bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the outcome of women with operable breast cancer
Authors: Fisher B , Bryant J , Wolmark N , Mamounas E , Brown A , Fisher E R , Wickerham D L , Begovic M , DeCillis A , Robidoux A , Margolese R G , Cruz A B , Hoehn J L , Lees A W , Dimitrov N V , Bear H D
Published: March 2023

PURPOSE

To determine, in women with primary operable breast cancer, if preoperative doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan; AC) therapy yields a better outcome than postoperative AC therapy, if a relationship exists between outcome and tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy, and if such therapy results in the performance of more lumpectomies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Women (1,523) enrolled onto National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-18 were randomly assigned to preoperative or postoperative AC therapy. Clinical tumor response to preoperative therapy was graded as complete (cCR), partial (cPR), or no response (cNR). Tumors with a cCR were further categorized as either pathologic complete response (pCR) or invasive cells (pINV). Disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and survival were estimated through 5 years and compared between treatment groups. In the preoperative arm, proportional-hazards models were used to investigate the relationship between outcome and tumor response.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in DFS, DDFS, or survival (P = .99, .70, and .83, respectively) among patients in either group. More patients treated preoperatively than postoperatively underwent lumpectomy and radiation therapy (67.8% v 59.8%, respectively). Rates of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after lumpectomy were similar in both groups (7.9% and 5.8%, respectively; P = .23). Outcome was better in women whose tumors showed a pCR than in those with a pINV, cPR, or cNR (relapse-free survival [RFS] rates, 85.7%, 76.9%, 68.1%, and 63.9%, respectively; P < .0001), even when baseline prognostic variables were controlled. When prognostic models were compared for each treatment group, the preoperative model, which included breast tumor response as a variable, discriminated outcome among patients to about the same degree as the postoperative model.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative chemotherapy is as effective as postoperative chemotherapy, permits more lumpectomies, is appropriate for the treatment of certain patients with stages I and II disease, and can be used to study breast cancer biology. Tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy correlates with outcome and could be a surrogate for evaluating the effect of chemotherapy on micrometastases; however, knowledge of such a response provided little prognostic information beyond that which resulted from postoperative therapy.
Analgesic Effect of Buprenorphine for Chronic Noncancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Wong Stanley Sau Ching , Chan Tak Hon , Wang Fengfeng , Chan Timmy Chi Wing , Ho Hung Chak , Cheung Chi Wai
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND:

Buprenorphine is a partial agonist at the µ-opioid receptor and an antagonist at the delta and kappa opioid receptors. It has high affinity and low intrinsic activity at the µ-opioid receptor. Buprenorphine demonstrates no ceiling effect for clinical analgesia, but demonstrates this for respiratory depression and euphoria. It may provide effective analgesia while producing less adverse effects, making it a promising opioid analgesic. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to examine the analgesic efficacy of buprenorphine for patients with chronic noncancer pain.

METHODS:

PubMed, MEDLNE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to January 2022. Randomized controlled trials were included if they compared buprenorphine versus placebo or active analgesic in patients with chronic noncancer pain, where pain score was an outcome. Nonrandomized controlled trials, observational studies, qualitative studies, case reports, and commentaries were excluded. Two investigators independently performed the literature search, study selection, and data collection. A random-effects model was used. The primary outcome was the effect of buprenorphine on pain intensity in patients with chronic noncancer pain based on standardized mean difference (SMD) in pain score. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grade of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

RESULTS:

Two separate literature searches were conducted for patients with and without opioid use disorder (OUD). Only one study met the search criteria for those with OUD. Fourteen randomized controlled trials were included for those without OUD. Buprenorphine was associated with reduced pain score (SMD = –0.368, P < .001, I2 = 89.37%) compared to placebo or active analgesic. Subgroup meta-analyses showed statistically significant differences in favor of buprenorphine versus placebo (SMD = –0.404, P < .001), for chronic low back pain (SMD = –0.383, P < .001), when administered via the transdermal route (SMD = –0.572, P = .001), via the buccal route (SMD = –0.453, P < .001), with length of follow-up lasting <12 weeks (SMD = –0.848, P < .05), and length of follow-up lasting 12 weeks or more (SMD = –0.415, P < .001). There was no significant difference when compared to active analgesic (SMD = 0.045, P > .05). Quality of evidence was low to moderate.

CONCLUSIONS:

Buprenorphine was associated with a statistically significant and small reduction in pain intensity compared to placebo. Both the transdermal and buccal routes provided pain relief. There was more evidence supporting its use for chronic low back pain.
A support vector machine-based algorithm to identify bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis throughout the mandibular bone by using cone beam computerized tomography images
Authors: Gürses Barış Oğuz , Alpoz Esin , Şener Mert , Çankaya Hülya , Boyacıoğlu Hayal , Güneri Pelin
Published: March 2023

Objective:

This study aimed to develop an algorithm to distinguish the patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) from healthy controls using CBCT images by evaluating both trabecular and cortical bone changes through the whole body of the mandibular bone.

Methods:

Patient data set was created from axial CBCT images of 7 BRONJ patients (28 slices) and 8 healthy controls (27 slices). The healthy bone of healthy controls, bone sclerosis of BRONJ patients, bone necrosis of BRONJ patients, and normal appearing bone of BRONJ patients (NBP) were labeled on CBCT images by three maxillofacial radiologists. Proposed algorithm had preparation and background cancellation, mandibular bone segmentation and centerline determination, spatial transformation of gray values, and classification steps.

Results:

Significant differences between the statistical moments (mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, standard error, median, mode and coefficient of variance) of healthy and diseased (bone sclerosis and necrosis) groups were observed (p = 0.000, p < 0.05). Also, variations were noted between healthy controls and NBP of BRONJ patients (p = 0.000, p < 0.05). The statistical moments were utilized to develop the algorithm which has resulted with accuracy of 0.999, sensitivity of 0.998, specificity of 0.998, precision of 1, recall of 0.998, AUC of 1, and F1 score of 0.999 in identification of BRONJ patients from healthy ones.

Conclusion:

The proposed algorithm differentiated the mandibular bones of the healthy and the BRONJ patients with high accuracy in the present test sample.
Correlation study on the relationship between dyslipidemia and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Guo Hong-jiang , Li Chen-cong , Bian Xiao-yan , Hao Qing
Published: March 2023

Objective: To investigate the correlation between dyslipidemia and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods: A descriptive research design was adopted in this study. One hundred and twenty patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus who were admitted to the physical examination center of The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from June 2020 to June 2021 for physical examination were recruited to the experimental group. The 120 patients were divided into three groups according to carotid IMT: normal group, thickened group, and plaque group. Forty healthy people who underwent a physical examination during the same period were recruited as the control group. The differences in IMT in various parts of the experimental group and the control group and the differences in blood lipid indexes were compared and analyzed. In addition, the correlation between mean IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries and blood lipid levels in normal, thickened and plaque groups was compared and analyzed.

Results: The intima-media thicknesses of the internal carotid artery and bilateral common carotid arteries of the patients in the experimental group were significantly thicker than those in the healthy control group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL were higher than those in the control group, while the level of HDL was lower than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (p=0.00). The levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), TG, TC and LDL were positively correlated with the mean IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries (p<0.05), while the level of HDL was negatively correlated with the mean IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Dyslipidemia and glucose metabolism in patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus have a close bearing on carotid IMT. Clinically, patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus can be judged by monitoring carotid IMT for dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and other related complications.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.6866

How to cite this: Guo HJ, Li CC, Bian XY, Hao Q. Correlation study on the relationship between dyslipidemia and arotid intima-media thickness in patients with diabetes mellitus. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(3):875-879. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.6866

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Epidemiology of premalignant and malignant upper gastrointestinal lesions among patients presenting from a rural community in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Kamran Muhammad , Abdullah Bin Khalid  , Muhammad Danish Muneeb  , Sohail Hussain
Published: March 2023

Objective: Understanding the epidemiology of upper gastrointestinal cancers in Pakistan may help in identifying important demographic risk factors for upper gastrointestinal malignancies in a particular rural population group. This will benefit in implementing tailored prevention approaches as well as effective management of health services.

Method: A secondary data analysis of 1193 patients was conducted who went through diagnostic upper GI endoscopy between December 2016 to May 2019 at Fatima Hospital. The endoscopies were performed at Fatima Hospital which is the main health resource for the specifically targeted rural community. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.

Results: The median age of patients included in the sample was 35 years (IQR=20 years). One third of all endoscopic findings were concluded as normal. The frequency of malignant upper gastrointestinal lesions was relatively higher among male and patients with age 65 years or more. The study didn’t find any significant differences in the distribution of malignancies on the basis of ethnicity. Adenocarcinoma of esophagus was the most common malignant lesion.

Conclusion: The average age of patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy among rural community of Karachi was relatively low. The burden of upper GI malignancies was significantly higher among elderly. Male patients had significantly greater burden of premalignant and malignant lesions as compared to females. No differences in the distribution of diagnostic outcomes were observed on the basis of ethnicity.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.7379

How to cite this: Kamran M, Khalid AB, Muneeb MD, Hussain S. Epidemiology of premalignant and malignant upper gastrointestinal lesions among patients presenting from a rural community in Karachi, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(3):858-862. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.7379

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Music and Movement for Health: Protocol for a pragmatic cluster-randomised feasibility pilot trial of an arts-based programme for the health and wellbeing of older adults
Authors: Clifford Amanda M. , Ni Bhriain Orfhlaith , Byrne Steven , Cheung Pui-Sze , Louw Quinette , Glynn Liam , Moss Hilary , O'Neill Desmond , Woods Catherine B. , Sheikhi Ali , Gowran Rosemary Joan , Maher Catherine , Kennelly Brendan , Salsberg Jon , Thabane Lehana
Published: March 2023

Background: Arts-based health programmes (ABHP) can enhance the physical and psychosocial health and wellbeing of older people. However, the feasibility and usefulness of such programmes in Ireland are currently unknown. The primary aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of the study design, its application to a music and movement for health programme and associated costs. The secondary aim is to obtain preliminary effect estimates of an ABHP on health and wellbeing in older adults.

Methods: This study is a pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled feasibility trial. Community-dwelling adults, aged 65 years or older will be recruited in the mid-west region of Ireland via methods including social prescription, traditional and social media. The clusters, based on geographical region, will be block randomised to either the ABHP or control using 1:1 allocation ratio. The programme will comprise a 1.5-hour music and dance session each week for 12-weeks together with a 1-hour home-based music and movement programme for 12-weeks. A qualitative and quantitative process evaluation of the arts-based health programme will be performed.

Outcomes: Primary outcomes for feasibility include recruitment rates (the number of participants recruited per cluster per month); retention rate (the number of participants who complete measures at baseline and at follow up post intervention, and minimum average attendance. Secondary outcomes will include physical function, balance, physical activity, loneliness, social isolation, cognition, mood, as well as quality of life and cost.

Conclusions: If this pioneering study finds evidence to support feasibility and acceptability, a future larger-scale definitive trial will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of an arts-based health programme for older adults. This research aims to strengthen collaborative efforts to implement effective, sustainable and cost-effective programmes for older adults to support community connection, enhancing health and wellbeing, in turn reducing demands on the healthcare system.

ISRCTN registration: ISRCTN35313497 (18/02/2022).
ENISA: 5G design and architecture of global mobile networks; threats, risks, vulnerabilities; cybersecurity considerations
Authors: Paskauskas R. Andrew
Published: March 2023

Abstract —The literature on 5G design and architecture numbers in the hundreds of thousands, which makes analyzing this vast corpus of technical knowledge impossible within the scope of a single article. A rigorous literature scan has revealed investigations of various specific 5G components, or specific aspects of 5G design, architecture, or security, but none that are comprehensive in scope, encompassing all of the aforementioned categories, or that take into account the associated vulnerabilities, threats and risks to the basic 5G infrastructure.

In this sense the 5G framework advocated by The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) in its comprehensive report is singular in relation to the extensive literature associated with the 5G domain and the fragmented character of scientific reporting related to 5G technology.

It is the purpose of this article to go beyond the existing literature and examine in depth the details of the ENISA 5G Threat Landscape Report and reveal ENISA’s painstaking efforts to stand out among other leading-edge players in the 5G arena and achieve its strategic aims of integrating cybersecurity considerations with threats, risks, and vulnerabilities into an architecture of 5G right from the start of the design and development process.

In formulating such a framework, ENISA has set the stage for standardization of cybersecurity considerations in relation to 5G design and architecture that may be considered a first approximation towards best practice in the field.

ENISA’s role in the European Union as a leader in setting the pace of development of 5G networks is acknowledged in EU’s legislation and its directives. Significantly, its strategic direction targets future implementations of 5G networks by vendors, operators, and practitioners. This should equip EU with the necessary resilience to withstand hybrid threat onslaughts on its Pan-European network, a topic to be dealt with in full in a follow-on paper.
Island of Migrants
Authors: Niu Stephanie
Published: March 2023

Christmas Island is a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Java. The island is small, with a population of less than 2000. Yet in spite of, or maybe because of, its isolation, the island is a site of incredible movement. Every wet season, millions of endemic red crabs descend from the jungles in what is one of the most spectacular animal migrations in the world. In October or November, the crabs begin a long journey from the jungles down to the coast to breed, continuing an annual life cycle. The crab migration intersects the island’s main roads and has resulted in a series of inventive tunnels, bridges, and fences which both protect the crabs from traffic and draw tourists from around the world.[1]

            Another important population crosses Christmas Island on its migration journey, with considerably less luck. In 2007, construction was completed on an Immigration Reception and Processing Centre to temporarily detain asylum seekers from neighboring islands. In response to the 2001 Pacific Solution in which “4000 islands were excised from Australia’s migration zone,” Christmas Island became a temporary holding center for boat-bound asylum seekers from Indonesia, eventually transitioning to becoming an isolated site for long-term detention.[2] The center on Christmas Island is one of the largest in Australia’s onshore detention center network, which continues to operate today.

            For both animal and human populations, Christmas Island is the site of incredible movement. However, these two migrating populations are governed in very different ways. “Island of Migrants”[3] is a 19-minute podcast episode that examines the ways in which red crab migration and asylum seeker migration are treated differently despite their close physical proximity on the island, and what this difference in their treatment reflects about who is considered worthy of protection. The podcast is a result of both anthropological and journalistic methods as well as a 2-month period of living on Christmas Island. Through firsthand accounts from islander residents, asylum seekers, and activists, “Island of Migrants” seeks to demonstrate the stakes of valuing one migration over another.

 

[1] “Red Crab Migration.” Australian Government. Parks Australia. Accessed December 16, 2019. https://parksaustralia.gov.au/christmas/discover/highlights/red-crab-migration/.

[2] Hearman, Vannessa. “Troubled Transit: Asylum Seekers Stuck in Indonesia. By Antje Missbach.” Journal of Refugee Studies 30, no. 4 (January 2017): 628–30. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fex031.

[3] Niu, Stephanie. “Following the Water.” Following the Water (blog). Anchor, December 13, 2019. https://anchor.fm/followingthewater/episodes/Island-of-Migrants-e9gsaq/a-a15vv0b.
Case of Jekyll and Hub
Authors: Henson Brea , Andrews Pamela
Published: March 2023

This is a story about a staff member, a librarian-mentor, and a failure-turned success. It is a story about a learning process to pick the right digital tool during a short affair with digital humanities. In the effort to create a digital annoated bibliography, the librarian-staff collaborators decided to experiment with GitHub and Jekyll, two systems that they were both unfamilar with. The presentation focused on the challenges faced by the collaborators, the lesson they learned, and how the managed to finish the project in a short period of time with the intention to coummincate the importance of sharing failures as well as success at conferences. This script was presented at Digtial Fronties 2019 Conference at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX on September 27, 2019. The original title of this presentation was “GitAnnotated: Creating a Digital Annotated Bibliography on GitHub.”
Transparency to Visibility (T2V)
Authors: Graham Scott , Majdik Zoltan , Clark Dave
Published: March 2023

Advances in network visualization technologies have the potential to humanistic inquiry devoted to better understanding the circulation of power and influence within cultural systems. While new technologies have made generating high-quality and even dynamic network visualizations relatively easy, key challenges remain for humanities researchers. Creative, historiographic, biographical, and similar artifacts are usually not easily transformed into the kinds of data structures necessary for network visualization. The Transparency to Visibility (T2V) Project was initiated to develop new methods and toolkits that can support humanistic researchers who need to transform unstructured textual datasets into data structures that support useful and informative network visualization. The T2V team used bioethics accountability statements to pilot and evaluate different methods for transforming and visualizing relational networks based on data in unstructured text. The resulting machine-learning-enhanced natural language processing (NLP) and metadata-assisted approaches offer promising potential pathways for contemporary digital humanities and future toolkit development.
Moral Imagination, the Collective Desirable, and Strategic Purpose
Authors: Rindova Violina P. , Martins Luis L.
Published: March 2023

In contrast to the prevalent outside-in perspectives on corporate purpose as a response to competing normative demands of stakeholders, we introduce an inside-out perspective on purpose as based in firm-specific, agentic commitments to specific values, ideals, and societal goals. Drawing on moral philosophy, we propose how strategists can develop a strategic purpose through moral imagination that involves developing shaping intentions based in values and ideals, empathetic relating, and imaginativeness in stakeholder contexts. These processes support the generation of an emergent theory of value, which we term “the collective desirable.” This theory of value—a creative synthesis of the shaping intentions of the firm, and the interests and perspectives of stakeholders—provides the foundation of purpose, which is strategic, dynamic, and generative for the firm and its stakeholders. Such a strategic purpose becomes an organizational logic of action enacted through designated processes for articulation, maintenance, and evolvability, and through blueprints for credible commitments and resource allocations. By theorizing the microfoundations of an agentic, inside-out view of purpose, our theoretical framework articulates a set of mechanisms through which strategists can develop a strategic purpose that is tightly linked to the firm’s future-oriented strategy and the exercise of moral leadership. Our conception of moral imagination as a form of prosocial prospective cognition contributes a novel perspective to the socio-cognitive and subjectivist perspectives on strategy and extends the microfoundations of strategy.

History: This paper has been accepted for the Strategy Science Special Issue on Corporate Purpose.
Stoma product selection: an update
Authors: Burch Jennie
Published: March 2023

There are three main output stomas—colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy. Each of these requires a different stoma appliance to collect and contain the stoma output. This article discusses stoma product selection, things to consider before choosing a product, as well as caring for the stoma.
An update on enteral feeding in the community
Authors: Palmer Sarah Jane
Published: March 2023

Enteral feeding is increasingly being used in the community. Therefore, it is crucial that community nurses and other community healthcare workers are well-informed about the different equipments used, as well as the techniques involved in preparing and giving the feed.

In this article, Sarah Jane Palmer provides an overview of an enteral feeding method known as percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy, the different types of feed, the importance of communication between patients and the multidisciplinary team, preparing and giving the feed, and signs of complications to look out for.
Lipoedema: a neglected area of women's health
Authors: Warrilow Mary
Published: March 2023

Lipoedema is an adipose tissue disorder almost exclusively affecting women. Evidence shows lipoedema is both poorly recognised and misdiagnosed which results in many women struggling to get a diagnosis and to gain access to specialist NHS services.

This article aims to raise awareness of lipoedema and highlight the main role that community and primary care nurses can play in identifying this long-term condition earlier. It provides detail on the condition to help signpost, refer for diagnosis and initiate conservative management for those individuals with this challenging condition.
Preventing unrecognised oesophageal intubation
Authors: Mann Abigail , Higgs Andrew , Cook Tim M
Published: March 2023

Major harm from unrecognised oesophageal intubation continues, despite the 2018 Royal College of Anaesthetists' ‘no trace, wrong place’ campaign. It is likely that publicly reported cases represent a fraction of real occurrences. This article summarises a 2022 consensus guideline on the prevention of unrecognised oesophageal intubation from the Project for Universal Management of Airway and international airway societies. The guideline is written for all airway operators and assistants, in any clinical setting, and readers are advised to deepen their understanding by studying the original guideline. The recommendations include how to avoid and recognise oesophageal intubation as well as a set of logical actions to take when it is a plausible possibility, even if it is not suspected. The guideline emphasises the importance of videolaryngoscopy, capnography and oxygen saturation monitoring for all tracheal intubations, wherever performed. It introduces the concept of sustained exhaled carbon dioxide, which is central to identifying oesophageal intubation, and acting to prevent progression to unrecognised oesophageal intubation. In the absence of sustained exhaled carbon dioxide, the default action is to remove the tube. This will mean some tracheal placed tubes are removed but based on a risk–benefit analysis, this is desirable. The tube should only be left in place if there is clear danger in removing it and in this event, its position should be confirmed, using repeat videolaryngoscopy plus one other of bronchoscopy, skilled ultrasound or use of an oesophageal detector device. The importance of human factors is underlined; for instance, the value of a shared and vocalised report of videolaryngoscopy view and trained assistants working with the operator to confirm whether the criteria for sustained exhaled carbon dioxide are met, to minimise error and improve team working.
Molecular and morphological studies on the genus Pseudococcus Westwood (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) in Turkey
Authors: KAYDAN MEHMET BORA , AKKÖPRÜ EVİN POLAT , YERLİKAYA HÜSEYİN , DA SILVA VITOR CEZAR PACHECO
Published: March 2023

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) include economically important insect pests worldwide. Pseudococcus Westwood is the second biggest genus in Pseudococcidae, with several pest species. Pseudococcus adult females were collected and identified from wild and cultivated plants in Turkey. Molecular and morphological characters were analyzed to investigate the relationship among species. It was recognized that Pseudoccoccus species are shown in three distinctive groups concerning to both morphological and molecular aspects.
On-orbit demonstration of inter-satellite free-space optical stable communication enabled by integrated optical amplification of HPA and LNA
Authors: Bai Zhaofeng , Meng Jiacheng , Su Yulong , Zheng Yunqiang , Chang Zhiyuan , Wei Sentao , Gao Duorui , Nie Wenchao , Meng Xiangsheng , Han Junfeng , Xue Bin , Zhang Chunmin , Wang Wei , Xie Xiaoping
Published: March 2023

Satellite free-space optical (FSO) communication is very promising in improving the bandwidth and capacity of space information networks in the future. However, the inter-satellite transmission distance of over 1000 km leads to unstable optical beam pointing, acquisition, and tracking and then generates optical power jitter by a large margin before detection–demodulation. Therefore, it is difficult to realize high-stability and long-time FSO communication between satellites due to the generated bit error rate (BER) by jitter. In this paper, we report an autonomously self-designed and high-integration laser communication payload (LCP) and on-orbit-demonstrated inter-satellite 145 min, zero-BER FSO stable communication with a line rate of 2.8 Gbps. Moreover, based on the inter-satellite laser communication link, a video phone was clearly implemented for more than 10 min, and authentic user data transmitted 459,149 packets, achieving results of zero-packet loss. Summarily, this on-orbit experiment demonstrated an excellent performance of the LCP owing to the distinctive design of integrating a high-power amplifier and low-noise amplifier optical amplification function. Our space mission was successfully completed, and the on-orbit demonstration results may offer a significant reference for the field of satellite laser communication and space information networks.
Temperature dependence of stimulated Raman scattering from a VYO4 crystal
Authors: Li Huihui , Dong Zhiyi , Wang Haixin , Ye Yangyang , Sun Chenglin , Men Zhiwei
Published: March 2023

The microstructural, electrical, and optical properties of crystals are critical to laser device performance, and the temperature-dependence effect of crystals has gained a great deal of attention in research. The linewidth, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) shift, and intensity of the characteristic peak at 890 cm−1 of YVO4 crystal have been investigated between 148 and 448 K. As the crystal temperature increases, the bond length increases and the crystal force constant decreases, and the phonon softening process arises in the crystal at high temperature. The temperature effect on Raman shift and full width at half maximum is explained in detail in terms of the phonon anharmonic effect. The temperature dependence of SRS can be well demonstrated by an empirical equation. This work can provide new insights into the further understanding of lattice anharmonicity and contribute to the discovery of new optoelectronic materials.
Stable pulsed operation of Lissajous structured beams by Nd:YVO4/Cr4+:YAG laser in a concave–convex resonator
Authors: Tuan P. H. , Tsai W. C. , Chen W. R.
Published: March 2023

A Nd:YVO4/Cr4+:YAG laser with a symmetric concave–convex cavity ensuring strong intracavity beam focusing on the absorber is designed for stable pulsed operation of Lissajous structured modes with transverse patterns as Lissajous figures. Setting the cavity length to fulfill the criterion for efficient passive Q switching (PQS), as well as to meet the accidental degenerate conditions, Lissajous pulsed beams with well-defined structures and good temporal stability are created under two-dimensional off-axis pumping. Although the multi-transverse-mode oscillation inevitably induces asynchronous pulsation and leads the short-term pulse profiles to reveal parasitic effects, the overall long-term behavior of Lissajous pulses can be kept regular with amplitude fluctuations ≤15% and pulse-to-pulse timing jitter ≤5%. With the maximum peak power exceeding 500 W at a pump power of 4.5 W, the PQS Lissajous modes are further transformed into trochoidal pulsed beams to realize high-order and high-peak power structured vortex fields.
Chaos synchronization of semiconductor lasers over 1040-km fiber relay transmission with hybrid amplification
Authors: Wang Longsheng , Wang Junli , Wu Yushan , Sun Yuehui , Li Songsui , Yan Lianshan , Wang Yuncai , Wang Anbang
Published: March 2023

Optical chaos communication and key distribution have been extensively demonstrated with high-speed advantage but only within the metropolitan-area network range of which the transmission distance is restricted to around 300 km. For secure-transmission requirement of the backbone fiber link, the critical threshold is to realize long-reach chaos synchronization. Here, we propose and demonstrate a scheme of long-reach chaos synchronization using fiber relay transmission with hybrid amplification of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and a distributed fiber Raman amplifier (DFRA). Experiments and simulations show that the hybrid amplification extends the chaos-fidelity transmission distance thanks to that the low-noise DFRA suppresses the amplified spontaneous emission noise and self-phase modulation. Optimizations of the hybrid-relay conditions are studied, including launching power, gain ratio of DFRA to EDFA, single-span fiber length, and number of fiber span. A 1040-km chaos synchronization with a synchronization coefficient beyond 0.90 is experimentally achieved, which underlies the backbone network-oriented optical chaos communication and key distribution.
Validation framework for epidemiological models with application to COVID-19 models
Authors: Dautel Kimberly A. , Agyingi Ephraim , Pathmanathan Pras
Published: March 2023

Mathematical models have been an important tool during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example to predict demand of critical resources such as medical devices, personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. Many COVID-19 models have been developed. However, there is relatively little information available regarding reliability of model predictions. Here we present a general model validation framework for epidemiological models focused around predictive capability for questions relevant to decision-making end-users. COVID-19 models are typically comprised of multiple releases, and provide predictions for multiple localities, and these characteristics are systematically accounted for in the framework, which is based around a set of validation scores or metrics that quantify model accuracy of specific quantities of interest including: date of peak, magnitude of peak, rate of recovery, and monthly cumulative counts. We applied the framework to retrospectively assess accuracy of death predictions for four COVID-19 models, and accuracy of hospitalization predictions for one COVID-19 model (models for which sufficient data was publicly available). When predicting date of peak deaths, the most accurate model had errors of approximately 15 days or less, for releases 3-6 weeks in advance of the peak. Death peak magnitude relative errors were generally in the 50% range 3-6 weeks before peak. Hospitalization predictions were less accurate than death predictions. All models were highly variable in predictive accuracy across regions. Overall, our framework provides a wealth of information on the predictive accuracy of epidemiological models and could be used in future epidemics to evaluate new models or support existing modeling methodologies, and thereby aid in informed model-based public health decision making. The code for the validation framework is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7102854.
A structural equation modelling approach to understanding the determinants of childhood vaccination in Nigeria, Uganda and Guinea
Authors: Bell James , Lartey Belinda , Fernandez Marcos , Darrell Natasha , Exton-Smith Holly , Gardner Cassie , Richards Emily , Akilo Abolaji , Odongo Emmanuel , Ssenkungu James , Kotchi Kouadio Rigobert , Cissé Mamadi , Rérambyah Axel Bruno Ayiya Igowa , Adou Maikol , West Rebecca , Sharma Sunny
Published: March 2023

Vaccines have contributed to reductions in morbidity and mortality from preventable diseases globally, but low demand for vaccination threatens to reverse these gains. Explorations of the determinants of vaccination uptake may rely on proxy variables to describe complex phenomena and construct models without reference to underlying theories of vaccine demand. This study aimed to use the results of a formative qualitative study (described elsewhere) to construct and test a model to explain the determinants of vaccination uptake. Using the results of a survey among more than 3,000 primary caregivers of young children in Nigeria, Uganda and Guinea, factor analysis produced six explanatory factors. We then estimated the effects of each of these factors on uptake of immunization using a structural equation model. The results showed that the probability that a child is fully vaccinated increases if a caregiver has support from others to vaccinate them (B = 0.33, β = 0.21, p<0.001) and if caregivers had poor experiences with the healthcare system (B = 0.09, β = 0.09, p = 0.007). Conversely, the probability of full vaccination decreases if the caregiver’s husband exerts control over her decision-making ability (B = -0.29, β = -0.20, p<0.001), or if the caregiver perceives vaccines to be of low importance (B = -0.37, β = -0.27, p<0.001). Belief in religious protection (B = -0.07, β = -0.05, p = 0.118) and a belief that vaccines are harmful (B = -0.12, β = -0.04, p = 0.320) did not have an observed effect on vaccination status. This research suggests that interventions may benefit from that including entire families and communities in their design.
Mortality postponement and compression at older ages in human cohorts
Authors: McCarthy David , Wang Po-Lin
Published: March 2023

A key but unresolved issue in the study of human mortality at older ages is whether mortality is being compressed (which implies that we may be approaching a maximum limit to the length of life) or postponed (which would imply that we are not). We analyze historical and current population mortality data between ages 50 and 100 by birth cohort in 19 currently-industrialized countries, using a Bayesian technique to surmount cohort censoring caused by survival, to show that while the dominant historical pattern has been one of mortality compression, there have been occasional episodes of mortality postponement. The pattern of postponement and compression across different birth cohorts explain why longevity records have been slow to increase in recent years: we find that cohorts born between around 1900 and 1950 are experiencing historically unprecedented mortality postponement, but are still too young to break longevity records. As these cohorts attain advanced ages in coming decades, longevity records may therefore increase significantly. Our results confirm prior work suggesting that if there is a maximum limit to the human lifespan, we are not yet approaching it.
Functionally distinct BMP1 isoforms show an opposite pattern of abundance in plasma from non-small cell lung cancer subjects and controls
Authors: Donovan Margaret K. R. , Huang Yingxiang , Blume John E. , Wang Jian , Hornburg Daniel , Ferdosi Shadi , Mohtashemi Iman , Kim Sangtae , Ko Marwin , Benz Ryan W. , Platt Theodore L. , Batzoglou Serafim , Diaz Luis A. , Farokhzad Omid C. , Siddiqui Asim
Published: March 2023

Advancements in deep plasma proteomics are enabling high-resolution measurement of plasma proteoforms, which may reveal a rich source of novel biomarkers previously concealed by aggregated protein methods. Here, we analyze 188 plasma proteomes from non-small cell lung cancer subjects (NSCLC) and controls to identify NSCLC-associated protein isoforms by examining differentially abundant peptides as a proxy for isoform-specific exon usage. We find four proteins comprised of peptides with opposite patterns of abundance between cancer and control subjects. One of these proteins, BMP1, has known isoforms that can explain this differential pattern, for which the abundance of the NSCLC-associated isoform increases with stage of NSCLC progression. The presence of cancer and control-associated isoforms suggests differential regulation of BMP1 isoforms. The identified BMP1 isoforms have known functional differences, which may reveal insights into mechanisms impacting NSCLC disease progression.
A resurgence of e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults late in the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kreslake Jennifer M. , O’Connor Katie M. , Liu Michael , Vallone Donna M. , Hair Elizabeth
Published: March 2023

Background

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, e-cigarette use significantly declined among young people due, in part, to losing access through social sources. As the pandemic progressed, adolescents and young adults gained opportunities to resume contact with peers. This study sought to determine whether e-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults.

Methods

Data were drawn from a cross-sectional weekly survey of adolescents (aged 15–17) and young adults (aged 18–24) (N = 37,331). Logistic regression analyses measured odds of past 30-day e-cigarette use among respondents surveyed (a) late in the pandemic (April 2021—April 2022) compared to early in the pandemic (March–July 2020) and (b) late in the pandemic (August–December 2021) compared to prior to the pandemic (August–December 2019).

Results

The odds of current e-cigarette use were significantly higher later in the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2021–April 2022), compared to its initial months (March–July 2020) (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.17–1.38; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the odds of e-cigarette use for youth and younger adults late in the pandemic (August–December 2021) compared to the same time period prior to the pandemic (August–December 2019), but odds were greater for young adults aged 21 years or older (OR:1.16; 95% CI: 1.01–1.32; p = 0.030).

Conclusions

E-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults. Young adults over age 21 are more likely to use e-cigarettes than young adults of the same age surveyed prior to the pandemic. Findings have implications for targeted e-cigarette prevention and cessation efforts.
The worn-out syndrome: Uncertainties in late working life triggering retirement decisions
Authors: Aabo Marie Gorm , Mølgaard Katrine , Lassen Aske Juul
Published: March 2023

In recent decades, the extension of individuals’ working life has been construed as an important policy issue in Western Europe. Here, retirement causes have been thoroughly researched in a quantitative way, but there is a dearth of qualitative studies on the subject. Through ethnographic fieldwork, we study the complex pathways that lead to the retirement of senior employees in the finance and production industries in Denmark. In particular in the finance industry, we find an insidious uncertainty haunting senior employees regarding their capacity and reputation. We term this uncertainty worn-out syndrome, demonstrating how many interlocutors fear that they are beginning to be seen as worn out, for example, less productive, less motivated, and too old to work. To some extent, this syndrome resembles the impostor syndrome, but it differs in one important aspect: the senior employees are mostly confident about their own skills. Worn-out syndrome is triggered by stereotypes and implicit ageist remarks by colleagues and managers. We show that the worn-out syndrome appears in at least three different ways: as a fear of already being worn out, as a fear of being perceived as worn out by colleagues and managers, and as a fear of becoming worn out in the future without realizing it in time. We argue that current retirement decisions are often fueled by this syndrome and that it leads to abrupt and untimely retirement decisions.
Back to life: Techniques for developing high-quality 3D reconstructions of plants and animals from digitized specimens
Authors: Clark Elizabeth G. , Jenkins Kelsey M. , Brodersen Craig R.
Published: March 2023

Expanded use of 3D imaging in organismal biology and paleontology has substantially enhanced the ability to visualize and analyze specimens. These techniques have improved our understanding of the anatomy of many taxa, and the integration of downstream computational tools applied to 3D datasets have broadened the range of analyses that can be performed (e.g., finite element analyses, geometric morphometrics, biomechanical modeling, physical modeling using 3D printing). However, morphological analyses inevitably present challenges, particularly in fossil taxa where taphonomic or preservational artifacts distort and reduce the fidelity of the original morphology through shearing, compression, and disarticulation, for example. Here, we present a compilation of techniques to build high-quality 3D digital models of extant and fossil taxa from 3D imaging data using freely available software for students and educators. Our case studies and associated step-by-step supplementary tutorials present instructions for working with reconstructions of plants and animals to directly address and resolve common issues with 3D imaging data. The strategies demonstrated here optimize scientific accuracy and computational efficiency and can be applied to a broad range of taxa.
Learning about informal fallacies and the detection of fake news: An experimental intervention
Authors: Hruschka Timon M. J. , Appel Markus
Published: March 2023

The philosophical concept of informal fallacies–arguments that fail to provide sufficient support for a claim–is introduced and connected to the topic of fake news detection. We assumed that the ability to identify informal fallacies can be trained and that this ability enables individuals to better distinguish between fake news and real news. We tested these assumptions in a two-group between-participants experiment (N = 116). The two groups participated in a 30-minute-long text-based learning intervention: either about informal fallacies or about fake news. Learning about informal fallacies enhanced participants’ ability to identify fallacious arguments one week later. Furthermore, the ability to identify fallacious arguments was associated with a better discernment between real news and fake news. Participants in the informal fallacy intervention group and the fake news intervention group performed equally well on the news discernment task. The contribution of (identifying) informal fallacies for research and practice is discussed.