bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing policy responses to incels in Sweden and the UK
Authors: Bengtsson Meuller Elsa , Evans Elizabeth
Published: July 2024

There is increasing awareness of the gendered violence undertaken by incels (involuntary celibates), both online and offline. Much of the analysis of the phenomenon has focused on what incels mean for our understanding of gender, as well as the role that the internet plays in fostering extremist ideologies. This article instead provides a comparative critical frame analysis of policy responses in Sweden and the United Kingdom. Using critical frame analysis, research finds that that there is greater engagement with the topic among parliamentary actors in the United Kingdom than in Sweden, although there appears to be a clearer response in Sweden where it is subsumed within countering violent extremism strategies. However, neither country has developed specific policies to tackle the threat posed by incels; moreover, there are diverse policy frames at work which to some extent makes it difficult to create targeted policies. Theoretically, we argue that this absence of policy should be understood as an abdication of responsibility.
Can religion be rescued in the 21st century? On Erich Fromm’s religious humanism in an age of authoritarian populism
Authors: Byrd Dustin J.
Published: July 2024

In the recent years, much of the West has seen the rise of right-wing forms of authoritarian populism and their attacks on democracy and the multicultural societies. In many cases, such movements have recruited Christian traditions, ideas, and symbols into their nativist agenda. Nevertheless, the aspects of Christianity that have been functionalised have been primarily the ‘exterior’ of religion, wherein the humanistic core have all been neglected. On the basis of the Erich Fromm's understanding of the world religions' humanistic core, and informed by the Frankfurt School, I demonstrate the hollowness of the right-wing movements adoption of religion, and argue for a new form of humanistic-religious ecumenicism on the basis of the shared values, principles, and ideals that rest at the heart of religion and humanistic philosophy.
Social Support Moderates the Association Between Cocurricular/Extracurricular Activity and Mental Illness Symptoms
Authors: Ridder Robert J. , Glanzer Perry L. , Bounds Elizabeth M. , Schnitker Sarah A.
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Research has found that cocurricular and extracurricular activity and social support minimize depression and anxiety symptoms in college student populations. However, no studies have examined the interaction between social support and co-/extracurriculars in predicting mental illness. We collected self-report data from college seniors (N = 607) at a private Christian institution on involvement in various co-/extracurricular activities, social support from adults and peers, and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Main effects indicated that sports/exercise and peer support were associated with lower levels of all three mental illness symptoms. Moderated regression analyses found three significant interactions. Staff support moderated the association between church attendance and depression, faculty support moderated the association between socializing with friends and anxiety, and non-university-affiliated adult support moderated the association between sports/exercise and anxiety symptoms. These results suggest that the mental health benefits of participating in certain activities may be enhanced by different sources of social support.
Informal Recreation as a Contributing Factor to Life Satisfaction in College Students
Authors: Eubank Jacob M. , DeVita James M.
Published: July 2024

Abstract: College students are experiencing a decrease in life satisfaction in recent years. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between informal recreation participation and college students’ life satisfaction. This study involved eighteen (n=18) undergraduate college students who participated in unstructured, individual (i.e., informal) recreational activities at least once per week. Using semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study explored the relationship between informal recreation and life satisfaction from the lens of the Inter-association Definition of Well-being (IDW) Framework designed by NIRSA, NASPA, and ACHA. College students attributed their informal recreation participation to an improvement in life satisfaction and academic success. Findings support the importance of collaborations between campus recreation, student health centers, counseling centers, health promotion, athletics, building and grounds, information technology, and faculty and administrators in academic affairs to address college students’ lack of life satisfaction.
The Right to Flee the Dangers of War: Rethinking Ukraine’s Gender-Based Restriction on Civilian Men’s Freedom of Movement
Authors: Norosky Jenna , Carpenter Charli
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT: Amid Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the human rights community has understandably focused its attention on human rights violations committed by the Russian state, leaving the human rights implications of Ukraine’s martial law on civilians largely unexamined. This article highlights the ways Ukraine’s travel restriction on “battle-aged” civilian men has harmed three overlapping groups: civilian men, families (including women and children), and trans and nonbinary individuals. It then demonstrates that wartime policies such as this one are at odds with several areas of international human rights and humanitarian law: the right to freedom of movement, the right to conscientious objection, and the principle of respect for family life—all of which are meant to be implemented without discrimination on basis of gender. We conclude this type of gender-based law is not justified according to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’ rules on derogation in time of national emergencies and emerging customary law and should receive greater attention by the human rights community.
From analogies to negativity: Pragmatic functions and stance expression of subjective counterfactual ruguo sentence. (In Chinese)
Authors: Song Zengwen , Wan Xiaoli
Published: July 2024

The “Ruguo(如果)” sentence refers to a conditional complex sentence connected by the hypothetical association word “Ruguo( 如果)”. The counterfactual “Ruguo(如果)” sentence includes subjective and objective counterfactual sentence. The judgment of subjective counterfactuality depends on semantic recognition and logical derivation. According to the objective truth and falsehood of the previous and last clause, we can divide the subjective counterfactual “Ruguo( 如 果 )” sentence into 4 categories: A true B false, A true B true or false, A true or false B true, A true or false B false. The pragmatic deriving mode can be summarized as containing both derivation and implicit derivation. The subjective counterfactual “Ruguo(如果)” sentence has the function of expressing stance, including explicit analogies and implicit negation.
M. N. Roy and the Problem of Parliamentary Democracy
Authors: Parasher Tejas
Published: July 2024

Abstract: This article offers a new interpretation of anti-colonial constitutional thought of the mid-twentieth century. Historians and political theorists have long viewed the circulation of democratic constitutions at the moment of decolonization in terms of the diffusion of electoral, parliamentary government. This article argues against such a “parliamentary” reading of anti-colonial democracy by examining the political thought of Indian Marxist thinker M. N. Roy (1887–1954). I reconstruct Roy’s writings on anti-parliamentary forms of popular sovereignty through the 1940s. Further, I situate Roy’s democratic theory as a response to understandings of political representation within the Indian national movement.
Through the Renaissance Frame: Carpets and the Beginnings of “Islamic Art” in Nineteenth-Century Vienna and Berlin
Authors: Teece Denise-Marie
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Abstract / A critical review of the historiographies of “Islamic art” history reveals that our understanding of each artistic medium—such as ceramics, painting, and textiles—has followed a distinct epistemological trajectory, determined to a great extent by the attitudes and interests of early scholars. This article examines one of these early histories, mapping specific aspects of the development of carpet studies in nineteenth-century Vienna and Berlin. There was a gradual transformation in the understanding of these works of art that occurred from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Through the examination of some early collections, publications, and installations, one can trace the origins and the development of these shifting attitudes and ideas—from early collectors, through the intermediaries of early scholars such as Julius Lessing and Wilhelm von Bode, to the innovative thinking of Alois Riegl and Friedrich Sarre. While the focus of this article is carpet studies, a review of this material simultaneously reveals some of the earliest publications and exhibitions devoted to the nineteenth-century European concept of “Islamic art.”
Draping, Wrapping, Hanging: Transposing Textile Materiality in the Middle Ages
Authors: Blessing Patricia
Published: July 2024

Abstract: This volume focuses on the mobile nature of textile patterns in the East and West during the Middle Ages and investigates the question of cultural specificity in the use of textile imitations in a range of media. As coveted objects of trade and diplomatic gift exchange, textiles were widely distributed using the cross-cultural networks between Byzantium, the Islamic world, and East Asia. Within this broader world of medieval textile exchange, the notion of textile patterns that are adapted in architecture, ceramics, metalwork, and manuscripts stands at the center of this volume. Questions to be discussed are the portability of textile patterns, the adaptation of textile motifs in a variety of media, and the appropriation of textile forms and patterns from other cultural contexts. Twenty years ago, Lisa Golombek argued for a ‘draped universe of Islam’, ascribing to Muslim culture a sensibility particularly attuned to textiles and their patterns. Golombek rightly emphasized the rich textile production of the Islamic world and the use of architectural decoration that refers to woven models. While this argument is certainly convincing, considering the fluidity with which textile patterns appear in other materials and contexts and how textiles evoke monumental decoration, the phenomenon itself is not exclusively Islamic. Rather, it is part of a broader medieval sensibility that is finely attuned to the subtleties of textiles and intrigued by the possibility to move their patterns and texture back and forth between fabrics, walls, and other objects. The topics of articles in this volume of The Textile Museum Journal range from representations of jewelry in late antique textiles, silks with bird motifs produced in both Iran and the Byzantine Empire in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, to women’s clothing in the fourteenth-century Mongol courts of Iran and China.
Painted Silks: Form and Production of Women’s Court Dress in the Mongol Empire
Authors: Shea Eiren L.
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Dress allows us an entry into the visual culture of various societies, and this is particularly true of the Mongol Empire. Textiles in the Mongol Empire expressed social standing and political affiliation, and were also valuable currency used in gift exchange, tribute missions, and trade. This article takes a detailed approach to women’s court dress both because it has heretofore been ignored in scholarly literature, and the production and use of such clothing provides insights that can be applied to luxury textiles produced in the Mongol Empire more broadly. This study comparatively approaches women’s court dress in two parts of the Mongol Empire, the Yuan dynasty in China and Mongolia, and the Ilkhanate dynasty in Persia and the Middle East. It is the first to attempt to define Mongol women’s court dress that takes into account pictorial, archaeological, and textual sources. Due to limitations in surviving source material in both the Yuan and the Ilkhanate, the goal here is not to provide a definitive classification of types of dress, but to begin formulating an idea of what Mongol women were wearing in a courtly setting, and how the material they wore was produced.
Tools of the Master Dyer: Dye Materials in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century South Asian Painted Cotton Textiles at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Authors: Houghteling Sylvia , Shibayama Nobuko
Published: July 2024

Abstract: This article reports on an analysis of the dyes used in painted cotton textiles from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century India in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The purpose of our study was to identify which red dyes were used to produce the textiles, and to determine whether dyers used cheaper substitutes for indigo as dyestuffs. Our findings preliminarily suggest that chay root ( Oldenlandia umbellata L.) was not only a dye material used along the Coromandel Coast, but also traveled through overland trade networks for textile dyeing in central India. The results of this analysis contribute to understandings of regional specializations in dyestuffs. More broadly, this study may provide evidence for the mobility of dye materials and the agency that South Asian dyers had to choose their dye materials.
From Warrior’s Attire to Dance Costume: The Short and Sleeveless Jacket in Ancient Indonesia
Authors: Sardjono Sandra
Published: July 2024

Abstract: The earliest images of short and sleeveless jackets first appeared as warrior garments on the eighth- to ninth-century temple of Candi Borobudur in Central Java. The use of the jacket for combative figures continued for many centuries, depicted most explicitly on the temple guardians of the thirteenth-century Candi Singosari. From the fourteenth century onwards, however, such jackets began to appear on peaceful figures as well as warriors. At this time, the form of the jacket underwent a transformation, becoming even shorter. The new fashion relates to a type of Balinese dance jacket called sesimping . The study of sesimping provides clues to the construction, material, and technique of the short and sleeveless jackets from the Ancient Javanese period as well as the broader significance of this type of clothing beyond a warrior garment.
Woven Brilliance: Approaching Color in Andean Textile Traditions
Authors: Phipps Elena
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Andean weavers understood the art of making brilliant and shiny textiles that were awe-inspiring in their manifest splendor as they shimmered in the sunlight (fig. 1). They understood how to acquire and maximize the material properties of certain fibers, metals, and feathers and apply them to the surface of textiles, especially during the pre-Columbian era. However, alternative ways in which Andean dyers, spinners, and weavers have worked to produce these characteristic color effects in the clothing especially of the sixteenth–nineteenth centuries, in concert with or possibly in response to colonial Spanish rule, were also achieved through ingenious yet simple methods of their art. They created the subtle but magnificent impact of what can be termed “woven brilliance.” The concept of these color effects may be traced from Aymara and Quechua terms in colonial dictionaries of the sixteenth century, such as llipi (defined as resplendent cloth), along with chimi, lloque , and huateca isi or tornesol-each resulting in color effects created primarily through spinning or weaving. These are some of the ways that the dyers, spinners, and weavers of the Andes creatively engaged in the production of highly charged special textiles whose agency was generated through the subtlety of their materiality and process. This paper examines close up and in detail the physicality of brilliance in the Andean textile traditions.
The Color Red: Madder Dyes as Determinants of Provenance in a Group of Kalamkari Textiles
Authors: Rosenfield Yael , Shibayama Nobuko
Published: July 2024

Abstract: This research revisits a renowned group of Indian printed and painted textiles, known as kalamkari , at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Identifying the type of red dye used, as a basis for classifying the textiles geographically, would enable the textiles’ production to be linked with art historical data. Most dye plants are native to a particular region and ecosystem; their resulting colorants can be identified by performing high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. Such results can help locate the place of production and provide information about the textile’s history and dyeing methodology. Nineteen kalamkari textiles with red colorants were chosen for this study and dye analysis was performed. Madder dye is known to be the dye traditionally and ubiquitously used for cotton in India. However, there are many local species of madder within the botanical family; in view of this, we hoped that determining the species would provide clues to the region of the textiles’ production. Kalamkari usually refers to painted textiles, but some are also made by block printing. Furthermore, some kalamkari combine both painting and printing techniques. Painted textiles were predominantly the product of workshops along the Coromandel Coast on the east, while printed textiles were generally made in Gujarat in the northwest and some other regions. This research will examine traditional production methods still used in Gujarat and the Coromandel Coast, both areas that were explored in field trips to visit artisans, block printers, and dyers. An examination of the various madder dyes and their present and past use will be followed by dye analysis and its results.
Indigo and Blue: A Marriage Made in Heaven
Authors: Balfour Paul Jenny
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Blue is the color of heaven, both literally and symbolically. Humans live on a planet enveloped by the sky’s blueness and have a profound affinity with its reflection in water. Yet blue is scarce in nature and in the world of textile dyes; before the invention of synthetic substitutes, there would have been no blue to represent the human response to this special color were it not for indigo derived from plants. Indigo-bearing plants provided the most universal of all dyestuffs for almost six millennia, as well as the only pigment of vegetable origin. Indigo’s qualities are unique and its use widespread in many civilizations, which have their own perceptions and beliefs about this dye, bound up in its history, botanical and chemical mysteries, and its color qualities, as well as other distinct aspects. These in turn link to the way indigo was, and still is, used for both daily and prestigious textiles and to its compatibility with such textile techniques as shibori and batik, as well as with blue denim, which dominates the world of fashion. Blue and indigo sing in harmony, but what is the subtle chord they play and how does it tune in to the rest of the spectrum? In terms of textile history, the two are both interrelated and at the same time separate, their relationship intriguing and worth examining in all its colorful and teasing detail.
Textiles, Trade & Taste—Portugal and the World: A Project on the Global Circulation of Textiles and Dyes
Authors: Santos Raquel , Claro Ana , Serrano Ana , Ferreira Maria João , Hallett Jessica
Published: July 2024

Abstract: Textiles, Trade & Taste: Portugal and the World (TTT) is a project that aspires to bring new synergies to the field of textile studies by promoting different connections and interdisciplinary approaches involving art history, materials science, and conservation. The TTT research network is based at the Center for Humanities in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and organizes workshops, conferences, tours, and lectures in museums and research institutions. The network’s artistic and historical research has ranged from collating archival material to stylistic and iconographic studies, with the aim of placing textile objects in their historical, artistic, technological, and sociocultural contexts. Chemical analysis and characterization of dyes, textile fibers, and precious metal threads have provided important evidence for identifying the origins of raw materials and finished textiles, and for developing improved conservation treatments for their preservation for future generations. Recent research has examined the global circulation of dyes in the early modern period, especially reds, and also reconstructed the production and consumption of Indian, Chinese, and Portuguese embroideries and Islamic carpets. In 2011, TTT’s work led to the classification of three “Salting” carpets as national treasures in Portugal. The team members have collaborated with national and international museums, including Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga and Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Lisbon), as well as Abegg-Stiftung (Riggisberg), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Musée des Tissus, (Lyon), Museum für Islamische Kunst (Berlin), Museum für angewandte Kunst (MAK) (Vienna), Rietberg Museum (Zürich), Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (Washington, D.C.), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), and Victoria and Albert Museum (London). The team’s art historians contributed to the platform “Museum With No Frontiers” to develop the online exhibition Discover Carpet Art involving Portuguese museums. TTT’s scientists have strong links with the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.), University of Zaragoza (Spain), Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Amersfoort), and the University of Amsterdam. We have been encouraged by the positive response of the international community to the results of our initial research projects.
The Asian Silk Fabric in the Binding of Great Meteoron Manuscript 236
Authors: Vryzidis Nikolaos , Martiniani-Reber Marielle , Boudalis Georgios , Konstantas Alexander , Vasileiadou Athina
Published: July 2024

Abstract: The following article will offer an interdisciplinary examination of a silk fabric that survives on the cover and spine of a late medieval Greek manuscript binding, now on display in the sacristy of the Great Meteoron Monastery. Situated in the heart of Thessaly’s most important monastic community, the Great Meteoron boasts rare textile remnants that can document dynamics in later Byzantine and early modern Greek material culture generally known only from textual sources. Likewise, the study of this rare and intricately patterned textile can contribute to our knowledge of the importation and dissemination of Asian silk damasks and damask-like fabrics in late medieval Europe by focusing on the lesser known later Byzantine context. Thus, by summoning evidence from the manuscript and its binding, as well as the interdisciplinary research of the textile itself (pattern, weave, and dye analysis), this article aims to place the fabric in its later Byzantine-Balkan and wider Eurasian context. Overall, its use reflects the transitional character of Byzantine-Balkan material culture during the Late Middle Ages and its association with wider trends in textile consumption, which have been better documented in Western Europe and the Islamic world.
Tasar or Muga? The Dilemma in Identifying Golden Yellow Silks in Textiles from Bengal
Authors: Audinet Karthika
Published: July 2024

Abstract: While Chinese silk from Bombyx mori ( B. mori ) saw prolific use and distribution for millennia, there remains much confusion among scholars about other types of silk incorporated into historic textiles. This is especially true for muga and tasar, two different types of silk belonging to the Antheraea genus. Muga is a rare semi-domesticated silk produced in small quantities in northwest India and is often misidentified as tasar, which is a “wild” silk produced in larger quantities. This research note explores the hypothesis that the special properties of muga silk, combined with indigenous cotton, enabled artisans of Bengal to produce unique textiles and acquire a competitive advantage in the global market as early as the sixteenth century. Results from scientific analysis of three silks, B. mori , tasar, and muga, along with visual comparisons of seven examples of embroidered and woven textiles from pre-partition Bengal from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, provide the preliminary basis for further research.
Sleeves Required: Identities of Consumption and Production in Elizabethan Embroidered Dress
Authors: Clark Andrew
Published: July 2024

Abstract: The English woman’s sleeve in the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum provides a fine example of Elizabethan embroidery. The sleeve embodies distinct materials and motifs that invite concentrated research into its origins, social implications, and visibility in art. Its embroidery style is the product of diverse cultural inspirations that traveled across Europe via pattern books and textiles during the Renaissance. Natural world depictions and geometrical designs, as well as the use of metallic threads and spangles, constitute essential elements of this style of embroidery. Depictions of this embroidery style within contemporaneous portraiture also assist in performing a social analysis of a painting’s sitter and their elegant dress within broader Elizabethan society. By examining objects closely within museum collections, scholars can discern the social meanings of Elizabethan embroidered textiles. The ability to view the sleeve at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum speaks to the importance of the accessibility of historical garments. Through careful examination of the embroidered sleeve from the Cotsen collection, this emerging research note will explore these topics in two parts. First, it will introduce the design and material properties of the sleeve. A brief historiography of Elizabethan embroidery will also be provided to establish the origins and detailed characteristics of the style. The second part will analyze the sleeve through the lenses of gender and class in Elizabethan England with the help of portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, which showcase stylistic examples of the sleeve in art.
Terahertz nano-tomography imaging technique based on a 3D simulation model
Authors: Ge Shuqi , Peng Zhaomin , Zhang Dehai , Meng Jin
Published: July 2024

THz scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (THz s-SNOM) enables high-resolution nanoscale 2D imaging, crucial for various disciplines including biology, physics, and materials science. This study establishes a reliable 3D model to determine the maximum thickness detectable by the probe. The influences of the demodulation order, tip radius, tip vibration amplitude, and incident frequency on the maximum detectable thickness are analyzed. Using bilayer samples as examples, we successfully inverted the thickness of the first layer within the detectable maximum depth range. However, we found that inversion fails when the thickness of the first layer is too small. This underscores the distinct difference between vertical and lateral resolutions, where vertical resolution represents the minimum calculable thickness. This research unveils complex internal structures, laying the groundwork for future nanolayer imaging.
Identifying retinopathy in optical coherence tomography images with less labeled data via contrastive graph regularization
Authors: Hu Songqi , Tang Hongying , Luo Yuemei
Published: July 2024

Retinopathy detection using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images has greatly advanced with computer vision but traditionally requires extensive annotated data, which is time-consuming and expensive. To address this issue, we propose a novel contrastive graph regularization method for detecting retinopathies with less labeled OCT images. This method combines class prediction probabilities and embedded image representations for training, where the two representations interact and co-evolve within the same training framework. Specifically, we leverage memory smoothing constraints to improve pseudo-labels, which are aggregated by nearby samples in the embedding space, effectively reducing overfitting to incorrect pseudo-labels. Our method, using only 80 labeled OCT images, outperforms existing methods on two widely used OCT datasets, with classification accuracy exceeding 0.96 and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.998. Additionally, compared to human experts, our method achieves expert-level performance with only 80 labeled images and surpasses most experts with just 160 labeled images.
CLARA+: dual machine learning optimized resource assignment for translucent SDM-EONs
Authors: Petale Shrinivas , Subramaniam Suresh
Published: July 2024

Space division multiplexed elastic optical networks (SDM-EONs) enhance service provisioning by offering increased fiber capacity through the use of flexible spectrum allocation, multiple spatial modes, and efficient modulations. In these networks, the problem of allocating resources for connections involves assigning routes, modulations, cores, and spectrum (RMCSA). However, the presence of intercore crosstalk (XT) between ongoing connections on adjacent cores can degrade signal transmission, necessitating proper handling during resource assignment. The use of multiple modulations in translucent optical networks presents a challenge in balancing spectrum utilization and XT accumulation. In this paper, we propose a dual-optimized RMCSA algorithm called the Capacity Loss Aware Resource Assignment Algorithm (CLARA+), which optimizes network capacity utilization to improve resource availability and network performance. A two-step machine-learning-enabled optimization is used to improve the resource allocations by balancing the tradeoff between spectrum utilization and XT accumulation with the help of feature extraction from the network. Extensive simulations demonstrate that CLARA+ significantly reduces bandwidth blocking probability and enhances resource utilization across various scenarios. We show that our strategy applied to a few algorithms from the literature improves the bandwidth blocking probability by up to three orders of magnitude. The algorithm effectively balances spectrum utilization and XT accumulation more efficiently compared to existing algorithms in the literature.
Photon-assisted tunnel rectenna for solar energy harvesting
Authors: Zhou Yulong , Zhang Bo , Luo Zixue , Cheng Qiang
Published: July 2024

In this work, we introduce a solar rectenna that is combined with a periodic subwavelength spiral antenna and a metal-oxide-semiconductor photon-assisted tunneling diode. We obtain spectral absorption and electromagnetic field distributions by numerical simulations and calculate the tunneling current densities generated by solar rectenna. The results indicate that broadband absorption with a peak value over 0.99 is achieved in the range of 400-2500 nm. Additionally, the figure of merit for tunneling electric field enhancement reaches over 104. Under AM1.5 solar irradiation, the calculated zero-bias tunneling current densities are up to 13.93 mA/cm2. This study is expected to advance the development of ultra-high frequency rectennas and pave the way for efficient solar energy harvesting.
Second harmonic generation enhancement based on quasi-BICs in centrosymmetric materials
Authors: Li R. , Sun J.
Published: July 2024

In centrosymmetric optical materials, the second-order nonlinear polarization of the bulk electric dipolar contribution is zero. More effective utilization of the contribution of the surface term is one of the key methods to efficiently obtain second-order nonlinear responses on these materials. Herein, a design of densely packed slotted nanopillar arrays based on quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) is proposed. The quasi-BICs are analyzed by using the finite element method as an example of silicon and the second harmonic generation (SHG) process is simulated. In the structure, normal-incidence linearly polarized light excites magnetic dipole-like quasi-BICs with a high quality factor which effectively promotes light-matter interactions. Increasing the nanopillar radius or decreasing the lattice constant within a certain range can cause the distribution of quality factors in k-space of the ky direction to contract toward the Γ point, which leads to a quasi-BIC with higher quality factors at the Γ point. By conjunctively adjusting the nanopillar radius and lattice constant or changing the slot azimuth, the resonance wavelength can be adjusted over a wide range (about several hundred nanometers) or finely (within about one nanometer) while maintaining high quality factors. When the symmetry perturbation introduced by the slot is small, it is calculated that the SHG conversion efficiency is about 10−6∼10−5 at an incident light power density of 1 MW/m2, and the SHG power is about 107∼108 times enhancement compared with the structure without slots. As the slot width decreases, higher SHG conversion efficiency with more significant SHG enhancement can be achieved at a specific slot length. The results provide new insights into the modulation of the resonant wavelength and quality factor of quasi-BICs, as well as the control of second-order nonlinear effects in centrosymmetric materials.
Continuous wave THz receivers with rhodium-doped InGaAs enabling 132 dB dynamic range
Authors: Deumer Milan , Breuer Steffen , Berrios Shaffi , Keyvaninia Shahram , Schwanke Garrit , Schwenson Lauri , Lauck Sebastian , Liebermeister Lars , Nellen Simon , Schell Martin , Kohlhaas Robert B.
Published: July 2024

For the first time, we present photoconductive, continuous wave (cw) terahertz (THz) detectors for 1550 nm excitation based on rhodium- (Rh) doped indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Compared to iron- (Fe) doped material, the Rh-doped InGaAs shows higher carrier mobilities with similar carrier lifetimes. Therefore, these photoconductive antennas outperform InGaAs:Fe-based detectors by a factor of 10 in terms of responsivity and noise-equivalent-power (NEP) while maintaining the same bandwidth. In a homodyne spectrometer configuration, we achieve a record peak dynamic range (DNR) of 132 dB, which constitutes an improvement of 20 dB.
Manipulation and applications of ultrafast all-optical switching based on transient absorption and dispersion in KTN crystals
Authors: Zhu Xiaojun , Lin Shan , Li Xinze , Xie Yiyang , Cao Jiacheng , Liu Weilong , Tian Hao , Yang Qingxin , Jin Peng
Published: July 2024

Potassium tantalate niobate (KTN) represents a noteworthy category of optical crystals known for their superior nonlinear optical properties. In this study, we conducted measurements of femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption (TA) spectra in KTa0.57Nb0.43O3 crystals. Notably, a rapid and pronounced “plateau” phase, ∼1.5 ps in duration, was detected at the onset of the TA kinetics and succeeded by two distinct decay components, exhibiting lifetimes of ∼140 ps and over 10 ns, respectively. We attribute these observations to a decay process involving two-photon absorption, dispersion characteristics, and excited state absorption. Based on this unique TA characteristic of KTN crystals, an all-optical switching strategy was proposed and utilized to measure the ultrafast lasing dynamics of single-crystal CH3NH3PbBr3 nanowires. This polarization-independent TA gate approach offers an adjustable gate width combining ps and ns time scales and introduces a versatile tool for advanced optical applications.
nf-core/airrflow: An adaptive immune receptor repertoire analysis workflow employing the Immcantation framework
Authors: Gabernet Gisela , Marquez Susanna , Bjornson Robert , Peltzer Alexander , Meng Hailong , Aron Edel , Lee Noah Y. , Jensen Cole G. , Ladd David , Polster Mark , Hanssen Friederike , Heumos Simon ,   nf-core community, Yaari Gur , Kowarik Markus C. , Nahnsen Sven , Kleinstein Steven H.
Published: July 2024

Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire sequencing (AIRR-seq) is a valuable experimental tool to study the immune state in health and following immune challenges such as infectious diseases, (auto)immune diseases, and cancer. Several tools have been developed to reconstruct B cell and T cell receptor sequences from AIRR-seq data and infer B and T cell clonal relationships. However, currently available tools offer limited parallelization across samples, scalability or portability to high-performance computing infrastructures. To address this need, we developed nf-core/airrflow, an end-to-end bulk and single-cell AIRR-seq processing workflow which integrates the Immcantation Framework following BCR and TCR sequencing data analysis best practices. The Immcantation Framework is a comprehensive toolset, which allows the processing of bulk and single-cell AIRR-seq data from raw read processing to clonal inference. nf-core/airrflow is written in Nextflow and is part of the nf-core project, which collects community contributed and curated Nextflow workflows for a wide variety of analysis tasks. We assessed the performance of nf-core/airrflow on simulated sequencing data with sequencing errors and show example results with real datasets. To demonstrate the applicability of nf-core/airrflow to the high-throughput processing of large AIRR-seq datasets, we validated and extended previously reported findings of convergent antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 by analyzing 97 COVID-19 infected individuals and 99 healthy controls, including a mixture of bulk and single-cell sequencing datasets. Using this dataset, we extended the convergence findings to 20 additional subjects, highlighting the applicability of nf-core/airrflow to validate findings in small in-house cohorts with reanalysis of large publicly available AIRR datasets.
Spatial inequities in access to medications for treatment of opioid use disorder highlight scarcity of methadone providers under counterfactual scenarios
Authors: Tatara Eric , Lin Qinyun , Ozik Jonathan , Kolak Marynia , Collier Nicholson , Halpern Dylan , Anselin Luc , Dahari Harel , Boodram Basmattee , Schneider John
Published: July 2024

Access to treatment and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is essential in reducing opioid use and associated behavioral risks, such as syringe sharing among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Syringe sharing among PWID carries high risk of transmission of serious infections such as hepatitis C and HIV. MOUD resources, such as methadone provider clinics, however, are often unavailable to PWID due to barriers like long travel distance to the nearest methadone provider and the required frequency of clinic visits. The goal of this study is to examine the uncertainty in the effects of travel distance in initiating and continuing methadone treatment and how these interact with different spatial distributions of methadone providers to impact co-injection (syringe sharing) risks. A baseline scenario of spatial access was established using the existing locations of methadone providers in a geographical area of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, USA. Next, different counterfactual scenarios redistributed the locations of methadone providers in this geographic area according to the densities of both the general adult population and according to the PWID population per zip code. We define different reasonable methadone access assumptions as the combinations of short, medium, and long travel distance preferences combined with three urban/suburban travel distance preference. Our modeling results show that when there is a low travel distance preference for accessing methadone providers, distributing providers near areas that have the greatest need (defined by density of PWID) is best at reducing syringe sharing behaviors. However, this strategy also decreases access across suburban locales, posing even greater difficulty in regions with fewer transit options and providers. As such, without an adequate number of providers to give equitable coverage across the region, spatial distribution cannot be optimized to provide equitable access to all PWID. Our study has important implications for increasing interest in methadone as a resurgent treatment for MOUD in the United States and for guiding policy toward improving access to MOUD among PWID.
Factors influencing the utilisation of National health insurance program in urban areas of Nepal: Insights from qualitative study
Authors: Ghimire Sushmita , Ghimire Sailaja , Singh Devendra Raj , Sagtani Reshu Agrawal , Paudel Sudarshan
Published: July 2024

Health insurance has been recognised as a crucial policy measure to enhance citizens’ well–being by reducing the financial burden globally. Nepal has also adopted this scheme to support achieving universal health coverage. Various factors influence the overall performance of the program in Nepal. However, there is a lack of evidence on how different factors have influenced the insurance program in the Nepalese context. Therefore, this study aims to explore facilitators and barriers to the utilisation of national health insurance services among service users and other stakeholders. A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing both demand-side participants and supply-side participants in the Bhaktapur District of Nepal. Thematic network analysis was used to analyse data using RQDA software. The socio-ecological model guides the presentation of the identified factors. The study followed the COREQ guidelines to ensure standard reporting of the results. Factors that encourage the use of health insurance services involve individual, community, and policy-related factors. These factors encompass changes in seeking treatment, assistance during enrollment and renewal by enrollment assistant, proximity to the initial point of contact for care, and policy features like individual cards, contribution amount and cashless treatment system. Likewise, lack of physical infrastructure, poor staff management, long waiting times, poor medicine availability, and delays in budget reimbursement were perceived as organisational barriers. At the interpersonal level, obstacles encompass challenges related to staff behaviour, interpersonal relationships, and the information provided by service providers. Identified health services delivery barriers at different levels emphasised the critical need for improving the quality of healthcare and services delivery mechanisms. Overcoming these obstacles is essential for realising health insurance scheme objectives and progressing toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Genome wide association study of clinical duration and age at onset of sporadic CJD
Authors: Hummerich Holger , Speedy Helen , Campbell Tracy , Darwent Lee , Hill Elizabeth , Collins Steven , Stehmann Christiane , Kovacs Gabor G. , Geschwind Michael D. , Frontzek Karl , Budka Herbert , Gelpi Ellen , Aguzzi Adriano , van der Lee Sven J. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , Liberski Pawel P. , Calero Miguel , Sanchez-Juan Pascual , Bouaziz-Amar Elodie , Laplanche Jean-Louis , Haïk Stéphane , Brandel Jean-Phillipe , Mammana Angela , Capellari Sabina , Poleggi Anna , Ladogana Anna , Pocchiari Maurizio , Zafar Saima , Booth Stephanie , Jansen Gerard H. , Areškevičiūtė Aušrinė , Løbner Lund Eva , Glisic Katie , Parchi Piero , Hermann Peter , Zerr Inga , Appleby Brian S. , Safar Jiri , Gambetti Pierluigi , Collinge John , Mead Simon
Published: July 2024

Human prion diseases are rare, transmissible and often rapidly progressive dementias. The most common type, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), is highly variable in clinical duration and age at onset. Genetic determinants of late onset or slower progression might suggest new targets for research and therapeutics. We assembled and array genotyped sCJD cases diagnosed in life or at autopsy. Clinical duration (median:4, interquartile range (IQR):2.5–9 (months)) was available in 3,773 and age at onset (median:67, IQR:61–73 (years)) in 3,767 cases. Phenotypes were successfully transformed to approximate normal distributions allowing genome-wide analysis without statistical inflation. 53 SNPs achieved genome-wide significance for the clinical duration phenotype; all of which were located at chromosome 20 (top SNP rs1799990, pvalue = 3.45x10-36, beta = 0.34 for an additive model; rs1799990, pvalue = 9.92x10-67, beta = 0.84 for a heterozygous model). Fine mapping, conditional and expression analysis suggests that the well-known non-synonymous variant at codon 129 is the obvious outstanding genome-wide determinant of clinical duration. Pathway analysis and suggestive loci are described. No genome-wide significant SNP determinants of age at onset were found, but the HS6ST3 gene was significant (pvalue = 1.93 x 10−6) in a gene-based test. We found no evidence of genome-wide genetic correlation between case-control (disease risk factors) and case-only (determinants of phenotypes) studies. Relative to other common genetic variants, PRNP codon 129 is by far the outstanding modifier of CJD survival suggesting only modest or rare variant effects at other genetic loci.
Enhancing the solubility and potency of tetrahydrocurcumin as an anti-cancer agent using a β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex approach
Authors: Low Zhi Xuan , Teo Michelle Yee Mun , Juliana Nordin Fariza , Palanirajan Vijayaraj Kumar , Morak-Młodawska Beata , Saleem Qazi Asma , In Lionel Lian Aun
Published: July 2024

Curcuminoids originating from turmeric roots are renowned for their diverse pharmacological applications, particularly as a natural anticancer agent. Unfortunately, harnessing the full potential of curcumin derivatives in cancer therapy has been impeded by its inherent limitations, specifically instabilities owing to poor solubility, leading to low systemic bioavailability under normal physiological circumstances. To circumvent this, a novel organic-based drug delivery system employing physically adsorbed β-cyclodextrin (βCD) as an excipient was developed in this study. This resulted in improved aqueous dispersion coupled with anticancer enhancements of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) at a molar ratio of 2:1. Encapsulation of this agent was confirmed by physicochemical characterisation using UV–vis spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Through the presence of an inclusion complex, a higher aqueous dispersion (65-fold) resulting in a higher drug content and an elevated release profile was achieved. Athymic nude (Nu/Nu) mice exposed to this treatment displayed improvements in tumour regression compared to stand-alone agents, consistent with in vitro cytotoxicity assays with an SI value > 10. The inclusion complex further enhanced apoptosis, as well as anti-migration and anti-invasion rates. Mechanistically, this formulation was consistent in terms of caspase 3 activation. Furthermore, the inclusion complex exhibited reduced systemic toxicity, including reduced inflammation in vital organs as examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. This study also revealed a notable sequential reduction in serum levels of tumour markers, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and mouse Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), correlating with a significant decrease in tumour bulk volume upon treatment commencement. These compelling findings highlight the potential of this formulation to empower insoluble or poorly soluble hydrophobic agents, thus offering promising prospects for their effective utilisation in colorectal cancer (CRC) chemotherapy.