bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizations for the photothermal effect of Rhodamine 6G using white-light interferometry and windowed Fourier transform
Authors: Zhang Qingyue , Hao Linhong , Teng Lihua , Zhao Qiuling , Wang Xia , Tam Wing Yim
Published: December 2022

Photothermal phenomenon is one of the natural responses in light-matter interactions in which the energy of the incident light is converted into heat, resulting in a temperature increase in the illuminated material. This effect has a direct influence on the refractive index of the material such that its change of spectral dependency with temperature can be exploited for different applications. However, it is also important to separate/identify the thermal effect from the optical/electronic resonance effect to expand potential applications of light-matter interactions. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a white-light interferometry approach combined with a windowed Fourier transform method and a consistency-checking peak-fitting method to obtain the refractive index of an Rh6G-ethanol dye solution with a sensitivity of about ∼10−6 (RIU) for the visible range. Moreover, we also perform both static and dynamic measurements to study the photothermal effect of the Rh6G solution under external excitation. Importantly, we separate the optical and thermal effects due to the external excitation and obtain very good agreement with the experimental results by modeling the relative refractive index of the Rh6G solution with an expression consisting of spectrally a Fano-like resonance term and a linear dependent thermal term. We find that the response due to the optical effect is about ∼0.2 × 10−3 of that due to the thermal effect in the low-light regime. Our approach to separating the optical and thermal effects could shed light on other fields for potential applications through precision measurements of the transmission phase or refractive index.
Hybrid NOMA/OFDMA visible light communication system with coordinated multiple point transmission
Authors: Guo Xinyue , Luo Ye
Published: December 2022

In this study, a hybrid non-orthogonal multiple access / orthogonal frequency division multiple access (NOMA/OFDMA) scheme is proposed for multi-cell multi-user visible light communication (VLC) systems. Each cell is divided into several sub-cells that are multiplexed using OFDMA. Users within the same sub-cell are multiplexed by NOMA. Thus, the hybrid NOMA/OFDMA scheme takes advantage of both NOMA and OFDMA, which not only improves the spectral efficiency of OFDMA but also avoids the co-channel interference of NOMA. Moreover, coordinated multiple-point transmission based on repeated coding is introduced to eliminate multiuser interference, which also improves the received signal-to-noise ratio of edge users. In this manner, spectrum resources are fully utilized, where the frequency reuse factor is equal to 1. Furthermore, we propose a two-dimensional power-allocation algorithm for the proposed hybrid NOMA/OFDMA VLC system. Based on the fixed power allocation strategy, power is allocated jointly among sub-cells and users within sub-cells to minimize the average symbol error rate (SER). The performance of the proposed system was investigated in detail by simulation, where the SERs were evaluated under different power ratios. Simulation results also show that the SER performance of the proposed hybrid NOMA/OFDMA VLC system is significantly improved compared to the traditional NOMA and OFDMA VLC systems in different VLC networks. Finally, the proof-of-concept experiment was set up, clearly validating the superiority of the proposed system further.
Femtosecond laser-induced phase transition in VO2 films
Authors: Wang Zixin , Ji Xiaowei , Dong Ningning , Chen Chenduan , Yan Zhouyuan , Cao Xun , Wang Jun
Published: December 2022

VO2 is a very promising material due to its semiconductor-metal phase transition, however, the research on fs laser-induced phase transition is still very controversial, which greatly limits its development in ultrafast optics. In this work, the fs laser-induced changes in the optical properties of VO2 films were studied with a variable-temperature Z-scan. At room temperature, VO2 consistently maintained nonlinear absorption properties at laser repetition frequencies below 10 kHz while laser-induced phase transition properties appeared at higher repetition frequencies. It was found by temperature variation experiments at 100 kHz that the modulation depth of the laser-induced VO2 phase transition was consistent with that of the ambient temperature-induced phase transition, which was increased linearly with thickness, further confirming that the phase transition was caused by the accumulation of thermal effects of a high-repetition-frequency laser. The phase transition process is reversible and causes substantial changes in optical properties of the film, which holds significant promise for all-optical switches and related applications.
Tunable circular polarization responses of twisted black phosphorus metamaterials
Authors: Hu Hui , Geng Muxuan , Jiang Zhaoqi , Zhang Hao , Zhu Zheng , Guan Chunying , Zhang Han , Shi Jinhui
Published: December 2022

As one of the most significant 2D materials, black phosphorus (BP) offers a promising way to manipulate the polarization state of light due to its in-plane anisotropy, however, reconfigurable polarization manipulation is still challenging in simple BP structure. Here, we propose a multilayer metamaterial with twisted BP nanostructures and numerically study its circular dichroism (CD) and circular birefringence (CB) responses. The dependences of the circular polarization responses in the twisted BP metamaterial have been fully investigated on geometrical and material parameters. The giant tunability enables the twisted BP nanostructure to be attractive for constructing BP-based metamaterials devices, such as polarizers, biosensors and modulators.
Spherical Bragg resonators for lasing applications: a theoretical approach
Authors: García-Puente Yalina , Kashyap Raman
Published: December 2022

This work considers a perfect 3D omnidirectional photonic crystal; Spherical Bragg Resonators (SBR), for lasing applications. We use the recursive transfer matrix method to study scattering in an Er3+ doped SBR. We find the threshold gain factor for lasing by scanning poles and zeros of the S-matrix in the complex frequency plane. For a six Si/SiO2 bilayer SBR, the threshold gain factor corresponds to a dopant density of Er3+ of 5.63 × 1020 ions/cm3. We believe, our work is the first theoretical demonstration of the ability to engineer optical amplification and threshold gain for lasing in SBRs.
C-band 100-GBaud/λ PAM-4 transmission enabled by hardware-efficient nonlinear equalizer with weight-sharing pruning
Authors: Cheng Wenzhuo , Xiang Meng , Yang Hailin , Huo Xuancheng , Ma Yunhe , Li Jianping , Fu Songnian , Qin Yuwen
Published: December 2022

A Volterra nonlinear equalizer (VNLE) can effectively mitigate both linear and nonlinear impairments arising in intensity-modulation direct-detection (IM-DD) transmission systems. However, the high computational complexity of the VNLE hinders its applications. Here, we propose a hardware-efficient Volterra equalizer with weight-sharing pruning (VE-WSP). Such an equalizer first uses the k-means++ clustering algorithm for the weight sharing within the same cluster, and then ranks the cluster centroid weight for pruning, leading to a significant computational complexity reduction without sacrificing any equalization performance. We experimentally verified that the use of VE-WSP can enable the C-band 100-GBaud/λ PAM-4 transmission over a 1-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF), to reach the 20% soft-decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) threshold. Meanwhile, the proposed VE-WSP can reduce the computational complexity by 51% and 21%, in terms of multiplication and addition, respectively, in comparison with the VNLE.
Insight into refractive index modulation as route to enhanced light coupling in semiconductor nanowires
Authors: Grain Nathan , Kim Seokhyoung
Published: December 2022

Recent developments in chemical processes to prepare single-crystalline nanowire (NW) superlattices (SLs) have discovered a range of unique nanophotonic properties. In particular, diameter-modulated silicon NW geometric SLs (GSLs) have shown their ability to produce complex interference effects through which enhanced light manipulation is achieved. Here, we re-imagine the origin of the complex interference effects occurring in shallow-modulated GSLs and present a refractive index modulation as a key deciding factor. We introduce the design of a NW refractive index SL (ISL), a hypothetical uniform-diameter NW in which the refractive index is periodically modulated, and explain the coupling effect between Mie resonance and bound guided state. We apply the ISL concept to other NW SL systems and suggest potential routes to bring substantial enhancements in lasing activities.
Dual-loop parity-time symmetric system with a rational loop length ratio
Authors: Dai Zheng , Wang Zhuoran , Yao Jianping
Published: December 2022

By exploring the relationship between the gain/loss and the coupling coefficient, parity-time (PT) symmetry has been well explored in the photonics and optoelectronics fields to achieve unique functions, such as sidemode suppression, non-reciprocal light propagation, and unidirectional invisibility. In general, a PT-symmetric system has an architecture with two identical coupled resonators or loops. In this Letter, we explore the possibility of implementing a PT-symmetric system having an architecture with one resonator having a loop length that is a rational number of times the length of the other resonator, to increase the sidemode suppression ratio. A theoretical analysis is performed, which is validated by a proof-of-concept experiment in which a fiber ring laser having two loops with a length ratio being a rational number of 200/3, supporting single-longitudinal-mode lasing at 1555.88 nm, is demonstrated. Thanks to the non-identical loop lengths, the sidemode suppression ratio is increased, which is 53.2 dB in the experiment.
Monitoring real-time transmission heterogeneity from incidence data
Authors: Zhang Yunjun , Britton Tom , Zhou Xiaohua
Published: December 2022

The transmission heterogeneity of an epidemic is associated with a complex mixture of host, pathogen and environmental factors. And it may indicate superspreading events to reduce the efficiency of population-level control measures and to sustain the epidemic over a larger scale and a longer duration. Methods have been proposed to identify significant transmission heterogeneity in historic epidemics based on several data sources, such as contact history, viral genomes and spatial information, which may not be available, and more importantly ignore the temporal trend of transmission heterogeneity. Here we attempted to establish a convenient method to estimate real-time heterogeneity over an epidemic. Within the branching process framework, we introduced an instant-individualheterogenous infectiousness model to jointly characterize the variation in infectiousness both between individuals and among different times. With this model, we could simultaneously estimate the transmission heterogeneity and the reproduction number from incidence time series. We validated the model with data of both simulated and real outbreaks. Our estimates of the overall and real-time heterogeneities of the six epidemics were consistent with those presented in the literature. Additionally, our model is robust to the ubiquitous bias of under-reporting and misspecification of serial interval. By analyzing recent data from South Africa, we found evidence that the Omicron might be of more significant transmission heterogeneity than Delta. Our model based on incidence data was proved to be reliable in estimating the real-time transmission heterogeneity.
Interneuronal network model of theta-nested fast oscillations predicts differential effects of heterogeneity, gap junctions and short term depression for hyperpolarizing versus shunting inhibition
Authors: Via Guillem , Baravalle Roman , Fernandez Fernando R. , White John A. , Canavier Carmen C.
Published: December 2022

Theta and gamma oscillations in the hippocampus have been hypothesized to play a role in the encoding and retrieval of memories. Recently, it was shown that an intrinsic fast gamma mechanism in medial entorhinal cortex can be recruited by optogenetic stimulation at theta frequencies, which can persist with fast excitatory synaptic transmission blocked, suggesting a contribution of interneuronal network gamma (ING). We calibrated the passive and active properties of a 100-neuron model network to capture the range of passive properties and frequency/current relationships of experimentally recorded PV+ neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC). The strength and probabilities of chemical and electrical synapses were also calibrated using paired recordings, as were the kinetics and short-term depression (STD) of the chemical synapses. Gap junctions that contribute a noticeable fraction of the input resistance were required for synchrony with hyperpolarizing inhibition; these networks exhibited theta-nested high frequency oscillations similar to the putative ING observed experimentally in the optogenetically-driven PV-ChR2 mice. With STD included in the model, the network desynchronized at frequencies above ~200 Hz, so for sufficiently strong drive, fast oscillations were only observed before the peak of the theta. Because hyperpolarizing synapses provide a synchronizing drive that contributes to robustness in the presence of heterogeneity, synchronization decreases as the hyperpolarizing inhibition becomes weaker. In contrast, networks with shunting inhibition required non-physiological levels of gap junctions to synchronize using conduction delays within the measured range.
Analysis of residual disease in periocular basal cell carcinoma following hedgehog pathway inhibition: Follow up to the VISORB trial
Authors: Unsworth Shelby P. , Tingle Christina F. , Heisel Curtis J. , Eton Emily A. , Andrews Christopher A. , Chan May P. , Bresler Scott C. , Kahana Alon
Published: December 2022

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin cancer caused by deregulated hedgehog signaling. BCC is often curable surgically; however, for orbital and periocular BCCs (opBCC), surgical excision may put visual function at risk. Our recent clinical trial highlighted the utility of vismodegib for preserving visual organs in opBCC patients: 67% of patients displayed a complete response histologically. However, further analysis of excision samples uncovered keratin positive, hedgehog active (Gli1 positive), proliferative micro-tumors. Sequencing of pre-treatment tumors revealed resistance conferring mutations present at low frequency. In addition, one patient with a low-frequency SMO W535L mutation recurred two years post study despite no clinical evidence of residual disease. Sequencing of this recurrent tumor revealed an enrichment for the SMO W535L mutation, revealing that vismodegib treatment enriched for resistant cells undetectable by traditional histology. In the age of targeted therapies, linking molecular genetic analysis to prospective clinical trials may be necessary to provide mechanistic understanding of clinical outcomes.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02436408.
Toward a preventive approach to prolonged grief disorder in palliative care: Insecure attachment moderates the impact of perceived support on the severity of symptoms
Authors: Lenzo Vittorio , Sardella Alberto , Musetti Alessandro , Faraone Cristina , Quattropani Maria C.
Published: December 2022

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between perceived support at the time of assistance, insecure attachment (i.e., avoidance and anxious attachment), and prolonged grief symptoms in family caregivers of palliative care patients deceased for at least one year. We also investigated the moderating role of insecure attachment in the relationship between perceived support and the intensity of prolonged grief symptoms.

Method

An exploratory cross-sectional design was used. A sample of 157 participants completed the Prolonged Grief Scale (PG-13) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ).

Results

Correlational analyses indicated that prolonged grief symptoms were positively correlated with Avoidance attachment but not with Anxious attachment. Perceived support was negatively correlated with both the Avoidance and Anxious attachment factors. Lastly, the two insecure attachment dimensions were moderately and positively correlated with each other. Results of moderation analysis showed that high Avoidance attachment moderated the effect of perceived family and social support on the intensity of prolonged grief symptoms among family caregivers of palliative home-care-assisted patients. Results also showed that the Anxious attachment factor had a significant effect on prolonged grief symptoms, even though the interaction with perceived support was not significant.

Conclusions

Overall, these results underline that a high level of avoidance attachment may moderate the relationship between perceived support and the intensity of grief symptoms, thereby increasing the risk of developing a mental disorder. Interventions to prevent prolonged grief disorder among family caregivers should take these findings into account.
Anti-spike antibody response to the COVID vaccine in lymphoma patients
Authors: Della Pia Alexandra , Kim Gee Youn (Geeny) , Ip Andrew , Ahn Jaeil , Liu Yanzhi , Kats Simone , Koropsak Michael , Lukasik Brittany , Contractor Anamta , Amin Krushna , Ayyagari Lakshmi , Zhao Charles , Gupta Amolika , Batistick Mark , Leslie Lori A. , Goy Andre H. , Feldman Tatyana A.
Published: December 2022

Patients with hematologic malignancies have poor outcomes from COVID infection and are less likely to mount an antibody response after COVID infection. This is a retrospective study of adult lymphoma patients who received the COVID vaccine between 12/1/2020 and 11/30/2021. The primary endpoint was a positive anti-COVID spike protein antibody level following the primary COVID vaccination series. The primary vaccination series was defined as 2 doses of the COVID mRNA vaccines or 1 dose of the COVID adenovirus vaccine. Subgroups were compared using Fisher’s exact test, and unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 243 patients were included in this study; 72 patients (30%) with indolent lymphomas; 56 patients (23%) with Burkitt’s, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) combined; 55 patients (22%) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL); 44 patients (18%) with Hodgkin and T-cell lymphomas (HL/TCL) combined; 12 patients (5%) with mantle cell lymphoma; and 4 patients (2%) with other lymphoma types. One-hundred fifty-eight patients (65%) developed anti-COVID spike protein antibodies after completing the primary COVID vaccination series. Thirty-eight of 46 (83%) patients who received an additional primary shot and had resultant levels produced anti-COVID spike protein antibodies. When compared to other lymphoma types, patients with CLL/SLL had a numerically lower seroconversion rate of 51% following the primary vaccination series whereas patients with HL/TCL appeared to have a robust antibody response with a seropositivity rate of 77% (p = 0.04). Lymphoma patients are capable of mounting a humoral response to the COVID vaccines. Further studies are required to confirm our findings, including whether T-cell immunity would be of clinical relevance in this patient population.
Thermal adaptation and fatty acid profiles of bone marrow and muscles in mammals: Implications of a study of caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
Authors: Morin Eugène , Soppela Päivi , Chouinard P. Yvan
Published: December 2022

Mammals have evolved several physiological mechanisms to cope with changes in ambient temperature. Particularly critical among them is the process of keeping the membrane of cells in a fluid phase to prevent metabolic dysfunction. In this paper, we examine variation in the fatty acid composition of bone marrow and muscle tissues in the cold-adapted caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to determine whether there are systematic differences in fatty acid profiles between anatomical regions that could potentially be explained by thermal adaptation as influenced by cell function, including hematopoiesis. Our results indicate that the bone marrow and muscle tissues from the appendicular skeleton are more unsaturated than the same tissues in the axial skeleton, a finding that is consistent with physiological adaptation of the appendicular regions to thermal challenges. Because mechanisms of thermal adaptation appear to be widely shared among terrestrial mammals, we suggest that the same patterns may prevail in other species, possibly including humans.
Safety culture in French nursing homes: A randomised controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of a risk management intervention associated with care
Authors: Teigné Delphine , Mabileau Guillaume , Lucas Marion , Moret Leila , Terrien Noémie
Published: December 2022

Background

French Nursing Homes (NHs) are in the early stages of implementing their Risk Management (RM) approach. A regional structure, which was mandated to provide independent support in RM, designed a training package.

Objective

To study the impact of the RM training package on safety culture (SC) in NHs and drivers for improvement in SC scores.

Method and analysis

This randomised controlled study targeted French NHs. Inclusion criteria were voluntary participation, no external support provided on the topic of adverse incidents upstream of the project, and the commitment of top management to its implementation. The 61 NHs were randomly allocated to one of two groups: the first benefited from a training package; support was given to the second after the impact measurement. Seven dimensions of SC were measured, at an 18-month interval, using the validated Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire (22 items), which was administered to all of the professionals working in NHs. Eleven variables were captured, relating to the structural profile of the NH, the choices of top management in terms of healthcare safety, and the implementation of the system. Further modelling identified predictive factors for changes in SC scores.

Results

95% of NHs completed both rounds of the questionnaire. The dimension Feedback and communication about incidents (SC = 85.4% before the intervention) significantly improved (+2.8%; p = 0.044). Improvement in the dimension Overall perceptions of resident safety–organizational learning was close to significant (+3.1%; p = 0.075). Drivers for improvement in scores were a pre-existing quality improvement approach, and a steering group that showed RM leadership.

Conclusions

The system appears to have improved several dimensions of SC. Our findings are all the more important given the current crisis in the healthcare sector.

Trial registration

Retrospectively registered as NCT02908373 (September 21, 2016).
Pregnancy loss is related to body mass index and prediabetes in early adulthood: Findings from Add Health
Authors: Cortés Yamnia I. , Zhang Shuo , Hussey Jon M.
Published: December 2022

Pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth, affects 15–20% of pregnancies in the United States (US) annually. Accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancy loss is associated with a greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden later in life. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of pregnancy loss on CVD risk factors in early adulthood (age <35 years). The aim of this study was to examine associations between pregnancy loss and CVD risk factors (body mass index, blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes status) in early adulthood. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the public-use dataset for Wave IV (2007–2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Our sample consisted of women, ages 24–32 years, with a previous pregnancy who completed biological data collection (n = 2,968). Pregnancy loss was assessed as any history of miscarriage or stillbirth; and quantified as none, one, or recurrent (≥2) pregnancy loss. Associations between pregnancy loss and each CVD risk factor were tested using linear and logistic regression adjusting for sociodemographic factors, parity, health behaviors during pregnancy, and depression. We tested for interactions with race/ethnicity. A total of 670 women reported a pregnancy loss, of which 28% reported recurrent pregnancy loss. A prior pregnancy loss was related to a 3.79 (kg/mm2) higher BMI in non-Hispanic Black women, but not white women. Women with recurrent pregnancy loss were more likely to have prediabetes (AOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.10–3.37, p<0.05) than women with all live births. Findings suggest that pregnancy loss may be associated with a more adverse CVD risk profile in early adulthood, particularly for women who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. This highlights the need for CVD risk assessment in young women with a prior pregnancy loss. Further research is necessary to identify underlying risk factors of pregnancy loss that may predispose women to CVD.
Efficacy of a randomized controlled trial of a perinatal adaptation of COS-P in promoting maternal sensitivity and mental wellbeing among women with psychosocial vulnerabilities
Authors: Røhder Katrine , Aarestrup Anne Kristine , Væver Mette Skovgaard , Jacobsen Rikke Kart , Schiøtz Michaela L.
Published: December 2022

Pregnant women with psychosocial vulnerabilities should be offered perinatal interventions that include a parenting component to ameliorate the potential negative effects of maternal mental health problems and/or poor social network on parenting. One such intervention program is the Circle of Security–Parenting intervention (COS-P). The COS-P is a manualized video-based intervention that based on attachment theory seek to enhance maternal sensitivity and decrease the risk on insecure and disorganized attachment. We carried out a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of a perinatal adapted version of COS-P for women with psychosocial vulnerabilities (e.g. histories of mental health problems and/or poor social networks). Eligible participants (N = 78) were recruited to the study by midwives during regular prenatal sessions. Interventions were delivered individually at home by trained health nurses both pre and post birth. The primary outcome was maternal sensitivity assessed with the Coding Interactive Behavior Manual by blinded coders from video-recordings of mother-infant free play interactions. Secondary outcomes were mother-reported depressive symptoms, parental reflective functioning, parental stress, infant socio-emotional functioning, and maternal wellbeing. All outcomes were assessed at nine months infant age. We did not find an effect of the intervention on the primary outcome of maternal sensitivity (β = -0.08; 95% CI [-0.41, 0.26], p = .66). Neither did we find intervention effects on the secondary outcomes of depressive symptoms, parental reflective functioning, maternal well-being, or infant socio-emotional functioning. We did however find that the intervention decreased parental stress (β = -8.51; 95% CI [-16.6;-0.41], p = .04). The results are discussed in light of existing findings on the effect of COS-P and sample heterogeneity. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges of adapting the COS-P for pregnant women, some without prior experiences with caregiving. Future research with larger at-risk samples examining moderation factors (e.g. adult attachment, depression maternal-fetal attachment) are recommended.
Effects of subjective and objective task difficulties for feedback- related brain potentials in social situations: An electroencephalogram study
Authors: Yokota Yusuke , Naruse Yasushi
Published: December 2022

In this study, the relationship between two types of feedback task difficulties and feedback-related brain potentials, such as feedback-related negativity (FRN), reward positivity (RewP), and P300, was investigated in social situations where participants performed a task simultaneously by a pair. The electroencephalogram activity was measured while participants answered four-choice questions with their partners. Participants were informed about the general accuracy rate of the question (objective task difficulty) before responding to the questionnaire. The feedback outcome was definitely correct when the participants had the knowledge to answer the questions correctly. Therefore, the subjective task difficulty depended on the knowledge of the participant and differed from the objective task difficulty. In the task, the participants selected the choice they deemed correct. Before checking the answers, participants responded to the preceding question’s subjective task difficulty. As one of the social factors, the task consisted of two types of conditions: one, in which one’s response affected partner’s reward, and another, in which it did not. The second social factor was the order of feedback outcomes; in our experiment, these outcomes were presented sequentially to pairs of participants. The effects of subjective and objective task difficulties and social factors on feedback-related brain potentials were comprehensively analyzed. The study showed that subjective task difficulty sensitively modulated the amplitude of gain-related P300, suggesting that it is sensitive to modulation in the allocation of attentional resources to own feedback outcome. The objective task difficulty sensitively modulated the amplitude of RewP after receiving the partner’s incorrect feedback outcome. RewP was more sensitive to positive affective valence, such as feelings of superiority over the partner, than to task-dependent rewards received by the participants themselves. In contrast, FRN was more negative in the joint condition than in the individual condition, suggesting sensitivity to social responsibility felt by participants toward their partners.
Effectiveness and safety of low-dose versus standard-dose rivaroxaban and apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Perreault Sylvie , Côté Robert , Dragomir Alice , White-Guay Brian , Lenglet Aurélie , Dorais Marc
Published: December 2022

Background

Low-dose direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) use is quite prevalent in clinical practice, but evidence of its effectiveness and safety compared with high-dose DOAC in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains limited. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of low-dose and high-dose DOACs in patients with AF with similar baseline characteristics.

Methods

We used a cohort of hospitalized patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of AF after discharge to the community, whose data were stored in the Quebec administrative databases, from 2011 to 2017. Older adults with AF newly prescribed with rivaroxaban (15 or 20 mg) or apixaban (2.5 mg or 5 mg) were classified as under treatment (UT) and intent to treat (ITT). We used an inverse probability treatment weighting study of new users of rivaroxaban and apixaban to address confounding by indication. The primary effectiveness outcome was ischemic stroke/systemic embolism (SE), while the primary safety outcome was major bleeding (MB). We used Cox proportional models to estimate the marginal hazard ratios (HRs).

Findings

A total of 1,722 and 4,639 patients used low-dose and standard-dose rivaroxaban, respectively, while 3,833 and 6,773 patients used low-dose and standard-dose apixaban, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the incidence of comparative stroke/SE and MB between low-dose and standard-dose rivaroxaban, except for the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which was increased with the low dose in the UT analysis. For apixaban, no difference was found in the bleeding rates, but the risk of stroke/SE (HR: 1.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–2.76) and death (HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.46–2.70) were greater in the low-dose group than in the standard-dose group in the UT analysis. Similar results were observed for the ITT analysis.

Conclusion

No significant differences were observed in the effectiveness or safety outcome between low-dose and standard-dose rivaroxaban, except for AMI. However, low-dose apixaban was associated with a greater risk of stroke/SE and death without a reduction in the bleeding rates.
Cocktail party training induces increased speech intelligibility and decreased cortical activity in bilateral inferior frontal gyri. A functional near-infrared study
Authors: Lanzilotti Cosima , Andéol Guillaume , Micheyl Christophe , Scannella Sébastien
Published: December 2022

The human brain networks responsible for selectively listening to a voice amid other talkers remain to be clarified. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between cortical activity and performance in a speech-in-speech task, before (Experiment I) and after training-induced improvements (Experiment II). In Experiment I, 74 participants performed a speech-in-speech task while their cortical activity was measured using a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device. One target talker and one masker talker were simultaneously presented at three different target-to-masker ratios (TMRs): adverse, intermediate and favorable. Behavioral results show that performance may increase monotonically with TMR in some participants and failed to decrease, or even improved, in the adverse-TMR condition for others. On the neural level, an extensive brain network including the frontal (left prefrontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral inferior frontal gyri) and temporal (bilateral auditory cortex) regions was more solicited by the intermediate condition than the two others. Additionally, bilateral frontal gyri and left auditory cortex activities were found to be positively correlated with behavioral performance in the adverse-TMR condition. In Experiment II, 27 participants, whose performance was the poorest in the adverse-TMR condition of Experiment I, were trained to improve performance in that condition. Results show significant performance improvements along with decreased activity in bilateral inferior frontal gyri, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the left inferior parietal cortex and the right auditory cortex in the adverse-TMR condition after training. Arguably, lower neural activity reflects higher efficiency in processing masker inhibition after speech-in-speech training. As speech-in-noise tasks also imply frontal and temporal regions, we suggest that regardless of the type of masking (speech or noise) the complexity of the task will prompt the implication of a similar brain network. Furthermore, the initial significant cognitive recruitment will be reduced following a training leading to an economy of cognitive resources.
Hesitation about coronavirus vaccines in healthcare professionals and general population in Spain
Authors: Saigí-Rubió Francesc , Eguia Hans , Espelt Albert , Macip Salvador , Bosque-Prous Marina
Published: December 2022

Background

This study attempts to provide a picture of the hesitancy to vaccination against COVID-19 in Spain during the 2021 spring-autumn vaccination campaign, both in the general population and in healthcare professionals.

Methods

The participants were recruited using social media such as Facebook and Twitter, in addition to the cooperation of health personnel contacted with the collaboration of medical scientific societies. A cross-sectional study was carried out that included the response of an online questionnaire. The data were collected from April 30 to September 26, 2021. To assess the different associations between variables to be measured, we fit Poisson regression models with robust variance.

Results

Responses were obtained from 3,850 adults from the general population group and 502 health professionals. Of the overall sample, 48.6% of participants from the general population were vaccinated against COVID-19, whereas in the healthcare professionals, 94.8% were vaccinated. The prevalence of general population vaccination increased with age, and was higher in women than men. Most participants did not show a preference for any vaccine itself. However, the prevalence of people vaccinated with their preferred vaccine was higher for the ones vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine. 6.5% of the general population reported being reticent to be vaccinated. People from younger age groups, people with lower educational levels and those who were not from a risk group showed greater reluctance to be vaccinated. No gender differences in reluctancy were found.

Conclusions

Health professionals were significantly less likely to refuse vaccination even though they had more doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. On the other hand, younger people, those with a lower level of education and those who were not from a risk group were the most hesitant.
An attention-based recurrent learning model for short-term travel time prediction
Authors: Chughtai Jawad-ur-Rehman , Haq Irfan Ul , Muneeb Muhammad
Published: December 2022

With the advent of Big Data technology and the Internet of Things, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have become inevitable for future transportation networks. Travel time prediction (TTP) is an essential part of ITS and plays a pivotal role in congestion avoidance and route planning. The novel data sources such as smartphones and in-vehicle navigation applications allow traffic conditions in smart cities to be analyzed and forecast more reliably than ever. Such a massive amount of geospatial data provides a rich source of information for TTP. Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) has been successfully applied to traffic prediction problems due to its ability to handle long-term traffic sequences. However, the existing GRU does not consider the relationship between various historical travel time positions in the sequences for traffic prediction. We propose an attention-based GRU model for short-term travel time prediction to cope with this problem enabling GRU to learn the relevant context in historical travel time sequences and update the weights of hidden states accordingly. We evaluated the proposed model using FCD data from Beijing. To demonstrate the generalization of our proposed model, we performed a robustness analysis by adding noise obeying Gaussian distribution. The experimental results on test data indicated that our proposed model performed better than the existing deep learning time-series models in terms of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and Coefficient of Determination (R2).
The policy effect of green finance reform and innovations: Empirical evidence at the firm level
Authors: Dong Hanghang , Tao Miaomiao
Published: December 2022

The Chinese central government established eight pilot zones in five provinces for green finance reform and innovations (GFRI) in 2017. The pilot zones promote green finance development and explore the propagable and reproducible experiences regarding mechanisms and institutions. Adopting a sample of China’s listed companies from 2012 to 2021, this paper constructed a quasi-natural experiment and investigated the GFRI policy’s effect on firms’ total factor productivity (TFP) using the difference-in-differences (DID) method to verify the implementation effect of the GFRI policy. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis and mechanism analysis were conducted to identify the guidance effect and deep mechanisms of the GFRI policy. The empirical results demonstrated that firms’ TFP in pilot zones increased substantially after implementing the GFRI pilot policy, confirming that the policy had a strong incentive effect. The corresponding promoting effect was particularly significant for non-state-owned companies, the eastern and central regions, and firms in the growth stage. Further mechanism analysis revealed that the GFRI pilot policy can stimulated firms’ TFP by promoting technological innovation and improving resource allocation efficiency. This paper’s empirical findings are essential in improving relevant policies and expanding the pilot zones.
Construction of an individual socioeconomic status index for analysing inequalities in colorectal cancer screening
Authors: Vanaclocha-Espí Mercedes , Pinto-Carbó Marina , Martín-Pozuelo Javier , Romeo-Cervera Paula , Peiró-Pérez Rosana , Barona Carmen , Ortiz Francisco , Nolasco Andreu , Castán Susana , Salas Dolores , Molina-Barceló Ana
Published: December 2022

Objective

To construct an individual socioeconomic status index (ISESI) with information available in the Population Information System of the Region of Valencia, Spain, and use it to analyse inequalities in a colorectal cancer screening programme (CRCSP).

Methods

Cross-sectional study of men and women aged between 50 and 75 at the time of the study (2020) that were selected from the target population of the Region of Valencia CRCSP. (study sample 1,150,684). First, a multiple correspondence analysis was performed to aggregate information from the Population Information System of the Region of Valencia into an ISESI. Second, data from the 2016 Region of Valencia Health Survey were used for validation, and finally the relationship between CRCSP participation and the ISESI was analysed by logistic regression models.

Results

The variables included in the index were nationality, employment status, disability, healthcare coverage, risk of vulnerability and family size. The most important categories for determining the highest socioeconomic status were being employed and not being at risk of social vulnerability, and being unemployed and at risk of social vulnerability for determining the lowest socioeconomic status. Index validation demonstrated internal and external coherence for measuring socioeconomic status. The relationship between CRCSP participation and the ISESI categorised by quartile (Q) showed that Q4 (the lowest socioeconomic status) was less likely to participate OR = 0.769 (0.757–0.782) than Q1 (the highest socioeconomic status), and the opposite was found for Q2 OR = 1.368 (1.347–1.390) and Q3 OR = 1.156 (1.137–1.175).

Conclusions

An ISESI was constructed and validated using Population Information System data and made it possible to evaluate inequalities in colorectal cancer screening.
Changes in psychological distress among Polish medical university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Wojtera Bartosz , Singh Nisha , Iankovitch Sofia , Post Lilly , Ahmed Alhassan Ali , Abouzid Mohamed
Published: December 2022

Our study aims to update knowledge about psychological distress and its changes in the Polish group of academic medical teachers after two years of a global pandemic. During the coronavirus disease, teachers were challenged to rapidly transition into remote teaching and adapt new assessment and evaluation systems for students, which might have been a completely novel situation that was not addressed before, especially in medical universities in Poland. We conducted a cross-sectional study at Poznan University of Medical Sciences from March to April 2022. The questionnaire included self-reported information on anxiety, stress, and depression. We found that post-pandemic levels of anxiety, stress, and depression have significantly (p<0.001) improved compared to initial levels at the beginning of coronavirus disease. In multivariate models, females had higher odds of improving levels of anxiety (OR  =  0.46; 95% CI  =  -1.58–(-0.03); p  =  0.04), stress (OR  =  0.36; 95% CI  =  -1.83–(-0.22); p  =  0.01), and depression (OR  =  0.0.37; 95% CI  =  -1.58–(-0.12); p  =  0.03). Anxiety, stress, or depression were not significantly associated with years of experience, the number of taught subjects, and weekly teaching hours, but only with the academic work during COVID-19 (Spearman ranxiety = 0.37, rstress = 0.32, rdepression = 0.37, p<0.001). For the virtual learning concerns, 79% of teachers reported that students might engage less; and it was correlated with higher weekly teaching hours (r = 0.19, p<0.05). Even though only 29.8% reported cheating as a concern, it was correlated with a higher number of taught subjects (r = 0.2, p<0.05). Levels of anxiety, stress, and depression have improved as time passed, not affecting teachers’ academic performance. Concerns about virtual learning have been raised, suggesting it may be conjoined with classroom learning but not as an alternative. Universities should highlight the importance of seeking psychological support and provide essential programs to employees. Teachers’ coping skills with psychological distress should be further studied.
Forage quality of consecutive years interact to affect body condition, reproductive rate and rut phenology in Iberian red deer
Authors: F. Millán Marina , Carranza Juan , Seoane José M. , Pérez-González Javier
Published: December 2022

Body condition for reproduction in capital breeders such as the red deer (Cervus elaphus) is mostly determined by their stored energy reserves. Thus, environmental conditions and resource availability may affect reproductive performance and breeding success. In warm Mediterranean regions, current climate change is driving to a hotter and drier scenario that is expected to affect the biology and dynamics of many populations. We examined the impact of these local climate variations on red deer body condition and the relationship with female reproductive phenology and breeding success. We used satellite information of landscape vegetation along with a 22-year data series of direct field behavioural observations during the rutting season in Doñana National Park (SW Spain). We analyzed faecal nitrogen content (FN) from faeces collected during the rut. We found that poor vegetation availability in drier years was related to worse body condition of deer (measured by FN) and a delay in the rutting season, which associated with lower reproductive rates (measured by the proportion of females with calves observed the next year). We also evidenced an interesting interaction between environmental conditions in consecutive years on the timing of breeding season, with timing of breeding being more delayed when previous year resource availability was high and many females bred, and the consecutive one was poor, so females hardly recovered condition and the rut occurred later. These findings highlight the carry-over effect of reproduction in capital breeders and the potential impact of climate-change conditions on red deer breeding.