlled by nrl. Besides, we identified the mafba gene as a novel regulator of the nrl-independent rod development, based on the cell-type-specific expression patterns and the retinal phenotype of nrl/mafba double-knockout zebrafish. Gene collinearity analysis revealed the evolutionary origin of mafba and suggested that the function of mafba in rod development is specific to modern fishes. Furthermore, the altered photoreceptor composition and abnormal gene expression in nrl mutants caused progressive retinal degeneration and subsequent regeneration. Accordingly, this study revealed a novel function of the mafba gene in rod development and established a working model for the developmental and regulatory mechanisms regarding the rod and green-cone photoreceptors in zebrafish.
Comparative therapeutic strategies for preventing aortic rupture in a mouse model of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Authors: Legrand Anne , Guery Charline , Faugeroux Julie , Fontaine Erika , Beugnon Carole , Gianfermi Amélie , Loisel-Ferreira Irmine , Verpont Marie-Christine , Adham Salma , Mirault Tristan , Hadchouel Juliette , Jeunemaitre Xavier
Published: March 2022

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare inherited disorder caused by genetic variants in type III collagen. Its prognosis is especially hampered by unpredictable arterial ruptures and there is no therapeutic consensus. We created a knock-in Col3a1+/G182R mouse model and performed a complete genetic, molecular and biochemical characterization. Several therapeutic strategies were also tested. Col3a1+/G182R mice showed a spontaneous mortality caused by thoracic aortic rupture that recapitulates the vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with a lower survival rate in males, thin non-inflammatory arteries and an altered arterial collagen. Transcriptomic analysis of aortas showed upregulation of genes related to inflammation and cell stress response. Compared to water, survival rate of Col3a1+/G182R mice was not affected by beta-blockers (propranolol or celiprolol). Two other vasodilating anti-hypertensive agents (hydralazine, amlodipine) gave opposite results on aortic rupture and mortality rate. There was a spectacular beneficial effect of losartan, reversed by the cessation of its administration, and a marked deleterious effect of exogenous angiotensin II. These results suggest that blockade of the renin angiotensin system should be tested as a first-line medical therapy in patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
An investigation of spatial-temporal patterns and predictions of the coronavirus 2019 pandemic in Colombia, 2020–2021
Authors: Tariq Amna , Chakhaia Tsira , Dahal Sushma , Ewing Alexander , Hua Xinyi , Ofori Sylvia K. , Prince Olaseni , Salindri Argita D. , Adeniyi Ayotomiwa Ezekiel , Banda Juan M. , Skums Pavel , Luo Ruiyan , Lara-Díaz Leidy Y. , Bürger Raimund , Fung Isaac Chun-Hai , Shim Eunha , Kirpich Alexander , Srivastava Anuj , Chowell Gerardo
Published: March 2022

Colombia announced the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on March 6, 2020. Since then, the country has reported a total of 5,002,387 cases and 127,258 deaths as of October 31, 2021. The aggressive transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 motivate an investigation of COVID-19 at the national and regional levels in Colombia. We utilize the case incidence and mortality data to estimate the transmission potential and generate short-term forecasts of the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the public health policies using previously validated mathematical models. The analysis is augmented by the examination of geographic heterogeneity of COVID-19 at the departmental level along with the investigation of mobility and social media trends. Overall, the national and regional reproduction numbers show sustained disease transmission during the early phase of the pandemic, exhibiting sub-exponential growth dynamics. Whereas the most recent estimates of reproduction number indicate disease containment, with Rt<1.0 as of October 31, 2021. On the forecasting front, the sub-epidemic model performs best at capturing the 30-day ahead COVID-19 trajectory compared to the Richards and generalized logistic growth model. Nevertheless, the spatial variability in the incidence rate patterns across different departments can be grouped into four distinct clusters. As the case incidence surged in July 2020, an increase in mobility patterns was also observed. On the contrary, a spike in the number of tweets indicating the stay-at-home orders was observed in November 2020 when the case incidence had already plateaued, indicating the pandemic fatigue in the country.
Leprosy as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in patients living with HIV: Description of French Guiana’s cases over 20 years and systematic review of the literature
Authors: Mouchard Alice , Blaizot Romain , Graille Jenna , Couppié Pierre , Bertin Chloé
Published: March 2022

Background

HIV infection is highly prevalent in French Guiana, a territory where leprosy is also endemic. Since the introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment (HAART) in the management of HIV, leprosy has been reported as part of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS).

Methodology/Principal findings

We aimed to present a general description of these forms of leprosy as IRIS, highlighting clinical and therapeutic specificities. A retrospective study was conducted in French Guiana, including patients living with HIV (PLHIV) with advanced infection (CD4 < 200/mm3) and developing leprosy or a leprosy reaction within six months of HAART initiation, from 2000 to 2020. Clinical, histological and biological data were collected for all these patients. Six patients were reported in French Guiana. A systematic review of the literature was conducted, and its results were added to an overall analysis. Overall, seventy-three PLHIV were included. They were mainly men (74%), aged 22–54 years (median 36 years), mainly from Brazil (46.5%) and India (32.8%). Most leprosy cases (56.2%) were borderline tuberculoid (BT). Leprosy reactions were frequent (74%), mainly type 1 reaction (T1R) (68.5%), sometimes intense with ulceration of skin lesions (22%). Neuritis was observed in 30.1% of patients. The outcome was always favorable under multidrug therapy (MDT), continuation of HAART and additional corticosteroid therapy in case of neuritis or ulceration. There was no relapse.

Conclusion

Leprosy as IRIS in PLHIV mainly presents as a BT leprosy in a T1R state, sometimes with ulcerated skin lesions. Response to MDT is usually good. Systemic corticosteroids are necessary and efficient in case of neuritis.
Estimating chikungunya virus transmission parameters and vector control effectiveness highlights key factors to mitigate arboviral disease outbreaks
Authors: Jourdain Frédéric , de Valk Henriette , Noël Harold , Paty Marie-Claire , L’Ambert Grégory , Franke Florian , Mouly Damien , Desenclos Jean-Claude , Roche Benjamin
Published: March 2022

Background

Viruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes have greatly expanded their geographic range in recent decades. They are considered emerging public health threats throughout the world, including Europe. Therefore, public health authorities must be prepared by quantifying the potential magnitude of virus transmission and the effectiveness of interventions.

Methodology

We developed a mathematical model with a vector-host structure for chikungunya virus transmission and estimated model parameters from epidemiological data of the two main autochthonous chikungunya virus transmission events that occurred in Southern France, in Montpellier (2014) and in Le Cannet-des-Maures (2017). We then performed simulations of the model using these estimates to forecast the magnitude of the foci of transmission as a function of the response delay and the moment of virus introduction.

Conclusions

The results of the different simulations underline the relative importance of each variable and can be useful to stakeholders when designing context-based intervention strategies. The findings emphasize the importance of, and advocate for early detection of imported cases and timely biological confirmation of autochthonous cases to ensure timely vector control measures, supporting the implementation and the maintenance of sustainable surveillance systems.
Malnutrition, anemia, micronutrient deficiency and parasitic infections among schoolchildren in rural Tanzania
Authors: Mrimi Emmanuel C. , Palmeirim Marta S. , Minja Elihaika G. , Long Kurt Z. , Keiser Jennifer
Published: March 2022

Background

Malnutrition, anemia, micronutrient deficiency and parasitic infections continue to impact the nutritional status and health of children in lower-income countries. However, not enough data concerning this issue is available. The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of nutritional indicators, anemia and micronutrient deficiency and their underlying risk factors among schoolchildren in south-eastern Tanzania.

Methodology/Principal findings

This cross-sectional study enrolled primary schoolchildren aged 6–12 years from Kikwawila and Kiberege wards, Tanzania. In total, 471 schoolchildren underwent a physical examination and provided blood, stool and urine samples for an assessment of the levels of different micronutrients, nutritional and anemia status, and parasitic infection status. We employed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine the association between nutritional statuses, anemia, micronutrient deficiency and parasitic infections. We found that 23.90%, 12.60% and 16.20% of schoolchildren were stunted, underweight and wasted, respectively. About 14.0% of schoolchildren were found to be anemic. Children diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum infection were more likely to have low levels of ferritin (aOR: 10.40, 95% CI: 2.88-40.53) and elevated levels of serum soluble transferrin receptor (aOR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.27-11.23), respectively. Vitamin A (34.71%) and vitamin B12 (8.79%) were the most prevalent micronutrients found to be deficient in diagnosed children. Finally, we found that schoolchildren attending the most rural schools were five times more likely to be diagnosed with at least one micronutrient deficiency (aOR: 5.04, 95% CI: 2.38–11.44).

Conclusions/Significance

Malnutrition, anemia and micronutrient deficiency still pose a significant health burden among schoolchildren living in rural Tanzania. To effectively tackle this burden, health interventions such as deworming, micronutrient supplementation, vector control, health education and access to clean water and improved sanitation should be strengthened and made sustainable.
“I am my own doctor”: A qualitative study of the perspectives and decision-making process of Muslims with diabetes on Ramadan fasting
Authors: Bouchareb Siham , Chrifou Rabab , Bourik Zohra , Nijpels Giel , Hassanein Mohamed , Westerman Marjan J. , Elders Petra J. M.
Published: March 2022

Background

Many Muslims with diabetes choose to fast against medical advice during Ramadan, potentially increasing their risk of acute complications. Patients are often reluctant to disclose fasting to their health care providers, and their needs regarding Ramadan are not met in consultations. For healthcare professionals to provide patient-centred care, it is important to gain more insight into patients’ decision-making process. This study therefore aims to explore how Muslims with diabetes decide whether to fast during Ramadan.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted consisting of 15 focus groups with Muslims with diabetes within a constructivist paradigm. Convenience sampling was used. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes were found to be important in the decision on whether to fast: (1) values and beliefs concerning Ramadan, (2) experiences and emotions concerning Ramadan, (3) the perception of illness, and (4) advice from health care professionals, imams and family. Many participants indicated fasting against medical advice and trusting their subjective assessments on whether they could fast. Moreover, three main stages in the decision-making process for eventually refraining from fasting were identified: (1) the stage where positive experiences with fasting dominate, (2) the stage where one encounters challenges but their determination to fast prevails and (3) the stage where one decides to refrain from fasting after experiencing too many physical difficulties with fasting.

Conclusions

Muslims with diabetes experience autonomy in their decisions on Ramadan fasting. The decision to refrain from fasting often resulted from a difficult and dynamic decision-making process and was often made after participants reached their physical limits. These findings highlight the importance of not only shared decision-making to empower patients to make well-informed decisions on Ramadan fasting but also pre-Ramadan diabetes education to help people with diabetes have a safe Ramadan.
Comparative prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women accessing free maternal care in a tertiary hospital in Ghana
Authors: Antuamwine Benedict Boateng , Herchel Eddie Delali , Bawa Eric Mishio
Published: March 2022

Hepatitis B virus infection is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and accounts for a significant proportion of morbidities and mortalities in Ghana. Infection with HBV during pregnancy can result in life-threatening complications to both mother and child. To improve their quality of life, the free maternal care was introduced to grant pregnant women cost-free access to antenatal and postnatal services. The study analysed the prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women receiving free antenatal care in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study, where secondary data of pregnant women who accessed free antenatal services at the Trafalga hospital, Ho, from 2016 to 2017 were retrieved from the hospital’s database. Data on hepatitis B surface antigen reactivity test, age and period of turnout were analysed with Microsoft Excel and Graph pad prism version 6. A total of 2,634 pregnant women assessed free antenatal care from January 2016 –December 2017, with 10% rise in turnout in 2017. The age of the study population was fairly young, ranging from 13–52 years and mean of 29.87±5.83. The prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women in the entire study was estimated to be 6.0%, while that of 2016 and 2017 were 5.3% and 6.7% respectively. Turnout for antenatal services peaked in July, which also recorded the highest prevalence of HBV infection among the pregnant women. Our study, first of its kind show an HBV prevalence of 6.0% among a large population of pregnant women who accessed free antenatal services at a tertiary hospital in Ghana. The study evaluates the influence of the free maternal care policy on antenatal attendance and HBV infection rates among pregnant women.
SISPO: Space Imaging Simulator for Proximity Operations
Authors: Pajusalu Mihkel , Iakubivskyi Iaroslav , Schwarzkopf Gabriel Jörg , Knuuttila Olli , Väisänen Timo , Bührer Maximilian , Palos Mario F. , Teras Hans , Le Bonhomme Guillaume , Praks Jaan , Slavinskis Andris
Published: March 2022

This paper describes the architecture and demonstrates the capabilities of a newly developed, physically-based imaging simulator environment called SISPO, developed for small solar system body fly-by and terrestrial planet surface mission simulations. The image simulator utilises the open-source 3-D visualisation system Blender and its Cycles rendering engine, which supports physically based rendering capabilities and procedural micropolygon displacement texture generation. The simulator concentrates on realistic surface rendering and has supplementary models to produce realistic dust- and gas-environment optical models for comets and active asteroids. The framework also includes tools to simulate the most common image aberrations, such as tangential and sagittal astigmatism, internal and external comatic aberration, and simple geometric distortions. The model framework’s primary objective is to support small-body space mission design by allowing better simulations for characterisation of imaging instrument performance, assisting mission planning, and developing computer-vision algorithms. SISPO allows the simulation of trajectories, light parameters and camera’s intrinsic parameters.
Core motifs predict dynamic attractors in combinatorial threshold-linear networks
Authors: Parmelee Caitlyn , Moore Samantha , Morrison Katherine , Curto Carina
Published: March 2022

Combinatorial threshold-linear networks (CTLNs) are a special class of inhibition-dominated TLNs defined from directed graphs. Like more general TLNs, they display a wide variety of nonlinear dynamics including multistability, limit cycles, quasiperiodic attractors, and chaos. In prior work, we have developed a detailed mathematical theory relating stable and unstable fixed points of CTLNs to graph-theoretic properties of the underlying network. Here we find that a special type of fixed points, corresponding to core motifs, are predictive of both static and dynamic attractors. Moreover, the attractors can be found by choosing initial conditions that are small perturbations of these fixed points. This motivates us to hypothesize that dynamic attractors of a network correspond to unstable fixed points supported on core motifs. We tested this hypothesis on a large family of directed graphs of size n = 5, and found remarkable agreement. Furthermore, we discovered that core motifs with similar embeddings give rise to nearly identical attractors. This allowed us to classify attractors based on structurally-defined graph families. Our results suggest that graphical properties of the connectivity can be used to predict a network’s complex repertoire of nonlinear dynamics.
Departure efficiency evaluation of a comprehensive transport hub based on Wi-Fi probe data and a multilayer hybrid model
Authors: Liu Tangzhi , Shan Jue , Liu Xingliang , Shang Ting
Published: March 2022

Evaluation of the passenger departure efficiency of a comprehensive transport hub is essential for traffic managers. Through the evaluation, security risks in the hub can be found in time to ensure the safe departure of passengers. The attention of existing studies has focused on the analysis of the overall situation of the hub, and the quantitative description of departure status in different connection areas inside the hub is insufficient. In this study, a multilayer hybrid model based on an analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method was established. The data collected using Wi-Fi probe technology were clustered by a K-means algorithm. The first level of the model was divided according to the connection areas of the passenger hub, and the second level was based on the number of stranded people, wait time and departure time in each connection area. It was found that the SP index has the greatest impact on departure efficiency. In addition, the impact of passenger flow aggregation on each connection area is different, and the management department should treat it accordingly. The applicability of the proposed multilayer hybrid model was verified in the example of the Chongqing north railway station.
Functional disruption of transferrin expression alters reproductive physiology in Anopheles culicifacies
Authors: Rani Jyoti , De Tanwee Das , Chauhan Charu , Kumari Seena , Sharma Punita , Tevatiya Sanjay , Chakraborti Soumyananda , Pandey Kailash C. , Singh Namita , Dixit Rajnikant
Published: March 2022

Background

Iron metabolism is crucial to maintain optimal physiological homeostasis of every organism and any alteration of the iron concentration (i.e. deficit or excess) can have adverse consequences. Transferrins are glycoproteins that play important role in iron transportation and have been widely characterized in vertebrates and insects, but poorly studied in blood-feeding mosquitoes.

Results

We characterized a 2102 bp long transcript AcTrf1a with complete CDS of 1872bp, and 226bp UTR region, encoding putative transferrin homolog protein from mosquito An. culicifacies. A detailed in silico analysis predicts AcTrf1a encodes 624 amino acid (aa) long polypeptide that carries transferrin domain. AcTrf1a also showed a putative N-linked glycosylation site, a characteristic feature of most of the mammalian transferrins and certain non-blood feeding insects. Structure modelling prediction confirms the presence of an iron-binding site at the N-terminal lobe of the transferrin. Our spatial and temporal expression analysis under altered pathophysiological conditions showed that AcTrf1a is abundantly expressed in the fat-body, ovary, and its response is significantly altered (enhanced) after blood meal uptake, and exogenous bacterial challenge. Additionally, non-heme iron supplementation of FeCl3 at 1 mM concentration not only augmented the AcTrf1a transcript expression in fat-body but also enhanced the reproductive fecundity of gravid adult female mosquitoes. RNAi-mediated knockdown of AcTrf1a causes a significant reduction in fecundity, confirming the important role of transferrin in oocyte maturation.

Conclusion

All together our results advocate that detailed characterization of newly identified AcTrf1a transcript may help to select it as a unique target to impair the mosquito reproductive outcome.
Simultaneous vehicle and lane detection via MobileNetV3 in car following scene
Authors: Deng Tianmin , Wu Yongjun
Published: March 2022

Aiming at vehicle and lane detections on road scene, this paper proposes a vehicle and lane line joint detection method suitable for car following scenes. This method uses the codec structure and multi-task ideas, shares the feature extraction network and feature enhancement and fusion module. Both ASPP (Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling) and FPN (Feature Pyramid Networks) are employed to improve the feature extraction ability and real-time of MobileNetV3, the attention mechanism CBAM (Convolutional Block Attention Module) is introduced into YOLOv4, an asymmetric network architecture of "more encoding-less decoding" is designed for semantic pixel-wise segmentation network. The proposed model employed improved MobileNetV3 as feature ex-traction block, and the YOLOv4-CBAM and Asymmetric SegNet as branches to detect vehicles and lane lines, respectively. The model is trained and tested on the BDD100K data set, and is also tested on the KITTI data set and Chongqing road images, and focuses on the detection effect in the car following scene. The experimental results show that the proposed model surpasses the YOLOv4 by a large margin of +1.1 AP50, +0.9 Recall, +0.7 F1 and +0.3 Precision, and surpasses the SegNet by a large margin of +1.2 IoU on BDD100k. At the same time, the detection speed is 1.7 times and 3.2 times of YOLOv4 and SegNet, respectively. It fully proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the improved method.
Association between metabolic syndrome and 13 types of cancer in Catalonia: A matched case-control study
Authors: López-Jiménez Tomàs , Duarte-Salles Talita , Plana-Ripoll Oleguer , Recalde Martina , Xavier-Cos Francesc , Puente Diana
Published: March 2022

Background

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is the simultaneous occurrence of a cluster of predefined cardiovascular risk factors. Although individual MS components are associated with increased risk of cancer, it is still unclear whether the association between MS and cancer differs from the association between individual MS components and cancer. The aim of this matched case-control study was to estimate the association of 13 types of cancer with (1) MS and (2) the diagnosis of 0, 1 or 2 individual MS components.

Methods

Cases included 183,248 patients ≥40 years from the SIDIAP database with incident cancer diagnosed between January 2008-December 2017. Each case was matched to four controls by inclusion date, sex and age. Adjusted conditional logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between MS and cancer risk, comparing the effect of global MS versus having one or two individual components of MS.

Results

MS was associated with an increased risk of the following cancers: colorectal (OR: 1.28, 95%CI: 1.23–1.32), liver (OR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.74–2.14), pancreas (OR: 1.79, 95%CI: 1.63–1.98), post-menopausal breast (OR: 1.10, 95%CI: 1.06–1.15), pre-menopausal endometrial (OR: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.74–2.65), post-menopausal endometrial (OR: 2.46, 95%CI: 2.20–2.74), bladder (OR: 1.41, 95%CI: 1.34–1.48), kidney (OR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.69–2.00), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (OR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.10–1.38), leukaemia (OR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.31–1.54), lung (OR: 1.11, 95%CI: 1.05–1.16) and thyroid (OR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.50–1.95). Except for prostate, pre-menopause breast cancer and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, MS is associated with a higher risk of cancer than 1 or 2 individual MS components. Estimates were significantly higher in men than in women for colorectal and lung cancer, and in smokers than in non-smokers for lung cancer.

Conclusion

MS is associated with a higher risk of developing 11 types of common cancer, with a positive correlation between number of MS components and risk of cancer.