bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy, and Quality of Life in People Living with HIV: A Prospective Study
Authors: Balaji R Abhishek , Kamath Priyanka , Rathi Priya , Madi Deepak
Published: April 2024

Background Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the cornerstone of management of patients with HIV, and a strict adherence to the same is of utmost importance in success of therapy. Treatment in most cases, once started has to be taken life-long, and hence compliance can be an issue. With newer once-a-day regimens, there could be a positive impact on both the adherence to the treatment and the quality of life (QOL); assessing these various factors was the purpose of this study. Methods This observational longitudinal study was conducted at a teaching hospital offering tertiary care in Coastal Karnataka, and the study population consisted of 198 patients with HIV of both genders, on ART. All patients aged over 18 years, who were HIV positive and on ART from at least one month were included. Data was collected by directly interviewing the patient through the questionnaire at the ART clinic. Results A total of 198 patients were interviewed, and assessed for adherence to ART using the Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ), a validated questionnaire. The quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL questionnaire, again a validated and elaborate questionnaire. Of the total patients, 103 were males. According to MAQ scale, a medium to high level of adherence was observed in 97.5% of the patients (score 0 is high adherence, score of 1 or 2 is medium adherence). Regarding the QOL, 43% of them responded to having good energy levels and being able to perform their daily activities without difficulty, over 80% of them said they were able to work normally, and able to carry out their duties, along with being satisfied with their capacity to work. Conclusion The adherence to antiretroviral therapy was observed to be >95% in majority of the patients when assessed using the Medication Adherence Questionnaire, which is very good. The quality of life was deemed to be satisfactory when assessed using the WHOQOL questionnaire.
Human Epithelial Cell Image Analysis and Segmentation using Threshold Based Fusion Technique
Authors: H N Swaroopa , Jagadale Basavaraj N , Alnaggar Omar Abdullah Murshed Farhan , Hegde Vijayalakshmi , T E Abhisheka
Published: April 2024

The most demanding aspect of digital image processing is segmenting an image efficiently. Cell segmentation or classifying cells in an image is essential while analyzing cell images in medical research, especially in spot diagnosis, cancer cell detection, and live-cell imaging segmentation forms a crucial component. This research examines existing segmentation algorithms and suggests a new segmentation technique that employs image filtering and thresholding. Thresholding is an essential part of image analysis and segmentation. Finally, the segmented image and the FCM (fuzzy C-means) based clustered image are merged. In terms of accuracy, sensitivity, dice-coefficient, and Jaccard-coefficient, the simulation coupled with ground truth data is proven to produce better segmentation outcomes.
Unveiling the learning curve of periacetabular osteotomy
Authors: Haertlé Marco , Becker Nils , Windhagen Henning , Ahmad Sufian S.
Published: April 2024

Aims

Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is widely recognized as a demanding surgical procedure for acetabular reorientation. Reports about the learning curve have primarily focused on complication rates during the initial learning phase. Therefore, our aim was to assess the PAO learning curve from an analytical perspective by determining the number of PAOs required for the duration of surgery to plateau and the accuracy to improve.

Methods

The study included 118 consecutive PAOs in 106 patients. Of these, 28 were male (23.7%) and 90 were female (76.3%). The primary endpoint was surgical time. Secondary outcome measures included radiological parameters. Cumulative summation analysis was used to determine changes in surgical duration. A multivariate linear regression model was used to identify independent factors influencing surgical time.

Results

The learning curve in this series was 26 PAOs in a period of six months. After 26 PAO procedures, a significant drop in surgical time was observed and a plateau was also achieved. The mean duration of surgery during the learning curve was 103.8 minutes (SD 33.2), and 69.7 minutes (SD 18.6) thereafter (p < 0.001). Radiological correction of acetabular retroversion showed a significant improvement after having performed a total of 93 PAOs, including anteverting PAOs on 35 hips with a retroverted acetabular morphology (p = 0.005). Several factors were identified as independent variables influencing duration of surgery, including patient weight (β = 0.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2 to 0.7); p < 0.001), learning curve procedure phase of 26 procedures (β = 34.0 (95% CI 24.3 to 43.8); p < 0.001), and the degree of lateral correction expressed as the change in the lateral centre-edge angle (β = 0.7 (95% CI 0.001 to 1.3); p = 0.048).

Conclusion

The learning curve for PAO surgery requires extensive surgical training at a high-volume centre, with a minimum of 50 PAOs per surgeon per year. This study defined a cut-off value of 26 PAO procedures, after which a significant drop in surgical duration occurred. Furthermore, it was observed that a retroverted morphology of the acetabulum required a greater number of procedures to acquire proficiency in consistently eliminating the crossover sign. These findings are relevant for fellows and fellowship programme directors in establishing the extent of training required to impart competence in PAO.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(4):336–343.
Do breast cancer patients have increased risk of complications after primary total hip and total knee arthroplasty?
Authors: Ledford Cameron K. , Shirley Matthew B. , Spangehl Mark J. , Berry Daniel J. , Abdel Matthew P.
Published: April 2024

Aims

Breast cancer survivors have known risk factors that might influence the results of total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study evaluated clinical outcomes of patients with breast cancer history after primary THA and TKA.

Methods

Our total joint registry identified patients with breast cancer history undergoing primary THA (n = 423) and TKA (n = 540). Patients were matched 1:1 based upon age, sex, BMI, procedure (hip or knee), and surgical year to non-breast cancer controls. Mortality, implant survival, and complications were assessed via Kaplan-Meier methods. Clinical outcomes were evaluated via Harris Hip Scores (HHSs) or Knee Society Scores (KSSs). Mean follow-up was six years (2 to 15).

Results

Breast cancer patient survival at five years was 92% (95% confidence interval (CI) 89% to 95%) after THA and 94% (95% CI 92% to 97%) after TKA. Breast and non-breast cancer patients had similar five-year implant survival free of any reoperation or revision after THA (p ≥ 0.412) and TKA (p ≥ 0.271). Breast cancer patients demonstrated significantly lower survival free of any complications after THA (91% vs 96%, respectively; hazard ratio = 2 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.4); p = 0.017). Specifically, the rate of intraoperative fracture was 2.4% vs 1.4%, and venous thromboembolism (VTE) was 1.4% and 0.5% for breast cancer and controls, respectively, after THA. No significant difference was noted in any complications after TKA (p ≥ 0.323). Both breast and non-breast cancer patients experienced similar improvements in HHSs (p = 0.514) and KSSs (p = 0.132).

Conclusion

Breast cancer survivors did not have a significantly increased risk of mortality or reoperation after primary THA and TKA. However, there was a two-fold increased risk of complications after THA, including intraoperative fracture and VTE.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(4):365–371.
Acetabular Fractures in older patients Intervention Trial (AceFIT): a feasibility triple-arm randomized controlled study
Authors: Carrothers Andrew , O'Leary Ronan , Hull Peter , Chou Daud , Alsousou Joseph , Queally Joseph , Bond Simon J. , Costa Matthew L.
Published: April 2024

Aims

To assess the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that compares three treatments for acetabular fractures in older patients: surgical fixation, surgical fixation and hip arthroplasty (fix-and-replace), and non-surgical treatment.

Methods

Patients were recruited from seven UK NHS centres and randomized to a three-arm pilot trial if aged older than 60 years and had a displaced acetabular fracture. Feasibility outcomes included patients’ willingness to participate, clinicians’ capability to recruit, and dropout rates. The primary clinical outcome measure was the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) at six months. Secondary outcomes were Oxford Hip Score, Disability Rating Index, blood loss, and radiological and mobility assessments.

Results

Between December 2017 and December 2019, 60 patients were recruited (median age 77.4 years, range 63.3 to 88.5) (39/21 M/F ratio). At final nine-month follow-up, 4/60 (7%) had withdrawn, 4/60 (7%) had died, and one had been lost to follow-up; a 98% response rate (50/51) was achieved for the EQ-5D questionnaire. Four deaths were recorded during the three-year trial period: three in the non-surgical treatment group and one in the fix-and-replace group.

Conclusion

This study has shown a full-scale RCT to be feasible, but will need international recruitment. The Acetabular Fractures in older patients Intervention Trial (AceFIT) has informed the design of a multinational RCT sample size of 1,474 or 1,974 patients for a minimal clinically important difference of 0.06 on EQ-5D, with a power of 0.8 or 0.9, and loss to follow-up of 20%. This observed patient cohort comprises a medically complex group requiring multidisciplinary care; surgeon, anaesthetist, and ortho-geriatrician input is needed to optimize recovery and rehabilitation.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(4):401–411.
How modular porous metal augments have changed the management of acetabular bone loss at primary or revision total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Sheth Neil P. , Jones Stephen A. , Sanghavi Sahil A. , Manktelow Andrew
Published: April 2024

The advent of modular porous metal augments has ushered in a new form of treatment for acetabular bone loss. The function of an augment can be seen as reducing the size of a defect or reconstituting the anterosuperior/posteroinferior columns and/or allowing supplementary fixation. Depending on the function of the augment, the surgeon can decide on the sequence of introduction of the hemispherical shell, before or after the augment. Augments should always, however, be used with cement to form a unit with the acetabular component. Given their versatility, augments also allow the use of a hemispherical shell in a position that restores the centre of rotation and biomechanics of the hip. Progressive shedding or the appearance of metal debris is a particular finding with augments and, with other radiological signs of failure, should be recognized on serial radiographs. Mid- to long-term outcomes in studies reporting the use of augments with hemispherical shells in revision total hip arthroplasty have shown rates of survival of > 90%. However, a higher risk of failure has been reported when augments have been used for patients with chronic pelvic discontinuity.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(4):312–318.
Effect of an aperture in atomic gravimetry
Authors: Cervantes J. M. , Gomez E.
Published: April 2024

There is a continuous interest in shrinking the dimensions of portable atomic gravimeters. This inevitably ends up truncating the Gaussian wings of the excitation laser beams whose effect has not been properly quantified yet. The diffraction pattern created from this aperture creates ripples in the wavefront in both the phase and the intensity. We calculate the shift in the measured value of an atomic gravimeter introduced by the phase variations in the wavefront. Fortunately, this shift has a Gaussian decay with the aperture size. For extended clouds, we observe a reduction of the effect thanks to an averaging over transverse positions with different values of the shift. Surprisingly, we found that the intensity variations also introduce an important correction to the photon recoil, which contributes at about the same level as the previous shift in the measurement of the gravitational acceleration. Our results should help decide how small an apparatus can be to guarantee a particular accuracy.
Quantum-informed plasmonics for strong coupling: the role of electron spill-out
Authors: Bundgaard Ida Juliane , Nicolaisen Hansen Christian , Stamatopoulou P. Elli , Tserkezis Christos
Published: April 2024

The effect of nonlocality on the optical response of metals lies at the forefront of research in nanoscale physics and, in particular, quantum plasmonics. In alkali metals, nonlocality manifests predominantly as electron density spill-out at the metal boundary, and as surface-enabled Landau damping. For an accurate description of plasmonic modes, these effects need be taken into account in the theoretical modeling of the material. The resulting modal frequency shifts and broadening become particularly relevant when dealing with the strong interaction between plasmons and excitons, where hybrid modes emerge and the way they are affected can reflect modifications of the coupling strength. Both nonlocal phenomena can be incorporated in the classical local theory by applying a surface-response formalism embodied by the Feibelman parameters. Here, we implement local surface-response corrections in Mie theory to study the optical response of spherical plasmonic–excitonic composites in core–shell configurations. We investigate sodium, a jellium metal dominated by spill-out, for which it has been anticipated that nonlocal corrections should lead to an observable change in the coupling strength, appearing as a modification of the width of the mode splitting. We show that, contrary to expectations, the influence of nonlocality on the anticrossing is minimal, thus validating the accuracy of the local response approximation in strong-coupling photonics.
Ultra-low loss, single polarization hollow-core anti-resonant fiber
Authors: Zou Hui , Zhou Jingkai , Lu Yan , Du Yuhang , Zhang Ruizhe , Zhou Dinghao
Published: April 2024

In this paper we present a new hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF). The structural asymmetry is constructed by the introduction of elliptical quartz tubes in the core region, which can greatly improve the birefringence and enhance the polarization extinction ratio. Meanwhile, the semicircular and circular nested quartz tubes in the cladding region also contribute to the decrease of the confinement loss of the fundamental mode. A finite element algorithm is used to analyze the effects of each parameter on the performance of the designed HC-ARF. The final simulation results illustrate that the designed structure achieves the values of birefringence and polarization extinction ratio of 2.4×10−5 and 257 in the common wavelength band of 1550 nm, and polarization filtering with a bandwidth of 4 nm. It is worth mentioning that the loss of the y-polarized fundamental mode in the 1550 nm wavelength band reaches an ultra-low value of 0.014 dB/m. The corresponding fundamental mode loss has remained extremely low in the wavelength range considered. Our proposed device still has good bending resistance, where the loss of the y-polarized mode is about 0.04 dB/m and decreases gradually when the bending radius is 5 cm. We believe that the proposed HC-ARF can be used in polarization-sensitive fiber devices and can be widely applied in polarization-sensitive fiber communication systems such as fiber lasers and fiber gyroscopes.
Efficient multimode vectorial nonlinear propagation solver beyond the weak guidance approximation
Authors: Béjot Pierre
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we present an efficient numerical model able to solve the vectorial nonlinear pulse propagation equation in circularly symmetric multimode waveguides. The algorithm takes advantage of the conservation of total angular momentum of light upon propagation and takes into account the vectorial nature of the propagating modes, making it particularly relevant for studies in ring-core fibers. While conventional propagation solvers exhibit a computational complexity scaling as Nmode4, where Nmode is the number of considered modes, the present solver scales as Nmode3/2. As a first example, it is shown that orbital angular momentum modulation instability processes take place in ring-core fibers in realistic conditions. Finally, it is predicted that the modulation instability process is followed by the appearance of breather-like angular structures.
Plasmon near-field coupling and universal scaling behavior in shifted-core coaxial nano-cavity pair
Authors: Li Xi , Ghaffari Abbas , Abbas Farhat , Gu Qing
Published: April 2024

We computationally and analytically investigate the plasmon near-field coupling phenomenon and the associated universal scaling behavior in a pair of coupled shifted-core coaxial nano-cavities. Each nano-cavity is composed of an InGaAsP gain medium sandwiched between a silver (Ag) core and an Ag shell. The evanescent coupling between the cavities lifts the degeneracy of the cut-off free transverse electromagnetic (TEM) like mode. The mode splitting of the supermodes is intensified by shifting the metal core position, which induces symmetry breaking. This coupling phenomenon is explained with spring-capacitor analogy and circuit analysis. The numerical simulation results reveal an exponential decay in the fractional plasmon wavelength relative to the ratio of gap distance and core shifting distance, which aligns with the plasmon ruler equation. In addition, by shifting the Ag cores in both cavities toward the center of the coupled structure, the electromagnetic field becomes strongly localized in nanoscale regions (hotspots) in the gain medium between the cavities, thus achieving extreme plasmonic nanofocusing. Utilizing this nanofocusing effect, we propose a refractive index sensor by placing a fluidic channel between the two cavities in close vicinity to the hotspots and reaching the highest sensitivity of ∼700nm/RIU.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector with polarization insensitivity, ultrafast response, and high efficiency
Authors: Gu Min , Zhang Shangkun , Wang Xianghao , Wang Wencong , Liu Dongmei , Wu Xianqiu
Published: April 2024

This study proposed what we believe to be a novel method for fabricating superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) with high efficiency, polarization insensitivity, and ultrafast response. To achieve these properties in niobium nitride (NbN) SNSPDs, the periodic four-split rings (PFSR) were positioned above the nanowires. This design uses the localized surface plasmon resonance to enhance the electric field around nanowires. For an incident light with a wavelength of 1550 nm, the PFSR-SNSPD structure achieved a polarization extinction ratio of 1.0064 and absorptions of 88.94% and 88.37% under TE and TM polarizations, respectively. The nanowire length was reduced by 85% using a meandering nanowire arrangement with a fill factor of 0.074.
Longitudinal evolution of phase vortices generated by rotationally interleaved multi-spiral
Authors: Wang Jinxin , Yang Xi , Li Pengfei , Ma Li
Published: April 2024

Phase vortices exhibit significant applications and hold promising prospects across various scientific fields. However, while extensive attention has been devoted to the two-dimensional transverse plane of these vortices, their longitudinal properties have received comparatively limited exploration. Our study focuses on the longitudinal evolution of phase vortices, encompassing an investigation of variational topological charges and phase distributions. The investigation employs the rotationally interleaved multi-spiral, characterized by multiple identical spirals arranged in an azimuthally symmetric rotation, to modulate phase distributions by the variable spiral radius versus the azimuthal angle. Initially, we analyze the modulation effect theoretically, delving into propagation properties and vortex formations. Subsequently, through numerical simulations of vortices generated by both single and multi-spiral setups, we examine the longitudinal evolution of topological charges and phase distributions. The analyses reveal a step-wise reductant topological charges and a tortuous increasing spatial variations of phase singularities in transmission direction, with the dependency on both propagation distance and number of multi-spiral. The outcomes hold significant potential applications in optical communications and optical tweezers.
Crystalline germanium high-Q microresonators for mid-IR
Authors: Tebeneva Tatiana S. , Lobanov Valery E. , Chermoshentsev Dmitry A. , Min’kov Kirill N. , Kaplunov Ivan A. , Vinogradov Imant I. , Bilenko Igor A. , Shitikov Artem E.
Published: April 2024

High-quality-factor optical microresonators have become an appealing object for numerous applications. However, the mid-infrared band experiences a lack of applicable materials for nonlinear photonics. Crystalline germanium demonstrates attractive material properties such as high nonlinear refractive index, large transparency window including the mid-IR band, particularly long wave multiphonon absorption limit. Nevertheless, the reported optical losses in germanium microresonators might not allow the potential of the Ge-based devices to be revealed. In this study, we report the fabrication of germanium microresonators with radii of 1.35 and 1.5 mm, exhibiting exceptional quality factors (Q-factors) exceeding 20 million, approaching the absorption-limited values at a wavelength of 2.68 µm. These Q-factors are a hundred times higher than previously reported, to the best of our knowledge. We measured the two-photon absorption coefficient combined with free-carrier absorption leveraging the high-Q of the resonators (obtained βTPA = (0.71 ± 0.12) · 10−8 m/W at 2.68 µm). This research underscores the potential of whispering gallery mode microresonators as valuable tools for measuring absorption coefficients at different wavelengths, providing a comprehensive analysis of various loss mechanisms. Furthermore, the exceptional Q-factors observed in germanium microresonators open intriguing opportunities for the advancement of germanium-based photonics within the mid-infrared spectral band.
Asymmetric cosine-Gaussian Schell-model sources
Authors: Jiang Yawei , Mei Zhangrong
Published: April 2024

We introduce a new class of Schell-model source whose spatial correlation function carries a finite series of nontrivial phases and is modulated by cosine function. The propagating formula for the cross-spectral density (CSD) function of the beams generated by this new source in free space is derived and used to investigate the characteristics of the light fields for different modulation parameters. The results show that the appearance of the modulating function and the nontrivial phase sequence cause the radiated fields with extraordinary characteristics during propagation, such as self-splitting and self-interfering in an asymmetric manner. This method of jointly controlling the magnitude and phase of the source complex coherence state provides a new approach for achieving beam shaping.
Reciprocal polarization imaging of optical activity in reflection
Authors: Xie Zhineng , Zhu Mengjiao , Lin Weihao , Huang Guowu , Ge Yifan , Hu Yansen , Jin Xin , Xu Min
Published: April 2024

We present reciprocal polarization imaging for the optical activity of chiral media in reflection geometry. The method is based on the reciprocal polar decomposition of backscattering Mueller matrices accounting for the reciprocity of light waves in forward and backward scattering paths. Anisotropic depolarization is introduced to gain sensitivity to optical activity in backscattering. Experiments with glucose solutions show that while the Lu–Chipman decomposition of the backscattering Mueller matrices produces erroneous results, reciprocal polarization imaging correctly retrieves the optical activity of chiral media. The recovered optical rotation agrees with that obtained in the forward geometry and increases linearly with the concentration and thickness of the chiral media. The potential for in vivo glucose monitoring based on optical activity sensing using reciprocal polarization imaging is then discussed.
Reference-free dual-comb spectroscopy with inbuilt coherence
Authors: Roiz Mikhail , Larnimaa Santeri , Uotila Touko , Närhi Mikko , Vainio Markku
Published: April 2024

We demonstrate a simple system for dual-comb spectroscopy based on two inherently coherent optical frequency combs generated via seeded parametric downconversion. The inbuilt coherence is established by making the two combs share a common comb line. We show that the inbuilt coherence makes it possible to use a simple numerical post-processing procedure to compensate for small drifts of the dual-comb interferogram arrival time and phase. This enables long-time coherent averaging of the interferograms.
Overcoming oxygen inhibition in UV photolithography for the fabrication of low-loss polymer waveguides
Authors: Xu Xingyu , Lu Xiao , Pang Fufei , Chen Na , Wei Heming , Zhang Liang , Zhang Qianwu , Wang Tingyun
Published: April 2024

Perfluorinated acrylate polymer materials exhibit low absorption loss at 1310 and 1550 nm, but molecular oxygen inhibits their photocuring. We propose a novel, to our knowledge, UV photolithography method incorporating a pre-exposure process for fabricating low-loss perfluorinated acrylate polymer waveguides. During the pre-exposure process, a partially cured thin layer forms on the core layer, effectively overcoming oxygen inhibition in subsequent lithography. Furthermore, the functional group contents of the polymerized materials were characterized by a Raman spectrometer to analyze the development reaction under the pre-exposure layer. Utilizing this improved method, we fabricated a straight waveguide with a length of 21 cm. The experiments showed that the propagation losses are 0.14 dB/cm at 1310 nm and 0.51 dB/cm at 1550 nm. The inter-channel cross talk for a core pitch of 250 µm was measured as low as −49 dB at 1310 nm. Error-free NRZ data transmission over this waveguide at 25 Gb/s was achieved, showcasing the potential in optical interconnect and communication applications.
Temperature-assisted electromagnetic surface modes in graphene-based temperature sensitive metafilms
Authors: Yaqoob M. Z. , Anwar M. , Ghaffar A. , Alkanhal Majeed A. S. , Khan Y. , Shahid M. U.
Published: April 2024

Graphene has the potential to manipulate surface modes in frequency bands from THz to mid-IR regions. Typically, due to single-atom thickness and low charge-carrier density, the thermal response of graphene is ineffective. Temperature-sensitive materials (TSMs) can play an active role in enhancing the thermal response of graphene-based devices. In the present work, graphene-based temperature-sensitive metafilms have been proposed for thermally tunable propagation of electromagnetic surface modes. A detailed analytical and numerical solution for temperature-dependent electromagnetic surface (even and odd) modes supported by the graphene-based temperature-sensitive metafilm has been studied. The Kubo’s formulation has been used to model optical conductivity (σ
g
) while the hybrid Drude’s model is implemented to realize the indium antimonide (InSb) as temperature-sensitive material. To simulate the metafilm, the waveguide modal analysis approach was implemented, while the realization of the graphene sheets was achieved by the use of impedance boundary conditions (IBCs). The propagation characteristics for even/odd surface modes were analyzed under different values of temperature (T), chemical potential (µ
c
), and thickness of metafilm (d). Further, the numerical results for even and odd surface modes under two phases of InSb [Insulator phase (T = 200 K) and metallic phase (T = 300 K)] were compared under different values of chemical potential (µ
c
) and TSM film thickness (d). It is concluded that the propagation characteristics of surface modes are sensitive to the external temperature and can be tailored by tuning the temperature, chemical potential (µ
c
), and TSM film thickness (d). Moreover, the degeneracy of the even and odd modes can be controlled by varying the temperature and TSM film thickness. The work is suitable for designing temperature-assisted dual channel waveguides, THz optical switches, THz optical logic designs, and flexible thermal-optical sensors.
Reducing of the Uncertainty Product of Coherent Light through Multi-Photon Interference
Authors: Stohr Joachim , Kim S. , Rotermund Fabian , Ham Byoung
Published: April 2024

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally how the diffraction and interferometric resolution limit for single-mode coherent cw laser light can be overcome by multi-photon interference. By use of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, operated in the single input and single or double output port geometries, we observe a fringe width reduction of the conventional interference pattern, predicted by the wave or single photon quantum theory, by a factor of up to $1/\sqrt{2N}$ through coincident detection of N=2,3,4 photons. Our scheme does not require squeezed or entangled light to overcome the standard quantum limit and greatly facilitates precision interferometry experiments.
On-chip source-device-independent quantum random number generator
Authors: Li Lang , Cai Minglu , Wang Tao , Tan Zicong , Huang Peng , Wu Kan , Zeng Guihua
Published: April 2024

Quantum resources offer intrinsic randomness that is valuable for applications such as cryptography, scientific simulation, and computing. Silicon-based photonics chips present an excellent platform for the cost-effective deployment of next-generation quantum systems on a large scale, even at room temperature. Nevertheless, the potential susceptibility of these chips to hacker control poses a challenge in ensuring security for on-chip quantum random number generation, which is crucial for enabling extensive utilization of quantum resources. Here, we introduce and implement an on-chip source-device-independent quantum random number generator (SDI-QRNG). The randomness of this generator is achieved through distortion-free on-chip detection of quantum resources, effectively eliminating classical noise interference. The security of the system is ensured by employing on-chip criteria for estimating security entropy in a practical chip environment. By incorporating a photoelectric package, the SDI-QRNG chip achieves a secure bit rate of 146.2 Mbps and a bare chip rate of 248.47 Gbps, with all extracted secure bits successfully passing the randomness test. Our experimental demonstration of this chip-level SDI-QRNG shows significant advantages in practical applications, paving the way for the widespread and cost-effective implementation of room-temperature secure QRNG, which marks a milestone in the field of QRNG chips.
TPMA: A two pointers meta-alignment tool to ensemble different multiple nucleic acid sequence alignments
Authors: Zhai Yixiao , Chao Jiannan , Wang Yizheng , Zhang Pinglu , Tang Furong , Zou Quan
Published: April 2024

Accurate multiple sequence alignment (MSA) is imperative for the comprehensive analysis of biological sequences. However, a notable challenge arises as no single MSA tool consistently outperforms its counterparts across diverse datasets. Users often have to try multiple MSA tools to achieve optimal alignment results, which can be time-consuming and memory-intensive. While the overall accuracy of certain MSA results may be lower, there could be local regions with the highest alignment scores, prompting researchers to seek a tool capable of merging these locally optimal results from multiple initial alignments into a globally optimal alignment. In this study, we introduce Two Pointers Meta-Alignment (TPMA), a novel tool designed for the integration of nucleic acid sequence alignments. TPMA employs two pointers to partition the initial alignments into blocks containing identical sequence fragments. It selects blocks with the high sum of pairs (SP) scores to concatenate them into an alignment with an overall SP score superior to that of the initial alignments. Through tests on simulated and real datasets, the experimental results consistently demonstrate that TPMA outperforms M-Coffee in terms of aSP, Q, and total column (TC) scores across most datasets. Even in cases where TPMA’s scores are comparable to M-Coffee, TPMA exhibits significantly lower running time and memory consumption. Furthermore, we comprehensively assessed all the MSA tools used in the experiments, considering accuracy, time, and memory consumption. We propose accurate and fast combination strategies for small and large datasets, which streamline the user tool selection process and facilitate large-scale dataset integration. The dataset and source code of TPMA are available on GitHub (https://github.com/malabz/TPMA).
Mothers’ acceptability of using novel technology with video and audio recording during newborn resuscitation: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Kong So Yeon Joyce , Acharya Ankit , Basnet Omkar , Haaland Solveig Haukås , Gurung Rejina , Gomo Øystein , Ahlsson Fredrik , Meinich-Bache Øyvind , Axelin Anna , Basula Yuba Nidhi , Pokharel Sunil Mani , Subedi Hira , Myklebust Helge , KC Ashish
Published: April 2024

Objective

This study aims to assess the acceptability of a novel technology, MAchine Learning Application (MALA), among the mothers of newborns who required resuscitation.

Setting

This study took place at Bharatpur Hospital, which is the second-largest public referral hospital with 13 000 deliveries per year in Nepal.

Design

This is a cross-sectional survey.

Data collection and analysis

Data collection took place from January 21 to February 13, 2022. Self-administered questionnaires on acceptability (ranged 1–5 scale) were collected from participating mothers. The acceptability of the MALA system, which included video and audio recordings of the newborn resuscitation, was examined among mothers according to their age, parity, education level and technology use status using a stratified analysis.

Results

The median age of 21 mothers who completed the survey was 25 years (range 18–37). Among them, 11 mothers (52.4%) completed their bachelor’s or master’s level of education, 13 (61.9%) delivered first child, 14 (66.7%) owned a computer and 16 (76.2%) carried a smartphone. Overall acceptability was high that all participating mothers positively perceived the novel technology with video and audio recordings of the infant’s care during resuscitation. There was no statistical difference in mothers’ acceptability of MALA system, when stratified by mothers’ age, parity, or technology usage (p>0.05). When the acceptability of the technology was stratified by mothers’ education level (up to higher secondary level vs. bachelor’s level or higher), mothers with Bachelor’s degree or higher more strongly felt that they were comfortable with the infant’s care being video recorded (p = 0.026) and someone using a tablet when observing the infant’s care (p = 0.046). Compared with those without a computer (n = 7), mothers who had a computer at home (n = 14) more strongly agreed that they were comfortable with someone observing the resuscitation activity of their newborns (71.4% vs. 14.3%) (p = 0.024).

Conclusion

The novel technology using video and audio recordings for newborn resuscitation was accepted by mothers in this study. Its application has the potential to improve resuscitation quality in low-and-middle income settings, given proper informed consent and data protection measures are in place.
Implementation and effectiveness outcomes of Community Health Advocacy Teams to improve long-lasting insecticide net distribution and use in six districts in Ghana: A one-group pre-post-test study
Authors: Glozah Franklin N. , Tabong Philip Teg-Nefaah , Bazant Eva , Asampong Emmanuel , Hornuvo Ruby , Nwameme Adanna , Peprah Nana Yaw , Chandi Gloria M. , Adongo Philip Baba , Dako-Gyeke Phyllis
Published: April 2024

Malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death especially among children and pregnant women in Ghana. Despite the efforts made by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), including distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) to households through periodic Point Mass Distribution (PMD) campaigns and continuous channels (antenatal, schools and postnatal), there is a gap between access and use of LLINs in Ghana. An effective and functional community-based group that would seek to improve the effectiveness of LLIN distribution before, during, after PMD Campaigns and continuous distribution at the community level could help address this gap. This paper assesses the implementation outcomes and short-term effectiveness of the pilot implementation of co-created community health advocacy teams (CHAT) intervention in Ghanaian communities to plan and implement campaigns to increase LLIN use. The study employed a one-group pre-post study design and measured implementation outcomes (acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility) and effectiveness outcomes (LLIN awareness, LLIN access, willingness to purchase LLIN, and LLIN use) among 800 community households. The CHAT intervention was implemented for four months across six districts in the Eastern and Volta regions of Ghana. The data were downloaded directly from REDCap and analyzed statistically (descriptive and McNemar test of association) using SPSS 22 software. After the implementation period, the majority of respondents in all six districts indicated that the CHAT intervention was acceptable (89.8%), appropriate (89.5%), and feasible (90%). Also, there was a significant association between baseline and end-line assessment on all four effectiveness outcome measures. Household members’ awareness of, access to, willingness to purchase, and use of LLINs increased significantly over the four-month period that the CHAT intervention was implemented. The study concludes that CHAT is an acceptable, appropriate, and feasible intervention for supporting the National Malaria Programme in LLIN PMD and for engaging in Social and Behaviour Change Communication activities through the continuous channels of distribution. Additionally, the CHAT demonstrates short-term effectiveness outcomes in terms of creating LLIN awareness, providing access to LLIN, and encouraging Ghanaian community members to be willing to purchase and use LLINs. Although the activities of CHAT members were largely voluntary, integration into the existing primary health care system will make it sustainable.
Exploration of modern contraceptive methods using patterns among later reproductive-aged women in Bangladesh
Authors: Rana Md. Shohel , Khanam Shimlin Jahan , Alam Md. Badsha , Hassen Md. Tahir , Kabir Md. Iqbal , Khan Md. Nuruzzaman
Published: April 2024

Background

With the rapid increase in the number of women in their later reproductive years (aged 35 and above) in the present decade, the concern surrounding their contraceptive considerations has reached a critical point of importance. This study aims to examine the trends and determinants of modern contraceptive uptake among later reproductive-aged women in Bangladesh.

Methods

A total of 17,736 women aged 35 and above were included in the analysis, utilizing data from three consecutives Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2011, 2014, and 2017–18. The outcome variable was the uptake of modern contraceptive methods (yes or no). The explanatory variables encompassed survey years, individual characteristics of the women, as well as characteristics of their partners and the community. Multilevel logistic regression model was used to explore the association of the outcome variable with explanatory variables.

Results

We found that approximately 54% of women aged 35 and more do not use modern contraceptive methods, and there have been no significant shifts in their usage observed over the survey years. Compared to women aged 35–39, women aged 40–45 (aOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.49–0.57) and 45–49 (aOR = 0.24, 0.22–0.26) reported lower likelihoods of modern contraceptive method uptake. Higher education correlated with increased uptake of modern contraceptive methods (112%-142%), while partner’s education showed a negative association. Later reproductive-aged women in richer (aOR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.74–0.94) and richest (aOR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66–0.88) quintiles reported lower uptake of modern contraceptive methods compared to their counterparts in the poorest quintile. Later reproductive-aged women in Dhaka (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.07–1.38) and Rajshahi (aOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.19–1.59) regions had higher uptake of modern contraception than those residing in the Barishal division. Modern contraceptive methods uptake was 1.22 times higher among women who reported exposure to mass media and 1.19 times higher among women who reported engagement in paid work compared to among women who reported no exposure to mass media and participation in no formal work, respectively. Modern contraceptive methods uptake was 43% higher (aOR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.32–1.55) in women with more than 2 children compared to those with ≤2 children.

Conclusion

The study highlights no significant change in modern contraception uptake among later reproductive-aged women in Bangladesh. This raises concerns about the elevated risk of unintended pregnancies and shorter birth intervals, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address the specific needs and preferences of this demographic.
The biopsychosocial factors associated with development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. An umbrella review and meta-analysis of observational systematic reviews
Authors: Dunn Michael , Rushton Alison B. , Mistry Jai , Soundy Andrew , Heneghan Nicola R.
Published: April 2024

Aim

The aim of this umbrella review was to establish which biopsychosocial factors are associated with development of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Methods

Ovid Medline, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PEDro, PROSPERO, Google Scholar and grey literature were searched from database inception to 4th April 2023. Systematic reviews of observational prospective longitudinal studies, including populations with <3 months (not chronic) musculoskeletal pain, investigating biopsychosocial factors that contribute to development of chronic (>3 months) musculoskeletal pain. Two reviewers searched the literature, assessed risk of bias (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2), and evaluated quality (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) to provide an overall statement on the certainty of evidence for each biopsychosocial factor. Data analysis was performed through random effects meta-analysis (including meta-analysis of meta-analyses where possible) and descriptive synthesis.

Results

13 systematic reviews were included comprising 185 original research studies (n = 489,644 participants). Thirty-four biopsychosocial factors are associated with development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Meta-analyses of odds and/or likelihood ratios were possible for 25 biopsychosocial factors. There is moderate certainty evidence that smoking (OR 1.24 [95%CI, 1.14–1.34), fear avoidance (LR+ 2.11 [95%CI, 1.59–2.8]; LR- 0.5 [95%CI, 0.35–0.71]) poorer support networks (OR 1.21 [95%CI, 1.14–1.29]), lower socioeconomic status (OR 2.0 [95%CI, 1.64–2.42]), and high levels of pain (OR 5.61 [95%CI, 3.74–8.43]) are associated with development of chronic musculoskeletal pain (all P<0.001). Remaining factors are of low or very low certainty evidence.

Conclusions and relevance

There is moderate certainty evidence that smoking, fear avoidance, poorer support networks, lower socioeconomic status, and high levels of pain are associated with development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. High risk of bias was evident in most included reviews; this highlights the need for higher quality systematic reviews.
The prevalence of alcohol consumption and its related factors in adolescents: Findings from Global School-based Student Health Survey
Authors: Farnia Vahid , Ahmadi Jouybari Touraj , Salemi Safora , Moradinazar Mehdi , Khosravi Shadmani Fatemeh , Rahami Bahareh , Alikhani Mostafa , Bahadorinia Shahab , Mohammadi Majd Tahereh
Published: April 2024

Background

Alcohol consumption has become very common among adolescents in recent years and its prevalence varies in different countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and related factors in adolescents aged 11 to 16 years.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 288385 adolescents (girls, 53.9% of total) aged 11 to 16 years. In the present study, the GSHS data (2003–2018) available to public on the websites of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO was used. To investigate the factors affecting alcohol consumption, univariate and multivariate logistics models with 95% confidence limits were used.

Results

The overall prevalence of alcohol consumption in adolescents was 25.2%, which was 28.3% and 22.4% in boys and girls, respectively. Among the surveyed countries, the highest prevalence was in Seychelles (57.9%) and the lowest in Tajikistan (0.7). Multivariate analysis showed that the Age for 16 and more than 16 years old (OR = 3.08,95%CI: 2.54–3.74), truancy for more than 10 days (OR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.08–1.43), loneliness at sometimes of the times (OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.01–1.07), insomnia at most of the times (OR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.70–2.01), daily activity (OR = 1.03, 95%CI: 1.00–1.07), bullied for 1–9 Days in a month (OR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.09–1.40), cigarette (OR = 4.01, 95%CI: 3.86–4.17), used marijuana for more than 10 days in a month (OR = 5.58, 95%CI: 4.59–7.78), had sex (OR = 2.76, 95%CI: 2.68–2.84), and suicide plan (OR = 1.48, 95%CI: 1.42–1.54) were important factors affecting drinking alcohol. (Table 4). In this study, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 42.79%, 93.96%, 70.80%, and 82.75.

Conclusions

According to the results of the present study, the prevalence of alcohol consumption among teenagers was high. Therefore, it is suggested that demographic, family, and psychological factors should be taken into consideration in health programs for the prevention and treatment of alcohol consumption in adolescents.