bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The “Gandalf” soil sampling project at a former industrial site in Copenhagen, Denmark: evaluating soil classification reliability
Authors: Svensmark Bo , Mortensen Peter , Milosevic Nemanja , Christensen Jan
Published: May 2022

Handling and transport of contaminated soil from industrial sites in Denmark requires classification based on concentrations of selected metals and organic contaminants. Reliable soil classification is needed for defensible remedial decision-making. Today’s sampling process in Denmark is based on grab sampling of prescribed standard volumes of soil; 30 tons is typically used as the basic sampling Decision Unit. Soil classification follows a number of varying systems, but classification into five classes (class 0 to class 4) based on analytical results from sub-samples of 50 g is the most common. In this study we investigate the sampling uncertainty obtained by sampling of > 1800 samples at a former industrial site in Copenhagen, Denmark. The aim of the study was to conduct a critical assessment of the current sampling strategy by determination of soil classification errors obtained for duplicate primary samples collected from the same truck- load of soil, but with different distances from the original primary sample. It is also discussed which contaminants are the major parameters responsible for final soil classification designations. The original primary samples for the soil classification were taken at the centre of a 7 × 7 m grid for every 33 cm to a depth of 1 m or 3 m. In addition - for approximately half of the positions - samples were taken at a distance of 1, 2 or 3 m from the original sample. The classifications for the original samples were compared to the classifications for the additional samples in the same Decision Unit (7 × 7 × 0.33 m box) and from duplicate original samples. The results show that at least 50 % of all samples were misclassified, 20 % were mis-classified by two or more classes. This study demonstrates that the risk of misclassification is highest for less mobile parameters, metals and PAHs compared to the volatile organic solvents.
ISO 8685 compliant contractual ship-loading export facility: bauxite sampling plant process design and equipment selection for chemical sampling
Authors: Slabbert W. , Nyokong M.
Published: May 2022

The paper discusses the process design and mass balance for the minimum and maximum design case to illustrate the ISO 8685 compliance of a 2-year-running barge loading payment station sampling plant. The plant samples -100 mm, export quality, bauxite material from a barge-loading conveyor delivering 10 kton/h at 5.4 m/s. The green field operation does not know the Coefficient of Variation or the Size Range Factor as required inputs to calculate the Number of Primary Increments and Minimum Gross Sample Mass required. Therefore, informed assumptions were made given performance data of a neighboring sampling system that is in operation for over a decade. Without the available variation and size factor data the ISO-compliant scheme design could not commence. Where this data is not available for green field projects, it poses a risk that plant designs may not be compliant where variabilities could exceed assumptions on the input parameters.

The system is designed for various barge carrying capacities with lot size in mass. Operational quality assurance however requires samples more frequently and therefore sublot periods are 4 hourly time based. ISO 8685 compliance is achieved with sample increments taken at maximum throughputs and barge sizes to determine the time-based interval. At reduced throughputs, the fixed time interval regime results in the minimum ISO requirements to be exceeded and tied in well with client overall quality incentives.

Primary sample increments from a tailored cross belt sampler are crushed automatically in the sampling plant to 25 mm and then to 6mm using two stages of double roll crushers. The sample is then subdivided through secondary and tertiary sampling to produce a composite 4-hourly chemical sample. The 4-hourly sublot samples are collected in an ergonomic 4-way carousel with each composite sample representing 1-hour barge loading production— allowing the client quality assurance insights into their blending facility performance.
Title-comparison of coronally advanced flap with chorion membrane vs coronally advanced flap with connective tissue graft in the treatment of multiple gingival recessions: a split-mouth randomised controlled study
Authors: Pradhan Sweta , Shetty Neetha , Kamath Deepa
Published: May 2022

Background: The importance of esthetics has escalated over the years. The purpose of any perioplastic surgery is to address gingival recession while ensuring predictable root coverage and a pleasing appearance. An array of surgical procedures have been recommended for the management of recession defects. The present study compares the clinical and patient related outcome measures of coronally advanced flap with chorion membrane and connective tissue graft in the management of multiple adjacent gingival recessions.

Methods: The study was a prospective randomized controlled trial which included eight systemically healthy patients with an age range of 30-44 years with 36 labial/buccal, multiple adjacent, Cairo’s RT1 gingival recession defects, bilaterally.  CAF+CM was performed on one side whereas CAF+CTG was performed on the other side. The two groups were compared clinically at three and six months postoperatively.

Results: There was statistically significant decrease in recession depth, recession width, probing depth and clinical attachment level in both the groups from baseline to three and six months. However, intergroup comparisons revealed no statistically significant difference. At six months, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in keratinized tissue width and gingival thickness. The gingival thickness of the CAF+CM group increased significantly at three and six months. In terms of root coverage aesthetic score (RES), there was no significant difference observed between the two groups. In terms of patient reported outcome measures (PROMS), patients preferred the CAF+CM technique.

Conclusion: Within the limits of the current study, the use of chorion membrane resulted in considerable root coverage and increased gingival thickness. Periodontal regeneration can be facilitated by the distinctive features of the chorion membrane. Coronally advanced flap plus chorion membrane is a novel approach for root coverage procedures.
Understanding the funding characteristics of research impact: A proof-of-concept study linking REF 2014 impact case studies with Researchfish grant agreements
Authors: Reddick Gavin , Malkov Dmitry , Sherbon Beverley , Grant Jonathan
Published: May 2022

Background: All parts of the research community have an interest in understanding research impact whether that is around the pathways to impact, processes around impact, methods for measurement, describing impact and so on. This proof of concept study explored the relationship between research funding and research impact using the case studies submitted to the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise in 2014 as a proxy for impact.

Methods: The paper describes an approach to link the REF impact case studies with the underpinning research grants present in the Researchfish dataset, primarily using the publications captured in both datasets. Where possible the methodology utilised unique identifiers such as Digital Object Identifiers and PubMed ID’s, and where this was not possible the funding information within each publication was used.

Results: Through this automated approach 21% of the non-redacted case studies could be linked to a specific research grant. Additional qualitative analysis was then done for unlinked REF impact case studies, which involved reading the document to identify additional information to make the linkage. This approach was taken on 100 REF impact case studies selected at random and resulted in only seven having no identifiable research grants funding associated. The linked research grants were analysed to identify characteristics that are more frequently associated with these grants, than non-linked ones.

Conclusions: This analysis did point to some interesting observations such as the grant funding linked to REF impact case studies are more likely to be longer, higher financial value, have more publications and be more collaborative (amongst other characteristics). These findings should be used with caution at present and not be over interpreted, this is due to the sample size for this proof of concept study and some potential limitations on the data which were not addressed at this stage.
Perceptions and experiences of intravenous iron treatment for anaemia in pregnancy in Malawi: a formative qualitative study
Authors: Manda-Taylor Lucinda , Kufankomwe Macdonald , Chatha Gertrude , Chipeta Effie , Mamani-Mategula Elisabeth , Mwangi Martin N. , Kelaher Magaret , Prang Khic-Houy , Ataide Ricardo , Pasricha Sant-Rayn , Phiri Kamija Samuel
Published: May 2022

Background: The study objective was to explore opinions, identify experiences, and describe perspectives on the acceptability of intravenous (IV) iron to treat anaemia in pregnancy and identify potential barriers and facilitators of introducing IV iron in the Malawian healthcare system.

Methods: We conducted 15 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with pregnant women, and seven in-depth interviews with health workers at a community-based health centre in Blantyre and a tertiary hospital in Zomba.

Results: Most women who used IV iron treatment during the second trimester of pregnancy reported feeling better and stronger after receiving the intervention. Women perceived that IV iron treatment worked faster and increased their haemoglobin count. However, cultural beliefs that IV iron treatment will cause miscarriage and the perception that study procedures involved Satanism and vampirism practices were barriers to acceptability. Health workers found IV iron treatment easy to administer because it is a single-dose treatment, simultaneously reducing the burden for pregnant women taking daily oral iron tablets. However, health workers expressed concerns about the costs and the need to train health workers before the large-scale implementation and integration of IV iron treatment into Malawi’s routine care.

Conclusions: Despite the perceived concerns and challenges experienced in participating in the first IV iron infusion trial in Malawi, participants’ reflections suggest that IV iron infusion is acceptable for treating iron-deficiency anaemia in pregnancy. Participant advocate groups can offer a peer-to-peer education approach to sensitize and engage community members on the benefits of treatment and dispel concerns when the country contemplates integrating IV iron infusion for treating anaemia in pregnancy in Malawi.
The safety and immunogenicity of a combined pertussis containing vaccine Tdap for HIV infected pregnant women and their newborns (WoMANPOWER) – A study protocol for a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Nakabembe Eve , Abu-Raya Bahaa , Kyohere Mary , Tusubira Valerie , Amone Alexander , Nakibuuka Lydia , Cochet Madeleine , Nakimuli Annettee , Voysey Merryn , Gorringe Andrew , Heath Paul T. , Musoke Philippa , Andrews Nick , Sekikubo Musa , Sadarangani Manish , Le Doare Kirsty
Published: May 2022

Background: Globally there are an estimated 24.1 million cases and 160,700 deaths from pertussis annually in children under five years. The disease burden is higher in low- and middle-income countries, especially the African region, which contributes the largest proportions of cases and deaths. Immunization against pertussis in pregnancy is a recommended strategy for the prevention of infant pertussis in many high-income countries. However, vaccine immunogenicity and effectiveness may be different in immunocompromised individuals such as women living with HIV. There is a need to generate data on the impact of HIV infection in pregnancy on maternal and infant immunity to vaccines against pertussis.

Methods: This is a phase II, randomized controlled observer blind clinical trial of 100 women living with HIV and 100 uninfected women randomized to either standard vaccines (tetanus diphtheria vaccine, Td) or a tetanus diphtheria-pertussis vaccine (Tdap). Participants aged 18-40 years carrying a low-risk singleton pregnancy with a gestational age between 16 and 26 weeks confirmed on ultrasound scan, with no history of receipt of tetanus or pertussis vaccines in the current pregnancy will be recruited. Women will receive either two doses of Td or a first dose of Td and second dose of Tdap vaccine. Participants will complete 14-day diary cards to monitor reactogenicity. Mother-infant dyads will be followed up until the infant is one year old. The outcomes include: safety for the pregnant woman and infant; anti-pertussis toxin (PT) and anti-filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) IgG concentrations in maternal, cord and infant blood and breastmilk, compared by maternal HIV status.

Discussion: This study will investigate whether vaccines given to women living with HIV have similar immunogenicity and reactogenicity to vaccines given to pregnant women without HIV and monitor the effect of Tdap in pregnancy on infant immune responses.

clinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04589312 (19/10/2020)
REFLEXIONES EN TORNO A LA PRIMERA EDICIÓN MILANESA (1801) DE LA CIENCIA NUEVA DE GIAMBATTISTA VICO
Authors: Martirano Maurizio
Published: May 2022

: La intención de este artículo es reconstruir ––en la medida en que sea posible, dadas las lagunas existentes en la documentación–– el significado y el papel, en el Milán de la República Cisalpina, de la primera edición de la Scienza Nuova de Vico, publicada por la “Colección de Clásicos Italianos” en 1801, por la “Tipografía de Clásicos Italianos” (sita en la calle del Bocchetto, nº 2536), donde trabajaba en calidad de director el joven Giovanni Silvestri. Estudios ahora consolidados han sacado a la luz la acción ejercida por las numerosas iniciativas editoriales emprendidas en ese período, algunas de ellas organizadas gracias a la contribución de los principales protagonistas de esa etapa (de Foscolo a Monti, de Lomonaco a Cuoco, por citar solo algunos nombres) los cuales, empeñados en la difícil búsqueda de una sintonía con el poder político, directa o indirectamente tuvieron un papel en el nacimiento y en la formación de una “moderna comisión estatal”. PALABRAS CLAVE: G. Vico, G. Silvestri, U. Carpi, siglo XIX, prensa, ediciones Scienza nuova, filosofía civil italiana, M. Martirano.
IDEA DE UNA GRAMÁTICA FILOSÓFICA. A propósito de la «Gramática» de Antonio d’Aronne (en torno a 1740)
Authors: Zúnica García Alfonso
Published: May 2022

Traducción española a cargo de Alfonso Zúnica García del texto italiano de Giambattista Vico, la reseña de la Gramática aronniana, editada por Fausto Nicolini (1953). PALABRAS CLAVE: G. Vico, A. d’Aronne, F. Nicolini, A. Zúnica, Gramática, Humanismo, F. Sánchez ‘el Brocense’.
CARTA AL ABATE ESPERTI EN ROMA Giambattista Vico (1726)
Authors: Sevilla Fernández José Manuel
Published: May 2022

Traducción española a cargo de José M. Sevilla Fernández del texto italiano de Giambattista Vico (1729): carta al abate Giuseppe Luigi Esperti. Traducción de la edición a cargo de Andrea Battistini –– incluida en Opere de G. Vico, a su cargo (Milán, 1990). PALABRAS CLAVE: G. Vico, G.L. Esperti, A. Battistini, J.M. Sevilla, correspondencia, Ciencia Nueva.
Nie tylko Bulla gnieźnieńska. O znaczeniu dokumentu fundacyjnego Zbyluta (1153) dla polskich badań historycznojęzykowych
Authors: Kuźmicki Marcin , Mika Tomasz
Published: May 2022

NOT ONLY BULLA GNIEŹNIEŃSKA: ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ZBYLUT’S FOUNDATION DOCUMENT (ISSUED IN 1153) FOR POLISH HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC RESEARCH: PART 2: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VERSIONS OF THE DOCUMENT
This article is the second part of a series. The purpose of the first part was to introduce the Zbylut’s document (its original and copies) into the Polish historical-linguistic research, to verify and supplement the existing transliterations, to show the document as an object of studies, and to select historical information that may prove to be important from the historical-linguistic perspective. The foundation document issued in 1153 by knight Zbylut for the Cistercians in Łekno, called the Zbylut’s document, may be of value to historians of language for at least three reasons: first, it contains onomastic material from the mid-12th century; second, it is available in several versions (including two parallel originals from the mid-12th century and one copy from the end of the same century), which are fully legible and perfectly preserved; and third, it has been carefully studied by a few generations of historians. The results of their research constitute an invaluable and basic context for linguistic analyses. However, the issue of the number of writing hands and the relationship between different versions of the document, which is very important for linguistic research, could not be resolved unequivocally. Until now, it has usually been assumed that the three documents were written by two or three different hands.
Seeding with Costly Network Information
Authors: Eckles Dean , Esfandiari Hossein , Mossel Elchanan , Rahimian M. Amin
Published: May 2022

In the presence of contagion, decision makers strategize about where in a network to intervene (e.g., seeding a new product). A large literature has developed methods for approximately optimizing the choice of k seeds to cause the largest cascade of, for example, product adoption. However, it is often impractical to measure an entire social network. In “Seeding with Costly Network Information,” Eckles, Esfandiari, Mossel, and Rahimian develop and analyze algorithms for making a bounded number of queries of a social network and then selecting k seeds. They prove hardness results for this problem and provide almost tight approximation guarantees for their proposed algorithms under widely used models of contagion. One proposed algorithm is practical for both querying online social networks and structuring in-person surveys. This framework further allows reasoning about tradeoffs between spending budget on collecting more network data versus increasing the number of seeds.
PELATIHAN PEMANFAATAN BUAH DAN SAYUR UNTUK MENDUKUNG PROGRAM GERAKAN MASYARAKAT SEHAT (GERMAS) PADA KADER AISYIYAH BANGUNTAPAN UTARA
Authors: Syam Nur Syarianingsih , Nurfita Desi
Published: May 2022

Kecamatan Banguntapan merupakan daerah yang memiliki produksi pertanian Â cukup tinggi di Kabupaten Bantul Yogyakarta, sebagian besar penduduknya bekerja sebagai petani yaitu 53,88%. Mestinya daerah ini berpotensi sebagai sumber pangan yang beranekaragam yang berperan dalam penyediaan zat gizi vitamin dan mineral seperti buah dan sayur yang dapat dimanfaatkan masyarakat untuk perbaikan gizi masyarakat. Masyarakat wilayah Banguntapan Utara masih belum memanfaatkan secara optimal lahan pekarangan dengan menanam makanan yang bermanfaat bagi kesehatan keluarga seperti buah dan sayur, padahal wilayah tersebut memiliki potensi pertanian yang cukup besar serta ditunjang dengan lahan pekarangan rumah yang memadai jika ditanam tanaman yang bermanfaat bagi kesehatan. belum mencoba untuk mengolah makanan variatif menggunakan bahan buah dan sayur agar menarik anggota keluarga yang tidak menyukai bahan makanan tersebut. Selanjutnya bagi anggota keluarga yang menyukai buah/sayur masih belum mengetahui cara yang tepat agar pestisida dan zat gizi yang terkandung dalam bahan makanan tersebut apabila diproses dalam pengolahan makanan. Masyarakat Indonesia masih kurang mengonsumsi sayuran dan buah, konsumsi kelompok sayur dan olahannya serta buah-buahan dan olahannya masih rendah, yaitu 57,1 gram per orang per hari dan 33,5 gram per orang per hari. Padahal dianjurkan konsumsi sayuran dan buah-buahan 300-400 g perorang perhari bagi anak balita/ anak usia sekolah dan 400-600 g perorang perhari bagi remaja/orang dewasa. Kondisi ini menunjukkan bahwa asupan buah dan sayur belum memadai yang berakibat rendah pula suplai vitamin dan mineral yang dibutuhkan oleh tubuh.Perlu pelatihan pemanfaatan buah dan sayur untuk mendukung Gerakan Masyarakat Sehat (Germas) pada kader Aisyiyah di Banguntapan Utara.Â  Harapannya dengan memberikan pelatihan ini pada kader mampu secara terampil mentransfer ilmu dan pengetahuan tentang memanfaatkan Buah dan Sayur Untuk Mendukung Program GERMAS melalui pemanfaatan lahan untuk menanam buah dan sayur, menerapkan higiene dan sanitasi makanan, serta mengolah makanan buah dan sayur dengan baik kepada masyarakat
PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN LILIN AROMATERAPI DI PEDUKUHAN JANGKANG LOR, SENTOLO, KULONPROGO
Authors: Rahman Hasrul , Adi Hanif Rahman , Yuliani Dian , Rinah Rinah
Published: May 2022

Kreativitas sangat dibutuhkan dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat saat ini. Salah satu tujuannya adalah untuk mendongkrak perekonomian dalam negri. Pelatihan pembuatan lilin aromaterapi adalah salah satu cara untuk menghasilkan produk yang dapat menjadi sebuah sumber penghasilan yang bernilai jual tinggi. Pelatihan pembuatan lilin aromaterapi ini dilaksanakan di pedukuhan Jangkang Lor, Kab Kulon Progo. Dengan diadakannya pelatihan ini masyarakat pedukuhan Jangkang Lor dapat memahami teori dan praktik pembuatan lilin aromaterapi. Setelah pelatihan ini selesai diharapkan masyarakat dapat mengembangkan lebih lanjut, agar bisa dijadikan sebagai sarana untuk menghasilkan sumber penghasilan bagi masyarakat setempat.Â
PENCEGAHAN DAN PENANGGULANGAN PENYEBARAN FAHAM RADIKALISME DI KALANGAN PELAJAR SMA SE KABUPATEN KARANGANYAR
Authors: Danuri Danuri , Kintoko Kintoko
Published: May 2022

Tujuan pengabdian ini adalah untuk memberikan pemahaman yang benar tentang faham radikalisme dan memaksimalkan sosialilasi pencegahan, pembinaan dan pedampingan tentang faham radikalisme dikalangn pelajar SMA se kabupaten Karanganyar. Metode yang digunakan berupa sosialisasi dan pembinaan. Pembinaan dan pembinaan dilaksanakanÂ  dengan sistem kelas dengan metode diskusi interaktif menggunakan teknik presentasi. Sosialisasi yang diberikan adalah bentuk pencegahan dan penanggulangan faham radikalisme melalui modul yang telah disusun bersama dengan Polres, Kodim, Tokoh Agama dan tokoh masyarakat di Karanganyar. Hasil dari pengabdian ini adalah adanya kesamaan tekad dari seluruh pelajar sekaranganya yang diwakili oleh masing-masing osis bahwa radikalisme penting untung dikaji lebih jauh lagi. Kemudian bersama-sama seluruh elemn masyarakat untuk memberantas adanya terorisme di wilayah Karangnayar. Dampak dari kegiatan ini adalah dalam rangka pencegahan, pembinaan dan pedampingan tentang faham radikalisme sehingga meningkatnya pemahaman yang benar dan dapat menjauhi gerakan radikal dikalangan pelajar SMA se Kabupaten Karanganyar.Â Kata Kunci: Pencegahan dan Penanggulangan, Radikalisme, Pelajar SMAABSTRACTÂ The purpose of this community service is to provide the proper perceptivity on the ideology of radicalism and maximized the socialization of the prevention,Â  coaching and mentoring about the ideology of radicalism of high school students in Karanganyar District. The method was socialization and coaching. The coaching was carried out in a class based learning which employed interactive discussion using presentation technique. The given socialization was a form of prevention and treatment to encounter radicalism through a module which was collaboratively constructed by district police office (POLRES), military district commander (KODIM), religious leaders, and community leaders in Karanganyar. The result of this dedication was there is a common determination of all students now represented by each student body that radicalism is important to be further studied. In addition, together with all elements of society to eradicate terrorism in Karangnayar. The impact of this activity is in the context of preventing, fostering and assisting in the understanding of radicalism as well as to increase the correct understanding and be able to avoid radical movements among high school students throughout Karanganyar.Â Keywords: Prevention and the Treatment, Radicalism, High School Student
SOSIALISASI, PENYULUHAN, PENANAMAN, DAN PEMANFAATAN TANAMAN OBAT KELUARGA (TOGA)
Authors: Rahmawati Aryani Intan Endah , Hardiyanto Dian , Azhari Febri , Suminar Ari
Published: May 2022

Tanaman Obat Keluarga (TOGA) merupakan tanaman yang dimiliki oleh keluarga dan berfungsi sebagai obat-obatan tradisional. Tanaman ini aman, murah, dan mudah didapat, khususnya di Desa Nglegi. Desa ini merupakan salah satu desa yang telah mengenal dan menghasilkan beberapa TOGA, namun pemanfaatannya belum optimal. Kegiatan sosialisasi, penyuluhan, penanaman, dan pemanfaatan TOGA dirancang untuk memberikan edukasi kepada masyarakat dalam pemanfaatan TOGA. Masyarakat desa diberikan pengetahuan mengenai pengenalan hingga pemanfaatan TOGA untuk kehidupan sehari-hari. Kegiatan ini dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan dan ketrampilan penanaman TOGA, sehingga dapat dijadikan obat sendiri maupun dijual dalam bentuk lain sebagai sumber ekonomi keluarga.Â
Raising awareness of cytomegalovirus
Authors: Wood Sharon
Published: May 2022

Sharon Wood, who works for the charity CMV Action, discusses cytomegalovirus, a common but often unknown risk during pregnancy
The experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic student midwives at a UK university
Authors: Pendleton John , Clews Claire , Cecile Aimee
Published: May 2022

Background

Evidence acknowledges inequalities to progression and achievement for black, Asian and minority ethnic students within higher education, as well as barriers for promotion of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff within the NHS. In the UK, legislation and regulatory guidance requires students studying undergraduate midwifery to undertake their programme across both these institutions.

Aims

To understand the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic students studying undergraduate midwifery at a UK university.

Methods

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with five student midwives who identified as black, Asian or minority ethnic from a university, conducted by a peer researcher. Thematic analysis was used to analyse anonymised transcript data.

Results

Three key themes were identified: ‘invisibility’, ‘emerging visibility’ and ‘managing visibility’. Participants experienced a monocultural focus in the curriculum and in practice and were exposed to racist behaviours, causing them to modify behaviours.

Conclusions

A need for diverse teaching materials and cultural inclusivity across institutions was identified to help combat outdated systemic Eurocentric practices and support the implementation of recently published midwifery standards.
Neuroanaesthesia: should volatile anaesthetics or total intravenous anaesthesia be used?
Authors: Kumar Kavita Sasi , Sebastian Joseph
Published: May 2022

The choice of anaesthesia technique for neurosurgical procedures has always been debatable. Despite the well-known effects of volatile anaesthetics on intracranial pressure, these are still widely used. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of using volatile or total intravenous anaesthesia in patients undergoing neurosurgery.
Wound dressing adherence: a review
Authors: Punjataewakupt Apirujee , Aramwit Pornanong
Published: May 2022

Wound dressing adherence is an important problem that is frequently encountered in wound care, and is associated with both clinical and economic burdens. However, only a few review articles have focused on this issue. The objective of this review was to present a comprehensive discussion of wound dressing adherence, including the mechanism of dressing adherence, adverse consequences (clinical burdens and economic burdens), factors affecting adherence (dressing-, patient- and wound-related factors, and factors related to the wound care procedure), tests to assess dressing adherence (in vitro assay, in vivo assay and clinical trials), and reduction of wound adherence (modification of dressing adherence and special care in particular patients). Accordingly, this review article emphasises an awareness of dressing adherence, and is intended to be an informative source for the development of new dressings and for wound management.
Contact allergy mimicking trench foot infection: a case study
Authors: De Leeuw Jonas , Mertens Michelle , Bervoets An , Kate Gerrit Luit Ten
Published: May 2022

Hard-to-heal wounds are a major cause of morbidity and/or mortality. Multiple aetiologies can be identified and wounds can be treated according to their aetiology and macroscopic appearance. However, evidence behind the wide range of locally applied treatments is weak, without clear guidelines available to treat a variety of wound aetiologies. We present the case of a 63-year-old male with hard-to-heal wounds not responding to standard topical treatment. No clear underlying aetiology could be found. Extensive contact allergies were diagnosed after multiple topical and systemic treatments had been applied. A full recovery was observed after stopping topical agents and treating the wounds with an alternative treatment based on epicutaneous test results.
Numerical Study of the Hydraulic Effects of Modifying the Outlet Pipe and Diffuser Plate in Pressurized Sand Filters with Wand-Type Underdrains
Authors: Pujol Toni , Puig-Bargués Jaume , Arbat Gerard , Chaves Melissa , Duran-Ros Miquel , Pujol Joan , Ramírez de Cartagena Francisco
Published: May 2022

Highlights

An outlet pipe with twice the cross-sectional area reduced the filter pressure drop by 12%.

Two-outlet designs did not improve the hydraulic performance of the central wand.

Flow uniformity in the sand bed was improved with a central downward outlet pipe.

Abstract. The pressurized sand filters used in drip irrigation systems have three zones (the water inlet, sand bed, and water outlet) with different hydraulic behaviors. Previous studies that aimed to improve the hydraulic performance of these filters focused on the water inlet and sand bed by redesigning the diffuser plate and underdrain elements, respectively. In this study, we analyzed the consequences of modifying the water outlet of a commercial porous medium filter without changing its underdrain design. The original design consisted of a horizontal pipe connected to ten horizontal wands. Five additional designs that varied in size, orientation, and number of outlets were numerically studied in four operating modes (including two sand bed heights and two superficial velocities). Comparison with the commercial design indicated that (1) an outlet pipe with twice the cross-sectional area reduced the overall filter pressure drop by up to 12% and increased the flow uniformity within the sand bed; (2) two outlets led to symmetrical behavior for the amount of water drained per wand but did not improve the water volume drained by the central wand, which drained the least amount; and (3) a central vertical outlet of equal diameter as the commercial outlet produced a similar pressure drop but increased the flow uniformity within the porous medium. For completeness, two additional diffuser designs were also studied. In comparison with the original design, the proposed designs improved the flow uniformity and weakened the water vortex above the sand surface. Keywords: Computational fluid dynamics, Drip irrigation, Filtration, Granular bed, Modeling.
Humour et création lexicale dans le discours révolutionnaire du Hirak algérien
Authors: Benazouz Nadjiba , Refrafi Soraya
Published: May 2022

This contribution is intended to be a descriptive and analytical study of the vehicular lexical processes of humor in the revolutionary discourse of the Algerian Hirak. Our reflection revolves around the following problem: what are the most productive lexical creation processes for humor in the revolutionary discourse of Hirak in Algeria? Our study would be quantitative in the measure of making statistics on the number of lexes generated by each process and qualitative in the sense of resorting to the contextualization in order to find the source meaning of humor for each lexis. For the purposes of this present research, we have collected 54 lexes that appeared in the revolutionary speech on Facebook pages, from 22 February 2019 until 31 October 2020, a period of moments of popular protest, known as Algerian Hirak, in fact, we first try to classify the collared lexis according to the categories of humor, taking inspiration from the work of P. Charaudeau (2006), then we identify the different creative processes mobilized in each category, in us. Referring to the typology of Pruvost/Sablayrolles (2016).
Theoretical analysis of a polarized two-photon Michelson interferometer with broadband chaotic light
Authors: He Yuchen , Zhou Yu , Liu Jianbin , Luo Sheng , Zheng Huaibin , Chen Hui , Liu Yanyan , Li Fuli , Xu Zhuo
Published: May 2022

Two-photon interference of broadband chaotic light in a Michelson interferometer is theoretically and numerically studied with a two-photon-absorption detector when polarizations are taken into account. Under the frame of quantum optics, the theoretical analysis is based on two-photon interference and Feynman path integral theory. A two-photon coherence matrix is introduced to calculate the second-order interference pattern. Our research shows that polarization is another dimension, as well as time and space, to tune the second-order interference pattern in the two-photon interference process. Polarizations can act as switches to manipulate the interference process and may open the door to some new experimental schemes. The quantum optical vector model is also helpful to understand the physics of second-order interference when the light source is quantum.
Phase-preserving principle of all-optical regenerators with applications to MZI-nested NOLM structure
Authors: Guo Biao , Wu Baojian , Wen Feng , Qiu Kun
Published: May 2022

The principle of phase-preserving regeneration is revealed by a simple theoretical model, that is, in the regenerated signals the linear phase shift component is dominant over the nonlinear counterpart for phase-preserving amplitude regeneration (PPAR). A Mach-Zehnder- interferometer (MZI)-nested nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) PPAR scheme is proposed and verified by theory and experiment. Our experiment shows that for QPSK regeneration the noise reduction ratio in terms of error vector magnitude (EVM) is linearly dependent on the input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with the slope of 0.78 and the average phase disturbation is 4.37 degree, close to the theoretical value of 3.8 degrees. The influence of the optical couplers on the PPAR performance is in detail discussed.
Generation of arbitrarily directed split beams with a reflective metasurface
Authors: Williams Richard J. , Gjonbalaj Arben M. , Green Katherine D. , Wells Brian M.
Published: May 2022

We present a new, to the best of our knowledge, formalism in the design of metasurface beamsplitters with arbitrarily chosen split beam directions. This technique is based on the well-established array theory; in particular the Fourier transform method of array synthesis, to cast an obliquely incident plane wave to multiple designer-selected scattering directions. To show the efficacy of this approach, a beamsplitting metasurface reflector is designed and verified experimentally and numerically. The metasurface is fabricated by screen-printing patterns of metallic rectangular-shaped resonators of conductive ink onto a ground plane-backed substrate. The beamsplitting characteristics are quantified using a simple free-space transmit/receive horn system operating at 10.525 GHz. It is shown that the presented design technique accurately predicts the scattering properties of the fabricated metasurface and is a useful method for electromagnetic wave manipulation.
Resolving the scalability challenge of wavelength locking for multiple micro-rings via pipelined time-division-multiplexing control
Authors: Wang Zhicheng , Ming Da , Wang Yuhang , Qiu Ciyuan , Tan Min
Published: May 2022

Micro-ring resonator (MRR) is a key photonic device that has a wide range of applications but suffers from wavelength uncertainties. For almost all practical applications, a wavelength controller is required for each MRR. The wavelength controller is usually much larger than the MRR. With more complicated control algorithms, the controller size becomes even larger. Equipping each MRR with a wavelength controller will not be scalable. We propose a pipelined time-division-multiplexing (PTDM) control scheme that achieves high scalability while maintaining good loop bandwidth by exploiting the speed mismatch between the heater and the controller. To verify this proposed scheme, a hybrid integrated controller supporting four MRRs is designed. Measurement results show that it achieves a sine tracking speed of about 15 nm/s while achieving a locking accuracy of 7 pm and a tuning range of 9 nm.
Small-core hollow-core nested antiresonant nodeless fiber with semi-circular tubes
Authors: Zhu Yunhao , Li Wei , Gao Fuyu , Xu Xiaobin , Song Ningfang
Published: May 2022

Hollow-core nested anti-resonant nodeless fibers (HC-NANFs) exhibit great performance in low loss and large bandwidth. Large core sizes are usually used to reduce confinement losses, but meanwhile, bring side effects such as high bending and coupling losses. This study proposes a small-core HC-NANF with a relatively low confinement loss. Semi-circular tubes (SCTs) are added to constitute the core boundary and reduce the fiber-core radius (R). Double NANFs tubes and single-ring tubes are added inside the SCTs to reduce loss. Simulation results show that the optimized structure with R of 5 µm has confinement loss and total loss of 0.687 dB/km and 4.27 dB/km at 1.55 µm, respectively. The bending loss is less than 10 dB/km at 1.4 ∼ 1.6 µm with a bending radius of 10 mm. The direct coupling loss with standard single mode fiber is greatly reduced to ∼ 0.125 dB compared to other HC-NANFs. The modified structure of HC-NANFs also shows a large bandwidth, effective single-mode operation, potentially high birefringence performance, and remarkable robustness of the optimized structure parameters, making it suitable for short-haul applications in laser-based gas sensing, miniaturized fiber sensing, etc.
Realization of low-cross-talk half-wavelength pitch waveguide array on a silicon-on-insulator platform
Authors: Chen Cheng , Zhao Xianmeng , Tang Shengjie , Liu Xiaoping , Lv Haibin
Published: May 2022

Realizing a densely packed waveguide antenna array is of great importance in light detection and ranging (LIDAR), owing to its suppressed grating lobes. In this work, a low-cross-talk half-wavelength pitch silicon waveguide array is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. It has a periodic arrangement of silicon strip nanophotonic waveguides, between which deep-subwavelength silicon strips are placed. Our experimental results show that this array’s cross talk suppression is nearly 20 dB and has a bandwidth covering a wavelength range from 1500 nm to 1560 nm. Our realization of a half-wavelength pitch waveguide array may offer a promising platform for studying integrated optical phased arrays for solid-state LIDAR with a very low grating lobe and thus potentially a large field of view.
Binary-lens-embedded photonic crystals
Authors: Xia Chun , Bustamante Edgar , Kuebler Stephen M. , Martinez Noel P. , Rumpf Raymond C. , Touma Jimmy E.
Published: May 2022

A binary-lens-embedded photonic crystal (B-LEPC) was designed for operation at 1550 nm and fabricated by multiphoton lithography. The lens is binary in the sense that optical path difference is generated using unit cells having just two distinct fill factors. The unit cells have a “rod-in-wall” structure that exhibits three-dimensional self-collimation. Simulations show that self-collimation forces light to move through the device without diffracting or focusing, even as the wavefront is reshaped by the lensing region. Upon exiting the device, the curved wavefront causes the light to focus. The thickness of a B-LEPC was reduced threefold by wrapping phase in the style of a Fresnel lens. Embedding a faster-varying phase profile enables tighter focusing, and numerical aperture NA = 0.59 was demonstrated experimentally.
High refractive index change in Type A laser modification using a multi-scan approach
Authors: Loi Laura , Petit Yannick , Canioni Lionel
Published: May 2022

The focusing of femtosecond laser pulses is an efficient and robust way to fabricate integrated optical components in glasses. However, the induced refractive index changes are weak if compared with those obtained in lithography. Several solutions have been found to overcome such problem, the multi-scan technique being one of these. The present work implements the multi-scan approach on the femtosecond inscription of Type A laser modifications in high repetition rate regime. Therefore, a study on the effects of the absorption of subsequent laser pulses on the increase of the induced refractive index is conducted. As a result, the achievement of high and smooth refractive index change, up to 2 × 10−2, in a commercial silver-glass is reported. Moreover, such high and controlled index contrast is exploited for the fabrication of low-propagation-losses and engineered waveguides exhibiting single-mode operation in the VIS-NIR range.
Sn content gradient GeSn with strain controlled for high performance GeSn mid-infrared photodetectors
Authors: Liu Xiangquan , Zheng Jun , Niu Chaoqun , Liu Taoran , Huang Qinxing , Li Mingming , Zhang Diandian , Pang Yaqing , Liu Zhi , Zuo Yuhua , Cheng Buwen
Published: May 2022

GeSn detectors have attracted a lot of attention for mid-infrared Si photonics, due to their compatibility with Si complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. The GeSn bandgap can be affected by Sn composition and strain, which determines the working wavelength range of detectors. Applying the Sn content gradient GeSn layer structure, the strain of GeSn can be controlled from fully strained to completely relaxed. In this work, the strain evolution of GeSn alloys was investigated, and the effectiveness of gradually increasing Sn composition for the growth of high-Sn-content GeSn alloys was revealed. Relaxed GeSn thick films with Sn composition up to 16.3% were grown, and GeSn photodetectors were fabricated. At 77 K, the photodetectors showed a cutoff wavelength up to 4.2 μm and a peak responsivity of 0.35 A/W under 1 V at 2.53 μm. These results indicate that GeSn alloys grown on a Sn content gradient GeSn structure have promising application in mid-infrared detection.
TFAP2 paralogs facilitate chromatin access for MITF at pigmentation and cell proliferation genes
Authors: Kenny Colin , Dilshat Ramile , Seberg Hannah E. , Van Otterloo Eric , Bonde Gregory , Helverson Annika , Franke Christopher M. , Steingrímsson Eiríkur , Cornell Robert A.
Published: May 2022

In developing melanocytes and in melanoma cells, multiple paralogs of the Activating-enhancer-binding Protein 2 family of transcription factors (TFAP2) contribute to expression of genes encoding pigmentation regulators, but their interaction with Microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF), a master regulator of these cells, is unclear. Supporting the model that TFAP2 facilitates MITF’s ability to activate expression of pigmentation genes, single-cell seq analysis of zebrafish embryos revealed that pigmentation genes are only expressed in the subset of mitfa-expressing cells that also express tfap2 paralogs. To test this model in SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells we deleted the two TFAP2 paralogs with highest expression, TFAP2A and TFAP2C, creating TFAP2 knockout (TFAP2-KO) cells. We then assessed gene expression, chromatin accessibility, binding of TFAP2A and of MITF, and the chromatin marks H3K27Ac and H3K27Me3 which are characteristic of active enhancers and silenced chromatin, respectively. Integrated analyses of these datasets indicate TFAP2 paralogs directly activate enhancers near genes enriched for roles in pigmentation and proliferation, and directly repress enhancers near genes enriched for roles in cell adhesion. Consistently, compared to WT cells, TFAP2-KO cells proliferate less and adhere to one another more. TFAP2 paralogs and MITF co-operatively activate a subset of enhancers, with the former necessary for MITF binding and chromatin accessibility. By contrast, TFAP2 paralogs and MITF do not appear to co-operatively inhibit enhancers. These studies reveal a mechanism by which TFAP2 profoundly influences the set of genes activated by MITF, and thereby the phenotype of pigment cells and melanoma cells.
Antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants induced by four different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in health care workers in the Netherlands: A prospective cohort study
Authors: van Gils Marit J. , Lavell Ayesha , van der Straten Karlijn , Appelman Brent , Bontjer Ilja , Poniman Meliawati , Burger Judith A. , Oomen Melissa , Bouhuijs Joey H. , van Vught Lonneke A. , Slim Marleen A. , Schinkel Michiel , Wynberg Elke , van Willigen Hugo D. G. , Grobben Marloes , Tejjani Khadija , van Rijswijk Jacqueline , Snitselaar Jonne L. , Caniels Tom G. ,   Amsterdam UMC COVID-19 S3/HCW study group, Vlaar Alexander P. J. , Prins Maria , de Jong Menno D. , de Bree Godelieve J. , Sikkens Jonne J. , Bomers Marije K. , Sanders Rogier W.
Published: May 2022

Background

Emerging and future SARS-CoV-2 variants may jeopardize the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns. Therefore, it is important to know how the different vaccines perform against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Methods and findings

In a prospective cohort of 165 SARS-CoV-2 naive health care workers in the Netherlands, vaccinated with either one of four vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, AZD1222 or Ad26.COV2.S), we performed a head-to-head comparison of the ability of sera to recognize and neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron). Repeated serum sampling was performed 5 times during a year (from January 2021 till January 2022), including before and after booster vaccination with BNT162b2. Four weeks after completing the initial vaccination series, SARS-CoV-2 wild-type neutralizing antibody titers were highest in recipients of mRNA-1273, followed by recipients of BNT162b2 (geometric mean titers (GMT) of 358 [95% CI 231–556] and 214 [95% CI 153–299], respectively; p<0.05), and substantially lower in those vaccinated with the adenovirus vector-based vaccines AZD1222 and Ad26.COV2.S (GMT of 18 [95% CI 11–30] and 14 [95% CI 8–25] IU/ml, respectively; p<0.001). VOCs neutralization was reduced in all vaccine groups, with the greatest reduction in neutralization GMT observed against the Omicron variant (fold change 0.03 [95% CI 0.02–0.04], p<0.001). The booster BNT162b2 vaccination increased neutralizing antibody titers for all groups with substantial improvement against the VOCs including the Omicron variant. We used linear regression and linear mixed model analysis. All results were adjusted for possible confounding of age and sex. Study limitations include the lack of cellular immunity data.

Conclusions

Overall, this study shows that the mRNA vaccines appear superior to adenovirus vector-based vaccines in inducing neutralizing antibodies against VOCs four weeks after initial vaccination and after booster vaccination, which implies the use of mRNA vaccines for both initial and booster vaccination.