bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causal relationships between type 1 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Geng Chaofan , Meng Ke , Zhao Bo , Liu Xiaoduo , Tang Yi
Published: January 2024

Background

Previous compelling evidence suggests an association between Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and neurodegenerative diseases. However, it remains uncertain whether Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) exerts a causal influence on the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Consequently, this study employed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal relationship between T1DM and the genetic susceptibility to AD and PD.

Methods

We utilized large-scale cohorts derived from publicly available genome-wide association study datasets involving European populations to perform MR analyses. The primary analytical method employed was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) approach. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses, including assessments of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy, were carried out using Cochran's Q, MR-Egger intercept, and MR-PRESSO tests to enhance the robustness of our conclusions.

Results

Using the IVW-based method, the MR analysis indicated no significant association between genetically determined T1DM and AD (OR = 0.984, 95% CI: 0.958–1.011, p = 0.247). Conversely, T1DM appeared to be associated with a reduced risk of genetic susceptibility to PD (IVW: OR = 0.958, 95% CI: 0.928–0.989, p = 0.001). In the reverse direction, no evidence of reverse causality was observed between AD (OR = 1.010, 95% CI: 0.911–1.116, p = 0.881) or PD (OR = 1.164, 95% CI: 0.686–2.025, p = 0.5202) and T1DM. Additionally, our analysis found no indications of the results being influenced by horizontal pleiotropy.

Conclusion

This MR study reveals that T1DM is associated with a reduced genetic susceptibility to PD, whereas no significant genetic susceptibility is observed between T1DM and AD. These findings suggest that T1DM may have a distinct role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases compared to T2D. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and provide a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship.
Targeting TIGIT for cancer immunotherapy: recent advances and future directions
Authors: Zhang Peng , Liu Xinyuan , Gu Zhuoyu , Jiang Zhongxing , Zhao Song , Song Yongping , Yu Jifeng
Published: January 2024

As a newly identified checkpoint, T cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) domain (TIGIT) is highly expressed on CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). TIGIT has been associated with NK cell exhaustion in vivo and in individuals with various cancers. It not only modulates NK cell survival but also mediates T cell exhaustion. As the primary ligand of TIGIT in humans, CD155 may be the main target for immunotherapy due to its interaction with TIGIT. It has been found that the anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) treatment response in cancer immunotherapy is correlated with CD155 but not TIGIT. Anti-TIGIT alone and in combination with anti-PD-1 agents have been tested for cancer immunotherapy. Although two clinical studies on advanced lung cancer had positive results, the TIGIT-targeted antibody, tiragolumab, recently failed in two new trials. In this review, we highlight the current developments on TIGIT for cancer immunotherapy and discuss the characteristics and functions of TIGIT.
Extreme weather events on energy systems: a comprehensive review on impacts, mitigation, and adaptation measures
Authors: Gonçalves Ana C. R. , Costoya Xurxo , Nieto Raquel , Liberato Margarida L. R.
Published: January 2024

Energy systems (ES) are seriously affected by climate variability since energy demand and supply are dependent on atmospheric conditions at several time scales and by the impact of severe extreme weather events (EWEs). EWEs affect ES and can cause partial or total blackouts due to energy supply disruptions. These events significantly impact essential infrastructures and are considered one of the main causes of wide-area electrical disturbances worldwide. A comprehensive review is carried out based on 210 published studies using searches from Scopus and Google Scholar databases, to assess the impacts of EWEs—such as extreme storms, wind, and lightning events, heat, or cold waves, and freezing—on ES and their associated infrastructures—production, transmission, and distribution—worldwide, with a particular focus on wind energy systems (WES). Strategies and measures are critically reviewed and synthesized to minimize and mitigate the impact of EWEs, protect, and adapt the systems to maintain regular operations even when these events occur. Finally, physical modifications to systems and the incorporation of new technological solutions such as energy storage systems (ESS), distributed energy systems (DES), and microgrids, can enhance the network resilience and mitigate the EWEs effects.
The rheological and filtration properties of black seed (Nigella Sativa L.) ester as a base fluid in drilling fluid
Authors: Olaniyan Damilola Deborah , Sarah Akintola A.
Published: January 2024

The unceasing utilization of diesel oil, the regular base fluid, as the base fluid of drilling mud has brought about severe ecological worries and regulation because of its poisonousness, non-biodegradability, and similarity issues. Notwithstanding, drilling more complex wells is turning out to be progressively significant in satisfying the world’s need for oil and gas, bringing about increased commercial synthetic-based fluid importation. In light of the ecological worries associated with the usage of diesel-based drilling fluids as well as reducing commercial synthetic-based fluid imports, black seed oil (BSO) was utilized to make an ester for a new ecologically safe drilling fluid. This research explored the potential use of black seed ester in formulating oil-based muds with standard additives. It compares its qualities to that of diesel following a thorough mud check on the mud samples to evaluate the rheological properties and the impact of aging at test temperatures of 86°F, 120°F, and 150°F. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry technique affirmed that BSO ester is a natural compound. About the flow properties, the kinematic thickness at 40 °C of the biodiesel is 4.31 mm2/s and is higher than that of petroleum diesel, which is 3.52 mm2/s. Densities for the ester and diesel oil-based mud tests were 7.9 ppg, 7.8 ppg, 7.3 ppg, and 6.8 ppg, respectively, at 70/30, 75/25, and 80/20, oil–water-proportion (OWR), as utilized in the mud formulation. The prepared mud was aged for 24 h under static conditions to guarantee total hydration. Black seed oil (BSO) ester mud exhibited lower viscosity at all temperatures, aging conditions, and shear rates analyzed, making it more suitable for oil-well drilling fluids when compared with Diesel. BSO being a naturally occurring seed oil could be important for drilling contractors and service companies due to its good ecological acceptability and its applicability.
eRegMat – a digital registry for improved quality of antenatal care: a cluster-randomized trial in a rural area in Bangladesh
Authors: Venkateswaran Mahima , Pervin Jesmin , Dolphyne Akuba , Friberg Ingrid K. , Fjeldheim Ingvild , Frøen J. Frederik , Khatun Fatema , O’Donnell Brian , Rahman Monjur , Rahman A. M. Quaiyum , Nu U Tin , Rose Christopher James , Sarker Bidhan Krishna , Rahman Anisur
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Longitudinal client tracking systems with digital health interventions are recommended for implementation in resource-limited settings but lack evidence of benefits, harms, and implementation. In the eRegMat cluster-randomized controlled trial, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of an eRegistry versus an unshared digital client record.

Methods

Fifty-nine primary health care facilities in Matlab, Bangladesh were randomized with a 1:1 allocation ratio to receive an eRegistry (intervention, 30 health facilities) with decision support, feedback dashboards and targeted client communication, or an unshared digital client record without digital health interventions (control, 29 health facilities). We assessed timely antenatal care attendance, quality of care, and health outcomes. Outcome data were captured in the eRegistry, or unshared digital client record used by health workers, and through a postpartum household survey. We estimated adjusted relative risks (ARRs) following the intention-to-treat principle and adjusted for cluster randomization.

Results

From October 2018 to June 2020, 3023 pregnant women were enrolled in the intervention and 2746 in the control groups through community and facility registrations. Intervention and control groups did not differ for the primary outcomes: timely attendance at eligible antenatal care visits (42.5% vs. 40.3%, ARR 0.96, 95% CI 0.89–1.05, p-value 0.4) and hypertension screening and management (95.1% vs. 94.7%, ARR 1.00, 95% CI 0.96–1.03, p-value 0.8). The secondary outcome of perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidities was lower in the intervention (14.6%) compared to the control group (15%) (ARR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.96, p-value 0.02), with the change mostly attributed to morbidity outcomes.

Conclusion

Due to technical and implementation challenges we were unable to estimate the effect of the intervention with sufficient precision. Challenges included delays in rollout of the digital health interventions and outcome data collection, existence of parallel documentation systems on paper and digital and the COVID-19 pandemic. Given these methodological constraints, we are unable to draw definitive interpretations of trial results.

Trial registration

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN69491836; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN69491836. Date of registration 06.12.2018.
Image-Based Subtype Classification for Glioblastoma Using Deep Learning: Prognostic Significance and Biologic Relevance
Authors: Yuan Min , Ding Haolun , Guo Bangwei , Yang Miaomiao , Yang Yaning , Xu Xu Steven
Published: January 2024

PURPOSE

To apply deep learning algorithms to histopathology images, construct image-based subtypes independent of known clinical and molecular classifications for glioblastoma, and produce novel insights into molecular and immune characteristics of the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using whole-slide hematoxylin and eosin images from 214 patients with glioblastoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a fine-tuned convolutional neural network model extracted deep learning features. Biclustering was used to identify subtypes and image feature modules. Prognostic value of image subtypes was assessed via Cox regression on survival outcomes and validated with 189 samples from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) data set. Morphological, molecular, and immune characteristics of glioblastoma image subtypes were analyzed.

RESULTS

Four distinct subtypes and modules (imClust1-4) were identified for the TCGA patients with glioblastoma on the basis of the image feature data. The glioblastoma image subtypes were significantly associated with overall survival (OS; P = .028) and progression-free survival ( P = .003). Apparent association was also observed for disease-specific survival ( P = .096). imClust2 had the best prognosis for all three survival end points (eg, after 25 months, imClust2 had >7% surviving patients than the other subtypes). Examination of OS in the external validation using the unseen CPTAC data set showed consistent patterns. Multivariable Cox analyses confirmed that the image subtypes carry unique prognostic information independent of known clinical and molecular predictors. Molecular and immune profiling revealed distinct immune compositions of the tumor microenvironment in different image subtypes and may provide biologic explanations for the patterns in patients' outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our image-based subtype classification on the basis of deep learning models is a novel tool to refine risk stratification in cancers. The image subtypes detected for glioblastoma represent a promising prognostic biomarker with distinct molecular and immune characteristics and may facilitate developing novel, individualized immunotherapies for glioblastoma.
Portfolio diversification with varying investor abilities
Authors: James N. , Menzies M.
Published: January 2024

We introduce new mathematical methods to study the optimal portfolio size of investment portfolios over time, considering investors with varying skill levels. First, we explore the benefit of portfolio diversification on an annual basis for poor, average and strong investors defined by the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of risk-adjusted returns, respectively. Second, we conduct a thorough regression experiment examining quantiles of risk-adjusted returns as a function of portfolio size across investor ability, testing for trends and curvature within these functions. Finally, we study the optimal portfolio size for poor, average and strong investors in a continuously temporal manner using more than 20 years of data. We show that strong investors should hold concentrated portfolios, poor investors should hold diversified portfolios; average investors have a less obvious distribution with the optimal number varying materially over time.
Behavior of a chain of coupled self-propelled particles with two-dimensional potential and noise
Authors: Wang Bing , Cheng Zhiguo
Published: January 2024

The behavior of an elastic chain of coupled self-propelled particles in a two-dimensional potential with Gaussian colored noise is investigated. The channel and colored noise regulates the directed transport of the system. The chain of particles changes the moving direction with increasing modulation constant of potential. The average velocity of the chain shows periodic fluctuation with increasing phase shift of the potential. Strong coupling between particles inhibits the directed transport speed of the system. Large translation noise intensity is good for the directed transport in the

- or

, but large self-correlation time inhibits this phenomenon. The effect of the self-propulsion speed is influenced by the modulation parameter of the potential. The elastic chain moves in the

when the angle noise intensity is zero. Noise intensity and self-correlation time of the angle noise have a complicated effect on the system.
Urinary Androgens Provide Additional Evidence Related to Metabolism and Are Correlated With Serum Androgens in Girls
Authors: Scott Sasinya N , Siguencia Marvin , Stanczyk Frank Z , Hartmann Michaela F , Wudy Stefan A , White Melissa , Chung Wendy K , Santella Regina M , Terry Mary Beth , Houghton Lauren C
Published: January 2024

Context

Androgen levels are generally measured in serum samples, but urine may be a more feasible option, especially in children, as it is a noninvasive alternative.

Objective

To assess the correlations of 10 urinary androgen metabolites with 4 serum androgens [dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), androstenedione, and total and free testosterone] and assess if their correlations differ by participant characteristics.

Methods

Our study consisted of 44 girls, ages 6-13, who participated in the New York site of the LEGACY Girls Study and had both serum and urine samples collected at the same visit. We performed Pearson's correlation coefficient tests between 4 serum and 10 individual urinary metabolite measures and their sum. We examined the influence of participant characteristics on the magnitude and direction of the correlations.

Results

The summed urinary metabolite measures had the highest correlation with free testosterone in serum (global sum, r = 0.83) and correlated least with DHEA-S in serum (global sum, r = 0.64). The correlation between individual urinary metabolites and serum androgens ranged from 0.08 to 0.84.Two 11-oxygenated urinary metabolites (5α-androstane-3α-ol-11,17-dione5β-androstane-3α,11β-diol-17-one) were weakly correlated with all serum androgens. Participant age, weight, height, waist:hip ratio, and pubic hair growth stage changed the correlations between urinary and serum androgens measures between 10% and 213%.

Conclusion

The sum of urinary androgen metabolites was a good marker of circulating androstenedione, testosterone, and free testosterone. Individual urinary metabolites provide additional information about the metabolic processes of disease development compared to the antecedent serum androgens.
Partnership Status, Health, and Mortality: Selection or Protection?
Authors: Kulu Hill , Mikolai Júlia , Franke Sebastian
Published: January 2024

Married individuals have better health and lower mortality than nonmarried people. Studies show that when cohabitants are distinguished from other nonmarried groups, health differences between partnered and nonpartnered individuals become even more pronounced. Some researchers have argued that partnered individuals have better health and lower mortality because a partnership offers protective effects (protection); others have posited that partnered people have better health and lower mortality because healthy persons are more likely to form a union and less likely to dissolve it (selection). This study contributes to this debate by investigating health and mortality by partnership status in England and Wales and analyzing the causes of mortality differences. We use combined data from the British Household Panel Survey and the UK Household Longitudinal Study and apply a simultaneous-equations hazard model to control for observed and unobserved selection into partnerships. We develop a novel approach to identify frailty based on self-rated health. Our analysis shows that partnered individuals have significantly lower mortality than nonpartnered people. We observe some selection into and out of unions on unobserved health characteristics, but the mortality differences by partnership status persist. The study offers strong support for the marital protection hypothesis and extends it to nonmarital partnerships.
Καταστασιακή αισιοδοξία, καταστασιακή απαισιοδοξία και ημερήσια εργασιακή σμίλευση: Μια ποσοτική έρευνα ημερολογίου
Authors: Αργύρης Αναστάσιος Απόστολος , Ζαμπετάκης Λεωνίδας
Published: January 2024

Η έρευνα εστιάζει στη μελέτη της καταστασιακής αισιοδοξίας/απαισιοδοξίας και της ημερήσιας εργασιακής σμίλευσης, όπως ερμηνεύεται στο Μοντέλο Εργασιακών Απαιτήσεων – Πόρων. Στο μοντέλο αυτό η εργασιακή σμίλευση αποτελείται από τρεις διαστάσεις, την αναζήτηση εργασιακών πόρων, την αναζήτηση προκλήσεων και την μείωση απαιτήσεων. Με την μέθοδο ημερολογίου και για πέντε συνεχόμενες εργασιακές ημέρες συλλέχθηκαν δεδομένα από εξήντα-τέσσερις εργαζόμενους σε στρατιωτική βάση της Ελληνικής Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας. Χρησιμοποιώντας πολυ-επίπεδες αναλύσεις, διαπιστώθηκε ότι η καταστασιακή αισιοδοξία και η καταστασιακή απαισιοδοξία είναι διακριτές αλλά αρνητικά σχετιζόμενες μεταβλητές. Χρησιμοποιώντας ως θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο τη θεωρία της εστιασμένης αυτορρύθμισης υποθέσαμε και επιβεβαιώθηκε από τις αναλύσεις ότι η αισιοδοξία και η απαισιοδοξία των εργαζομένων σχετίζονται με διαφορετικές στρατηγικές εργασιακής σμίλευσης. Συγκεκριμένα, στο ενδοατομικό επίπεδο βρέθηκε ότι η καταστασιακή αισιοδοξία σχετίζεται θετικά με την αναζήτηση εργασιακών πόρων και την αναζήτηση προκλήσεων, δηλαδή στρατηγικών εστιασμένων στην προαγωγή. Από την άλλη, η καταστασιακή απαισιοδοξία βρέθηκε να σχετίζεται θετικά με στρατηγική εστιασμένη στην αποτροπή και συγκεκριμένα τη μείωση απαιτήσεων. Η μελέτη καταδεικνύει τη σημασία της αισιοδοξίας και απαισιοδοξίας ως διακριτών μεταβλητών και το γεγονός ότι η εργασιακή σμίλευση αποτελεί συμπεριφορά που μπορεί να πραγματοποιηθεί σε ημερήσια βάση, ακόμα και σε οργανισμούς με αυστηρή ιεραρχική δομή και περιορισμένη αυτονομία, όπως αποτελεί η περίπτωση των στρατιωτικών μονάδων.
The relationship between Theory of Mind and Executive Functioning in typically developing children: A systematic review
Authors: Economacou Dimitra , Karousou Alexandra , Makris Νikolaos
Published: January 2024

The development of Theory of Mind (ToM) constitutes a central topic in the study of human cognitive development. During the last decades, researchers representing different theoretical approaches have been trying to explore the emergence and development of mental state understanding and the potential contribution of other complex cognitive mechanisms in this developmental process. The relationship between ToM and Executive Functions (EFs) has been assessed in the context of various experimental designs. Despite the significant number of existing studies and the variety of relevant theories proposed, there is still no agreement about the exact nature of the ToM-EFs relationship. The main aim of this paper is to review relevant research results on typically developing children. It attempts to disentangle the factors that can potentially explain the contradictory findings reported in the literature. The results, overall, support the ToM-EFs relationship and suggest EFs’ important role in ToM development. However, the exact nature of this relationship seems obscured by the diversity of approaches, operationalization of the theoretical constructs, methods and ages included in the studies. It is, therefore, suggested that for building a unified picture and an explanatory account of the dynamic developmental relationship between these two complex theoretical constructs, a refinement in the conceptual definitions and methodological approaches is crucial.
DrosOMA: the Drosophila Orthologous Matrix browser
Authors: Thiébaut Antonin , Altenhoff Adrian M. , Campli Giulia , Glover Natasha , Dessimoz Christophe , Waterhouse Robert M.
Published: January 2024

Background Comparative genomic analyses to delineate gene evolutionary histories inform the understanding of organismal biology by characterising gene and gene family origins, trajectories, and dynamics, as well as enabling the tracing of speciation, duplication, and loss events, and facilitating the transfer of gene functional information across species. Genomic data are available for an increasing number of species from the genus Drosophila, however, a dedicated resource exploiting these data to provide the research community with browsable results from genus-wide orthology delineation has been lacking. Methods Using the OMA Orthologous Matrix orthology inference approach and browser deployment framework, we catalogued orthologues across a selected set of Drosophila species with high-quality annotated genomes. We developed and deployed a dedicated instance of the OMA browser to facilitate intuitive exploration, visualisation, and downloading of the genus-wide orthology delineation results. Results DrosOMA - the Drosophila Orthologous Matrix browser, accessible from https://drosoma.dcsr.unil.ch/ - presents the results of orthology delineation for 36 drosophilids from across the genus and four outgroup dipterans. It enables querying and browsing of the orthology data through a feature-rich web interface, with gene-view, orthologous group-view, and genome-view pages, including comprehensive gene name and identifier cross-references together with available functional annotations and protein domain architectures, as well as tools to visualise local and global synteny conservation. Conclusions The DrosOMA browser demonstrates the deployability of the OMA browser framework for building user-friendly orthology databases with dense sampling of a selected taxonomic group. It provides the Drosophila research community with a tailored resource of browsable results from genus-wide orthology delineation.
Transosseous wiring method for simple transverse shaft fracture of the upper extremity
Authors: Choi SeongJu , Jung Sung Youn , Kim Min Bom
Published: January 2024

Purpose: A diaphyseal simple transverse fracture (DSTF) of the upper extremity (UE) requires direct anatomical reduction and absolute stability. No standard efficient method exists for reducing and maintaining a DSTF, despite its importance. Here, we introduce our transosseous wiring (TOW) method for UE-DSTFs.Methods: To maintain reduction, the UE-DSTF was first fixed with TOW before definitive fixation with a locking plate across the fracture. We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients with at least 1 year of postoperative follow-up treatment from 2019 to 2021.Results: All patients had achieved anatomical reduction and bone union at the final follow-up. Three patients had hardware removed because of irritation caused by the plate and screws. However, none of those three patients complained of irritation from the wire. One patient experienced refracture at the same site after hardware removal after a fall. The same technique was used in this case, and the bone union was observed 6 months after surgery.Conclusion: TOW is a simple straightforward method that can be applied without special instruments. It could be an efficient method for interfragmentary compression and attachment of a locking plate without the burden of maintaining the reduction of UE-DSTFs.
Sequential Search with Acquisition Uncertainty
Authors: Brown David B. , Uru Cagin
Published: January 2024

We study a variation of the classical Pandora’s problem in which a decision maker (DM) sequentially explores alternatives from a given set and learns their values while trying to acquire the best alternative. The variations in the model we study are (i) alternatives randomly become unavailable during exploration and (ii) the DM’s ability to acquire a remaining alternative is uncertain and depends on a chosen offer price. Such acquisition uncertainties arise in many applications, including housing search, hiring problems, and e-commerce, but greatly complicate the search problem in that optimal policies retain all previously explored alternative values as part of the problem state, as opposed to only the highest explored value as in Pandora’s rule. Our central insight is that despite the complexity that these acquisition uncertainties create, simple greedy policies based on static sequencing and a single threshold value enjoy strong performance guarantees. We develop such a class of policies and show how to compute them using a greedy algorithm whose worst-case run-time scales linearly (up to logarithmic factors) in the number of alternative types. We show that our policies (a) are asymptotically optimal in high multiplicity regimes with many alternatives and (b) obtain at least [Formula: see text] of the optimal value under a broad set of conditions. Extensive numerical examples support this theory: We illustrate our policies on a variation of Pandora’s problem with disappearing alternatives and housing search on models calibrated on data from the online brokerage Redfin. In these examples, our policies significantly outperform policies based on Pandora’s rule.

This paper was accepted by Omar Besbes, revenue management and market analytics.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.00203 .
Incorporating Holding Costs in Continuous-Time Service Network Design: New Model, Relaxation, and Exact Algorithm
Authors: Shu Shengnan , Xu Zhou , Baldacci Roberto
Published: January 2024

The continuous-time service network design problem (CTSNDP) occurs widely in practice. It aims to minimize the total operational cost by optimizing the schedules of transportation services and the routes of shipments for dispatching, which can occur at any time point along a continuous planning horizon. In order to be cost-effective, shipments often wait to be consolidated, which incurs a holding cost. Despite its importance, the holding cost has not been taken into account in existing exact solution methods for the CTSNDP because introducing it significantly complicates the problem and makes solution development very challenging. To tackle this challenge, we develop a new dynamic discretization discovery algorithm, which can solve the CTSNDP with holding cost to exactly optimum. The algorithm is based on a novel relaxation model and several new optimization techniques. Results from extensive computational experiments validate the efficiency and effectiveness of the new algorithm and also demonstrate the benefits that can be gained by taking into account holding costs in solving the CTSNDP. In particular, we show that the significance of the benefits depends on the connectivity of the underlying physical network and the flexibility of the shipments’ time requirements.

Funding: This work was partially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 71831008] and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University [Project P0043872].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.0104 .
The Other Body in us: Pregnancy, Abortion, and Creativity in Chinese Women’s Writing
Authors: Yue Ming-Bao
Published: January 2024

This paper examines three contemporary stories focusing on pregnancy and abortion, by contemporary Chinese women writers Zhong Ling (Taiwan), Tang Min (China), and Xi Xi (HK), in light of current feminist intervention into Michel Foucault’s theory of biopolitics. In particular, the paper turns to Elizabeth Grosz’ notion of corporal feminism and Julia Kristeva’s conceptual explorations on her theory of the abject in order to propose a notion of female creativity that is grounded within women’s bodily experiences and a notion of subjectivity that takes maternity as its epistemological model. The paper concludes with an extension of corporeal feminism to women’s writing in the area of cultural translation as mastering what Mary Zournasi has called “the art of foreignness.”
Equivalent radius of atmosphere aerosol in haze weather based on laser scattering
Authors: Feng Guo , Yang Zhuo , Sun Wu
Published: January 2024

The investigation of atmospheric aerosols holds paramount importance within the environmental realm. This significance arises from the intricate nature of aerosol distribution and size in real-life hazy weather conditions. In this work, we have employed the equivalent radius of the aerosols in haze weather obtained from the volume spectrum, and then the scattering characteristics of these aerosols are obtained using the equivalent radius. Pearson correlation coefficients have been used for revealing a strong correlation by comparing Aeronet website data and simulation results with a minimum value of 0.657.
Multibeam continuous axial scanning two-photon microscopy for in vivo volumetric imaging in mouse brain
Authors: Ataka Mitsutoshi , Otomo Kohei , Enoki Ryosuke , Ishii Hirokazu , Tsutsumi Motosuke , Kozawa Yuichi , Sato Shunichi , Nemoto Tomomi
Published: January 2024

This study presents an alternative approach for two-photon volumetric imaging that combines multibeam lateral scanning with continuous axial scanning using a confocal spinning-disk scanner and an electrically focus tunable lens. Using this proposed system, the brain of a living mouse could be imaged at a penetration depth of over 450 μm from the surface. In vivo volumetric Ca2+ imaging at a volume rate of 1.5 Hz within a depth range of 130–200 μm, was segmented with an axial pitch of approximately 5-µm and revealed spontaneous activity of neurons with their 3D positions. This study offers a practical microscope design equipped with compact scanners, a simple control system, and readily adjustable imaging parameters, which is crucial for the widespread adoption of two-photon volumetric imaging.
WR-enhanced TDM-PON with nanosecond clock and data recovery and picosecond time synchronization
Authors: Zhao Yisong , Xue Xuwei , Guo Bingli , Yang Changsheng , Wen Ran , Shen Shikui , Wei Buzheng , Dang Daohang , Guo Yuanzhi , Ren Xiongfei , Chen Bin , Huang Shanguo
Published: January 2024

Access networks require higher bandwidth and throughput to handle rapidly increasing traffic. However, in the time-division multiplexing passive optical network (TDM-PON) system, improving system throughput in such a time-slotted network faces two technical challenges. First, because optical network units transmit packets with individual clock frequency, receivers at the optical line terminal side must instantly recover the frequency to guarantee the throughput, while no valid data can be received before the clock and data recovery (CDR) is completed. Second, the time-slotted mechanism requires fine-granularity of time-slot edge alignment, where the interpacket interval used to compensate the misalignment deteriorates the throughput. In this paper, these two challenges are simultaneously addressed by white rabbit (WR) protocol-based enhancements for the first time, to our best knowledge, in a TDM-PON system. With the synchronous Ethernet of WR protocol, the physical-layer frequency synchronization efficiently accelerates the CDR via eliminating the time-consuming frequency tracking process. Moreover, after improving the time precision to the subnanosecond level via a digital dual mixer time difference phase detector, the precise delay model in the WR protocol can accurately elaborate the compensation and adjustment on time. The experimental results validate that the proposed network achieves 38.6 ns CDR time and 341 ps time synchronization precision.
Equivalent Mueller matrix method for 3-D axial error analysis in 2-D SoP measurement
Authors: Wang Luo , Zhang Haiyang , Jin Fahong , Zhao Changming , He Jianwei
Published: January 2024

We explored an equivalent Mueller matrix method for analyzing 3-D axial errors in 2-D polarization state measurements for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The method treats 2-D devices with 3-D errors as a closed system, within which the transformation of a 3-D polarization field is described using a 3×3 coherency matrix and generalized Jones matrix (GJM). The equivalent 4×4 Mueller matrix of the component is numerically evaluated from the 2-D polarization field information at the input and output ports. Furthermore, our research has identified that any 3-D axial error within the polarization state analyzer (PSA) can be classified into two categories: axial alignment error (AAE) and wave-vector alignment error (WAE). For the latter case, we have introduced a concept of equal weight variance of a wave-vector as an alternative to the spiral sampling method to estimate the upper-bound of relative state of polarization (SoP) error. A simulation result shows that for the ideal bi-plate PSA, the upper-bound remains below 3% when the deviation value is less than 17.7 deg. The equivalent Mueller matrix method can be applied to analyze the 3-D errors in an arbitrary sort of PSA, and the description of 3-D transformation in this paper is simpler than a 9×9 generalized Mueller matrix and nine-element generalized Stokes vector, which has potential value in the research of vector beam generation.
High resolution acoustic sensing based on microcavity optomechanical oscillator
Authors: Wang Rong , Liu WenYao , Pan Ziwen , Fan WenJie , Liu Lai , Xing Enbo , Zhou Yanru , Tang Jun , Liu Jun
Published: January 2024

In this paper, a simple sensing method based on a silicon oxide microcavity optomechanical oscillator (OMO) is proposed and demonstrated for the detection of acoustic signals. Firstly, the resonance damping was reduced by improving the optical quality factor (Qo) and increasing the sphere-to-neck ratio. After optimizing the process, a microsphere OMO was fabricated, which has an ultra-high mechanical quality factor (6.8 × 106) and greater sphere-to-neck ratio (∼11:1), based on which ultra-narrow linewidth phonon laser (∼1 Hz) is constructed. Secondly, by changing the refractive index of the coupling interval, the low-frequency acoustic pressure signal is efficiently coupled into the microcavity OMO to construct a high-resolution acoustic sensor. This sensing mechanism can not only measure the acoustic pressure, but also use the sideband signal in the modulation mechanism to measure the frequency of acoustic signals (15 Hz∼16 kHz), the sensitivity is 10.3 kHz/Pa, the minimum detectable pressure is 1.1 mPa, and noise-limited minimum detectable pressure is 28.8 µPa/Hz1/2. It is the highest detection resolution compared with the same type of low-frequency acoustic signal detection currently reported. This OMO-based acoustic sensing detection method opens up a new path for future miniaturized, ultra-high-precision, and cost-effective acoustic sensing.
Realizing multi-function absorptions through arbitrary octagonal meta-atoms
Authors: Huang Zhixing , Zhang Baifu , Wang Yan , Li Huafeng , Xu Ji , Ding Jianping
Published: January 2024

Metasurface absorbers (MA) typically exhibit a single type of absorption function due to their regular structures. In this study, we propose an irregular MA structure with octagonal meta-atoms. The presence of eight vertices in each meta-atom allows for tunable coordinates and offers a multitude of degrees of freedom in terms of geometry. As a result, the proposed MA exhibits diverse functionalities, including perfect absorption, multi-peaks absorption, and high absorption with a filtering window. To predict the geometric parameters of the MA structure based on a given target absorption spectrum, as well as the inverse design of the structure using the absorption spectrum as input, we employ a deep neural network combined with the particle swarm optimization algorithm. Remarkably, the mean-square error for spectrum prediction and inverse design of the MA structure is found to be as low as 0.0008 and 0.0031, respectively. This study opens up new possibilities for designing irregular electromagnetic structures and holds great potential for applications in multifunctional metasurfaces and metamaterials.
Tunable single frequency Hz-magnitude narrow linewidth Brillouin fiber laser based on parity-time symmetry
Authors: Lv Yanzhi , Yin Bin , Chen Xiangcheng , Sang Guofeng , Liu Shilin , Li Guangbo , Xiao Shiying , Wang Muguang , Wu Songhua
Published: January 2024

An Hz-magnitude ultra-narrow linewidth single-frequency Brillouin fiber laser (BFL) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The single frequency of the laser is selected by parity-time (PT) symmetry, which consists of a stimulated Brillouin scatter (SBS) gain path excited by a 24 km single-mode fiber (SMF) and an approximately equal length loss path tuned with a variable optical attenuator (VOA). These paths are coupled through a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) into a wavelength space. Accomplishing single-frequency oscillation involves the precise adjustment of polarization control (PC) and VOA to attain the PT broken phase. In the experiment, the linewidth of the proposed BFL is 9.58 Hz. The optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) reached 78.89 dB, with wavelength and power fluctuations of less than 1pm and 0.02 dB within one hour. Furthermore, the wavelength can be tuned from 1549.9321 nm to 1550.2575 nm, with a linewidth fluctuation of 1.81 Hz. The relative intensity noise (RIN) is below -74 dB/Hz. The proposed ultra-narrow single-frequency BFL offers advantages such as cost-effectiveness, ease of control, high stability and excellent output characteristics, making it highly promising for the applications in the coherent detection.
Numerical study of the plasmonic slab lens for improving direct-write nano lithography
Authors: Peng Ruiguang , Lin Jiacong , Meng Yan , Feng Shijia , Lin Tao , Gao Kai , Gan Yuner , Zhao Qian , Zhou Ming
Published: January 2024

Plasmonic direct-write lithography (PDWL) provides a potential tool for the fabrication and manufacturing at the nano scale due to its high-resolution and low-cost. However, the shallow exposure depth hinders its practical application. Here, we incorporate the plasmonic slab lenses (PSLs) into PDWL to amplify and compensate evanescent waves, leading to improved light intensity, depth, resolution and better tolerance to the air gap beyond the near field optical lithography. Two typical plasmonic probes with different nanostructure and localized plasmonic resonance mechanisms are designed and fabricated as representatives, the local intensity enhancement of which mainly depend on the oscillations of transverse and longitudinal electric field components, respectively. Optimizations considering the PSL structure, material and the illuminating wavelength are performed to amplify different field components and figure out the best lithography configuration. Simulation results indicate that Ag-Ag cavity PSL and 355 nm illumination is the best combination for the lithography with bowknot aperture probe, while the semi-ring probe exhibits better performance under the condition of Ag-Al cavity PSL and 405 nm illumination. The semi-ring probe in combination with a plasmonic cavity, for instance, is demonstrated to enhance the light intensity by 4 times at the bottom layer of the photoresist compared to that without PSL and realize a lithography resolution of 23 nm. Our scheme is believed to boost the application of PDWL as a high-resolution and low-cost nanofabrication technology, and it may even serve as an alternative for the high-cost scanning method, such as focused ion beam and electron beam lithography.
Computational simulation of multi-wavelength light-field thermometry based on a chromatic meta-lens
Authors: He Yulun , Shi Shengxian , Yao Chunhui , Zhao Zhou , Chen Mu Ku , Qi Fei
Published: January 2024

This Letter proposes a light-field meta-lens multi-wavelength thermometry (MMT) system that is capable of modulating a full-spectrum incident radiation into four separate wavelength beams. The chromatic meta-lens is designed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) software to function as a filter, ensuring its ability to separate four wavelengths. The chromatic meta-lens is positioned on the back focus plane of the main lens to replace the microlens used in traditional light-field systems and simplify the overall system. After detecting the acquired wavelengths and intensities of the image on photodiodes, a raw multispectral image can be decoupled and processed using the Chameleon swarm algorithm (CSA). Four full-spectrum incident radiations corresponding to four temperature characteristic curves are detected. The high accuracy of the reverse temperature calculation enables the measurement of surface high-temperature distribution with precision.
Mode-division-multiplexing self-homodyne coherent transmission over a weakly coupled few-mode fiber for optical interconnections
Authors: Qiao Gang , Long Chengbin , Yang Yu , Xu Zhaopeng , Zuo Mingqing , Wu Qi , Wang Shangcheng , Liu Lulu , Shen Lei , Luo Jie , He Zhixue , Ji Honglin , Hu Weisheng , Chen Zhangyuan , Li Juhao
Published: January 2024

Self-homodyne coherent transmission has recently received extensive investigation as a coherent lite candidate for high-speed short-reach optical networks. In this Letter, we propose a weakly coupled mode-division-multiplexing (MDM) self-homodyne coherent scheme using a multiple-ring-core few-mode fiber, in which one of the modes transmits a self-homodyne local oscillator (LO) and the rest are utilized for carrying signals. Multiple rings of index perturbations in the fiber core are applied to achieve low modal crosstalk, allowing the signals and the remote LO to be transmitted independently. We experimentally demonstrate a 7.2-Tb/s (5.64-Tb/s net rate) self-homodyne coherent transmission with an 800-Gb/s data rate for each of the nine information-bearing modes formatted in 80-GBaud probabilistic constellation-shaped 64-quadrature-amplitude modulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental demonstration of an MDM self-homodyne coherent transmission with up to 10 spatial modes. The proposed scheme may pave the way for future high-capacity data center interconnections.
Compact mode converter on SOI based on a polygonal subwavelength grating structure
Authors: Zhao Yong , Liu Shengping , Shi Yuechun , Hao Lijun , Ma Yuxin , Dai Pan , Liu Guilin , Ni Yi , Chen Xiangfei
Published: January 2024

In this Letter, we design and experimentally demonstrate compact mode converters with a lightning-like and arrow-like polygonal subwavelength grating (SWG) structure on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform, which can convert the TE0 mode to the TE1 and TE2 modes, respectively. The footprints of the proposed TE0–1 and TE0–2 mode converters are only 4.44 × 1.3 and 5.89 × 1.8 µm2, respectively. The experimental results show the mode converters have a low insertion loss (<1 dB) and a broad bandwidth (>50 nm). The measured cross talks of the TE0–1 and TE0–2 mode converters are −7.2 dB and −10.3 dB, respectively. In addition, the proposed mode converters with the SWG structure have the advantage in fabrication, since only a one-step full-etching process is required.
Multifunctional adaptive optics optical coherence tomography allows cellular scale reflectometry, polarimetry, and angiography in the living human eye
Authors: Kurokawa Kazuhiro , Nemeth Morgan
Published: January 2024

Clinicians are unable to detect glaucoma until substantial loss or dysfunction of retinal ganglion cells occurs. To this end, novel measures are needed. We have developed an optical imaging solution based on adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) to discern key clinical features of glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases at the cellular scale in the living eye. Here, we test the feasibility of measuring AO-OCT-based reflectance, retardance, optic axis orientation, and angiogram at specifically targeted locations in the living human retina and optic nerve head. Multifunctional imaging, combined with focus stacking and global image registration algorithms, allows us to visualize cellular details of retinal nerve fiber bundles, ganglion cell layer somas, glial septa, capillaries, and connective tissues. These are key histologic features of neurodegenerative diseases, including glaucoma, that are now able to examine in vivo with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. Incorporating this noninvasive cellular-scale imaging with objective measurements will significantly enhance existing clinical assessments, which is pivotal in facilitating the early detection of eye disease and understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration.
Association between the use of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) services and uptake of institutional deliveries in India
Authors: Mishra Sujata , Horton Susan , Bhutta Zulfiqar A. , Essue Beverley M.
Published: January 2024

This study examines the impact of accredited social health activists (ASHAs), on increasing rates of institution-based deliveries among Indian women with a specific focus on the nine low-performing, empowered action group states and Assam (EAGA) in India. Using the latest round of the National Family Health Survey-V (2019–21), we first investigate the association between the use of ASHA services and socio-demographic attributes of women using a multivariate logistic regression. We then use propensity-score matching (PSM) to address observable selection bias in the data and assess the impact of ASHA services on the likelihood of institution-based deliveries using a generalized estimating equations model. Of the 232,920 women in our sample, 55.5% lived in EAGA states. Overall, 63.3% of women (70.6% in EAGA states) reported utilizing ASHA services, and 88.6% had an institution-based delivery (84.0% in EAGA states). Younger women from the poorest wealth index were more likely to use ASHA services and women in rural areas had a two-fold likelihood. Conversely, women with health insurance were less likely to use ASHA services compared to those without. Using PSM, the average treatment effect of using ASHA services on institution-based deliveries was 5.1% for all India (EAGA = 7.4%). The generalized estimating equations model indicated that the use of ASHA services significantly increased the likelihood of institution-based delivery by 1.6 times (95%CI = 1.5–1.7) for all India (EAGA = 1.8; 95%CI = 1.7–1.9). Our study finds that ASHAs are effective in enhancing the uptake of maternal services particularly institution-based deliveries. These findings underscore the necessity for continual, systematic investments to strengthen the ASHA program and to optimize the program’s effectiveness in varied settings that rely on the community health worker model, thereby advancing child and maternal health outcomes.