bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of red chalk drawings from the workshop of Giovanni Battista Piranesi using fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy
Authors: Krämer Maria , Henniges Ute , Brückle Irene , Lenfant Laura , Drüppel Kirsten
Published: September 2021

The viability of fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) for the differentiation of red chalk drawing media was investigated, focusing on the group of drawings from the workshop of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany. The evaluation of spectra was supported by principal component analysis (PCA). The method was tested on mock-up drawings made with recently acquired natural and synthetic red chalks of known origin. It was possible to sort these mock-up drawings according to chalk type and application technique. The compositional differences of these reference chalks were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequent FORS analysis of selected original drawings revealed the existence of several closely grouped clusters, implying similarities on the basis of the underlying spectral features among the historical red chalks used in Rome. These similarities distinguished the historical drawings from the red chalk mock-up drawings, except for the drawings made with red chalk samples from the area near the town of Theley, Germany, which were shown to bear close similarities to those in the cluster of historical samples.
Does melanin-based plumage coloration reflect health status of free-living birds in urban environments?
Authors: Aouissi Hani Amir , Ababsa Mostefa , Gaagai Aissam , Bouslama Zihad , Farhi Yassine , Chenchouni Haroun
Published: September 2021

Background

Ecological functions and processes in urban ecosystems are governed by various human activities. City-adapted and city-exploiting animal species are expected to present certain specific behavioral and physiological traits in comparison to city-avoiders or conspecific individual frequenting less urbanized or rural environments. A trait of high importance, the plumage color polymorphism has been selected as the main study model and was correlated with different morphological and physiological parameters to highlight its importance in determining the possible health status of urban Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) in North African urban habitats.

Methods

Different body morphometrics, hematological and hemoparasitic parameters were quantified on free-living Feral Pigeons in urban environments of northern Algeria. Moreover, plumage melanin-based coloration (MBC) was measured and the data collected at the individual scale was correlated with the previous parameters using linear and non-linear modeling approaches.

Results

Plumage MBC scores of the sampled Feral Pigeons ranged between 0.3% and 74.8%. Among the 12 morphological traits measured, body weight, tail length and total length were deemed to be positively correlated with MBC. Darker morphs appeared to have more hemoparasites compared to lighter pigeons. Quite the same observation goes with the immunity but with non-linear trends. The number of monocytes and granulocytes increased with the increase in MBC levels in lighter morphs, while pigeons with high MBC scores exhibited negative relationships between MBC levels and the number of white blood cells.

Conclusions

Despite the existence of a number of studies demonstrating phenotypic directional selection, further studies are undoubtedly necessary to understand in detail the underlying mechanisms in species life-history strategies between differently colored individuals. Findings of this correlative study open exciting perspectives revealing that MBC can be considered a good indicator of and health status and adaptation strategies to changes in urban environments.
Individualised dosimetry and safety of SIRT for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Willowson Kathy P. , Eslick Enid M. , Bailey Dale L.
Published: September 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with 90Y resin microspheres for the treatment of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). A total of 23 SIRT procedures from 18 ICC subjects were analysed to determine a lesion-based dose/response relationship with absorbed dose measures from 90Y PET and metabolic response as measured on [18F]FDG PET. Average absorbed dose (Davg), minimum dose to 70% of the volume (D70), volume receiving at least 50 Gy (V50), biological effective dose (BED) and equivalent uniform dose (EUD), were compared to changes in metabolic volume, maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Dose to normal liver was assessed with changes in liver uptake rate as measured with [99mTc]mebrofenin scintigraphy for a cohort of 20 subjects with primary liver malignancy (12 ICC, 8 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)).

Results

Thirty-four lesions were included in the analysis. A relationship was found between metabolic response and both Davg and EUD similar to that seen previously in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), albeit trending towards a lower response plateau. Both dose and SUV coefficient of variation within the lesion (CoVdose and CoVSUV), baseline TLG and EUD were found to be mildly significant predictors of response. No strong correlation was seen between normal liver dose and change in [99mTc]mebrofenin liver uptake rate; low baseline uptake rate was not indicative of declining function following SIRT, and no subjects dropped into the ‘poor liver function’ category.

Conclusions

ICC lesions follow a similar dose–response trend as mCRC, however, despite high lesion doses a full metabolic response was rarely seen. The CoV of lesion dose may have a significant bearing on response, and EUD correlated more tightly with metabolic response compared to Davg. SIRT in primary liver malignancy appears safe in terms of not inducing a clinically significant decline in liver function, and poor baseline uptake rate is not predictive of a reduction in function post SIRT.
Electrophysiological characteristics and anatomical differentiation of epileptic and non-epileptic myoclonus
Authors: Abu-Hegazy Mohammad , Elmoungi Azza , Eltantawi Eman , Esmael Ahmed
Published: September 2021

Background

Electrophysiological techniques have been used for discriminating myoclonus from other hyperkinetic movement disorders and for classifying the myoclonus subtype. This study was carried out on patients with different subtypes of myoclonus to determine the electrophysiological characteristics and the anatomical classification of myoclonus of different etiologies. This study included 20 patients with different subtypes of myoclonus compared with 30 control participants. Electrophysiological study was carried out for all patients by somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and electroencephalography (EEG) while the control group underwent SSEP. SSEP was evaluated in patients and control groups by stimulation of right and left median nerves.

Results

This study included 50 cases with myoclonus of different causes with mean age of 39.3 ± 15.7 and consisted of 23 males and 27 females. Twenty-nine (58%) of the patients were epileptics, while 21 (42%) were non-epileptics. Cases were classified anatomically into ten cases with cortical myoclonus (20%), 12 cases with subcortical myoclonus (24%), and 28 cases with cortical–subcortical myoclonus (56%). There was a significant difference regarding the presence of EEG findings in epileptic myoclonic and non-epileptic myoclonic groups (P = 0.005). Also, there were significant differences regarding P24 amplitude, N33 amplitude, P24–N33 peak-to-peak complex amplitude regarding all types of myoclonus. Primary myoclonic epilepsy (PME) demonstrated significant giant response, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) demonstrated no enhancement compared to controls, while secondary myoclonus demonstrated lower giant response compared to PME.

Conclusion

Somatosensory evoked potential and electroencephalography are important for the diagnosis and anatomical sub-classification of myoclonus and so may help in decision-making regarding to the subsequent management.
Factors influencing self-harm thoughts and behaviours over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: longitudinal analysis of 49 324 adults
Authors: Paul Elise , Fancourt Daisy
Published: September 2021

Background

There is concern that the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath will result in excess suicides by increasing known risk factors such as self-harm, but evidence on how pandemic-related risk factors contribute to changes in these outcomes is lacking.

Aims

To examine how different COVID-19-related experiences of and worries about adversity contribute to changes in self-harm thoughts and behaviours.

Method

Data from 49 324 UK adults in the University College London COVID-19 Social Study were analysed (1 April 2020 to 17 May 2021). Fixed-effects regressions explored associations between weekly within-person variation in five categories of adversity experience and adversity worries with changes in self-harm thoughts and behaviours across age groups (18–29, 30–44, 45–59 and 60+ years).

Results

In total, 26.1% and 7.9% of respondents reported self-harm thoughts and behaviours respectively at least once over the study period. The number of adverse experiences was more strongly related to outcomes than the number of worries. The largest specific adversity contributing to increases in both outcomes was having experienced physical or psychological abuse. Financial worries increased the likelihood of both outcomes in most age groups, and having had COVID-19 increased the likelihood of both outcomes in young (18–29 years) and middle-aged (45–59 years) adults.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that a significant portion of UK adults may be at increased risk for self-harm thoughts and behaviours during the pandemic. Given the likelihood that the economic and social consequences of the pandemic will accumulate, policy makers can begin adapting evidence-based suicide prevention strategies and other social policies to help mitigate its consequences.
Energy optimization during walking involves implicit processing
Authors: McAllister Megan J. , Blair Rachel L. , Donelan J. Maxwell , Selinger Jessica C.
Published: September 2021

Gait adaptations, in response to novel environments, devices or changes to the body, can be driven by the continuous optimization of energy expenditure. However, whether energy optimization involves implicit processing (occurring automatically and with minimal cognitive attention), explicit processing (occurring consciously with an attention-demanding strategy) or both in combination remains unclear. Here, we used a dual-task paradigm to probe the contributions of implicit and explicit processes in energy optimization during walking. To create our primary energy optimization task, we used lower-limb exoskeletons to shift people's energetically optimal step frequency to frequencies lower than normally preferred. Our secondary task, designed to draw explicit attention from the optimization task, was an auditory tone discrimination task. We found that adding this secondary task did not prevent energy optimization during walking; participants in our dual-task experiment adapted their step frequency toward the optima by an amount and at a rate similar to participants in our previous single-task experiment. We also found that performance on the tone discrimination task did not worsen when participants were adapting toward energy optima; accuracy scores and reaction times remained unchanged when the exoskeleton altered the energy optimal gaits. Survey responses suggest that dual-task participants were largely unaware of the changes they made to their gait during adaptation, whereas single-task participants were more aware of their gait changes yet did not leverage this explicit awareness to improve gait adaptation. Collectively, our results suggest that energy optimization involves implicit processing, allowing attentional resources to be directed toward other cognitive and motor objectives during walking.
Shear wave elastography evaluation of liver, pancreas, spleen and kidneys in patients with familial mediterranean fever and amyloidosis
Authors: Bayramoglu Zuhal , Akyol Sari Zeynep Nur , Koker Oya , Adaletli Ibrahim , Eker Omeroglu Rukiye
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

Amyloid deposits in a visceral organ can contribute to tissue stiffness that could be measured with shear wave elastography (SWE). We aimed to investigate changes in organ stiffness in conjunction with laboratory parameters in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) and amyloidosis.

Methods:

This prospective study included 27 FMF patients, 11 patients with amyloidosis, and 38 healthy controls. Median shear wave elasticity values of the liver, spleen, both kidneys, and pancreas on SWE were compared among study and control groups. The mean values of CRP (C-reactive protein) and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were compared by the t–test and the median of SAA (serum amyloid A protein) was compared with the Mann–Whitney U test between FMF groups with and without amyloidosis. Spearman’s correlation analysis was performed to reveal the association between stiffness values and laboratory parameters.

Results:

The median liver, spleen, kidney, and pancreas elasticity values were significantly higher in the FMF group with amyloidosis compared to control subjects. The median kidney stiffness values in the FMF group with or without amyloidosis were significantly higher compared to control subjects. Median liver stiffness values in FMF patients with amyloidosis were significantly higher than FMF patients without amyloidosis. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the CRP (p = 0.001, r = 0.56), ESR (p = 0.001, r = 0.61), and SAA (p = 0.002, r = 0.53) levels with spleen stiffness, and CRP (p = 0.006, r = 0.48) and ESR (p = 0.001,r = 0.61) levels with pancreas stiffness, and ESR (p = 0.004, r = 0.51) levels with the left kidney stiffness.

Conclusion:

SWE could be a potential tool for noninvasive follow-up of FMF patients and also amyloid deposition.

Advances in knowledge:

Both acute inflammation and amyloidosis in the FMF patients could increase organ stiffness.
Mammography-based radiomics for predicting the risk of breast cancer recurrence: a multicenter study
Authors: Mao Ning , Yin Ping , Zhang Haicheng , Zhang Kun , Song Xicheng , Xing Dong , Chu Tongpeng
Published: September 2021

Objective:

This study aimed to establish a mammography-based radiomics model for predicting the risk of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, lymph node (LN)-negative invasive breast cancer recurrence based on Oncotype DX and validated it by using multicenter data.

Methods:

A total of 304 potentially eligible patients with pre-operative mammography images and available Oncotype DX score were retrospectively enrolled from two hospitals. The patients were grouped as training set (168 patients), internal test set (72 patients), and external test set (64 patients). Radiomics features were extracted from the mammography images of each patient. Spearman correlation analysis, analysis of variance, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression were performed to reduce the redundant features in the training set, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm was used to construct the radiomics signature based on selected features. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to construct classification models that included radiomics signature and clinical risk factors to predict low vs intermediate and high recurrence risk of ER-positive, LN-negative invasive breast cancer in the training set. The models were evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic curve in the training set. The internal and external test sets were used to confirm the discriminatory power of the models. The clinical usefulness was evaluated by using decision curve analysis.

Results:

The radiomics signature consisting of three radiomics features achieved favorable prediction performance. The multivariate logistic regression model including radiomics signature and clinical risk factors (tumor grade and HER 2) showed good performance with areas under the curve of 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86 to 0.97), 0.88 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.00), and 0.84 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.99) in the training, internal and external test sets, respectively. The DCA indicated that when the threshold probability is ranges from 0.1 to 1.0, the radiomics model adds more net benefit than the “treat all” or “treat none” scheme in internal and external test sets.

Conclusion:

As a non-invasive pre-operative prediction tool, the mammography-based radiomics model incorporating radiomics and clinical factors show favorable predictive performance for predicting the risk of ER-positive, LN-negative invasive breast cancer recurrence based on Oncotype DX.

Advances in knowledge:

The mammography-based radiomics model incorporating radiomics and clinical factors shows favorable predictive performance for predicting the risk of ER-positive, LN-negative invasive breast cancer recurrence.
Association between pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation and outcome after second-generation cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Nogami Kai , Sugiyama Tomoyo , Kanaji Yoshihisa , Hoshino Masahiro , Hara Satoshi , Yamaguchi Masao , Hada Masahiro , Sumino Yohei , Misawa Toru , Hirano Hidenori , Ueno Hiroki , Miwa Naoyuki , Yamao Kazuya , Kusa Shigeki , Hachiya Hitoshi , Kakuta Tsunekazu
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

Previous studies reported the association between inflammation and atrial fibrillation (AF). Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation, PCATA, on cardiac CT angiography (CTA) reflects pericoronary inflammation. We hypothesized that the PCATA predicts AF recurrence after cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for paroxysmal and persistent AF.

Methods:

We studied 364 patients (median age, 65 years) with persistent (n = 41) and paroxysmal (n = 323) AF undergoing successful first-session second-generation CBA with pre-ablation cardiac CTA. Three-vessel (3V)-PCATA was defined as the mean CT attenuation value of PCAT of all three major coronary arteries. Predictors of AF recurrence during follow-up were evaluated.

Results:

AF recurrence after the 3-month blanking period was detected in 90 patients (24.7%) during the median follow-up of 26 (interquartile range, 19–42) months. AF recurrence was associated with prior stroke and statin use, NT-proBNP and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin-I levels, left ventricular dimension, left atrial volume index (LAVI), 3V-PCATA, and early AF recurrence during the blanking period. On multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, prior stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 2.208, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.166–4.180, p = 0.015), LAVI (HR, 1.030, 95% CI, 1.010–1.051, p = 0.003), 3V-PCATA (HR, 1.034, 95% CI, 1.001–1.069, p = 0.046), and early AF recurrence (HR, 2.858, 95% CI, 1.855–4.405, p < 0.001) remained statistically significant.

Conclusion:

Pre-ablation CTA-derived 3V-PCATA, representing pericoronary inflammation, was an independent predictor of recurrence after first-session AF ablation using a second-generation cryoballoon.

Advances in knowledge:

Assessment of 3V-PCATA may identify patients at high risk of AF recurrence after CBA for AF.
The cumulative radiation dose paradigm in pediatric imaging
Authors: Frush Donald
Published: September 2021

Medical imaging professionals have an accountability for both quality and safety in the care of patients that have unexpected or anticipated repeated imaging examinations that use ionizing radiation. One measure in the safety realm for repeated imaging is cumulative effective dose (CED). CED has been increasingly scrutinized in patient populations, including adults and children. Recognizing the challenges with effective dose, including the cumulative nature, effective dose is still the most prevalent exposure currency for recurrent imaging examinations. While the responsibility for dose monitoring incorporates an element of tracking an individual patient cumulative radiation record, a more complex aspect is what should be done with this information. This challenge also differs between the pediatric and adult population, including the fact that high cumulative doses (e.g.,>100 mSv) are reported to occur much less frequently in children than in the adult population. It is worthwhile, then, to review the general construct of CED, including the comparison between the relative percentage occurrence in adult and pediatric populations, the relevant pediatric medical settings in which high CED occurs, the advances in medical care that may affect CED determinations in the future, and offer proposals for the application of the CED paradigm, considering the unique aspects of pediatric care.
Streamlining the image-guided radiotherapy process for proton beam therapy
Authors: Davies Lucy Siew Chen , McHugh Louise , Aznar Marianne , Lindsay Josh , Eccles Cynthia
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

This work evaluated the on-treatment imaging workflow in the UK’s first proton beam therapy (PBT) centre, with a view to reducing times and unnecessary imaging doses to patients.

Methods:

Imaging dose and timing data from the first 20 patients (70% paediatrics, 30% TYA/adult) treated with PBT using the initial image-guided PBT (IGPBT) workflow of a 2-dimensional kilo-voltage (2DkV), followed by cone-beam computed-tomography (CBCT) and repeat 2DkV was included. Pearson correlations and Bland-Altman analysis were used to describe correlations between 2DkV and CBCT images to determine if any images were superfluous.

Results:

229 treatment sessions were evaluated. Patient repositioning following the initial 2DkV (i2DkV) was required on 19 (8.3%) fractions. This three-step process resulted in an additional mean imaging dose of 3.4 mGy per patient, and 5.1 minutes on the treatment bed for the patient, over a whole course of PBT, compared to a two-step workflow (removing the i2DkV image). Correspondence between the mean displacements from i2DkV and CBCT was high, with R = 0.94, 0.94 and 0.80 in the anteroposterior, superiorinferior and right-left directions, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis showed very little bias and narrow limits of agreement.

Conclusions:

Removing the i2DkV, streamlining to a two-step workflow, would reduce treatment times and imaging dose, and has been implemented as standard verification protocol. For challenging cases (e.g. paediatric patients under GA), further investigations are required before the three-step workflow can be modified.

Advances in knowledge:

This is the first report assessing a preliminary imaging protocol in PBT in the UK and determining a way to reduce dose and time, which ultimately benefits the patient.
Shortening of 3′ UTRs in most cell types composing tumor tissues implicates alternative polyadenylation in protein metabolism
Authors: Burri Dominik , Zavolan Mihaela
Published: September 2021

During pre-mRNA maturation 3′ end processing can occur at different polyadenylation sites in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) to give rise to transcript isoforms that differ in the length of their 3′ UTRs. Longer 3′ UTRs contain additionalcis-regulatory elements that impact the fate of the transcript and/or of the resulting protein. Extensive alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been observed in cancers, but the mechanisms and roles remain elusive. In particular, it is unclear whether the APA occurs in the malignant cells or in other cell types that infiltrate the tumor. To resolve this, we developed a computational method, called SCUREL, that quantifies changes in 3′ UTR length between groups of cells, including cells of the same type originating from tumor and control tissue. We used this method to study APA in human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). SCUREL relies solely on annotated 3′ UTRs and on control systems such as T cell activation, and spermatogenesis gives qualitatively similar results at much greater sensitivity compared to the previously published scAPA method. In the LUAD samples, we find a general trend toward 3′ UTR shortening not only in cancer cells compared to the cell type of origin, but also when comparing other cell types from the tumor vs. the control tissue environment. However, we also find high variability in the individual targets between patients. The findings help in understanding the extent and impact of APA in LUAD, which may support improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
Long-term effect of full-body pulsed electromagnetic field and exercise protocol in the treatment of men with osteopenia or osteoporosis: A randomized placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Ebid Anwar , El-boshy Mohamed , El-Shamy Shamekh , Thabet Ali , Abedalla Mohamed , Ali Tariq
Published: September 2021

Background: Osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic disease affecting bones. Objective: To investigate the long-term effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) combined with exercise protocol on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone markers in men with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Methods: Ninety-five males with osteopenia or osteoporosis (mean age, 51.26 ± 2.41 years; mean height, 176 ± 2.02 cm; mean weight, 83.08 ± 2.60 kg; mean body–mass index (BMI), 26.08 ± 1.09 kg/m2) participated in the study, and they were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group 1 received a full-body PEMF and exercise protocol (PEMF +EX), Group 2 received a placebo full-body PEMF and exercise protocol (PPEMF +EX), and Group 3 received a full-body PEMF alone (PEMF). PEMF was applied for the whole body using a full-body mat three times per week for 12 weeks, with an exercise protocol that includes flexibility, aerobic exercise, strengthening, weight-bearing, and balance exercises followed by whole-body vibration (WBV) training. Outcome measures include BMD of total hip and lumbar spine and bone markers [serum osteocalcin (s-OC), Serum amino-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (s-NTX), Serum carboxy-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (s-CTX), Parathyroid hormones (PTH), Bone-specific Alkaline Phosphatase (BSAP), and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (Vit D)]. Results: The BMD of total hip and lumbar spine was significantly increased post-treatment in all groups, and more so in Group 1 and Group 2 than Group 3. There was a significant difference in bone markers in all groups, more so in Group 1 and Group 2 than in Group 3. Conclusion: PEMF combined with exercise protocol exerts a potent role for treating OP, is more effective than exercise and PEMF alone for increasing BMD and enhancing bone formation, and suppresses bone-resorption markers after 12-weeks of treatment with the impact lasting up to 6 months.
SARS-CoV-2 genome datasets analytics for informed infectious disease surveillance
Authors: Ekpenyong Moses Effiong , Udo Ifiok James , Edoho Mercy Ernest , Anwana EnoAbasi Deborah , Osang Francis Bukie , Geoffery Joseph Ikim , Dan Emmanuel Ambrose , Momodu Aliu Bolanle , Umoh Nnamso Michael , Udonyah Kingsley Christopher
Published: September 2021

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged economies, health systems, and lives globally. Concerns surrounding near total economic collapse, loss of livelihood and emotional complications ensuing from lockdowns and commercial inactivity, resulted in governments loosening economic restrictions. These concerns were further exacerbated by the absence of vaccines and drugs to combat the disease, with the fear that the next wave of the pandemic would be more fatal. Consequently, integrating disease surveillance mechanism into public healthcare systems is gaining traction, to reduce the spread of community and cross-border infections and offer informed medical decisions.

Methods: Publicly available datasets of coronavirus cases around the globe deposited between December, 2019 and March 15, 2021 were retrieved from GISAID EpiFluTM and processed. Also retrieved from GISAID were data on the different SARS-CoV-2 variant types since inception of the pandemic.

Results: Epidemiological analysis offered interesting statistics for understanding the demography of SARS-CoV-2 and helped the elucidation of local and foreign transmission through a history of contact travels. Results of genome pattern visualization and cognitive knowledge mining revealed the emergence of high intra-country viral sub-strains with localized transmission routes traceable to immediate countries, for enhanced contact tracing protocol. Variant surveillance analysis indicates increased need for continuous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants.  A collaborative Internet of Health Things (IoHT) framework was finally proposed to impact the public health system, for robust and intelligent support for modelling, characterizing, diagnosing and real-time contact tracing of infectious diseases.

Conclusions: Localizing healthcare disease surveillance is crucial in emerging disease situations and will support real-time/updated disease case definitions for suspected and probable cases. The IoHT framework proposed in this paper will assist early syndromic assessments of emerging infectious diseases and support healthcare/medical countermeasures as well as useful strategies for making informed policy decisions to drive a cost effective, smart healthcare system.
A policy response to workplace innovation for the rail sector
Authors: CARRANZA GARAZI , De la Rua Oihane , Sanchez Begoña
Published: September 2021

The rail sector is a sector with a significant impact on European industry and it is therefore important that it follows the current innovative trends. We live in an increasingly digitised society but, until now, digitisation has not been a priority issue for the sector as the rules that apply to the entire value chain have hindered the digitisation process. Even so, technologies are not enough, and innovation must be implemented in companies at the organisational and employee level. The RailActivation project has experimented with workplace innovation to foster innovation capabilities in the railway sector, providing elements for companies to remain as innovative and competitive as possible, as well as to have additional tools to adapt to these challenges. In order to help in this process, this article proposes a series of recommendations based on the lessons learnt during the implementation of the project. These recommendations establish a link between policy and workplace innovation practices and could be a reference framework for further research and policy. The suggested policy recommendations are focused on companies and policy makers and are based on the results obtained from the different consultations with the stakeholders involved in this research.
A qualitative analysis of stakeholder experiences with Registered Reports Funding Partnerships
Authors: Drax Katie , Clark Robbie , Chambers Christopher D. , Munafò Marcus , Thompson Jacqueline
Published: September 2021

Background: Registered Reports (RRs) could be a way to increase the quality of scientific research and literature, such as by reducing publication bias and increasing the rigour of study designs. These potential benefits have led to Registered Report funding partnerships (RRFPs or partnerships for short) between research funders and academic journals who collaborate to encourage researchers to publish RRs. In this study we investigated the research question: “What are the experiences of the stakeholders (authors, reviewers, journal editors, funders) in the various partnership models?”. Our companion paper addresses a related, but separate, research question.

Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (funders, editors, authors, reviewers, matchmakers) from six partnerships.

Results: Interviewees had highly variable perceptions and experiences, reflecting the complex and nuanced impacts of partnerships. We identified 6 themes: “Importance of communication with authors and reviewers”, “Influence on study design”, “Appropriateness of partners”, “Potential to reduce publication bias”, “Impact on reviewer workload”, and “Insufficient evidence”.

Conclusions: This was the first investigation into these novel initiatives. We hope that our findings can benefit and shape current and future partnerships.
The influence of shoulder arthrodesis on the function of the upper limb in adult patients after a brachial plexus injury: a systematic literature review with elements of meta-analysis
Authors: Górecki Michał , Czarnecki Piotr
Published: September 2021

Based on the literature, 294 shoulder arthrodeses after brachial plexus injury in adults were assessed, mostly male; the mean age of the patients was 33 years, and the mean follow-up time was 5.5 years. The most common cause of injury was a traffic accident, especially on a motorcycle. Arthrodesis position ranged from 15 to 40 degrees of flexion, 15 to 60 degrees of abduction, and 0 to 50 degrees of internal rotation with the predominance of position by the 30-30-30 rule. Plates, screws, and external fixation were used for stabilization. The complication rate was at the level of 28%, the most common complication being delayed union or nonunion. Active movements of flexion and abduction averaged 61 and 56 degrees, respectively, while reaching the hand to the mouth, front pocket, and buttock was feasible for 69%, 71%, and 38%, respectively, after surgery. Shoulder pain was present in 77% of patients, and 28% experienced no relevant pain reduction after surgery. The subjective satisfaction rate was 82% based on significant improvement and satisfaction reported by patients after arthrodesis. Arthrodesis of the shoulder, in adult patients after brachial plexus palsy, can reduce shoulder pain, increase stability, and result in a range of motion that increases the possibility of carrying out everyday activities. This affects the high level of subjective patient satisfaction after surgery.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:797-807. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.200114
Management strategies for prosthetic joint infection: long-term infection control rates, overall survival rates, functional and quality of life outcomes
Authors: Karachalios Theofilos , Komnos George A.
Published: September 2021

DAIR (debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention), one-stage and two-stage revision surgery are the most common management strategies for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) management. Our knowledge concerning their efficacy is based on short to medium-term low-quality studies. Most studies report infection recurrence rates or infection-free time intervals. However, long-term survival rates of the infection-free joints, functional and quality of life outcome data are of paramount importance. DAIR, one-stage and two-stage revision strategies are not unique surgical techniques, presenting several variables. Infection control rates for the above strategies vary from 75% to 90%, but comparisons are difficult because different indications and patient selection criteria are used in each strategy. Recent outcome data show that DAIR and one-stage revision in selected patients (based on host, bacteriological, soft tissue and type of infection criteria) may present improved functional and quality of life outcomes and reduced costs for health systems as compared to those of two-stage revision. It is expected that health system administrators and providers will apply pressure on surgeons and departments towards the wider use of DAIR and one-stage revision strategies. It is the orthopaedic surgeon’s responsibility to conduct quality studies in order to fully clarify the indications and outcomes of the different revision strategies.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:727-734. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210008
Imaging spectrum reconstruction of a spatial heterodyne imaging spectrometer
Authors: Ye Song , Li Zhaolin , Zhang Yuting , Xiong Wei , Wang Fangyuan , Wang Xinqiang , Zhang Wentao
Published: September 2021

Spatial heterodyne scanning imaging combines the advantages of spatial heterodyne spectroscopy and imaging technology. It can obtain images and spectral information simultaneously with the characteristics of high spectral resolution, high flux, and small volume and can achieve spectral restoration of all target points in the measured area through scan imaging only once. When two-dimensional spatial information and one-dimensional spectral information are obtained, the imaging spectrum data cube is generated. Using MATLAB and ZEMAX as simulation software, image information with interference fringes was constructed, and the distribution of interference information was explored. A potassium lamp, xenon lamp, and tungsten lamp were used as different light sources to perform validation. Because of the influence of the scanning displacement error on the accuracy of interference information extraction, an algorithm for image spectrum reconstruction is proposed based on the principle of distribution of interference information. The speed-up robust features algorithm was used for image registration to improve accuracy. The experimental results show that the spectral information under the three light sources can be reconstructed, which corresponds to the standard spectrum from the optical fiber spectrometer. The feasibility of this imaging spectrum reconstruction has been preliminarily verified, and the spectral information of the desired target can be directly extracted from the data cube.
Simons Observatory HoloSim-ML: machine learning applied to the
efficient analysis of radio holography measurements of complex optical
systems
Authors: Chesmore Grace E. , Adler Alexandre E. , Cothard Nicholas F. , Dachlythra Nadia , Gallardo Patricio A. , Gudmundsson Jon , Johnson Bradley R. , Limon Michele , McMahon Jeff , Nati Federico , Niemack Michael D. , Puglisi Giuseppe , Simon Sara M. , Wollack Edward J. , Wolz Kevin , Xu Zhilei , Zhu Ningfeng
Published: September 2021

Near-field radio holography is a common method for measuring and
aligning mirror surfaces for millimeter and sub-millimeter telescopes.
In instruments with more than a single mirror, degeneracies arise in
the holography measurement, requiring multiple measurements and new
fitting methods. We present HoloSim-ML, a Python code for beam
simulation and analysis of radio holography data from complex optical
systems. This code uses machine learning to efficiently determine the
position of hundreds of mirror adjusters on multiple mirrors with few
micrometer accuracy. We apply this approach to the example of the
Simons Observatory 6 m telescope.
Design and implementation of the Walsh–Hadamard transform on a ternary optical computer
Authors: Zhehe Wang , Yunfu Shen
Published: September 2021

Walsh–Hadamard is a commonly used mathematical transformation, a
mathematical method for spectrum analysis in the real number domain,
which has been widely used in many fields such as digital signal
processing, spectral modulation, and image processing. Based on the
characteristics of the ternary optical computer with a large number of
processor bits, reconfigurable bit functions, and parallel
computation, a ternary optical processor with all bits allocated is
given, and the transformations

T
,
W
,

T
′

,

W
′

,

T
2

of modified signed-digit (MSD)
addition are reconfigured. On this basis, by configuring

A
d
d
e
r
N

MSD adders on the optical processor,
the

N

-point Walsh–Hadamard transform fast
parallel computing approach is given. It requires only

3
×

⌊

N

/

A
d
d
e
r
N

⌋

clock cycles to compute the
Walsh–Hadamard transform of

N

points under parallel computing.
Furthermore, complexity analysis shows that the clock cycles in an
electronic computer are

N

/

3

times that of in a ternary optical
computer under the fully parallel optical computation. The experiment
of the Walsh–Hadamard transform with eight points shows that parallel
optical computing has more advantages than the conventional electronic
computer in fast computing the problems with characteristics of
parallel computing. At the same time, it highlights the advantages and
potential of ternary optical computers in data-intensive
computing.
Performance characterization of a self-made terahertz photoconductive antenna
Authors: Ding Jing , Li Qingjun , Shen Yan , Wu Rui , Liu Xin , Ding Chenxin , Cui Hailin , Su Bo , Zhang Cunlin
Published: September 2021

A terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna is prepared using, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method, which has high yield and strong stability. It eliminates the stripping process of a thin-film THz antenna and effectively prevents the toxicity of the corrosion solution, the easy damage in the transfer process, and the weak bonding with the substrate. First, a 200 µm copper wire is bundled on a low-temperature GaAs epitaxial wafer, and then the electrode of the photoconductive antenna is fabricated using the vacuum evaporation method. Finally, the THz time-domain signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio and good repeatability is obtained using an 800 nm laser. Additionally, the influence of pump light and detection light power on THz signal intensity is studied when the total optical power is unchanged. Results show that when the total power of the laser is greater than a certain value, there is an optimal ratio between the pump power and the detection power, which can maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the THz wave. This provides a basis for the effective application of a THz antenna and lays a foundation for improving the detection sensitivity of samples.
Mode-locked Cr:LiSAF laser far off the gain peak: tunable sub-200-fs pulses near 1  µm
Authors: Demirbas Umit , Thesinga Jelto , Kellert Martin , Reuter Simon , Sumpf Bernd , Pergament Mikhail , Kärtner Franz X.
Published: September 2021

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first mode-locking results of a Cr:LiSAF laser near the 1 µm region. The system is pumped only by a single 1.1 W high-brightness tapered diode laser at 675 nm. A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) with a modulation depth of 1.5% and non-saturable losses below 0.5% was used for mode-locking. Once mode-locked, the Cr:LiSAF laser produced almost-transform-limited sub-200-fs pulses with up to 12.5 mW of average power at a repetition rate of 150 MHz. Using an intracavity birefringent filter, the central wavelength of the pulses could be smoothly tuned in the 1000–1020 nm range. Via careful dispersion optimization, pulse widths could be reduced down to the 110-fs level. The performance in this initial study was limited by the design parameters of the SESAM used, especially its passive losses and could be improved with an optimized SESAM design.
Hybrid FPGA-CPU pupil tracker
Authors: Kowalski Bartlomiej , Huang Xiaojing , Steven Samuel , Dubra Alfredo
Published: September 2021

An off-axis monocular pupil tracker designed for eventual integration in ophthalmoscopes for eye movement stabilization is described and demonstrated. The instrument consists of light-emitting diodes, a camera, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and a central processing unit (CPU). The raw camera image undergoes background subtraction, field-flattening, 1-dimensional low-pass filtering, thresholding and robust pupil edge detection on an FPGA pixel stream, followed by least-squares fitting of the pupil edge pixel coordinates to an ellipse in the CPU. Experimental data suggest that the proposed algorithms require raw images with a minimum of ∼32 gray levels to achieve sub-pixel pupil center accuracy. Tests with two different cameras operating at 575, 1250 and 5400 frames per second trained on a model pupil achieved 0.5-1.5 μm pupil center estimation precision with 0.6-2.1 ms combined image download, FPGA and CPU processing latency. Pupil tracking data from a fixating human subject show that the tracker operation only requires the adjustment of a single parameter, namely an image intensity threshold. The latency of the proposed pupil tracker is limited by camera download time (latency) and sensitivity (precision).
GDCSeg-Net: general optic disc and cup segmentation network for multi-device fundus images
Authors: Zhu Qianlong , Chen Xinjian , Meng Qingquan , Song Jiahuan , Luo Gaohui , Wang Meng , Shi Fei , Chen Zhongyue , Xiang Dehui , Pan Lingjiao , Li Zuoyong , Zhu Weifang
Published: September 2021

Accurate segmentation of optic disc (OD) and optic cup (OC) in fundus images is crucial for the analysis of many retinal diseases, such as the screening and diagnosis of glaucoma and atrophy segmentation. Due to domain shift between different datasets caused by different acquisition devices and modes and inadequate training caused by small sample dataset, the existing deep-learning-based OD and OC segmentation networks have poor generalization ability for different fundus image datasets. In this paper, adopting the mixed training strategy based on different datasets for the first time, we propose an encoder-decoder based general OD and OC segmentation network (named as GDCSeg-Net) with the newly designed multi-scale weight-shared attention (MSA) module and densely connected depthwise separable convolution (DSC) module, to effectively overcome these two problems. Experimental results show that our proposed GDCSeg-Net is competitive with other state-of-the-art methods on five different public fundus image datasets, including REFUGE, MESSIDOR, RIM-ONE-R3, Drishti-GS and IDRiD.
Temporally stable fiber amplifier pumped random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser with record output power
Authors: Song Jiaxin , Ren Shuai , Liu Wei , Li Wei , Wu Hanshuo , Ma Pengfei , Zhang Hanwei , Zhou Pu
Published: September 2021

In this Letter, we propose a scheme to use a temporally stable pump source in a high-power random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser (RRFL) with a half-open cavity. Different from conventional pump manners, the pump source is based on an Yb-doped fiber amplifier, seeded by a temporally stable phase-modulated single-frequency fiber laser for suppressing the spectral broadening and second-order Raman Stokes generation in the output laser. Using a piece of 50-m-long 20/400 µm passive fiber, the maximum output power of 1570 W was obtained with a pump power of 2025 W. The conversion efficiency with respect to the pump power was 77.5%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power ever reported in a RRFL to date. This work could provide a novel method for power scaling of RRFLs.
Computational analysis of novel high performance optically controlled RF switches for reconfigurable millimeterwave-to-THz circuits
Authors: Shi Yu , Deng Yijing , Ren Jun , Li Peizhao , Fay Patrick , Liu Lei
Published: September 2021

Optically controlled RF switches with a novel non-contact device architecture that achieves high performance in the millimeterwave-to-terahertz (mmW-THz) region are proposed and investigated through simulation. The significant change in conductivity in semiconductors caused by photogenerated carriers is used to develop RF switches having very high performance. By including a thin layer of insulator between the active semiconductor material and the metal contacts, the carrier concentration can be enhanced over that of conventional devices. For a prototype demonstration, G-band coplanar waveguide-based optical switches (using Si and Ge as active materials) with different contact geometries have been modeled and simulated. The proposed switches outperform both conventional solid-state switches and phase-change material-based switches in the switch figure-of-merit, and are promising for developing a novel class of tunable and reconfigurable mmW-THz circuits for advanced sensing, imaging, and communication.