bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal Analysis of an Ultrasonic Aspirator Micro Claw Tool Compared With Standard High-Speed Drilling During Internal Auditory Canal Opening in a Cadaveric Model
Authors: Maldonado Justin , Porto Edoardo , Revuelta Barbero J. Manuel , Tello Isaac , Rodas Alejandra , Vivas Esther X. , Mattox Douglas E. , Solares C. Arturo , Garzon Muvdi Tomas , Pradilla Gustavo
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND:

The ultrasonic aspirator micro claw tool (UAmCT) can be used to remove the bone of the internal auditory canal (IAC) during vestibular schwannoma resection via the retrosigmoid approach (RSA) without the risk of a spinning drill shaft. However, the thermal profile of the UAmCT during IAC removal has not been reported.

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the thermal profile of the UAmCT during access of the IAC to that of a conventional high-speed drill (HSD) and to present an illustrative case of this application.

METHODS:

IAC opening via RSA was performed in 5 embalmed cadaveric specimens using the UAmCT with 3, 8, and 15 mL/min irrigation on the left and the HSD at 75 000 revolutions per minute and 0%, 14%, and 22% irrigation on the right. Peak bone surface temperatures were measured 4 times in 20-second intervals, and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. An illustrative case of a vestibular schwannoma resected via an RSA using the UAmCT to access the IAC is presented.

RESULTS:

The IAC was opened in all 5 specimens using both the UAmCT and HSD without complication. The mean peak bone surface temperatures were significantly lower with the UAmCT compared with the HSD (P < .001). The UAmCT did not meaningfully prolong the operating time in the illustrative case, and the IAC was accessed without complication.

CONCLUSION:

The UAmCT may be a safe and effective alternative to HSD for IAC opening during vestibular schwannoma resection via the RSA. Larger studies under clinical conditions are required to further validate these findings.
PRDM1 DNA-binding zinc finger domain is required for normal limb development and is disrupted in split hand/foot malformation
Authors: Truong Brittany T. , Shull Lomeli C. , Lencer Ezra , Bend Eric G. , Field Michael , Blue Elizabeth E. , Bamshad Michael J. , Skinner Cindy , Everman David , Schwartz Charles E. , Flanagan-Steet Heather , Artinger Kristin B.
Published: April 2023

Split hand/foot malformation (SHFM) is a rare limb abnormality with clefting of the fingers and/or toes. For many individuals, the genetic etiology is unknown. Through whole-exome and targeted sequencing, we detected three novel variants in a gene encoding a transcription factor, PRDM1, that arose de novo in families with SHFM or segregated with the phenotype. PRDM1 is required for limb development; however, its role is not well understood and it is unclear how the PRDM1 variants affect protein function. Using transient and stable overexpression rescue experiments in zebrafish, we show that the variants disrupt the proline/serine-rich and DNA-binding zinc finger domains, resulting in a dominant-negative effect. Through gene expression assays, RNA sequencing, and CUT&RUN in isolated pectoral fin cells, we demonstrate that Prdm1a directly binds to and regulates genes required for fin induction, outgrowth and anterior/posterior patterning, such as fgfr1a, dlx5a, dlx6a and smo. Taken together, these results improve our understanding of the role of PRDM1 in the limb gene regulatory network and identified novel PRDM1 variants that link to SHFM in humans.
Formamide significantly enhances the efficiency of chemical adenylation of RNA sequencing ligation adaptors
Authors: Hildebrand Samuel R. , Hedger Adam K. , Yamada Ken , Watts Jonathan K. , Khvorova Anastasia
Published: April 2023

Preadenylated single-stranded DNA ligation adaptors are essential reagents in many next generation RNA sequencing library preparation protocols. These oligonucleotides can be adenylated enzymatically or chemically. Enzymatic adenylation reactions have high yield but are not amendable to scale up. In chemical adenylation, adenosine 5′-phosphorimidazolide (ImpA) reacts with 5′ phosphorylated DNA. It is easily scalable but gives poor yields, requiring labor-intensive cleanup steps. Here, we describe an improved chemical adenylation method using 95% formamide as the solvent, which results in the adenylation of oligonucleotides with >90% yield. In standard conditions, with water as the solvent, hydrolysis of the starting material to adenosine monophosphate limits the yields. To our surprise, we find that rather than increasing adenylation yields by decreasing the rate of ImpA hydrolysis, formamide does so by increasing the reaction rate between ImpA and 5′-phosphorylated DNA by ∼10-fold. The method described here enables straightforward preparation of chemically adenylated adapters with higher than 90% yield, simplifying reagent preparation for NGS.
Music listening as an emotion regulation strategy of students during COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Vasiou Aikaterini , Danou Stella , Sideris Aimilianos
Published: April 2023

Τhe purpose of the current study was to examine the positive impact of music listening and musical emotion regulation strategies as predictors of students’ affect during COVID-19 lockdown. Two hundred and three students from University of Western Macedonia completed an on-line self-report questionnaire consisting of Positive Music Listening Experience Scale, Music Uses and Gratifications Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results indicate that students’ positive affect is positively related with positive impact of music listening as well as with negative mood management, whereas negative affect is negatively related with negative mood management. Furthermore, positive impact of music listening was the only predictor of students’ positive affect, while both emotion regulation strategies were predictors of students’ negative affect. Results indicate the importance of music listening as an emotion regulation strategy of students during pandemic. The practical applications and limitations of the research are discussed.
Evaluation of serum complement C4 among COVID-19 patients in Khartoum state: a case control-based study
Authors: Yahya Mohammed , Rahamtalla Yousif Ali , Mohammed Nasr Nasr , Gorish Babbiker Mohammed Taher
Published: April 2023

Background: The complement system is made up of an abundance of unique plasma proteins that play an important role in innate immunity and inflammation, aiding in the fight against pathogenic microbes and viral diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum complement C4 concentration in COVID-19 patients in Khartoum and compare them to healthy controls.

Methods: A total of 100 samples were collected, 50 samples from COVID-19 patients who presented as cases and 50 samples from people who were evidently healthy. Overall, 33 (66%) the patient populations in the case group were not in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), compared to 17 (34%) who were. The concentrations of C4 in each serum sample were calculated in milligrams per deciliter. SPSS version (20) was used to analyze the data.

Results: The means level of complement C4 (mg/dL) were 37.44±18.618, 23.90±10.229 in the case group and in the control group, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in complement C4 level between case and control (p-values ≤0.01). In addition, the mean complement C4 level in the ICU and non-ICU case groups was 25.00±17.85 and 43.85±15.712 mg/dL, respectively. There was a statistically significant variance in complement C4 level between ICU and non-ICU (p-values ≤0.01). Furthermore, the cases were divided into four age groups: 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, and over 80 years old. The one-way ANOVA test showed no statistically significant differences between age categories in complement C4 level (P = 0.735)

Conclusions: The case group had a higher mean level of complement C4 than the control group, which could be understood by the stimulation of the complement cascade during the COVID-19 illness. Furthermore, the complement C4 level in severe COVID-19 patients was lower than in non-severe COVID-19.
Case Report: An unusual presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis
Authors: Bannour Ichrak , Ben Brahim Maroi , Arfa Sondes , Amor Soumaya ben , Ben Mabrouk Asma , Berrich Olfa , Hammemi Sonia
Published: April 2023

Aim: We are reporting a case of an unusual presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) with liver involvement.

Case presentation: A 45-year-old male patient presented with erythematous plaques on the face and bilateral nasal obstruction. On physical examination, the patient had a ring-shaped squamous plaque on the face. The laboratory findings revealed an accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 100 mm/h, an elevated C-reactive protein at 66 mg/L, hyper gamma globulinemia 16 g/L and an elevated alkaline phosphatase (twice the upper normal limit). The craniofacial and thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) -scans showed ethmoid and maxillary sinusitis, low facial bone density, multiple mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy, diffuse small pulmonary nodules, and hepatomegaly. A cutaneous lesion biopsy, the nasal mucosa, and the liver showed a chronic inflammatory granulomatosis process with necrosis. Serum anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) against PR3 was positive. The clinical, biological, radiological, and histological findings substantiated the diagnosis of GPA. The patient received systemic steroids combined with cyclophosphamide pulses on days 1, 14 and 28 and then he was lost to follow-up.  Two-years later, he presented with a cardiac failure and skin ulcer in the right lower limb. A nasal endoscopic exam showed nasal septum cartilage perforation with resorption of the middle and inferior nasal concha. Two weeks later, he developed a diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and was therefore transferred to the intensive care unit but died of respiratory failure 3 days later.

Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of GPA atypical clinical manifestations.
Community health worker-led household screening and management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in rural Bangladesh: a cluster randomized control trial protocol
Authors: Foote Eric M. , Jahan Farjana , Rahman Mahbubur , Parvez Sarker Masood , Ahmed Tasnim , Hasan Rezaul , Yeasmin Farzana , Arifeen Shams El , Billah Sk Masum , Hoque Md. Mahbubul , Shahidullah Mohammod , Shariful Islam Muhammad , Bhutani Vinod K , Darmstadt Gary L
Published: April 2023

Background: Extreme hyperbilirubinemia leading to neurologic disability and death is disproportionately high in low to middle income countries (LMIC) such as Bangladesh, and is largely preventable through timely treatment. Of the estimated 50% of newborns born in LMICs born at home, few receive screening or treatment for hyperbilirubinemia, leading to 6 million newborns per year who need phototherapy treatment for hyperbilirubinemia but are untreated. Household screening and treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia with phototherapy administered by a trained community health worker (CHW) may increase indicated treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in comparison to the existing care system in Bangladesh.

Methods: 530 Bangladeshi women in their 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy from the rural community of Sakhipur, Bangladesh will be recruited for a cluster randomized trial and randomized to the intervention arm — home screening and treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia — or the comparison arm to receive usual care. In the intervention arm, CHWs will provide mothers with two prenatal visits, visit newborns by 2 days of age and then daily for 3 days to measure transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and monitor clinical danger signs. Newborns without danger signs but with a TcB above the treatment threshold <15 mg/dL will be treated with light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy at home. Newborns with danger signs or TcB >15 mg/dL will be referred to a hospital for treatment. Treatment rates for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in each arm will be compared.

Conclusion: This study will evaluate the effectiveness of CHW-led home phototherapy to increase neonatal hyperbilirubinemia treatment rates in rural Bangladesh. LMICs are expanding access to postnatal care by using CHWs, and our work will give CHWs a curative treatment option for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Similar projects in other LMICs can be pursued to dramatically extend healthcare access to vulnerable newborns with hyperbilirubinemia.
Cohort profile update: The Cork and Kerry Diabetes and Heart Disease Study
Authors: Stamenic Danko , Harrington Janas M. , Millar Seán R. , Delaney Lisa , Gajewska Katarzyna A. , Buckley Claire M. , McHugh Sheena M. , Perry Ivan J. , Kearney Patricia M.
Published: April 2023

Background: The Cork and Kerry Diabetes and Heart Disease Study was established to investigate the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease among middle-aged adults in Ireland. The Mitchelstown cohort was recruited from a single large primary care centre between 2010–2011. A rescreen of this cohort was conducted in 2015.

Methods: Data were collected on cardiovascular health and associated risk factors. In addition, the rescreen incorporated new measures which included information on cognition and frailty, medication adherence, dietary factors and the collection of stool samples with RNA sequencing of the gut microbiome.

Results: Of 2047 participants in the original cohort, 237 (11.6%) were deceased, too ill to participate or were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 1810 baseline study participants, 1378 men and women aged 51–77 years agreed to take part in the rescreen (response rate of 76.1%). The prevalence of hypertension was high, ranging from 50% to 64% depending on the measurement method. An investigation of the association of gut microbiota with metabolic syndrome and obesity indicated greater microbiome diversity in metabolically healthy non-obese individuals relative to their unhealthy counterparts. Analysis of prescribing data over time demonstrated a high prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing among older-aged people in primary care which increased as they progressed to more advanced old age.

Conclusions: The rescreen has provided new insights into cardiovascular health. In addition, this study is embedded in a single primary care centre, enabling passive follow-up of study participants through electronic health records. All data collected at baseline and rescreen are maintained and stored at the School of Public Health, University College Cork and specific proposals for future collaborations are welcome.
A qualitative study exploring hand hygiene practices in a neonatal unit in Blantyre, Malawi: implications for controlling healthcare-associated infections
Authors: Mangochi Helen , Tolhurst Rachel , Simpson Victoria , Kawaza Kondwani , Chidziwisano Kondwani , Feasey Nicholas A. , Morse Tracy , MacPherson Eleanor
Published: April 2023

Background: Neonatal sepsis causes morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Antimicrobial resistance exacerbates outcomes. Poor Infection Prevention and Control practices (IPC) by healthcare workers and caregivers drive infection transmission. The Chatinkha Neonatal Unit in Malawi has experienced Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreaks of neonatal sepsis. We aimed to identify barriers to optimal IPC, focusing on hand hygiene.

Methods: We used a focused ethnography to meet the study aim. Combining participant observation over a seven-month period with semi structured interviews with health care workers and patient carers (23) to provide an in-depth understanding of activities relating to hygiene and IPC existing on the ward. To analyse the data, we drew on the framework approach.

Results: We found that staff and caregivers had a good understanding and recognition of the importance of ideal IPC, but faced substantial structural limitations and scarce resources, which hindered the implementation of best practices. We present two key themes: (1) structural and health systems barriers that shaped IPC. These included scarce material resources and overwhelming numbers of patients meant the workload was often unmanageable. (2) individual barriers related to the knowledge of frontline workers and caregivers, which were shaped by training and communication practices on the ward. We highlight the importance of addressing both structural and individual barriers to improve IPC practices and reduce the burden of neonatal sepsis in resource-limited settings.

Conclusion: For IPC to be improved, interventions need to address the chronic shortages of material resources and create an enabling environment for HCWs and patient caregivers.
Epidemiology of critically ill patients in intensive care units in Nepal: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Aryal Diptesh , Thakur Anand , Gauli Basanta , Paneru Hem Raj , Koirala Kanchan , Khanal Kishor , Rajbanshi Lalit Kumar , Hirachan Niroj , Shrestha Pramesh Sunder , Tiwari Pradip , Shrestha Raju , Dhakal Riju , Gami Rupesh , Koirala Sabin , Lakhey Sanjay , Adhikari Shital , Luitel Subekshya , Shrestha Subha Kalyan , Acharya Subhash Prasad , Khanal Sushil , Bajracharya Tamanna , Gooden Tiffany E , Fazla Fathima , Beane Abi , Haniffa Rashan
Published: April 2023

Background: Epidemiological data on critically ill patients is crucial for understanding resource utilisation, gaps in quality of care and for supporting surveillance of endemic or emerging diseases. We report the epidemiology of critically ill patients from 17 intensive care units (ICUs) in Nepal using an established and standardised ICU registry.

Methods: The ICU registry data is collected prospectively and includes data on case mix, severity, organ support and outcomes. We conducted a retrospective observational study with all adult (≥18 years) critically ill patients admitted to 17 ICUs in Nepal between September 2019 and September 2022. We report on case mix, treatment received, severity of illness, standardised mortality rates (SMR), discharge outcomes and ICU service activity. Descriptive statistics were used to report the findings.

Results: Of the 18603 unique admissions, 14% were operative, with 35% emergency surgeries. Patients’ median age was 57 (IQR 40-71) and 59% were male. Hypertension and diabetes were common comorbidities and pneumonia accounted for 26% of all admissions. During the ICU stay, 39% of patients received mechanical ventilation, 29% received vasoactive medication and 10% received renal replacement therapy. The median predicted risk of death was 0.1 (IQR 0.1-0.3) using APACHE II and 0.2 (IQR 0.1-0.4) using eTropICS. The median SMR was 0.7 (IQR 0.5-0.8) and 0.8 (IQR 0.6-1.4) using eTropICS and APACHE II, respectively. Median length of stay was 4 days (IQR 2-7). Eighteen percent died in the ICU; of those alive at discharge, 12% went home, 84% went to another department and 3% went to another hospital. COVID-19 was the most common notifiable disease reported (12% of all admissions). Median ICU turnover was 9% (IQR 6-14) with bed capacity ranging from 43-278.

Conclusions: These findings should guide forecasting and service planning to ensure ICUs can optimally care for critically ill patients in Nepal.
ACORN (A Clinically-Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network) II: protocol for case based antimicrobial resistance surveillance
Authors: Mo Yin , Ding Ying , Cao Yang , Hopkins Jill , Ashley Elizabeth A. , Waithira Naomi , Wannapinij Prapass , Lee Sue J. , Paterson David L. , Doorn H. Rogier van , Turner Paul
Published: April 2023

Background: Antimicrobial resistance surveillance is essential for empiric antibiotic prescribing, infection prevention and control policies and to drive novel antibiotic discovery. However, most existing surveillance systems are isolate-based without supporting patient-based clinical data, and not widely implemented especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: A Clinically-Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (ACORN) II is a large-scale multicentre protocol which builds on the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System to estimate syndromic and pathogen outcomes along with associated health economic costs. ACORN-healthcare associated infection (ACORN-HAI) is an extension study which focuses on healthcare-associated bloodstream infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Our main aim is to implement an efficient clinically-oriented antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, which can be incorporated as part of routine workflow in hospitals in LMICs. These surveillance systems include hospitalised patients of any age with clinically compatible acute community-acquired or healthcare-associated bacterial infection syndromes, and who were prescribed parenteral antibiotics. Diagnostic stewardship activities will be implemented to optimise microbiology culture specimen collection practices. Basic patient characteristics, clinician diagnosis, empiric treatment, infection severity and risk factors for HAI are recorded on enrolment and during 28-day follow-up. An R Shiny application can be used offline and online for merging clinical and microbiology data, and generating collated reports to inform local antibiotic stewardship and infection control policies.

Discussion: ACORN II is a comprehensive antimicrobial resistance surveillance activity which advocates pragmatic implementation and prioritises improving local diagnostic and antibiotic prescribing practices through patient-centred data collection. These data can be rapidly communicated to local physicians and infection prevention and control teams. Relative ease of data collection promotes sustainability and maximises participation and scalability. With ACORN-HAI as an example, ACORN II has the capacity to accommodate extensions to investigate further specific questions of interest.
Obesity of children and adults - pandemic of the 21st century
Authors: Panasiuk Dominika , Szponarowicz Patrycja , Panek Eliasz , Jasłowski Damian , Rzeszutko Mateusz , Raczkiewicz Przemysław , Skrętowicz Mateusz , Snopkowski Bartosz , Korzec Tomasz , Sosnowski Jakub
Published: April 2023

Objective: The aim of the study was to draw attention to the problem of overweight and obesity among children and adults. Another important aspect of this article was to indicate the need of promotion a healthy lifestyle as a way to reduce body weight. 
Methods: Available literature was reviewed for the purpose of writing this article. Using keywords such as obesity, overweight, pandemics, diet, lifestyle, chronic diseases, metabolic disorders- PubMed was searched.
Results: The incidence of overweight and obesity is constantly increasing. This phenomenon is observed all over the world. Obesity has become a pandemic of the 21st century. Consumption of unhealthy, highly processed food is increasing these days. In addition, sedentary lifestyle is very popular. Lifestyle and diet changes are the main causes of this pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 virus also had an impact on the development of the obesity and overweight pandemic. Obesity affects the quality of life and causes many chronic diseases. The effects on the community are also significant. Obesity and related diseases like diabetes, ischemic heart disease, heart attacks, asthma result in high health care costs.
Conclusion: The percentage of overweight and obese people around the world is increasing. It is necessary to promote healthy eating, active lifestyle and look for alternative ways to reduce the scale of overweight and obesity problem.
Regulation and the scope of practice of the RNA role
Authors: Smith Laura
Published: April 2023

The nursing associate role was introduced in in 2017, and is now registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This article looks at the importance of understanding the registered nursing associate (RNA) scope of practice. In some areas, the roles of the RNA and registered nurse have become interchangeable with detriment to patient safety. The author explores the differences between the role of a registered nurse and an RNA, the training completed by RNAs and ways in which they can free the time of the registered nurse to provide more complex nursing care. As a registrant, nursing associates are accountable for their own practice and responsible for accepting tasks, as well as delegating tasks. Again, it is important that RNAs themselves and members of the multidisciplinary team understand what this means in practice and for maintaining patient safety.
Nutrition nurse-led outpatient ‘hot’ clinics are efficient and cost-effective: a retrospective single-centre evaluation
Authors: Rogers Naomi , Woodham Diane , Fletcher Jane
Published: April 2023

Background:

Nutrition nurses work in multidisciplinary and nurse-led outpatient clinics. The daily nutrition nurse-led ‘hot’ clinic in this study sees patients for enteral or home parenteral nutritional support. Appointments may be for routine procedures or emergency reviews.

Aims:

This study aimed to identify activities and procedures performed in the nutrition nurse-led clinic, identifying admission avoidance activity.

Methods:

Nurse-held records for the period from April 2018 to March 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Data were collated in an Excel spreadsheet for analysis and results are presented using descriptive statistics.

Results:

Records covered a total of 590 patients, 294 men and 296 women with a median age of 59 years, and 606 procedures. Key activities were troubleshooting enteral feeding tubes (29%), insertion of fine-bore nasogastric feeding tubes (18%) and management of home parenteral nutrition issues (11%). The presenting problem or issue was resolved in 90% of patients, with no need for hospital admission or additional medical review.

Conclusion:

The nutrition nurse-led clinic provides an efficient and cost-effective service, preventing hospital admission and emergency department attendance in most cases.
Towards Adaptive Continuous Trajectory Clustering Over a Distributed Web Data Stream
Authors: Wu Yang , Fang Junhua , Chao Pingfu , Pan Zhicheng , Chen Wei , Zhao Lei
Published: April 2023

With the popularity of modern mobile devices and GPS technology, big web stream data with location are continuously generated and collected. The sequential positions form a trajectory, and the clustering analysis on trajectories is beneficial to a wide range of applications, e.g., route recommendation. In the past decades, extensive efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of static trajectory clustering. However, trajectory stream data is received incrementally, and the continuous trajectory clustering inevitably faces the following two problems: (1) physical structure design for trajectory representation leads to severe space overhead, and (2) dynamic maintenance of trajectory semantics and its retrieval structure brings intensive computation. To overcome the above problems, an adaptive continuous trajectory clustering framework (ACTOR) is proposed in this paper. Overall, it covers three key components: (1) Simplifier represents trajectory with a well-designed PT structure. (2) Partitioner utilizes a hexagonal-based indexing strategy to enhance the local computational efficiency. (3) Executor accommodates an adaptive selection of P-clustering and R-clustering approaches according to the ROC (rate of change) matrix. Empirical studies on real-world data validate the usefulness of our proposal and prove the huge advantage of our approach over available solutions in the literature.
When Legislation Is Not Enough
Authors: Petri Gabor , Turnpenny Agnes , Bernat Aniko
Published: April 2023

The history of disability policies in Hungary is one of legal progress since the 1990s and EU-funded investments since 2004, yet mixed outcomes for disabled people. To date this paradox remains unexplored, especially how it plays out in the lived experiences of disabled people and their families. This paper aims to fill this knowledge-gap by exploring disabled people’s experiences of independent living over the past three decades in Hungary. Based upon 53 life course interviews – 34 with disabled people and 19 with family members – we identify seven barriers to independent living in Hungary, which create an adverse environment. We also highlight a number of facilitators that help people to overcome or mitigate this adverse environment. In the conclusion, we discuss trends in Hungarian disability policies that impact opportunities for independent living. Results suggest decades of human-rights inspired legal progress has made little difference in people’s lived realities.
The Role of Participatory Instructors in Hungarian Higher Education
Authors: Sándor Anikó , Cserti-Szauer Csilla , Katona Vanda
Published: April 2023

Disabled people are often prevented from participating in the creation of academic knowledge that has direct impact on their lives via professional support. Such barriers to co-production of knowledge erode disabled people’s self-determination and opportunities for independent living. They are particularly consequential in special needs teacher education, as special needs teachers have a strong influence on disabled people’s dis/empowerment through their work in special and inclusive schools. This paper explores the ‘We teach together!’ method for participatory instruction, developed and piloted by the authors in Eötvös Loránd University to redress the non-participation of disabled people in teaching. The method complements the learned knowledge of the academic instructors with the experiential knowledge of disabled co-instructors. It also enables university students to work in partnership with disabled people. Most importantly, disabled people’s active participation in the academic work strengthens their self-determination and their role in their communities. The paper presents the findings of a qualitative research that explores the application of the ‘We teach together!’ method. We identify the benefits and challenges of the method, as well as the roles of the instructors in an inclusive team. We also provide recommendations for further research and policy engagement.
Hybrid integrated narrow-linewidth semiconductor lasers
Authors: Li Baoshuai , Wang Weiqiang , Yang Honglei , Liu Hao , Chu Sai T. , Little Brent , Song Yuxia , Guan Boren , Zhang Wenfu , Li Mingyu
Published: April 2023

Integrated narrow-linewidth lasers are the key devices in compact coherent optical
systems of metrology, sensing, and optical microwave generation. Here,
we demonstrate a hybrid integrated laser based on an optical negative
feedback scheme. The laser is composed of a commercial distributed
feedback (DFB) laser diode and an on-chip micro-resonator with a
Q-factor of 0.815 million. The feedback optical field is coupled back
to the laser cavity through the back facet. Therefore, the laser can
maintain the lasing efficiency of the DFB laser diode. The linewidth
of the DFB laser diode is compressed from 2 MHz to
6 kHz, corresponding to the linewidth reduction factor of
25.2 dB. The theoretical result shows that the laser
performance still has a huge improvement margin through precise
control of the detuning between laser frequency and
the micro-resonator, as well as the phase delay of the feedback
optical field. The hybrid narrow-linewidth laser diode has wide
application prospects in coherent optical systems benefitting from the
low cost and volume productivity.
Measuring optical properties of clear and turbid media with broadband spectral interferometry
Authors: Speets Peter N. A. , Kalkman Jeroen
Published: April 2023

The group index, n
g
, group velocity dispersion (GVD), and
scattering attenuation coefficient, μ
s
, were measured for dilutions of
glycerol, ethanol, and Intralipid 20% with water. Experiments were
performed with a supercontinuum laser based Mach–Zehnder
spectroscopic interferometry setup for wavelengths between 400 and
930 nm. All optical properties could be retrieved from a single
calibrated measurement of the interference spectrum. Scattering
attenuation was determined from the envelope of the interference. The
group index and GVD were retrieved from the unwrapped spectral phase.
It was found that the group indices of glycerol and ethanol dilutions
are in accordance with the Lorentz–Lorenz mixing formula. The
scattering attenuation matches well to a semi-empirical model based on
the Twerksy effective packing fraction.
Highly collimated intense radiation from electron collisions with a tightly focused linearly polarized laser pulse
Authors: Li Xingyu , Xia Wanyu , Tian Youwei , Ren Shanling
Published: April 2023

The use of high-energy radiation generated by electron collisions with a laser pulse is an effective method to treat cancer. In this paper, the spatial properties of radiation produced by electron collisions with a tightly focused linearly polarized laser pulse are investigated. Theoretical derivations and numerical simulations within the framework of classical electrodynamics show that the stronger the laser intensity, the higher the initial electron energy, and the longer the laser pulse, which can produce greater radiation power. An increase in the laser intensity expands the range of electron radiation and therefore reduces the collimation of the radiation. The collimation in the radiation is better when colliding with an electron of higher initial energy. The phenomenon that the radiated power of the electron varies periodically with the initial phase of the laser is also found. The results of this paper have important implications to produce strongly radiating and highly collimated rays.
Fast optical coherence tomography angiography image acquisition and reconstruction pipeline for skin application
Authors: Liao Jinpeng , Yang Shufan , Zhang Tianyu , Li Chunhui , Huang Zhihong
Published: April 2023

Traditional high-quality OCTA images require multi-repeated scans (e.g., 4-8 repeats) in the same position, which may cause the patient to be uncomfortable. We propose a deep-learning-based pipeline that can extract high-quality OCTA images from only two-repeat OCT scans. The performance of the proposed image reconstruction U-Net (IRU-Net) outperforms the state-of-the-art UNet vision transformer and UNet in OCTA image reconstruction from a two-repeat OCT signal. The results demonstrated a mean peak-signal-to-noise ratio increased from 15.7 to 24.2; the mean structural similarity index measure improved from 0.28 to 0.59, while the OCT data acquisition time was reduced from 21 seconds to 3.5 seconds (reduced by 83%).
Label-free intratissue activity imaging of alveolar organoids with dynamic optical coherence tomography
Authors: Morishita Rion , Suzuki Toshio , Mukherjee Pradipta , Abd El-Sadek Ibrahim , Lim Yiheng , Lichtenegger Antonia , Makita Shuichi , Tomita Kiriko , Yamamoto Yuki , Nagamoto Tetsuharu , Yasuno Yoshiaki
Published: April 2023

An organoid is a three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cell
culture emulating human organs. We applied 3D dynamic optical
coherence tomography (DOCT) to visualize the intratissue and
intracellular activities of human induced pluripotent stem cells
(hiPSCs)-derived alveolar organoids in normal and fibrosis models. 3D
DOCT data were acquired with an 840-nm spectral domain optical
coherence tomography with axial and lateral resolutions of 3.8
µm (in tissue) and 4.9 µm, respectively. The DOCT images
were obtained by the logarithmic-intensity-variance (LIV) algorithm,
which is sensitive to the signal fluctuation magnitude. The LIV images
revealed cystic structures surrounded by high-LIV borders and
mesh-like structures with low LIV. The former may be alveoli with a
highly dynamics epithelium, while the latter may be fibroblasts. The
LIV images also demonstrated the abnormal repair of the alveolar
epithelium.
Long range 3D imaging through atmospheric obscurants using array-based single-photon LiDAR
Authors: Jiang Peng-Yu , Li Zheng-Ping , Ye Wen-Long , Hong Yu , Dai Chen , Huang Xin , Xi Shui-Qing , Lu Jie , Cui Da-Jian , Cao Yuan , Xu Feihu , Pan Jian-Wei
Published: April 2023

Single-photon light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has emerged as a strong candidate technology for active imaging applications. In particular, the single-photon sensitivity and picosecond timing resolution permits high-precision three-dimensional (3D) imaging capability through atmospheric obscurants including fog, haze and smoke. Here we demonstrate an array-based single-photon LiDAR system, which is capable of performing 3D imaging in atmospheric obscurant over long ranges. By adopting the optical optimization of system and the photon-efficient imaging algorithm, we acquire depth and intensity images through dense fog equivalent to 2.74 attenuation lengths at distances of 13.4 km and 20.0 km. Furthermore, we demonstrate real-time 3D imaging for moving targets at 20 frames per second in mist weather conditions over 10.5 km. The results indicate great potential for practical applications of vehicle navigation and target recognition in challenging weather.
3D microscope image acquisition method based on zoom objective
Authors: Yuan Rong-Ying , Ma Xiao-Li , Zheng Yi , Jiang Zhao , Wang Xin , Liu Chao , Wang Qiong-Hua
Published: April 2023

Microscopy is being pursued to obtain richer and more accurate information, and there are many challenges in imaging depth and display dimension. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional (3D) microscope acquisition method based on a zoom objective. It enables 3D imaging of thick microscopic specimens with continuous adjustable optical magnification. The zoom objective based on liquid lenses can quickly adjust the focal length, to expand the imaging depth and change the magnification by adjusting the voltage. Based on the zoom objective, an arc shooting mount is designed to accurately rotate the objective to obtain the parallax information of the specimen and generate parallax synthesis images for 3D display. A 3D display screen is used to verify the acquisition results. The experimental results show that the obtained parallax synthesis images can accurately and efficiently restore the 3D characteristics of the specimen. The proposed method has promising applications in industrial detection, microbial observation, medical surgery, and so on.
Single-exposure ultrasound-modulated optical tomography with a quaternary phase encoded mask
Authors: Luo Jiawei , Wu Daixuan , Liu Yan , Li Zhaohui , Shen Yuecheng
Published: April 2023

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography (UOT) is a deep-tissue imaging modality that provides optical contrast with acoustic resolution. Among existing implementations, camera-based UOT improves modulation depth through parallel detection but suffers from a low camera frame rate. The condition prohibits this technique from being applied to in vivo applications where speckles decorrelate on a time scale of 1 ms or less. To overcome this challenge, we developed single-exposure camera-based UOT by employing a quaternary phase encoded mask (QPEM). As a proof of concept, we demonstrated imaging of an absorptive target buried inside a dynamic scattering medium with a speckle correlation time as short as 0.49 ms, typical of living biological tissues. Benefiting from the QPEM-enabled single-exposure wavefront measurement (5.5 ms) and GPU-assisted wavefront reconstruction (0.97 ms), the point scanning and result update speed can reach up to 150 Hz. We envision that the QPEM-enabled single-exposure scheme paves the way for in vivo UOT imaging, which holds promise for a variety of medical and biological applications.
Optical frequency domain polarimetry based on a self-referenced unbalanced Mach–Zehnder interferometer
Authors: Zhuang Qinqin , Lin Yicheng , Lin Cuofu , Yu Zhangjun , Yuan Yonggui , Yang Jun , Wen Kunhua , Xu Pengbai , Wang Yuncai , Qin Yuwen
Published: April 2023

Optical frequency domain polarimetry (OFDP) is an emerging distributed polarization crosstalk rapid measurement method with an ultrawide dynamic range. However, interferometric phase noise induced by the laser source and ambient noise results in a trade-off between measurement length and dynamic range. In this Letter, we solve this problem with a self-referenced unbalanced Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The features of long distance (9.8 km), ultrawide dynamic range (107.8 dB), short measurement time (2 sec), and signal-to-noise ratio improvement against ambient noise are experimentally demonstrated. The method makes it possible to evaluate a long polarization-maintaining fiber in an environment whose state changes rapidly.
Method for characterizing small-spot luminance in medical virtual reality headsets
Authors: Dahal Eshan , Eby Noah , Lemaillet Paul , Beams Ryan , Badano Aldo
Published: April 2023

We present an experimental method that utilizes a conic probe attached to an integrating sphere for characterizing the small-spot luminance of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs). This allows for the measurement of relative luminance in virtual scenes and the assessment of VR displays for visualizing grayscale medical images. We characterized the relative luminance of the VIVE Pro and Oculus Rift by displaying test patterns with a circular dark spot of varying diameter in the bright field and compared the probe performance with commercially available systems. Compared to a conventional flat-panel display, the results show a significant level of veiling glare in the HMDs using both a customized conic probe with improved optical performance and an advanced imaging photometer. We also found no significant change in the relative luminance response with the probe’s working distance for the HMDs due to their unique optical architecture for near-eye viewing conditions. Our results highlight the issue of high veiling glare in HMDs and the importance of small-spot luminance measurements to adequately evaluate the technical performance of HMDs for emerging medical applications.
Leaky cavity modes in metasurfaces: a route to low-loss wideband anomalous dispersion
Authors: Wang Xiaofeng , Wang Jiafu , Han Yajuan , Yan Mingbao , Li Yongfeng , Liu Tonghao , Ma Hua , Qu Shaobo
Published: April 2023

Metasurfaces have provided unprecedented degrees of freedom in manipulating electromagnetic waves upon interfaces. In this work, we first explore the condition of wide operating bandwidth in the view of reflective scheme, which indicates the necessity of anomalous dispersion. To this end, the leaky cavity modes (LCMs) in the meta-atom are analyzed and can make effective permittivity inversely proportional to frequency. Here we employ the longitudinal Fabry–Perot (F-P) resonances and transverse plasmonic resonances to improve the LCMs efficiency. It is shown that the order of F-P resonance can be customized by the plasmonic modes, that is, the F-P cavity propagation phase should match the phase delay of surface currents excited on the meta-atom. The nth order F-P resonance will multiply the permittivity by a factor of n, allowing larger phase accumulation with increasing frequencies and forming nonlinear phase distribution which can be applied in weak chromatic-aberration focusing design. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate a planar weak chromatic-aberration focusing reflector with a thickness of λ0/9 at 16.0–21.0 GHz. This work paves a robust way to advanced functional materials with anomalous dispersion and can be extended to higher frequencies such as terahertz, infrared, and optical frequencies.
Open-ended exploration of ultrashort pulse lasers: an innovative design strategy for devices based on 2D materials
Authors: Wu Qing , Zhao Gang , Wu Haibin , Zhang Meng
Published: April 2023

Ultrashort pulse lasers have vital significance in the field of ultrafast photonics. A saturable absorber (SA) as the core device to generate ultrashort pulses has innovative design strategies; the most interesting of which is the integration strategy based on 2D materials. This review presents recent advances in the optoelectronic properties of 2D materials and in the way the materials are prepared, characterized, and integrated into devices. We have done a comprehensive review of the optical properties of materials and material-based devices and their current development in the field of fiber lasers and solid-state lasers. Finally, we offer a look at future applications for 2D materials in ultrafast lasers and their prospects.
Micropascal-sensitivity ultrasound sensors based on optical microcavities
Authors: Yang Hao , Cao Xuening , Hu Zhi-Gang , Gao Yimeng , Lei Yuechen , Wang Min , Zuo Zhanchun , Xu Xiulai , Li Bei-Bei
Published: April 2023

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) microcavities have been widely used for high-sensitivity ultrasound detection, owing to their optical and mechanical dual-resonance enhanced sensitivity. The ultrasound sensitivity of the cavity optomechanical system is fundamentally limited by thermal noise. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the thermal-noise-limited sensitivity of a WGM microdisk ultrasound sensor and optimize the sensitivity by varying the radius and a thickness of the microdisk, as well as using a trench structure around the disk. Utilizing a microdisk with a radius of 300 μm and thickness of 2 μm, we achieve a peak sensitivity of 1.18  μPa Hz−1/2 at 82.6 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the record sensitivity among cavity optomechanical ultrasound sensors. Such high sensitivity has the potential to improve the detection range of air-coupled ultrasound sensing technology.
Blue perovskite single-mode lasing in a rubidium lead bromide microcubic cavity
Authors: Li Bo , Mao Wangqi , Liang Shuang , Shi Yifeng , Dong Hongxing , Zhang Long
Published: April 2023

Lead halide perovskite microlasers have shown impressive performance in the green and red wavebands. However, there has been limited progress in achieving blue-emitting perovskite microlasers. Here, blue-emitting perovskite-phase rubidium lead bromide (RbPbBr3) microcubes were successfully prepared by using a one-step chemical vapor deposition process, which can be utilized to construct optically pumped whispering gallery mode microlasers. By regulating the growth temperature, we found that a high-temperature environment can facilitate the formation of the perovskite phase and microcubic morphology of RbPbBr3. Notably, blue single-mode lasing in a RbPbBr3 microcubic cavity with a narrow linewidth of 0.21 nm and a high-quality factor (∼2200) was achieved. The obtained lasing from RbPbBr3 microlasers also exhibited an excellent polarization state factor (∼0.77). By modulating the mixed-monovalent cation composition, the wavelength of the microlaser could be tuned from green (536 nm) to pure blue (468 nm). Additionally, the heat stability of the mix-cation perovskite was better than that of conventional CsPbBr3. The stable and high-performance blue single-mode microlasers may thus facilitate the application of perovskite lasers in blue laser fields.