bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An initial accuracy focus reduces the effect of prior exposure on perceived accuracy of news headlines
Authors: Calvillo Dustin P. , Smelter Thomas J.
Published: November 2020

The illusory truth effect occurs when the repetition of a claim increases its perceived truth. Previous studies have demonstrated the illusory truth effect with true and false news headlines. The present study examined the effects that different ratings made during initial exposure have on the illusory truth effect with news headlines. In two experiments, participants (totalN = 575) rated a set of news headlines in one of two conditions. Some participants rated how interesting they were, and others rated how truthful they were. Participants later rated the perceived accuracy of a larger set of headlines that included previously rated and new headlines. In both experiments, prior exposure increased perceived accuracy for participants who made initial interest ratings, but not for participants who made initial truthfulness ratings. The increase in perceived accuracy that accompanies repeated exposure was attenuated when participants considered the accuracy of the headlines at initial exposure. Experiment 2 also found evidence for a political bias: participants rated politically concordant headlines as more accurate than politically discordant headlines. The magnitude of this bias was related to performance on a cognitive reflection test; more analytic participants demonstrated greater political bias. These results highlight challenges that fake news presents and suggest that initially encoding headlines’ perceived truth can serve to combat the illusion that a familiar headline is a truthful one.
Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of beta blockers in septic patients: a randomized control trial
Authors: Gadallah Raouf Ramzy , Aboseif Eman Mohamed Kamal , Ibrahim Dalia Ahmed , Zaki Hany Victor , Abdelmaksoud Mohamed Nabil Mohamed
Published: November 2020

Background

Sepsis is a common fatal complication of an infection. As part of the host response, sympathetic stimulation can result in many serious complications such as septic myocardial depression and metabolic, hematological, and immunological dysfunction. Treatment with beta blockers may reduce this pathophysiological response to infection, but the clinical outcomes are not clear.

Results

Our study showed a significant difference as regards decrease in heart rate in group B with P value < 0.001 compared to group A, besides a reduction in 28-day mortality (P value 0.0385) and ICU stay (P value < 0.001) in group B compared to group A.

Conclusion

This study supports the role of intravenous beta blockers in sepsis patients by decreasing heart rate without affecting the hemodynamics, in addition to decreasing 28-day mortality and ICU stay.
The role of optical coherence tomography guidance in scaffold versus stent optimization
Authors: Al Nooryani Arif A. , Abdelrahman Nagwa A. , Helmy Hatem A. , Kishk Yehia T. , Hassan Ayman K. M.
Published: November 2020

Background

Optical coherence tomography showed a great ability to identify adverse features during percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents and resulted in better clinical outcomes. The study aimed to assess the impact of optical coherence tomography on intraoperative decision-making during implantation of Absorb bioresorbable scaffolds versus everolimus drug-eluting stents.

Results

We performed an observational study that included 223 consecutive patients post optical coherence tomography-guided implantation of either Absorb bioresorbable scaffolds (162 patients) or everolimus drug-eluting stents (61 patients). We studied the influence of optical coherence tomography on intraoperative decision-making during implantation of bioresorbable scaffolds versus drug-eluting stents by analyzing the total rate of optical coherence tomography-dependent modifications in each device.

After satisfactory angiographic results, the total rate of required intervention for optical coherence tomography detected complications was significantly higher in the bioresorbable scaffolds arm compared to drug-eluting stents arm (47.8% versus 32.9%, respectively; p = 0.019). The additional modifications encompassed further optimization in the case of device underexpansion or struts malapposition, and even stenting in the case of strut fractures, or significant edge dissection.

Conclusions

Compared to drug-eluting stents, Absord scaffold was associated with a significantly higher rate of optical coherence tomography-identified intraprocedural complications necessitating further modifications. The study provides some hints on the reasons of scaffolds failure in current PCI practice; it offers a new insight for the enhancement of BRS safety and presents and adds to the growing literature for successful BRS utilization.
Fetal magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of congenital diaphragmatic anomalies
Authors: Mahalingam Harshavardhan , Babu Biji , Rangasami Rajeswaran , Suresh Sudarshan , Suresh Indrani , Andrew Chitra
Published: November 2020

Background

Congenital abnormalities of the diaphragm cause impairment of lung development and are an important cause of post-natal morbidity and mortality. Congenital diaphragmatic eventration (CDE), a less sinister diaphragmatic anomaly compared to the more common congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), often tends to mimic CDH on prenatal imaging. This study evaluates the role of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating these two entities.

Results

This was a retrospective study which included fetal MRI studies done in patients with ultrasound diagnosis of fetal diaphragmatic anomaly. MRI exam was performed with a 1.5 T superconducting system with eight-element torso array coil. The images were studied by two radiologists experienced in fetal imaging in consensus. Diagnosis of CDE was made if the dome of the diaphragm was visualized as a thin hypointense line separating the lung from abdominal structures on coronal and sagittal MRI sequences. If this thin hypointense line was not visualized, a diagnosis of CDH was made. The findings were then correlated with autopsy/intra-operative findings/post-natal imaging follow-up. A total of 12 patients were included in the study. In these 12 patients, 13 diaphragmatic abnormalities were diagnosed on MRI (1 fetus had bilateral diaphragmatic anomaly). Of the 13 diaphragmatic anomalies detected, 7 (54%) were CDH and 6 (46%) were CDE. The type of diaphragmatic anomaly was correctly identified on MRI in all except one fetus in which CDE was misdiagnosed as CDH. The Fisher exact test statistic value was 0.0047. The result was significant atp< 0.01.

Conclusion

Fetal MRI is a useful tool for assessing congenital diaphragmatic anomalies. Visualization of the diaphragm on coronal and sagittal images helps in diagnosis of complete CDE and differentiating it from the more sinister CDH.
Recommendations from the ASCO Academic Global Oncology Task Force
Authors: Gralow Julie R. , Asirwa Fredrick Chite , Bhatt Ami Siddharth , Bourlon Maria T. , Chu Quyen , Eniu Alexandru E. , Loehrer Patrick J. , Lopes Gilberto , Shulman Lawrence N. , Close Julia , Von Roenn Jamie , Tibbits Michal , Pyle Doug
Published: November 2020

In recognition of the rising incidence and mortality of cancer in low- and middle-resource settings, as well as the increasingly international profile of its membership, ASCO has prioritized efforts to enhance its engagement at a global level. Among the recommendations included in the 2016 Global Oncology Leadership Task Force report to the ASCO Board of Directors was that ASCO should promote the recognition of global oncology as an academic field. The report suggested that ASCO could serve a role in transitioning global oncology from an informal field of largely voluntary activities to a more formal discipline with strong research and well-defined training components. As a result of this recommendation, in 2017, ASCO formed the Academic Global Oncology Task Force (AGOTF) to guide ASCO’s contributions toward formalizing the field of global oncology. The AGOTF was asked to collect and analyze key issues and barriers toward the recognition of global oncology as an academic discipline, with an emphasis on training, research, and career pathways, and produce a set of recommendations for ASCO action. The outcome of the AGOTF was the development of recommendations designed to advance the status of global oncology as an academic discipline.
The Political Aesthetics of Vulnerability and the Feminist Revolt
Authors: Sabsay Leticia
Published: November 2020

Contemporary transnational times are characterized by renewed struggles over the meaning of democracy. In this postdemocratic moment, political and cultural practices and popular mobilizations and demands have exceeded, and ultimately questioned, some of representative democracy's core conventions, from the mass feminist demonstrations and strikes, to the rise of populist politics both in Europe and the Americas. Importantly, these struggles attest to the tension between failing democratic institutions and the heightening of increasingly authoritarian and cruel forms of social precarization and exclusion. Against these murderous trends, which this article characterizes as marked by an aesthetics of cruelty, some of these struggles foreground the vulnerable character of life and the embodied dimension of politics and its affective domains. This article focuses on the social movement Ni Una Menos to examine the ways in which vulnerability has been mobilized by some contemporary feminist popular struggles, focusing on the current investment in cultural activism opposing the curtailment of bodily life along gendered, sexualized, and racialized lines. Ultimately, this intervention seeks to ponder the emancipatory potential of a political aesthetics that weaves vulnerability into the gendering of democratic claims.
At Odds with the Temporalities of the Im-possible; or, What Critical Theory Can (Still) Do
Authors: Athanasiou Athena
Published: November 2020

This essay engages with the question of critical possibility—or, the possibility of critique—and, more specifically, the political temporalities that sustain critical potential in the present and for the future. The essay asks whether and how the aesthetic can serve as a resource for making sense of the question of possibility and for developing a conception of critical subjectivity. To question what critical theory might still do in the present treats critique as an experience of the im-possible, and yet as a transformative force for shifting the conditions of possibility for knowledge production. In this way, this essay seeks to address the aporetic elements in the utopian thinking of critical theory.
hox13 genes are required for mesoderm formation and axis elongation during early zebrafish development
Authors: Ye Zhi , Kimelman David
Published: November 2020

The early vertebrate embryo extends from anterior to posterior due to the addition of neural and mesodermal cells from a neuromesodermal progenitor (NMp) population located at the most posterior end of the embryo. In order to produce mesoderm throughout this time, the NMps produce their own niche, which is high in Wnt and low in retinoic acid. Using a loss of function approach, we demonstrate here that the two most abundant hox13 genes in zebrafish have a novel role in providing robustness to the NMp niche by working in concert with the niche-establishing factor Brachyury to allow mesoderm formation. Mutants lacking both hoxa13b and hoxd13a in combination with reduced Brachyury activity have synergistic posterior body defects, in the strongest case producing embryos with severe mesodermal defects that phenocopy brachyury null mutants. Our results provide a new way of understanding the essential role of the hox13 genes in early vertebrate development.
Analysis of the Interaction between a Protein and Polymer Membranes Using Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulation to Interpret the Fouling Behavior
Authors: Mieda Shunsuke
Published: November 2020

In this study, I aimed to interpret fouling phenomena by calculating water mobility and absorption free energy of four types of polymer membranes. Although water mobility could partially represent the experimental interaction forces, it was difficult to estimate the fouling phenomena using only this index. However, the free energies computed using steered molecular dynamic simulations could estimate the experimental results quantitatively. In addition to the interaction energies, detailed interaction analyses of protein desorption from the polymer membrane were required to predict protein absorption. The series of computational analyses undertaken here would serve as a handy tool to predict the fouling ability of proteins and polymer membranes.
Growing Income Inequality in the United States and Other Advanced Economies
Authors: Hoffmann Florian , Lee David S. , Lemieux Thomas
Published: November 2020

This paper studies the contribution of both labor and non-labor income in the growth in income inequality in the United States and large European economies. The paper first shows that the capital to labor income ratio disproportionately increased among high-earnings individuals, further contributing to the growth in overall income inequality. That said, the magnitude of this effect is modest, and the predominant driver of the growth in income inequality in recent decades is the growth in labor earnings inequality. Far more important than the distinction between total income and labor income, is the way in which educational factors account for the growth in US labor and capital income inequality. Growing income gaps among different education groups as well as composition effects linked to a growing fraction of highly educated workers have been driving these effects, with a noticeable role of occupational and locational factors for women. Findings for large European economies indicate that inequality has been growing fast in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, though not in France. Capital income and education don’t play as much as a role in these countries as in the United States.
Unusual occurrence of rare Geastrum species with an abnormal stoma development found in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Karthikeyan Veluswamy
Published: November 2020

Unusual occurrence of Geastrum species fungi, belonging to the class Basidiomycetes, found in riverbank regions of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Its detailed illustrations and morphological characterization analysis are reported in this study.
Giving voice to those directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – the experience and reflections of a person with dementia
Authors: Rochford-Brennan Helen , Keogh Fiona
Published: November 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to society. Behind the daily tally of deaths and cases of infection are individuals and families who are experiencing the ultimate consequence of this disease. Every aspect of our lives has been affected and these affects are amplified for those who have to cocoon and have conditions such as dementia. There is little opportunity to directly hear the experience of those ‘vulnerable adults’ who have been self-isolating for many weeks now.  This letter takes the form of a reflective conversation with a person living with dementia. Honouring the principles of public and patient involvement (PPI), it is an attempt to give voice to the experience of one of the many thousands of vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as describing the effect on her daily life, Helen describes what supports would help at this time.  While the focus of attention at the moment is rightly on dealing with the effects of the virus in nursing homes, the many thousands of people living with dementia in the community should not be forgotten.
Programme theory and linked intervention strategy for large-scale change to improve hospital care in a low and middle-income country - A Study Pre-Protocol
Authors: English Mike , Nzinga Jacinta , Irimu Grace , Gathara David , Aluvaala Jalemba , McKnight Jacob , Wong Geoffrey , Molyneux Sassy
Published: November 2020

In low and middle-income countries (LMIC) general hospitals are important for delivering some key acute care services. Neonatal care is emblematic of these acute services as averting deaths requires skilled care over many days from multiple professionals with at least basic equipment. However, hospital care is often of poor quality and large-scale change is needed to improve outcomes. However, achieving large scale change in health systems remains challenging. To set the scene we first characterise the problems of hospital newborn units (NBU) in Kenya. We then combine our understanding of theory and context with reflection on our own position as an embedded research group with no formal authority to help us propose a feasible intervention strategy linked to in initial programme theory. We explain this programme theory and suggest how within a multi-level clinical professional network leaders at the ward or mid-level of hospital hierarchies are key potential change agents. In support of our programme theory we briefly outline and seek to integrate key ideas drawn from a wider set of theories. We propose how an intervention might be developed and employed in a phased approach to create the ownership, relationships and momentum that will be needed to achieve change at scale. Finally, we discuss the implications of such a strategy for our research design that is based on a prospective, in-depth case study that includes quantitative and qualitative data collection linked to specific sub-studies. We suggest using Realistic Evaluation to integrate our findings and develop an updated programme theory that should inform future large-scale change efforts before briefly discussing some of the challenges of evaluating a network as an intervention
Tales of the peoples of Eurasia. The Cunning Science
Authors: Khabunova E.E.
Published: November 2020

The book "Tales of the peoples of Eurasia. The Cunning Science ” is a bilingual collection of texts of fairy tales of Abkhazians, Circassians, Altaians, Bashkirs, Bretons, Buryats, Vepsians, Gagauz, Irish, Kazakhs, Kalmyks, Germans, Ossetians, Russians, Xinjiang Oirats, Tatars, Uzbeks, Frenchmen, Chechens Yakuts. The geography of the distribution of the plot “the Cunning Science” is quite extensive and the ways of its migration are noted in the fabulous folklore of various peoples, countries and continents. The collection includes fairy tales with the plot type “cunning science”. It tells about a student who has studied wonderful knowledge and skills and has surpassed his teacher in this art. A series of magical transformations of the student in various animals, birds and objects helps him to escape from the teacher’s persecution. The texts of tales were prepared by a group of folklorists - participants of the international project “Tales of the Eurasian Peoples. The Cunning Science ”, within the framework “Strategic Development Program of “Kalmyk State University named after B. B. Gorodovikov " as a core-regional university for the period 2017-2021." The publication is intended for folklorists, linguists, ethnologists, anthropologists, cultural scientists, as well as for students and graduate students of philological department and for a wide range of readers interested in folklore and culture of the peoples of Eurasia.
HR Policy: a Conceptual Approach from the Point of View of Ensuring Economic Security of Business
Authors: Tokmakova E. , Karimova D. , Bryksina P.
Published: November 2020

In modern conditions of instability of the economic situation, any business should strive to ensure its economic security, the dominant component of which is personnel security. The article is devoted to the definition of the value and role of personnel policy in ensuring the personnel security of the enterprise.

The research methodology is based on a conceptual understanding of the personnel policy as a tool for ensuring personnel security through a set of internal regulations that define the interaction of the employer and employees, allowing, among other tasks, to solve the most important task of preventing threats to the economic security of business from the staff. Based on the study of the personnel policy of a successful Russian company, JSC "Transneft Siberia", it is concluded that it can be defined as a tool for ensuring personnel security, while indicators with sum values that can be used as indicators of personnel security are identified.

The result of the study is a convincing argument for defining personnel policy as a tool for ensuring personnel security, a description of the personnel policy of Transneft Siberia as a set of internal regulations and an indication of the threshold values of personnel security indicators established by this company with a critical assessment. The analyzed experience of a successful Russian company can be used by other organizations in developing their own personnel policy and assessing its level.
The Look of a Transprofessional Worker Through the Prism of the Educational Environment of the University
Authors: Zaharov A. , Lysenko E.
Published: November 2020

The problem of forming a transprofessional personality is becoming more and more relevant in the science and practice of the development of modern society. The article considers the characteristics of a transprofessional employee as the main subject of the development of the organization and the economy as a whole through the system of his professional and personal qualities and competencies, gives a generalized idea of the place of the studied characteristics in the labor potential of a transprofessional. The research is devoted to the study of ideas about the transprofessional worker in the educational environment. In the course of the study using the author's questionnaire, assessment scales and calculation of coefficients, data were obtained regarding the opinion of students and teachers about the degree of expression of the studied characteristics in transprofessionals, as well as – as a problem field – about the possibilities of forming and developing these characteristics in the process of studying at the University. At the final stage, a comparative analysis of the results by sample category is performed. The product of the study is a score table, as well as generalized graphs that reflect the opinion of respondents on the issues under study. The scientific novelty of the research consists in an attempt to identify the main patterns of understanding the phenomenon of transprofessionalism in order to find ways to form it most effectively. The practical significance of the research results can form the basis for the transformation of modern education systems and professional self-determination of young workers.
Organization of Evaluation of Project Managers on the Example of a Production and Metallurgical Company
Authors: Ershova V. , Zaynetdinova I.
Published: November 2020

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the company's project managers on the basis of a competency model developed in accordance with international standards in the field of project management to inform management about their level of knowledge and identify needs of the Training. The theoretical significance of the work consists in the use of the competence approach and the competence model as an effective tool for evaluating project managers. The practical relevance of the research is to solve the problem of dissatisfaction of investors with the results of the projects. During the research, information about project management is summarized, internal regulations and local acts of the company are studied, with the participation of one of the authors of the article as an employee of the research organization conducted included observation (in real production process conditions), as well as the first stage of the evaluation. As a proposal to improve the current situation, a program was developed, a three-stage comprehensive assessment of 36 employees was organized and conducted, with the establishment of a rating and the formation of individual development plans.
Exploring EFL Students’ Perception of Online Learning via Microsoft Teams: University Level in Indonesia
Authors: Rojabi Ahmad Ridho
Published: November 2020

An internet connection has been crucial in the era of globalization to enhance human activities in various activities of economic, culture, defense, and many others, especially in the EFL classroom setting. Microsoft Teams as an innovative online learning platform provides unique features to enhance its potential to help EFL teachers to conduct better interaction as well learning environment in online learning. This research aimed at exploring students’ perceptions of online learning via Microsoft Teams. The study was conducted with twenty-eight sixth-semester students at Open University (Universitas Terbuka-UPBJJ Jember). Data were collected by using questionnaires to gain information about the EFL students’ perception of online learning via Microsoft Teams. The questionnaire was distributed to the students through Google forms after all materials in online learning had been conducted. The questionnaires data obtained were analyzed descriptively. The finding of the research revealed that online learning via Microsoft Teams is categorized as something new for the students but this interaction and learning environment motivated students in participating online learning, as a result, they can easier to comprehend the learning materials.
A descriptive study on ESL learners’ vocabulary knowledge through cognitive and metacognitive strategies
Authors: B R Aravind , V Rajasekaran
Published: November 2020

The present research was carried out to study the cognitive and metacognitive vocabulary learning strategies of 36 ESL learners’. Schmitt’s Vocabulary Learning Strategies questionnaire was used to conduct the study. The study revealed the subsequent array of cognitive and metacognitive strategies employed by ESL learners. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 10 ESL learners’ who completed the questionnaire to get more reliable information about learners’ strategies with vocabulary learning. The findings indicated that ‘Using English Language Media’, ‘Verbal repetition’, ‘Take notes in class’ were the most popular strategies, whereas ‘Skip or pass new word’ and ‘Put English labels on physical objects’ were least used. The results of this paper provide many implications for English language teaching. Detailed explanations of the participants’ cognitive and metacognitive strategies were given in the discussion.
Influence of thermal blooming on the beam quality of an array of Hermite–Gaussian beams propagating in the atmosphere
Authors: Ding Zhoulin , Li Xiaoqing , Cao Jianyong , Ji Xiaoling
Published: November 2020

The influence of thermal blooming on the quality of an array of Hermite–Gaussian (H-G) beams propagating in the atmosphere is studied, where the incoherent combination is considered. An analytical expression of the equivalent distortion parameter of such an array is derived and validated. As the mode order or the inverse radial fill factor of an array of H–G beams increases, the thermal blooming effect weakens, requiring more time to reach steady-state thermal blooming. The focal shift of an array of H-G beams in the atmosphere is also investigated. Owing to the thermal blooming effect in the atmosphere, the actual focus moves away from the geometric focus as the mode order decreases, which is different from the behavior in free space. Additionally, for an array of multimode beams, the actual focus moves away from the target as the weighting factor of

T
E
M

00

increases.
Pulp chamber temperature variation evaluation using fiber Bragg grating sensor
Authors: Pant Shweta , Umesh Sharath , Asokan Sundarrajan
Published: November 2020

The present in vitro study proposes a novel (to the best of our knowledge) methodology employing a fiber Bragg grating sensor for the evaluation of pulp chamber temperature increase during the polymerization of the composite resin induced by the light-curing process. A fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor (FBGTS) has been developed in view of its ease of insertion into the pulp chamber with minimal widening of the pulpal canal. The temperature increase in the pulpal chamber during the polymerization of the composite resin by light curing has been characterized with varying depths of cavities of 1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm employing FBGTS. Also, the increase in temperature of the pulpal chamber during the polymerization of the composite resin has been studied with variants of the light-curing device. The obtained results are expected to be an indicator towards the potential hazard caused by heat induced pulpal injuries during the polymerization of composite resins using a light-curing device.
Thermal management for CW operation of large-area double-lattice photonic-crystal lasers
Authors: De Zoysa Menaka , Yoshida Masahiro , Song Bongshik , Ishizaki Kenji , Inoue Takuya , Katsuno Shumpei , Izumi Koki , Tanaka Yoshinori , Hatsuda Ranko , Gelleta John , Noda Susumu
Published: November 2020

Thermal management for the continuous wave (CW) operation of large-area
double-lattice photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) is
discussed. Thermal analysis is conducted to calculate the temperature
of PCSELs under CW operation with heat dissipation. We assemble a
double-lattice PCSEL in a water-cooling package with a highly
thermally conductive sub-mount for heat dissipation. We measure the
device temperature by using a thermographic camera and compare the
measured values with the calculations. Owing to proper heat
dissipation, we successfully realize

∼

8

W

of output power under CW operation
of a single-chip double-lattice PCSEL.
Self-healing property of focused circular Airy beams
Authors: Chen Lai , Wen Jisen , Sun Dong , Wang Li-Gang
Published: November 2020

We investigate the self-healing property of focused circular Airy beams (FCAB), and this property is associated with the transverse Poynting vector (energy flow) for a better interpretation. We both experimentally and numerically show the effect of the obstruction’s position, size and shape on the self-healing property of FCAB. It is found that FCAB will heal if the obstruction is placed at the area between the two foci of FCAB, and it has the least influence on the FCAB when the obstruction is placed near the lens’ rear focal plane, whereas FCAB cannot heal if the obstruction is out of the area between two foci. Our experimental results are in good agreement with numerical results.
New compression method for full-complex holograms using the modified zerotree algorithm with the adaptive discrete wavelet transform
Authors: Kim Jin-Kyum , Kim Kyung-Jin , Kang Ji-Won , Oh Kwan-Jung , Kim Jin-Woong , Kim Dong-Wook , Seo Young-Ho
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we propose a new method for coding a full complex hologram with random phase. Since holograms with random phase have very unique spatial and frequency characteristics, a new compression method suitable for such holograms is required. We analyze the frequency characteristics of holograms with random phases and propose a new adaptive discrete wavelet transform (aDWT). Next, we propose a new modified zerotree alogrithm (mZTA) suitable for the subband configuration generated by the modified wavelet transform method. The results of the compression using the proposed method showed higher efficiency than the previous method, and the reconstructed images showed visually superior results.
Image edge detection with a photonic spiking VCSEL-neuron
Authors: Robertson Joshua , Zhang Yahui , Hejda Matěj , Bueno Julián , Xiang Shuiying , Hurtado Antonio
Published: November 2020

We report both experimentally and in theory on the detection of edge features in digital images with an artificial optical spiking neuron based on a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The latter delivers fast (< 100 ps) neuron-like optical spikes in response to optical inputs pre-processed using convolution techniques; hence representing image feature information with a spiking data output directly in the optical domain. The proposed technique is able to detect target edges of different directionalities in digital images by applying individual kernel operators and can achieve complete image edge detection using gradient magnitude. Importantly, the neuromorphic (brain-like) spiking edge detection of this work uses commercially sourced VCSELs exhibiting responses at sub-nanosecond rates (many orders of magnitude faster than biological neurons) and operating at the important telecom wavelength of 1300 nm; hence making our approach compatible with optical communication and data-centre technologies.
Structurally tunable gear-shaped plasmonic sensor
Authors: Sarker Ayon , Mitu Shamima Akter , Das Purbayan , Choudhury Sajid Muhaimin
Published: November 2020

We present a gear-shaped plasmonic nano-structure with structural tunability and high RI sensitivity. New tunable geometric parameters of the gear-tooth give further flexibility for design. By using FDTD method, the reflection spectrum of the structure is theoretically analyzed with analyte RI in the range of 1.0 to 1.44. The best achieved sensitivity is- 1044 nm/RIU for our proposed structure. The resonance wavelength of the structure is independent of the polarization angle for large number of teeth. The structure can be used to design tunable sensors for biomedical and chemical applications.
Stimulated four-wave mixing in the cascade-type atomic system of a warm Cs atomic ensemble
Authors: Hwang Jongmin , Park Jiho , Kim Heewoo , Moon Han Seb
Published: November 2020

We investigate stimulated four-wave mixing (FWM) in the 6S1/2–6P3/2–8S1/2 open transition of a warm 133Cs atomic ensemble. Despite the absence of the two-photon cycling transition, we measure high-contrast FWM signals in the 6P3/2–8S1/2 transition between the upper excited states according to the frequency detuning and powers of the coupling and driving lasers. The FWM light generation in the upper excited states is interpreted as the FWM phenomena induced by the driving laser of the 6S1/2–6P3/2 transition from the cascade-type two-photon coherent atomic ensemble with the coupling and pump lasers. We believe that this work can contribute to the development of hybrid photonic quantum networks between photonic quantum states generated from different atomic systems.
Ghost diffraction holographic microscopy
Authors: Vinu R. V. , Chen Ziyang , Singh Rakesh Kumar , Pu Jixiong
Published: November 2020

Unconventional systems that adopt the concept of ghost schemes have led to advancements in some imaging applications. However, their application in quantitative phase imaging remains a challenge. Here, we introduce a basis for quantitative phase imaging with ghost diffraction and demonstrate ghost diffraction holographic microscopy for complex-valued imaging. We achieve this by introducing an off-axis holography approach in the modified ghost diffraction system. We also realize a correlation hologram in the cross-correlation of intensities from two detectors in the modified ghost diffraction setup and digitally process the correlation hologram to image complex-valued objects. To generate experiment results, we use a modified interferometer setup and exploit the spatial statistics of the scattered field from a time-frozen pseudothermal light source. Finally, we evaluate the efficacy of the approach by simulation and follow that with experiments that demonstrate imaging of pure phase objects, planar transparencies, and resolution test targets, among others.
Structured ray-wave vector vortex beams in multiple degrees of freedom from a laser: erratum
Authors: Shen Yijie , Yang Xilin , Naidoo Darryl , Fu Xing , Forbes Andrew
Published: November 2020

This erratum to Optica 7, 820
(2020)OPTIC82334-253610.1364/OPTICA.382994 clarifies the origins
of the supplementary material.
The RSC (Remodels the Structure of Chromatin) complex of Candida albicans shows compositional divergence with distinct roles in regulating pathogenic traits
Authors: Balachandra Vinutha K. , Verma Jiyoti , Shankar Madhu , Tucey Timothy M. , Traven Ana , Schittenhelm Ralf B. , Ghosh Santanu K.
Published: November 2020

Regulation of gene expression programs is crucial for the survival of microbial pathogens in host environments and for their ability to cause disease. Here we investigated the epigenetic regulator RSC (Remodels the Structure of Chromatin) in the most prevalent human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Biochemical analysis showed that CaRSC comprises 13 subunits and contains two novel non-essential members, which we named Nri1 and Nri2 (Novel RSC Interactors) that are exclusive to the CTG clade of Saccharomycotina. Genetic analysis showed distinct essentiality of C. albicans RSC subunits compared to model fungal species suggesting functional and structural divergence of RSC functions in this fungal pathogen. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of a conditional mutant of the essential catalytic subunit gene STH1 demonstrated global roles of RSC in C. albicans biology, with the majority of growth-related processes affected, as well as mis-regulation of genes involved in morphotype switching, host-pathogen interaction and adaptive fitness. We further assessed the functions of non-essential CaRSC subunits, showing that the novel subunit Nri1 and the bromodomain subunit Rsc4 play roles in filamentation and stress responses; and also interacted at the genetic level to regulate cell viability. Consistent with these roles, Rsc4 is required for full virulence of C. albicans in the murine model of systemic infection. Taken together, our data builds the first comprehensive study of the composition and roles of RSC in C. albicans, showing both conserved and distinct features compared to model fungal systems. The study illuminates how C. albicans uses RSC-dependent transcriptional regulation to respond to environmental signals and drive survival fitness and virulence in mammals.
A complementary study approach unravels novel players in the pathoetiology of Hirschsprung disease
Authors: Mederer Tanja , Schmitteckert Stefanie , Volz Julia , Martínez Cristina , Röth Ralph , Thumberger Thomas , Eckstein Volker , Scheuerer Jutta , Thöni Cornelia , Lasitschka Felix , Carstensen Leonie , Günther Patrick , Holland-Cunz Stefan , Hofstra Robert , Brosens Erwin , Rosenfeld Jill A. , Schaaf Christian P. , Schriemer Duco , Ceccherini Isabella , Rusmini Marta , Tilghman Joseph , Luzón-Toro Berta , Torroglosa Ana , Borrego Salud , Sze-man Tang Clara , Garcia-Barceló Mercè , Tam Paul , Paramasivam Nagarajan , Bewerunge-Hudler Melanie , De La Torre Carolina , Gretz Norbert , Rappold Gudrun A. , Romero Philipp , Niesler Beate
Published: November 2020

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR, OMIM 142623) involves congenital intestinal obstruction caused by dysfunction of neural crest cells and their progeny during enteric nervous system (ENS) development. HSCR is a multifactorial disorder; pathogenetic variants accounting for disease phenotype are identified only in a minority of cases, and the identification of novel disease-relevant genes remains challenging. In order to identify and to validate a potential disease-causing relevance of novel HSCR candidate genes, we established a complementary study approach, combining whole exome sequencing (WES) with transcriptome analysis of murine embryonic ENS-related tissues, literature and database searches,in siliconetwork analyses, and functional readouts using candidate gene-specific genome-edited cell clones. WES datasets of two patients with HSCR and their non-affected parents were analysed, and four novel HSCR candidate genes could be identified:ATP7A,SREBF1,ABCD1andPIAS2. Further rare variants in these genes were identified in additional HSCR patients, suggesting disease relevance. Transcriptomics revealed that these genes are expressed in embryonic and fetal gastrointestinal tissues. Knockout of these genes in neuronal cells demonstrated impaired cell differentiation, proliferation and/or survival. Our approach identified and validated candidate HSCR genes and provided further insight into the underlying pathomechanisms of HSCR.
The Bric-à-Brac BTB/POZ transcription factors are necessary in niche cells for germline stem cells establishment and homeostasis through control of BMP/DPP signaling in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary
Authors: Miscopein Saler Laurine , Hauser Virginie , Bartoletti Mathieu , Mallart Charlotte , Malartre Marianne , Lebrun Laura , Pret Anne-Marie , Théodore Laurent , Chalvet Fabienne , Netter Sophie
Published: November 2020

Many studies have focused on the mechanisms of stem cell maintenanceviatheir interaction with a particular niche or microenvironment in adult tissues, but how formation of a functional niche is initiated, including how stem cells within a niche are established, is less well understood. AdultDrosophila melanogasterovary Germline Stem Cell (GSC) niches are comprised of somatic cells forming a stack called a Terminal Filament (TF) and associated Cap and Escort Cells (CCs and ECs, respectively), which are in direct contact with GSCs. In the adult ovary, the transcription factor Engrailed is specifically expressed in niche cells where it directly controls expression of thedecapentaplegic(dpp) gene encoding a member of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) family of secreted signaling molecules, which are key factors for GSC maintenance. In larval ovaries, in response to BMP signaling from newly formed niches, adjacent primordial germ cells become GSCs. Thebric-à-bracparalogs (bab1andbab2) encode BTB/POZ domain-containing transcription factors that are expressed in developing niches of larval ovaries. We show here that their functions are necessary specifically within precursor cells for TF formation during these stages. We also identify a new function for Bab1 and Bab2 within developing niches for GSC establishment in the larval ovary and for robust GSC maintenance in the adult. Moreover, we show that the presence of Bab proteins in niche cells is necessary for activation of transgenes reportingdppexpression as of larval stages in otherwise correctly specified Cap Cells, independently of Engrailed and its paralog Invected (En/Inv). Moreover, strong reduction ofengrailed/invectedexpression during larval stages does not impair TF formation and only partially reduces GSC numbers. In the adult ovary, Bab proteins are also required fordppreporter expression in CCs. Finally, whenbab2was overexpressed at this stage in somatic cells outside of the niche, there were no detectable levels of ectopic En/Inv, but ectopic expression of adpptransgene was found in these cells and BMP signaling activation was induced in adjacent germ cells, which produced GSC-like tumors. Together, these results indicate that Bab transcription factors are positive regulators of BMP signaling in niche cells for establishment and homeostasis of GSCs in theDrosophilaovary.
The NTD Supply Chain Forum—Strengthening the backbone of NTD programs
Authors: Souza Ashley A. , Holloway Cassandra , Williams Tijana
Published: November 2020

Global programs targeting 5 preventive chemotherapy neglected tropical diseases (PC-NTDs) have scaled up rapidly in recent decades due, in large part, to the generous drug donations from 6 pharmaceutical companies—Eisai; Johnson & Johnson (J&J); GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, United States of America (MSD); Merck KgaA; and Pfizer. Today, the scale of the PC-NTD drug donation programs is staggering. Nearly 15 billion tablets have been manufactured, packaged, shipped, and distributed in order to reach the people in need. The supply chains established to support such massive operations are enormously complex. Here, we describe a unique public–private partnership that was formed to bring together supply chain expertise to overcome the critical challenges associated with such large-scale production and delivery of donated pharmaceutical products.
Experiences of cervical cancer survivors in Chitwan, Nepal: A qualitative study
Authors: Shrestha Gambhir , Mulmi Rashmi , Phuyal Prabin , Thakur Rahul Kumar , Siwakoti Bhola
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Cervical cancer is a global leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The majority of cervical cancer deaths occur in developing countries including Nepal. Though knowledge of cervical cancer is an important determinant of women’s participation in prevention and screening for cervical cancer, little is known about this topic in Nepal. This study explores the experiences of cervical cancer survivors and assesses the attitude of family and community towards it and stigma related to this disease in Bharatpur, Nepal.

Methods

The study design was qualitative methods involving two focus-group discussions. A total of 17 cervical cancer survivors, who have completed two years of cancer treatment were selected purposively from Chitwan. All qualitative data were transcribed and translated into English and were thematically analyzed.

Results

The majority of the participants had scant knowledge about cervical cancer, its causative agent, showed less cervical cancer screening, delayed healthcare-seeking behavior despite having persistent symptoms before the diagnosis. The main reasons identified for not uptaking the cervical screening methods were an embarrassment and having no symptoms at all. Most of them endured social stigma related to cervical cancer in the form of physical isolation and verbal abuse.

Conclusions

There is an urgent need for interventions to make women and the public aware of cervical cancer and launch effective health education campaigns, policies for cervical cancer prevention programs. This implementation can save the lives of hundreds of women and help them avoid going through all the negative experiences related to cervical cancer. More studies are required to gain the perspectives, knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of cervical cancer survivors to add to the research.
Effect of age on the gap-prepulse inhibition of the cortical N1-P2 complex in humans as a step towards an objective measure of tinnitus
Authors: Ku Yunseo , Kim Do Youn , Kwon Chiheon , Noh Tae Soo , Park Moo Kyun , Lee Jun Ho , Oh Seung Ha , Kim Hee Chan , Suh Myung-Whan
Published: November 2020

The gap-prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex has been widely used as a behavioral method for tinnitus screening in animal studies. The cortical-evoked potential gap-induced inhibition has also been investigated in animals as well as in human subjects. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of age on the cortical N1-P2 complex in the gap-prepulse inhibition paradigm. Fifty-seven subjects, aged 20 to 68 years, without continuous tinnitus, were tested with two effective gap conditions (embedded gap of 50- or 20-ms duration). Retest sessions were performed within one month. A significant gap-induced inhibition of the N1-P2 complex was found in both gap durations. Age differently affected the inhibition, depending on gap duration. With a 50-ms gap, the inhibition decreased significantly with the increase in age. This age-inhibition relationship was not found when using a 20-ms gap. The results were reproducible in the retest session. Our findings suggest that the interaction between age and gap duration should be considered when applying the gap-induced inhibition of the cortical-evoked potential as an objective measure of tinnitus in human subjects. Further studies with tinnitus patients are warranted to identify gap duration that would minimize the effects of age and maximize the difference in the inhibition between those with and without tinnitus.