bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disparities in Reproductive Aging and Midlife Health between Black and White women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
Authors: Harlow Siobán D. , Burnett-Bowie Sherri-Ann M. , Greendale Gail A. , Avis Nancy E. , Reeves Alexis N. , Richards Thomas R. , Lewis Tené T.
Published: February 2022

This paper reviews differences in the experience of the menopause transition and midlife health outcomes between Black and White women who participated in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a 25-year, longitudinal, multi-racial/ethnic cohort study. We identify health disparities, i.e., instances in which Black women’s outcomes are less favorable than those of White women, and consider whether structural racism may underlie these disparities. Although SWAN did not explicitly assess structural racism, Black women in SWAN grew up during the Jim Crow era in the United States, during which time racism was legally sanctioned. We consider how we might gain insight into structural racism by examining proxy exposures such as socioeconomic characteristics, reports of everyday discrimination, and a range of life stressors, which likely reflect the longstanding, pervasive and persistent inequities that have roots in systemic racism in the US. Thus, this paper reviews the presence, magnitude, and longitudinal patterns of racial disparities observed in SWAN in six areas of women’s health – menopause symptoms, sleep, mental health, health related quality of life, cardio-metabolic health, and physical function –and elucidates the contextual factors that are likely influencing these disparities. We review the strengths and weaknesses of SWAN’s design and approach to analysis of racial disparities and use this as a springboard to offer recommendations for future cohort studies.
Adherence to inhalers and associated factors among adult asthma patients: an outpatient-based study in a tertiary hospital of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Authors: Rafi Md. Abdur , Tahmin Chowdhury Ibtida , Tashrik Symom , Bonna Atia Sharmin , Jannat Ferdousy , Mily Sabrina Jahan , Shrestha Abhigan Babu , Seemanta Senjuti , Rashid Afsana , Mahjabeen Mosarrat , Nura Nurunnahar , Shahriar Tasnim , Mahadi Ashrafur Rahaman , Ahmed Kawser , Hasan Mohammad Jahid , Haque Md. Azizul , Hossain Md. Golam
Published: February 2022

Background

Adherence to inhaler medication is an important contributor to optimum asthma control along with adequate pharmacotherapy. The objective of the present study was to assess self-reported adherence levels and to identify the potential factors associated with non-adherence to the inhalers among asthma patients.

Methods

This facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the medicine outpatient department of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital from November 2020 to January 2021. A total of 357 clinically confirmed adult asthma patients were interviewed. Inhaler adherence was measured using the 10-item Test of Adherence scale (TAI).. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to express the socio-demographic of the patients and predictors of poor adherence to inhaler.

Results

A substantial number of participants were non-adherent (86%) to inhaler medication. Patients non-adherent to inhaler medication are often younger (23.15, 95% CI 3.67–146.08), lived in the rural area (23.28, 95% CI 2.43–222.66), less year of schooling (5.69, 95% CI 1.27–25.44), and belonged to the middle income (aOR 9.74, 95% CI 2.11–44.9) than those adherent with the inhaler. The presence of comorbidities (12.91, 95% CI 1.41–117.61), prolonged duration of inhaler intake (5.69, 95% CI 1.22–26.49), consulting non-qualified practitioners (13.09, 95% CI 3.10–55.26) were the significant contributor of non-adherence.

Conclusion

Despite ongoing motivation and treatment, non-adherence to inhalation anti-asthmatic is high and several factors have been found to contribute. Regular monitoring and a guided patient-centered self-management approach might be helpful to address them in long run.
Complete mitochondrial genomes of three fairy shrimps from snowmelt pools in Japan
Authors: Kitano Takashi , Sato Hidenori , Takahashi Norihito , Igarashi Seiki , Hatanaka Yushi , Igarashi Keiji , Umetsu Kazuo
Published: February 2022

Background

Fairy shrimps belong to order Anostraca, class Branchiopoda, subphylum Crustacea, and phylum Arthropoda. Three fairy shrimp species (Eubranchipus uchidai,E. asanumai, andE. hatanakai) that inhabit snowmelt pools are currently known in Japan. Whole mitochondrial genomes are useful genetic information for conducting phylogenetic analyses. Mitochondrial genome sequences for Branchiopoda members are gradually being collated.

Results

Six whole mitochondrial genomes from the threeEubranchipusspecies are presented here.Eubranchipusspecies share the anostracan pattern of gene arrangement in their mitochondrial genomes. The mitochondrial genomes of theEubranchipusspecies have a higher GC content than those of other anostracans. Accelerated substitution rates in the lineage ofEubranchipusspecies were observed.

Conclusion

This study is the first to obtain whole mitochondrial genomes for Far EasternEubranchipusspecies. We show that the nucleotide sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I and the 16S ribosomal RNA ofE. asanumaipresented in a previous study were nuclear mitochondrial DNA segments. Higher GC contents and accelerated substitution rates are specific characteristics of the mitochondrial genomes of Far EasternEubranchipus. The results will be useful for further investigations of the evolution of Anostraca as well as Branchiopoda.
Defining and Targeting Esophagogastric Cancer Genomic Subsets With Patient-Derived Xenografts
Authors: Moy Ryan H. , Walch Henry S. , Mattar Marissa , Chatila Walid K. , Molena Daniela , Strong Vivian E. , Tang Laura H. , Maron Steven B. , Coit Daniel G. , Jones David R. , Hechtman Jaclyn F. , Solit David B. , Schultz Nikolaus , de Stanchina Elisa , Janjigian Yelena Y.
Published: February 2022

PURPOSE

Comprehensive genomic profiling has defined key oncogenic drivers and distinct molecular subtypes in esophagogastric cancer; however, the number of clinically actionable alterations remains limited. To establish preclinical models for testing genomically driven therapeutic strategies, we generated and characterized a large collection of esophagogastric cancer patient–derived xenografts (PDXs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We established a biobank of 98 esophagogastric cancer PDX models derived from primary tumors and metastases. Clinicopathologic features of each PDX and the corresponding patient sample were annotated, including stage at diagnosis, treatment history, histology, and biomarker profile. To identify oncogenic DNA alterations, we analyzed and compared targeted sequencing performed on PDX and parent tumor pairs. We conducted xenotrials in genomically defined models with oncogenic drivers.

RESULTS

From April 2010 to June 2019, we implanted 276 patient tumors, of which 98 successfully engrafted (35.5%). This collection is enriched for PDXs derived from patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (62 models, 63%), the majority of which were refractory to standard therapies including trastuzumab. Factors positively correlating with engraftment included advanced stage, metastatic origin, intestinal-type histology, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positivity. Mutations in TP53 and alterations in receptor tyrosine kinases ( ERBB2 and EGFR), RAS/PI3K pathway genes, cell-cycle mediators ( CDKN2A and CCNE1), and CDH1 were the predominant oncogenic drivers, recapitulating clinical tumor sequencing. We observed antitumor activity with rational combination strategies in models established from treatment-refractory disease.

CONCLUSION

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center PDX collection recapitulates the heterogeneity of esophagogastric cancer and is a powerful resource to investigate mechanisms driving tumor progression, identify predictive biomarkers, and develop therapeutic strategies for molecularly defined subsets of esophagogastric cancer.
Epilepsy and Pregnancy
Authors: Li Yi , Meador Kimford J.
Published: February 2022

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Seizure disorders are the most frequent major neurologic complication in pregnancy, affecting 0.3% to 0.8% of all gestations. Women of childbearing age with epilepsy require special care related to pregnancy. This article provides up-to-date information to guide practitioners in the management of epilepsy in pregnancy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Ongoing multicenter pregnancy registries and studies continue to provide important information on issues related to pregnancy in women with epilepsy. Valproate poses a special risk for malformations and cognitive/behavioral impairments. A few antiseizure medications pose low risks (eg, lamotrigine, levetiracetam), but the risks for many antiseizure medications remain uncertain. Although pregnancy rates differ, a prospective study found no difference in fertility rates between women with epilepsy who were attempting to get pregnant and healthy controls. During pregnancy, folic acid supplementation is important, and a dose greater than 400 mcg/d during early pregnancy (ie, first 12 weeks) is associated with better neurodevelopmental outcome in children of women with epilepsy. Breastfeeding is not harmful and should be encouraged in women with epilepsy even when they are on antiseizure medication treatment.

Women with epilepsy should be counseled early and regularly about reproductive health. Practitioners should discuss the risks of various obstetric complications; potential anatomic teratogenicity and neurodevelopmental dysfunction related to fetal antiseizure medication exposure; and a plan of care during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Women with epilepsy should also be reassured that the majority of pregnancies are uneventful.
Thioamidate Ion as Effective Cocatalyst for Photoinduced C–H Alkylation via Multisite Proton-coupled Electron Transfer
Authors: Ohmatsu Kohsuke , Fujimori Haruka , Minami Kodai , Nomura Kosuke , Kiyokawa Mari , Ooi Takashi
Published: February 2022

Thioamidate ions are introduced as competent cocatalysts for multisite proton-coupled electron transfer (MS-PCET) catalysis. The effectiveness of these anions is ascribed to the high pKa values of their conjugate acids. The combined use of bench-stable tetrabutylammonium thioamidate with an appropriate Ir-based photosensitizer allows the C–H alkylation of a range of C–H donors, including simple cyclic alkanes, under visible-light irradiation.
Racial, Ethnic, and Nativity Disparities in Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among Cancer Prevention Study-3 Participants
Authors: REES-PUNIA ERIKA , KIRKLAND ELIZABETH G. , RITTASE MELISSA H. , TORRES CARLOS X. , CHANTAPRASOPSUK SICHA , MASTERS MATTHEW , PATEL ALPA V.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Understanding racial/ethnic and nativity disparities in physical activity (PA) is important, as certain subgroups bear a disproportionate burden of physical inactivity–related diseases. This descriptive study compared mean leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (LTMVPA) by race/ethnicity and nativity.

Methods

The Cancer Prevention Study-3 (78.1% women; age, 47.9 ± 9.7 yr) includes 4722 (1.9%) Asian/Pacific Islander; 1232 (0.5%) Black/Indigenous (non-White) Latino; 16,041 (6.5%) White Latino; 9295 (3.8%) non-Latino Black; 2623 (1.1%) Indigenous American; and 210,504 (85.7%) non-Latino White participants across the United States and Puerto Rico. Participants completed validated LTMVPA and 24-h time use surveys at enrollment (2006–2013). Differences in LTMVPA across race/ethnicity and nativity were examined by ANCOVA with paired Tukey tests adjusting for age and sex. The proportion of time spent sitting, sleeping, and on PA by race/ethnicity was also compared.

Results

There were significant differences in LTMVPA by race/ethnicity (race main effect, P < 0.001; nativity, P = 0.072; interaction, P < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons showed that White participants born abroad were the most active (23.8 MET-h·wk−1) and non-White Latino participants born abroad were the least active (17.9 MET-h·wk−1). Among Latinos, participants born in Puerto Rico were 6.6–7.3 MET-h·wk−1 less active than participants born in Mexico, the United States/Canada, or other countries. There were variations in time use by race/ethnicity, with the largest difference in time spent sitting while watching TV. Black participants spent 14.8% of the day (~3.5 h) sitting watching TV, which was 78 min longer than Asian/Pacific Islander participants.

Conclusions

This study suggests that there are differences in LTMVPA accumulation by race, ethnicity, and nativity. Results can be used to identify demographic groups that may benefit from culturally tailored PA interventions.
The Price of Nails Since 1695: A Window into Economic Change
Authors: Sichel Daniel E.
Published: February 2022

This paper focuses on the price of nails since 1695 and the proximate source of changes in those prices. Why nails? They are a basic manufactured product whose form and quality have changed relatively little over the last three centuries, yet the process for producing them has changed dramatically. Accordingly, nails provide a useful prism through which to examine a wide range of economic and technological developments that touch on multiple areas of both micro- and macroeconomics. Several conclusions emerge. First, from the late 1700s to the mid-twentieth century, real nail prices fell by a factor of about 10 relative to overall consumer prices. These declines had important effects on downstream industries, most notably construction. Second, while declining materials prices contribute to reductions in nail prices, the largest proximate source of the decline during this period was multifactor productivity growth in nail manufacturing, highlighting the role of the specialization of labor and reorganization of production processes. Third, the share of nails in GDP dropped back from 0.4 percent of GDP in 1810—comparable to today’s share of household purchases of personal computers—to a de minimis share more recently; accordingly, nails played a bigger role in American life in that earlier period. Finally, real nail prices have increased since the mid-twentieth century, reflecting in part an upturn in materials prices and a shift toward specialty nails in the wake of import competition, though the introduction of nail guns partly offset these increases for the price of installed nails.
Yeast Dxo1 is required for 25S rRNA maturation and acts as a transcriptome-wide distributive exonuclease
Authors: Hurtig Jennifer E. , van Hoof Ambro
Published: February 2022

The Dxo1/Rai1/DXO family of decapping and exonuclease enzymes can catalyze the in vitro removal of chemically diverse 5′ ends from RNA. Specifically, these enzymes act poorly on RNAs with a canonical 7mGpppN cap, but instead prefer RNAs with a triphosphate, monophosphate, hydroxyl, or nonconventional cap. In each case, these enzymes generate an RNA with a 5′ monophosphate, which is then thought to be further degraded by Rat1/Xrn1 5′ exoribonucleases. For most Dxo1/Rai1/DXO family members, it is not known which of these activities is most important in vivo. Here we describe the in vivo function of the poorly characterized cytoplasmic family member, yeast Dxo1. Using RNA-seq of 5′ monophosphate ends, we show that Dxo1 can act as a distributive exonuclease, removing a few nucleotides from endonuclease or decapping products. We also show that Dxo1 is required for the final 5′ end processing of 25S rRNA, and that this is the primary role of Dxo1. While Dxo1/Rai1/DXO members were expected to act upstream of Rat1/Xrn1, this order is reversed in 25S rRNA processing, with Dxo1 acting downstream from Rat1. Such a hand-off from a processive to a distributive exonuclease may be a general phenomenon in the precise maturation of RNA ends.
On Performance of Downlink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access Wireless System Relying on UAV
Authors:   Faculty of Electronics Technology, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Le Anh-Tu , Nguyen Nhan Duc , Do Dinh-Thuan
Published: February 2022

Wireless communications relying on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a promising candidate in future communication systems. Compared with conventional terrestrial communications, UAV networks has some significant benefits including cost-effectiveness, mobility, fast deployment, higher probability of Line-of-Sight (LoS) links between UAV and ground terminals. Based on ideal conditions of high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) with fixed power allocation factor is adopted to indicate performance of two users. These ground user from UAV is independent of channel and trajectory parameters is further evaluated under impact of imperfect channel state information (CSI). We drive the closed-form formula of outage probability for two ground users. Simulation results provide impacts of system parameters on outage behavior.
Experimental Study of Light Wave Propagation for Underwater Optical Wireless Communication (UOWC)
Authors:   Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia, Hassan Wan Hafiza Wan , Sabril Muhammad Safiy , Jasman Faezah , Idrus Sevia Mahdaliza
Published: February 2022

Underwater Optical Wireless Communication (UOWC) is identified as a promising technology because it offers higher bandwidth than acoustics and radio frequency techniques. This paper investigates the performance of light wave propagation for UOWC through experimental approach. An experimental set-up is developed consists of a transmitter, receiver and a glass chamber to emulate the water channel. Three types of water including clear, sea and cloudy are used to investigate their interaction with the light emitted by light emitting diode (LED) and laser diode. The geometrical loss (GL) analysis shows the white LED suffered a severe GL (GL<<1) as the transmission link increases due to the wide viewing angle while green and yellow LED obtained an equal GL due to the same size of viewing angle. However, red laser does not experience any GL. Therefore, the received power by red laser is 35% higher than by green LED. The analysis deduces that the estimated attenuation coefficient c had an increase of 15% and 55% for green LED and red laser respectively when the UOWC medium changed from clear water to sea water. This study contributes to identify the potential and limitations of different parameter design in order to optimize UOWC performance.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Detection Using Speech Signals with High Frequency Components
Authors:   Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou and 510006, China, Pang Kang-Gao , Hsung Tai-Chiu , Liao Guozhao , Ling Wing-Kuen , Law Alex Ka-Wing , Choi Wing Shan
Published: February 2022

In this study, the Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) detection using speech signals during awake is considered. Traditional speech based OSA detection methods adopt traditional features (Formants, MFCC, etc.) on normal speech frequency range (<6kHz). However, it ignores the signal components outside this range that usually appear in pathological voices. In this paper, higher order traditional speech features (with more high frequency components) are adopted for detection. To better characterize OSA patients’ speech, a high frequency feature set is proposed. It consists of the traditional speech features with optimized parameters and a new proposed feature: High frequency energy. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based Sequence Forward Feature Selection (PCASFFS) are adopted as feature selection. In the simulation using 66 OSA patients’ speech signals, it achieves an accuracy of 84.85% for multi-class (4 levels) detection with the proposed high frequency feature set using quadratic discriminant analysis classifier (QDA).
Reliable and Secrecy Aware Cooperative Framework for Cognitive Radio Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) Networks
Authors:   School of Electronics and Communication Engineering, REVA University, Bengaluru, India, T. Madan H. , Basarkod Prabhugoud I.
Published: February 2022

Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) aided Cognitive Radio (CR) communication has been investigated as one of the primary candidates to fulfill the huge spectrum requirements of next generation wireless networks. To enhance the reliability and security aspects of CR-NOMA networks, we in this work incorporated cooperative relay-based communication. Cooperative transmission is a promising technology as it can provide reliability, extended coverage, and improved physical layer security. We propose cooperative relaying frameworks for both underlay and overlay cognitive radio frameworks. The primary objective of the work is to enhance the reception reliability of the end users and simultaneously providing the physical layer security against external eavesdropper. Analytical expressions are derived for throughput, secrecy capacity, and intercept probability to depict the performance of cooperative CR-NOMA communication. We have also analyzed the impact of different relaying strategies on the performance of Cooperative CR-NOMA networks. The simulation results prove the effectiveness of proposed frameworks and validates the mathematical modeling derived for various parameters.
A Multiple Data Collection Tree Protocol for UWSNs
Authors:   Department of Computer Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman, Day Khaled , Al-Salti Faiza , Alzeidi Nasser , Touzene1 Abderezak
Published: February 2022

We propose a new efficient and robust routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) called the Multiple Data Collection Tree (MDCT) protocol. MDCT proactively constructs and maintains multiple node-disjoint shortest-path routing trees connecting the underwater sensor nodes to onshore sink nodes. These trees provide readily available paths for routing data packets from underwater sensor nodes to surface sink nodes. Using multiple trees improves reliability, reduces congestion (especially at near-root nodes), and shortens routing paths. It also balances energy consumption by distributing the packet-forwarding load over a larger number of nodes. MDCT updates the trees continuously in response to changing underwater conditions such as sensor movements (due to underwater currents) and sensor out-of-power failures. We prove formally the correctness and optimality of the constructed trees. We also show how MDCT outperforms other protocols (namely, VBF, ERGR-EMHC and DCTP) in terms of packet delivery ratio, average end-to-end delay and energy consumption via extensive simulation. For example, compared to VBF, MDCT has increased the delivery ratio by over 75%, has reduced the average end-to-end delay by nearly 60%, and has reduced the energy consumption by 25% in some tested scenarios.
Początki przekładu filozoficznego w Polsce
Authors: Brzezicka Barbara
Published: February 2022

Artykuł stanowi próbę przedstawienia jednych z najstarszych polskich przekładów filozoficznych z wykorzystaniem metody zaproponowanej przez Lievena D’hulsta w Essais d’histoire de la traduction. Avatars de Janus. Na wstępie przedmiot badania umieszczony zostaje w kontekście historycznych badań przekładoznawczych. Następnie przedstawione zostają pierwsze polskie tłumaczenia Arystotelesa i Cycerona. Zgodnie z wytycznymi D’hulsta opracowanie stawia na równi takie elementy jak postaci tłumaczy, kontekst powstania czy strategie translatorskie. W ramach podsumowania autorka stara się krótko odpowiedzieć na pytanie o wpływ omawianych przekładów na polskich odbiorców.
W poszukiwaniu istoty eksplicytacji. Kilka uwag o książce Ewy Gumul Explicitation in Simultaneous Interpreting. A Study into Expliciting Behaviour of Trainee Interpreters, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, Katowice 2017, 331 stron
Authors: Zieliński Lech , Pankanin Emilia
Published: February 2022

Niniejszy artykuł nawiązuje do monografii Ewy Gumul Explicitation in Simultaneous Interpreting. A Study into Expliciting Behaviour of Trainee Interpreters wydanej nakładem Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w 2017 roku. Wychodząc od pojęcia eksplicytacji i przykładów jej zastosowania, omówiono krótko treść monografii i ustosunkowano się do dotychczasowych recenzji, by w końcowej części przedstawić własną ocenę monografii i pochylić się nad uniwersalnością eksplicytacji.
Evaluation of hypoparathyroidism following laryngectomy
Authors: Edafe O , Tan ET , Jackson R , Sionis S , Balasubramanian SP , Beasley N
Published: February 2022

Background

Hypoparathyroidism is a recognised complication following laryngectomy; it is associated with significant short-and long-term morbidity. This study aimed to further characterise this condition, identify risk factors and describe preventative and management strategies in a large cohort.

Materials and methods

This was a retrospective study at a tertiary referral centre for head and neck cancers. All consecutive patients who had total laryngectomy over an eight-year period were included.

Results

A total of 140 patients were included. Rates of transient and long-term hypoparathyroidism were 14.3% and 10.1%, respectively. The following factors were significantly associated with transient post-surgical hypocalcaemia or hypoparathyroidism: total thyroidectomy (relative risk, RR, 4.33; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.86–10.10), oesophagectomy (RR 6.05; 95% CI 2.92–12.53) and female sex (RR 3.23; 95% CI 1.45–7.19). In addition, total thyroidectomy (RR 5.89; 95% CI 1.94–17.86), central neck dissection (RR 3.97; 95% CI 1.42–11.10), oesophagectomy (RR 9.38; 95% CI 4.13–21.3), pharyngectomy (RR 7.14; 95% CI 2.08–24.39) and female sex (RR 5.52; 95% CI 1.95–15.63) were risk factors for long-term hypoparathyroidism. There was variability in the use of preventative measures, monitoring and management of hypocalcaemia and hypoparathyroidism following total laryngectomy.

Conclusions

Transient hypocalcaemia and long-term hypoparathyroidism occur in a significant proportion of patients after laryngectomy. A standard protocol is required to improve care.
A New Species of the Ant Genus Dolichoderus Lund, 1831 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Thailand
Authors: Barabag Zakaria , Jaitrong Weeyawat
Published: February 2022

Dolichoderus Lund, 1831 is one of the large ant genera in the world and belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Currently, 130 species and 19 subspecies are known in this genus. A new species of the Dolichoderus thoracicus species group, Dolichoderus bakhtiari sp. nov., is here described based on the worker caste. The type series of the new species were collected from the shrub tree in hill evergreen forest (ca. 800 m a.s.l.). A list of the species and subspecies of the Dolichoderus thoracicus species group is provided.
Nondestructive measurement of the grain size of laser cladding coatings using a laser ultrasonic method
Authors: Li Yang , Hou Shoujian , Chai Yanwei , Zhou Yang , Zou Yun
Published: February 2022

Due to the processing characteristics of laser cladding, the beads and joints of the laser cladding coatings have different grain sizes. We used the laser ultrasonic (LU) method to measure the distribution of the grain sizes of laser cladding coatings nondestructively. The surface acoustic wave amplitude was influenced by the grain size; hence, the amplitude varied for beads and joints because of their different attenuations. The spatial resolution of LU is higher than that of the traditional ultrasonic testing method, leading to a fringe distribution of the C-scan results in the scanning area. The LU results were verified through metallographic experiments. It was concluded that the LU method can be used to determine the grain sizes of coatings.
Effect of nonuniform pit structure on self-imaging of periodical gratings
Authors: Goloborodko Andrey A.
Published: February 2022

Self-imaging possibilities for periodical gratings that have nonuniform pit structure are theoretically investigated. The diffraction of periodic arrays in the deep Fresnel region is analyzed according to the scalar diffraction theory. The expressions of the diffraction intensities of three different gratings that have binary square, binary circle, and Gaussian pit structure are considered. Talbot images of gratings with nonuniform pit structure are predicted to appear at multiple certain distances. The present paper shows that even a structure in short-range disorder may take on the self-imaging effect in a Fresnel field.
Sensitivity enhancement of nonlinear refractive index measurement by Gaussian-Bessel beam assisted z-scan method
Authors: Gao Wei , Wang Sandan , Yuan Jinpeng , Wang Lirong , Xiao Liantuan , Jia Suotang
Published: February 2022

Characterizing the nonlinear optical properties of numerous materials plays a prerequisite role in nonlinear imaging and quantum sensing. Here, we present the evaluation of the nonlinear optical properties of Rb vapor by the Gaussian-Bessel beam assisted z-scan method. Owed to the concentrated energy in the central waist spot and the constant intensity of the beam distribution, the Gaussian-Bessel beam enables enhanced sensitivity for nonlinear refractive index measurement. The nonlinear self-focusing and self-defocusing effects of the Rb vapor are illustrated in the case of blue and red frequency detunings from 5S1/2 − 5P3/2 transition, respectively. The complete images of the evolution of nonlinear optical properties with laser power and frequency detuning are acquired. Furthermore, the nonlinear refractive index n2 with a large scale of 10−6 cm2/W is determined from the measured transmittance peak-to-valley difference of z-scan curves, which is enhanced by a factor of ∼ 1.73 compared to the result of a equivalent Gaussian beam. Our research provides an effective method for measuring nonlinear refractive index, which will considerably enrich the application range of nonlinear material.
Quadrature photonic spatial Ising machine
Authors: Sun Wenchen , Zhang Wenjia , Liu Yuanyuan , Liu Qingwen , He Zuyuan
Published: February 2022

As a computing accelerator, a large-scale photonic spatial Ising machine has great advantages and potential due to its excellent scalability and compactness. However, the current fundamental limitation of a photonic spatial Ising machine is the configuration flexibility for problem implementation in the accelerator model. Arbitrary spin interactions are highly desired for solving various non-deterministic polynomial (NP)-hard problems. In this paper, we propose a novel quadrature photonic spatial Ising machine to break through the limitation of the photonic Ising accelerator by synchronous phase manipulation in two sections. The max-cut problem solution with a graph order of 100 and density from 0.5 to 1 is experimentally demonstrated after almost 100 iterations. Our work suggests flexible problem solving by the large-scale photonic spatial Ising machine.
Two-watt mid-infrared laser emission in robust fluorozirconate fibers
Authors: Xu Changjun , Zhang Jiquan , Zhao Xiaotong , Zhao Haiyan , Ling Fengzi , Jia Shijie , Farrell Gerald , Wang Shunbin , Wang Pengfei
Published: February 2022

To the best of our knowledge, we report here the first demonstration of 2.9 µm laser emission from in-house fabricated Ho3+/Pr3+ co-doped ZBYA glass fiber. The fiber was fabricated based on the ZBYA glass with compositions of ZrF4–BaF2–YF3–AlF3–PbF2–HoF3-PrF3. Under the pump of a 1150 nm Raman fiber laser, the maximum unsaturated output power of 2.16 W was obtained in a 15 cm long gain fiber with a slope efficiency of 24%. The influence of rare-earth doping concentration on laser performance was also investigated. The result indicates that ZBYA glass fibers have potential for using as a fluorozirconate glass gain fiber for mid-infrared fiber lasers.
Electromagnetically induced transparency with a single optomechanical microring resonator
Authors: Ren Linhao , Wen Hao , Shi Lei , Zhang Xinliang
Published: February 2022

An all-optical realization scheme of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a single silicon optomechanical microring resonator is proposed and demonstrated. Due to the strong mechanical Kerr effect and well-designed microring resonator, two modes with a resonant frequency separation of 292 GHz (2.35 nm) can be tuned into resonance when the control power is about 4.3 µW, and the EIT spectrum is achieved. Our work provides a constructive solution for realizing EIT in a single microcavity with a low mode density. Furthermore, this device is fully integrated on-chip and compatible with current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processing and has great potential in applications such as light storage, optical sensing, and quantum optics.
Investigation of the humidity sensing of etched optical fibers coated with a graphene oxide/silica composite
Authors: Ostovari Fatemeh , Owji Erfan
Published: February 2022

Humidity sensing based on etched-optical fibers coated with graphene oxide (GO), silica gel (Sg), and a silica gel modified with GO (GSg) was studied. Their humidity sensing behavior was investigated by variation of the relative differentiation of attenuation (RDA) in the presence of relative humidity (RH) by the Optical Loss Test Set. The results show that etched optical fibers coated by Sg and GSg have a high RDA in the presence of RH. Also, GO shows a low RDA value and high variance. However, the pristine Sg needs to take time to recover when saturated with moisture, so it does not have a fast and repeatable response. Results show that modification of a silica gel by GO (GSg) succeeds in solving their defects and makes it capable of humidity sensing usage. Their RDA is relatively high, it has a rapid response, one-to-one correspondence with RH, and it could operate in a wide range of humidity. Additionally, their good repeatability, high sensitivity, and low variance is suggestive of their accuracy.
Teasing apart the impacts of curriculum and professional development on teaching assistants’ teaching practices
Authors: Hicks Jenna , Dewey Jessica , Abebe Michael , Kramer Maxwell , Schuchardt Anita
Published: February 2022

Teaching assistants (TAs) often lead courses using curricula they did not design. Therefore, examining how curriculum and professional development (PD) interact to influence TAs’ teaching practices is critical. This study describes the effects of a curriculum and PD intervention in two contexts: when TAs are teaching curriculum that is explicitly linked to PD, and when teaching curriculum that is not linked to PD. The Intervention curriculum featured structured opportunities for reform-oriented teaching practices. The Intervention PD was situated in the context of these specific curriculum activities and modelled the desired teaching practices. TAs that participated in the intervention implemented more student-centered teaching practices than TAs that did not participate in the intervention, even when teaching curriculum that was not designed to be student-centered and was not linked to PD. A linear model of TAs’ teaching practices that included PD type, task cognitive demand and curriculum type indicates that cognitive demand has the largest relationship with teaching practices, followed by PD type. These results have implications for policy. They suggest that investment in curriculum-linked TA PD can be effective even when teaching curricula that is not linked to PD. Additionally, investment in development of higher-cognitive-demand tasks may be an effective strategy to support implementation of student-centered practices.
All or nothing? Partial business shutdowns and COVID-19 fatality growth
Authors: Spiegel Matthew , Tookes Heather
Published: February 2022

Incomplete vaccine uptake and limited vaccine availability for some segments of the population could lead policymakers to consider re-imposing restrictions to help reduce fatalities. Early in the pandemic, full business shutdowns were commonplace. Given this response, much of the literature on policy effectiveness has focused on full closures and their impact. But were complete closures necessary? Using a hand-collected database of partial business closures for all U.S. counties from March through December 2020, we examine the impact of capacity restrictions on COVID-19 fatality growth. For the restaurant and bar sector, we find that several combinations of partial capacity restrictions are as effective as full shutdowns. For example, point estimates indicate that, for the average county, limiting restaurants and bars to 25% of capacity reduces the fatality growth rate six weeks ahead by approximately 43%, while completely closing them reduces fatality growth by about 16%. The evidence is more mixed for the other sectors that we study. We find that full gym closures reduce the COVID-19 fatality growth rate, while partial closures may be counterproductive relative to leaving capacity unrestricted. Retail closures are ineffective, but 50% capacity limits reduce fatality growth. We find that restricting salons, other personal services and movie theaters is either ineffective or counterproductive.
Users’ polarisation in dynamic discussion networks: The case of refugee crisis in Sweden
Authors: Kopacheva Elizaveta , Yantseva Victoria
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a study on the dynamics of sentiment polarisation in the active online discussion communities formed around a controversial topic—immigration. Using a collection of tweets in the Swedish language from 2012 to 2019, we track the development of the communities and their sentiment polarisation trajectories over time and in the context of an exogenous shock represented by the European refugee crisis in 2015. To achieve the goal of the study, we apply methods of network and sentiment analysis to map users’ interactions in the network communities and quantify users’ sentiment polarities. The results of the analysis give little evidence for users’ polarisation in the network and its communities, as well as suggest that the crisis had a limited effect on the polarisation dynamics on this social media platform. Yet, we notice a shift towards more negative tonality of users’ sentiments after the crisis and discuss possible explanations for the above-mentioned observations.
The effect of reproductive, hormonal, nutritional and lifestyle on breast cancer risk among black Tanzanian women: A case control study
Authors: Akoko Larry Onyango , Rutashobya Amonius K. , Lutainulwa Evelyne W. , Mwanga Ally H. , Kivuyo Sokoine L.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to determine the effect of reproductive, hormonal, lifestyle and nutritional factors on breast cancer development among Tanzanian black women.

Methodology

We undertook a case-control study age-matched to ±5years in 2018 at Muhimbili National Hospital. The study recruited 105 BC patients and 190 controls giving it 80% power to detect an odds ratio of ≥2 at the alpha error of <5% for exposure with a prevalence of 30% in the control group with 95% confidence. Controls were recruited from in patients being treated for non-cancer related conditions. Information regarding hormonal, reproductive, nutritional and lifestyle risk for breast cancer and demography was collected by interviews using a predefined data set. Conditional multinomial logistic regression used to determine the adjusted odds ratio for variables that had significant p-value in the binomial logistic regression model with 5% allowed error at 95% confidence interval.

Results

The study recruited 105 cases and 190 controls. Only old age at menopause had a significant risk, a 2.6 fold increase. Adolescent obesity, family history of breast cancer, cigarette smoking and alcohol intake had increased odds for breast cancer but failed to reach significant levels. The rural residency had 61% reduced odds for developing breast cancer though it failed to reach significant levels.

Conclusion

Older age at menopause is a significant risk factor for the development of breast cancer among Tanzanian women. This study has shed light on the potential role of modifiable risk factors for breast cancer which need to be studied further for appropriate preventive strategies in similar settings.
Outcomes of peritoneal dialysis in elderly vs non-elderly patients: A systemic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jiang Chunling , Zheng Qiang
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Several studies have compared outcomes of peritoneal dialysis (PD) between elderly and non-elderly patients but with variable results. We hereby designed this review to compare mortality, peritonitis, and technique survival between elderly and non-elderly patients on PD.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for studies comparing outcomes of PD between elderly and non-elderly patients. The last search date was 14th July 2021.

Results

Fourteen studies were included. 12 studies defined the elderly as ≥65 years of age and these were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis of crude (RR: 2.45 95% CI: 1.36, 4.40 I2 = 97% p = 0.003) and adjusted data (HR: 2.80 95% CI: 2.45, 3.09 I2 = 0% p<0.00001) indicated a statistically significant increased risk of mortality amongst elderly patients as compared to non-elderly patients. Meta-analysis of four studies demonstrated a statistically significant increased risk of peritonitis in the elderly (RR: 1.56 95% CI: 1.18, 2.07 I2 = 76% p = 0.002). Pooled analysis demonstrated no statistically significant difference in technique survival between the two groups (RR: 0.95 95% CI: 0.86, 1.05 I2 = 86% p = 0.32).

Conclusion

Elderly patients on PD have a significantly increased risk of mortality as compared to non-elderly patients. The risk of peritonitis is also significantly increased in older adults but the increased age has no impact on technique survival. Further studies are needed to strengthen our conclusions.
The clinicopathology and survival characteristics of patients with POLE proofreading mutations in endometrial carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jumaah Alaa Salah , Al-Haddad Hawraa Sahib , McAllister Katherine Ann , Yasseen Akeel Abed
Published: February 2022

Background

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is classified into four distinct molecular subgroups. Patients with polymerase epsilon exonuclease domain mutated (POLE-EDM) tumors have the best prognosis of all. This meta-analysis consolidated the clinicopathology variations reported in the POLE-mutant subtype and survival parameters in patients with EC.

Methods

The following internet data bases were searched: PubMed, Web of science, Embase and Scimage directory. Data was extracted from eligible studies including sample size, number of positive POLE-mutant cases, EDM sequencing information, clinicopathologic, and survival data. Meta-analysis and a random-effects model produced pooled estimates of POLE prognostic parameters using 95% confidence intervals (CI), hazard ratios (HR), and odds ratios (OR).

Results

The meta-analysis included 11 cohort studies comprising 5508 EC patients (442 POLE EDM tumors). Patients with POLE mutant EC were associated with improved disease specific survival (HR = 0.408, 95% CI: 0.306 to 0.543) and progression-free survival (HR = 0.231, 95% CI: 0.117 to 0.456). POLE-mutated tumors were mostly endometrioid histology (84.480%; 95% CI: 77.237 to 90.548), although not significantly more than wild type tumors (OR = 1.386; p = 0.073). The POLE mutant tumors significantly present (p<0.001) at Federation of International of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) lower stages I-II (OR = 2.955, p<0.001) and highest grade III (OR = 1.717, P = 0.003). The tumors are significantly associated with invasion less than half (<50%) of the myometrium (OR = 1.765, p = 0.001), but not deeply invasive EC (MI>50%, OR = 0.83, p = 0.34). POLE mutations significantly protected against lymph node metastases (OR = 0.202, p = 0.001), and have no clear association with lymph-vascular space invasion (OR = 0.967, 95% 0.713–1.310, p = 0.826). The tumors are predominantly of low ESMO risk stratification distribution (40.356%; 95% CI: 27.577 to 53.838).

Conclusions

POLE mutations serve as an important biomarker of favorable prognosis in EC. The tumors are characteristically high grade, early stage, and remain localized in the endometrium with reduced likelihood of lymph node metastasis for improved survival prospects and the lowest risk classification. These findings have implications for medical management of EC.
Enhancement of sustainable energy and its sustainable development impacts: An analytical perspective
Authors: Abdallah Said M.
Published: February 2022

Access to modern energy features prominently in current development agendas that particularly pertain to underdeveloped communities, and in scientific work. Specifically, this relates to sustainable development (SD) concerns, where holistic attention is sought for economic growth, environmental soundness and social progress. There is, however, much more emphasis on energy access than in SD impacts that the energy is designed to achieve. As a result, much is done to make the energy available, but there is little manifestation of resultant SD impacts. In this article, it is therefore argued that a rethinking of modern or sustainable energy access is needed, especially in a community-based development sense. Consequently, in the research work an analytical framework is constructed to guide a new vision and strategies for SD-focused modern energy.
Pleiotrophin, nitric oxide and glutamate AMPA receptors in chick cerebellum morphogenesis
Authors: Kommata Vasiliki , Alexopoulou Evaggelia , Argyrousi Elentina K. , Dermon Catherine R.
Published: February 2022

Avian cerebellum, a highly conserved, laminated and foliated structure, provides an excellent model for developmental studies. During the intermediate embryonic stages, granule cell progenitor proliferation and the inwards migration of post-mitotic granule cells have been implicated in the morphogenesis of cerebellar cortex cytoarchitecture and foliation. The present study questioned the spatio-temporal expression pattern of pleiotrophin, an extracellular matrix growth factor, during the morphogenesis of embryonic cerebellum, and the roles of ionotropic AMPA glutamate receptors and the diffusible neuromodulator nitric oxide (NO) in the proliferation pattern of EGL granule cell progenitors. To this end, the density of proliferating cells in the developing embryonic external granule layer (EGL) was determined following acute treatment with AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX or NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME, at embryonic stages HH38-41 (E12-E15 days), by means of BrdU immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence. Importantly, at earlier stages, pleiotrophin-like immunoreactivity showed high expression levels in the EGL that gradually decreased, persisting within the growing folia apices, later in development. Interestingly, blockage of AMPA receptors had no effect; while NOS inhibition resulted in transient age- and region-specific increases of EGL granule progenitor cell proliferation at earlier stages, but decreased the post-mitotic granule cells at folia apices, at a later stage HH41 (E15 day). Overall, NO had a transient anti-proliferative effect in EGL similar to mammalian cerebellum, acting as a modulator of the EGL function at different stages, suggesting its possible implication in complex processes guiding cerebellar cytoarchitecture and folia formation.