bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between clinical manifestations of occlusal trauma and magnetic resonance imaging findings of periodontal ligament space
Authors: Dewake Nanae , Miki Manabu , Ishioka Yasuaki , Nakamura Suguru , Taguchi Akira , Yoshinari Nobuo
Published: September 2023

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between clinical manifestations of occlusal trauma of the teeth and maximum signal intensity of periodontal ligament space on MRI.

Methods:

20 subjects (males: 9, females: 11, mean age: 35.9 ± 14.0 years, range: 22–65 years) participated in this study. Subjective symptoms of bruxism, tooth mobility, fremitus, occlusal contact area, occlusal force, widening of the periodontal ligament space, and thickening of the lamina dura were defined as clinical manifestations of occlusal trauma. The total number of clinical manifestations was used to evaluate the degree of clinical occlusal trauma, with a score of 7 indicating the highest degree of occlusal trauma. The maximum signal intensity in the periodontal ligament space was evaluated by a specific T  2 weighted MRI sequence: IDEAL image.

Results:

Spearman’s rank correlation between the total clinical occlusal trauma score and maximum signal intensity in the periodontal ligament space was 0.529 for all teeth, 0.517 for anterior teeth, and 0.396 for molar teeth (p < 0.001 for all).

Conclusions:

A significant correlation between the degree of occlusal trauma and the signal intensity of the periodontal ligament space suggests a new potential MRI-based method for objectively determining occlusal trauma.
The influence of physiological parameters on game efficiency
in team handball
Authors: Gheorghe Carmen , Mereuță Claudiu
Published: September 2023

In addition to the technical and tactical aspects, the influence of physiological parameters is an important aspect for the performance of handball players. In this paper, the authors aim to highlight and analyze the influence of specific indices on efficiency in the game. For this purpose, a methodology based on experimental physiological measurements and modeling with artificial neural networks (ANN) was used. The obtained results allow to conclude that the total efficiency coefficient in the game (CECG) is influenced by the measured values of the specific physiological indices. In addition, the use of the ANN can identify opportunities to improve CECG by changing these indices and, in this case, re-placing pre-game inactivity (PB) with a program (AB) to maintain physiological parame-ters at optimal levels
Reporting of angiographic studies in patients diagnosed with a cerebral arteriovenous malformation: a systematic review
Authors: Das Suparna , Kasher Paul , Waqar Mueez , Parry-Jones Adrian , Patel Hiren
Published: September 2023

A cerebral arteriovenous malformation (cAVM) is an abnormal tangle of cerebral blood vessels. The consensus document by the Joint Writing Group (JWG) highlighted which cAVM features should be recorded. Subsequent publications have reported cAVM angioarchitecture, but it is unknown if all followed the JWG recommendations.

The aim of this systematic review was to describe use of the JWG guidelines.

A database search, using the PRISMA checklist, was performed. We describe the proportion of publications that used JWG reporting standards, which standards were used, whether the definitions used differed from the JWG, or if any additional angiographic features were reported.

Out of 4306 articles identified, 105 were selected, and a further 114 from other sources.

Thirty-three studies (33/219; 15%) specifically referred to using JWG standards.

Since the JWG publication, few studies have used their standards to report cAVMs. This implies that the angioarchitecture of cAVMs are not routinely fully described.
Snapping ankles: peroneal tendon subluxation and dislocation
Authors: Hosack Tom , Perkins Oliver , Bleibleh Sabri , Singh Rahul
Published: September 2023

Peroneal tendon dislocation or subluxation is an orthopaedic condition that usually occurs as a result of injury to the superior peroneal retinaculum. The peroneal muscles are located in the lateral compartment of the leg, and their tendons run in the retromalleolar groove anchored by the superior peroneal retinaculum. Peroneal instability is usually classified using the Eckert and Davies classification, which was modified by Oden into a four-point grading system. The mechanism of injury is typically sudden forced dorsiflexion, resulting in aggressive tautness of the peroneal tendons, combined with a forced eversion of the hindfoot. Plain X-ray, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging are useful for imaging of the injury and in planning for surgery. Operative management has high success rates and there are multiple surgical techniques available, including superior peroneal retinaculum repair, tenoplasty, bone block procedures, groove deepening and endoscopic approaches, with little variation in outcome found between the approaches.
The people’s budget? How business interests and fiscal constraints shaped the economic policies of the Italian populist government
Authors: Gasseau Gemma , Maccarrone Vincenzo
Published: September 2023

Between June 2018 and September 2019, Italy was ruled by a coalition government comprising the far-right League and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. The government, which was widely referred to as the first populist executive in a major EU member state, alarmed Italian and European elites. In fact, the coalition built its rhetoric on questioning EU legislation, particularly that concerning immigration and, of interest here, fiscal constraints and austerity policies. The executive’s first programmatic document on economic policy, the budgetary plan for 2019, triggered two months of heated negotiations with the European Commission before being approved.

Although critical political economists have investigated how the ‘populist’ government furthered neoliberalism in Italy, an analysis of its organic ties with Italian capital is still missing. Our article addresses this gap by investigating, within a critical Global Political Economy perspective, the competing business interests behind the budgetary plan and how they shaped the formulation of the populist government’s economic policies. The analysis of the executive’s economic policies, together with its organic ties with capital, allows us to explain the rise of the populist government and describe its nature as well as its contradictions which explain its limited transformative potential and its inner fragility.

The findings highlight the relevance of a critical Global Political Economy perspective for investigating economic and fiscal policy in the era of authoritarian neoliberalism, in particular in assessing the EU structural constraints on economic and fiscal policy but also the agency of domestic capital shaping it.
Individualizing Instruction for Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in China: Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices
Authors: Huang Shuoxi , Lehr Donna H. , Rossetti Zachary , Wang Mian
Published: September 2023

This study investigated Chinese special education teachers’ perceptions and practices of individualizing instruction for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 teachers who taught elementary Chinese language arts and math in six public special education schools for students with IDD in Shanghai. In addition, lesson plans written by 19 of the 31 teachers were collected. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers recognized the necessity of adapting instruction. However, practices and beliefs associated with one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching were prevalent. Although all teachers described making efforts to address individual differences, these efforts appeared to be inadequate. Teachers perceived fully addressing the needs of individual students as difficult and described challenges in four areas.
Understanding the Effectiveness and Feasibility of a Family Navigator Program for Parents of Children With Autism
Authors: Burke Meghan M. , Cheung W. Catherine , Kim Julianna
Published: September 2023

Systems navigation can be difficult, especially for low-resourced families (i.e., families who are “low income” or meet one of the following indicators: mother has a high school diploma or less; primary caregiver is unemployed; or the family receives governmental assistance). Navigators may help families access services; however, the training of navigators is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of Supporting Parents to Access and Navigate Services (SPANS), a program to develop navigators. Altogether, 19 low-resourced parents of children with autism participated in SPANS. Participants demonstrated significantly improved knowledge about autism services and perceived advocacy for other families and systemic change. There was high attendance, low attrition, high acceptability, and high fidelity. Implications are discussed.
Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity in pediatric sickle cell disease using diffuse correlation spectroscopy
Authors: Cowdrick Kyle R. , Akbar Mariam , Boodooram Tisha , Harris LaBeausha H. , Bai Shasha , Brothers Rowan O. , Arrington Michael , Lee Seung Yup , Khemani Kirsma , Gee Beatrice , Buckley Erin M.
Published: September 2023

Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), defined as the ability of cerebral vasculature to dilate in response to a vasodilatory stimulus, is an integral mechanism in brain homeostasis that is thought to be impaired in sickle cell disease (SCD). This study used diffuse correlation spectroscopy and a simple breath-hold stimulus to quantify CVR non-invasively in a cohort of 12 children with SCD and 14 controls. Median [interquartile range] CVR was significantly decreased in SCD compared to controls (2.03 [1.31, 2.44] versus 3.49 [3.00, 4.11] %/mmHg, p = 0.028). These results suggest DCS may provide a feasible means to routinely monitor CVR impairments in pediatric SCD.
Building a digital twin of an EDFA for optical networks: a gray-box modeling approach
Authors: Liu Yichen , Liu Xiaomin , Zhang Yihao , Cai Meng , Fu Mengfan , Zhong Xueying , Yi Lilin , Hu Weisheng , Zhuge Qunbi
Published: September 2023

High-accuracy physical layer models enable intelligent, self-driving optical networks. The dynamic wavelength-dependent gain characteristics of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) remain a crucial problem in terms of modeling. The gain model directly determines the power spectrum and is therefore important for estimating the optical signal-to-noise ratio as well as the magnitude of fiber nonlinearities. Black-box data-driven models have been widely studied, but they require a large size of data for training and suffer from poor generalizability. In this paper, we derive the gain spectra of EDFAs as a simple univariable linear function; then, based on it, we propose a gray-box EDFA gain modeling scheme. Experimental results show that, for automatic gain control (AGC) and automatic power control (APC) EDFAs, our model built with 8 data samples can achieve better performance than the neural network (NN) based model built with 900 data samples, which means the required data size for modeling can be reduced by at least 2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, in the experiment, the proposed model demonstrates superior generalizability to unseen scenarios since it is based on the underlying physics of EDFAs. With the proposed scheme, building a customized digital twin of each EDFA in optical networks becomes more feasible, which is essential, especially for next-generation multiband network operations.
Bidirectional single-multicore-fiber spatial channel network based on a spatial cross-connect and multicore EDFA that efficiently accommodates asymmetric data traffic
Authors: Nakada Kyosuke , Takeshita Hitoshi , Kuno Yuki , Matsuno Yusuke , Urashima Itsuki , Shimomura Yusuke , Hotta Yuji , Sasaki Tsubasa , Uchida Yudai , Hosokawa Kohei , Otowa Ryohei , Tahara Rika , Le Taillandier de Gabory Emmanuel , Sakurai Yasuki , Sugizaki Ryuichi , Jinno Masahiko
Published: September 2023

In current wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, capacity is deployed in a symmetrical manner, in which wavelength channels provide the same capacity in both directions. However, real data traffic in metro and backbone networks is observed to be considerably asymmetric resulting in wasted capacity in an under-loaded direction. This data traffic asymmetry is expected to increase further in the forthcoming Beyond 5G era due to newly emerging bandwidth-hungry services based on cloud computing. In such a situation, the wasted link capacity in the under-loaded direction can no longer be overlooked. In this paper, we propose a single-multicore-fiber (MCF) bidirectional spatial channel network (SCN) architecture that efficiently accommodates up and down asymmetric traffic. We present a proof-of-concept demonstration of the asymmetric bandwidth allocation in a single-MCF SCN by constructing a single-MCF bidirectional ring network testbed that comprises two spatial cross-connects based on 19-core fiber core selective switches with an M×N wavelength-selective switch and a bidirectional 7-core erbium-doped fiber amplifier with reversible optical isolators. Experimental results for bit error rate measurements of WDM optical signals traveling through different cores in different directions show there is almost no optical signal-to-noise ratio penalty for transmission through the single-MCF bidirectional ring network testbed.
Impact of external carrier noise on the linewidth enhancement factor of a quantum dot distributed feedback laser
Authors: Ding Shihao , Zhao Shiyuan , Huang Heming , Grillot Frédéric
Published: September 2023

This paper demonstrates that the linewidth enhancement factor of quantum dot lasers is influenced by the external carrier transport issued from different external current sources. A model combining the rate equation and semi-classical carrier noise is used to investigate the different mechanisms leading to the above phenomenon in the context of a quantum dot distributed feedback laser. Meanwhile, the linewidth enhancement factor extracted from the optical phase modulation method shows dramatic differences when the quantum dot laser is driven by different noise-level pumps. Furthermore, the influence of external carrier noise on the frequency noise in the vicinity of the laser’s threshold current directly affects the magnitude of the linewidth enhancement factor. Simulations also investigate how the external carrier transport impacts the frequency noise and the spectral linewidth of the QD laser. Overall, we believe that these results are of paramount importance for the development of on-chip integrated ultra-low noise oscillators producing light at or below the shot-noise level.
Chaos synchronization of VCSELs with common injection of polarization-random light
Authors: Zhang Xinhui , Wang Anbang , Xu Junpei , Sun Yuehui , Mo Laihong , Zhang Yuhe , Qin Yuwen , Wang Yuncai
Published: September 2023

We propose and numerically demonstrate chaos synchronization of two vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) induced by common injection of constant-amplitude random-polarization light for physical key distribution. Results show that synchronization is sensitive to polarization rotation of injection light, and synchronization coefficients larger than 0.9 can be achieved as the rotation-degree mismatch is smaller than ±10°. Therefore, polarization rotation degree can serve as a hardware key parameter. Furthermore, each laser’s output has no correlation to the constant amplitude of the injected light. Their components with identical polarization state, e.g. x or y polarization of VCSEL, also have low correlation coefficient smaller than 0.2. It is therefore believed that this synchronization scheme can provide a security-enhanced method of physical key distribution.
100 Gbps PAM4 ultra-thin photodetectors integrated on SOI platform by micro transfer printing
Authors: Muthuganesan Hemalatha , Mura Enrica , Chugh Shivangi , Antony Cleitus , Pelucchi Emanuele , Townsend Paul , Yan Xingzhao , Banakar Mehdi , Tran Ying , Littlejohns Callum , Corbett Brian
Published: September 2023

The integration of compact high-bandwidth III-V active devices in a scalable manner is highly significant for Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic integrated circuits. To address this, we demonstrate the integration of pre-fabricated 21 × 57 µm2 InGaAs photodetector (PD) coupons with a thickness of 675 nm to a 500 nm SOI platform using a direct bonding micro-transfer printing process. The common devices are coupled to the Si waveguides via butt, grating and evanescent coupling schemes with responsivities of 0.13, 0.3 and 0.6 A/W respectively, in line with simulations. The thin device facilitates simplified high-speed connections without the need for an interlayer dielectric. A back-to-back data communication rate of 50 Gb/s is achieved with on-off keying and with post processing of four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) 100 Gb/s is realized. Potentially, around 1 million devices per 75 mm InP wafer can be attained. The integration of compact PDs exhibited in this work can be extended to modulators and lasers in the future.
Simultaneous measurement of spin and precession based on light’s orbital angular momentum
Authors: Tang Ruoyu , Li Xiuqian , Qiu Song , Zhu Xiangyang , Liu Tong , Liu Zhengliang , Chen Xiaocen , Ren Yuan
Published: September 2023

The rotational Doppler effect of the vortex beam is a recently emerged promising application of the optical vortex with orbital angular momentum. In this paper, we combine the method of the micro-Doppler effect of the traditional radar and the rotational Doppler effect of the vortex beam and propose an approach of rotational micro-Doppler effect, realizing the simultaneous measurement of spin and precession. We firstly analyze the rotational micro-Doppler characteristic introduced by precession under the illuminating of vortex beam and calculate the rotational micro-Doppler parameters related to the spin and precession. Then we conduct an experiment of using the vortex beam to detect a spinning object with precession and the rotational micro-Doppler frequency is successfully observed. By extracting the rotational micro-Doppler parameters, the simultaneous and independent measurement of spin and precession is realized. Both the theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that the rotational micro-Doppler effect is an effective extension of the rotational Doppler effect and is also a feasible application of the vortex beam detection.
High-efficiency dual single layer graphene modulator integrated on slot waveguides
Authors: Wu Chenghan , Reep Tom , Brems Steven , Jussot Julien , Mootheri Vivek , Van Campenhout Joris , Huyghebaert Cedric , Pantouvaki Marianna , Wang Zheng , Van Thourhout Dries
Published: September 2023

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of a graphene-integrated electro-absorption modulator (EAM) based on a slot waveguide. Due to the enhanced light-matter interaction of graphene, the device exhibits an impressive modulation efficiency (0.038 dBµm−1V−1) and bandwidth (≈ 16 GHz). Starting from these results, we carried out an extensive design study, focusing on three crucial design parameters and exploring the associated trade-offs in insertion loss, extinction ratio and bandwidth. The simulation results offer valuable insights into the influence of each design parameter, reaffirming that our slot waveguide platform holds great promise for realizing a high-performance EAM balancing optical and electrical performance. It is important to note that the slot waveguide was defined through standard deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, allowing seamless integration into high-density systems.
TDLAS-based water vapor monitoring in narrow channels of polymer electrolyte fuel cells using a single-ended fiber-optic sensor
Authors: Nishida Kosuke , Nakauchi Ryoga , Umekawa Toyofumi , Kawasaki Masahiro
Published: September 2023

The dehydration of electrolyte membranes in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) operating under low-humidity conditions is a critical issue for achieving their high efficiency and high power density. To reduce the membrane dryout, it’s necessary to investigate and control the water transport within working fuel cells. This study developed a single-ended fiber-optic sensor based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and applied it to the real-time monitoring of the water vapor concentration in the narrow flow channel of a PEFC. The newly proposed wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) technique enabled to quantify the mole fraction of water in the channel over the wide concentration range with high accuracy. The in-situ TDLAS measurement in the PEFC during a low-humidity and load-change operation revealed that the dynamic change of cell voltage is strongly correlated to the dry-wet transition in the anode channel.
Multiple surface lattice resonances of overlapping nanoparticle arrays with different lattice spacing
Authors: Zheng Haiyan , Bai Yating , Zhang Qiang , Yu Ying , Liu Shaoding
Published: September 2023

Multiple surface lattice resonances generated with nanoparticle arrays are promising to enhance light-matter interactions at different spectral positions simultaneously, and it is important to tailor these resonances to desired frequencies for practical applications such as multi-modal nanolasing. To this end, this study proposes to generate multiple surface lattice resonances using overlapping nanoparticle arrays with different lattice spacing. Both full-wave numerical simulations and analytical coupled dipole approximation calculations reveal that for the overlapping structures composed with two different gold nanosphere arrays, both surface lattice resonances for the element structures are effectively excited. Considering that the optical responses are governed by the dipole-dipole interactions between the nanoparticles, it is interesting to find that the multiple surface lattice resonances are almost invariant by adjusting the relative shifts between the two arrays, which can be useful to tailor the high-quality factor resonances to desired spectral positions. In addition, due to the same reason, it is also shown that the multiple surface lattice resonances can be further finely tuned by selectively removing specific nanoparticles in the array. We anticipate that the tolerance to generate multiple surface lattice resonances and the flexible tunability make the overlapping nanoparticle arrays useful to design high performance linear and nonlinear nanophotonic devices.
Effects of the F-number on the generation condition of a diode-laser-sustained plasma
Authors: Takano Seiichiro , Homme Yamato , Matsui Makoto
Published: September 2023

A laser-sustained plasma (LSP) is a promising method for generating atmospheric-pressure plasmas. Although diode lasers are highly efficient, compact, and low-cost light sources for LSP, previous studies have reported that the laser power required for LSP generation is high, owing to the poor beam quality of diode lasers. In this study, we attempted to generate an LSP using a 4-kW-class diode laser with different F-numbers. The minimum laser power required for LSP generation strongly depends on the F-number. Comparing F1.2 and F2.0, F1.2 reduces the required power by approximately 2,840 W. The LSP temperature and length also strongly depend on the F-number, with the temperature increasing by approximately 5,000 K and the length increasing by approximately 1.4 times at F 1.2 compared with those at F 2.0.
Nonlinear generation of an optical bottle beam in domain-engineered ferroelectric crystals
Authors: Hu Xiaokang , Liu Shan , Xu Tianxiang , Sheng Yan , Zhao Ruwei , Krolikowski Wieslaw
Published: September 2023

Nonlinear wavefront shaping in periodically poled ferroelectric crystals has received great attention because it offers a convenient way to generate a structured light beam at new frequencies. In contrast to structurally uniform beams like Laguerre–Gaussian or Hermite–Gaussian modes, here we demonstrate the possibility to generate a spatially varied optical bottle beam via a frequency doubling process in a domain-engineered Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 (SBN) crystal. The nonlinear holography method was employed to design the modulation pattern of the second-order nonlinear coefficient χ(2), and the femtosecond laser poling was used to imprint the χ(2) pattern into the SBN crystal via ferroelectric domain inversion. The second harmonic bottle beam with zero intensity in its center that is surrounded in all three dimensions by light was observed with the incidence of a fundamental Gaussian beam. These results are useful for nonlinear generation and control of structured light at new frequencies, which has important applications in nonlinear photonics and quantum optics.
Large-range lithography nano-alignment without phase unwrapping by a dual-frequency moiré fringe heterodyne
Authors: Cheng Xiaolong , Yang Zimo , Long Yuliang , Xiang Qianjin , Feng Jinhua , Yang Yong , Tang Yan
Published: September 2023

Moiré fringe is an effective approach to realize nano-alignment. However, affected by short periodicity and phase unwrapping, moiré fringe technology has small alignment ranges and redundant algorithms, making it difficult to meet practical application requirements. To solve the problem, we propose a large-range lithography nano-alignment method without phase unwrapping by a dual-frequency moiré fringe heterodyne. This method obtains four sets of moiré fringes from the main and differential alignment marks and then calculates the misalignment information using the heterodyne method. In this approach, both large alignment range and high alignment accuracy are achieved while avoiding the phase unwrapping process. The experimental results verified the rationality and feasibility of the proposed method.
Exact solution for the interaction of two decaying quantized fields
Authors: Hernández-Sánchez L. , Ramos-Prieto I. , Soto-Eguibar F. , Moya-Cessa H. M.
Published: September 2023

We show that the Markovian dynamics of two coupled harmonic oscillators may be analyzed using a Schrödinger equation and an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. This may be achieved by a non-unitary transformation that involves superoperators; such transformation enables the removal of quantum jump superoperators, which allows us to rewrite the Lindblad master equation in terms of a von Neumann-like equation with an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. This may be generalized to an arbitrary number of interacting fields. Finally, by applying an extra non-unitary transformation, we may diagonalize the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian to obtain the evolution of any input state in a fully quantum domain.
Nonlinear dynamics in a circular-sided square microcavity laser
Authors: Li Jian-Cheng , Xiao Jin-Long , Yang Yue-De , Chen You-Ling , Huang Yong-Zhen
Published: September 2023

Self-chaotic dual-mode and tri-mode microcavity lasers have been recently proposed and demonstrated for high-speed random number generation. Here, we report the characteristics of irregular pulse packages and self-chaos operation for a dual-mode circular-sided square microcavity laser. In addition to the mode interaction between the fundamental and first-order transverse modes, we observed irregular pulse packages due to the mode beating of near-degenerate modes for the first time to our best knowledge. Moreover, a successive route from periodic-one and periodic-three states to chaos is first experimentally illustrated by increasing injection current. The chaotic state is observed over a current range of 10 mA, and the maximum chaos effective bandwidth of 22.4 GHz is realized with a flatness of ±4  dB. Chaotic characteristics are also investigated for different longitudinal modes, which indicates that the self-chaotic microlaser can provide robust parallel chaotic outputs for practical application.
‘It depends on who is asking and why they will use it’: Access to male condoms in Timor-Leste
Authors: Henderson Helen , Soares Xavier Helio Afranio , Mendonca Silvina Amaral , da Silva Alexandrina Marques , da Silva Mariano , de Araújo Rui Maria , Bohren Meghan A. , Vaughan Cathy
Published: September 2023

The uptake of male condoms remains markedly low in The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (Timor-Leste), an island nation in South-East Asia. To understand why, we conducted participatory and operational research about beliefs, understanding and access to male condoms from both a community and healthcare provider perspective. We held 14 participatory group discussions (PGDs) with 175 community participants (84 men, 91 women; aged 18–72) across seven municipalities (Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, Dili, Lautem, Manufahi, and Oecusse) in 2019. We held individual in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 24 healthcare providers working in the same community catchment areas as the PGDs. Two counsellors, four doctors, fifteen midwives, and three nurses participated (16 women, 8 men; aged 25–56 years). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. PGD and IDI participant awareness, understanding and beliefs about male condoms were diverse. Male condoms were often discussed as something negative and taboo, and as something that is highly regulated and discouraged within society and the health system. However, many PGD and IDI participants also challenged this narrative by providing a more rights-based perspective about universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, including male condoms. Insights from our research have been used to inform programmatic decision-making in Timor-Leste, including health promotion and service delivery initiatives. Our findings can be further used to inform national health policy, healthcare provider training, and advocacy and communication work.
Gestational toxoplasmosis treatment changes the child’s prognosis: A cohort study in southern Brazil
Authors: Gomes Ferrari Strang Ana Gabriela , Ferrar Rafaela Gomes , Falavigna-Guilherme Ana Lúcia
Published: September 2023

Background

We evaluate the drug treatment for pregnant women with acute toxoplasmosis to reduce the risk of congenital infection, side effects (prenatal and postnatal treatment in children) and the hazard of discontinuing the infant’s medication.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess the risks of congenital toxoplasmosis among children born to acutely infected women with and without treatment. We examined the relationship between "exposed" and "infected children", "number of infant neutrophils", "prenatal" and "postnatal treatment". Factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) was used to analyze the data. All children started treatment at the hospital.

Findings

Between 2017 and 2021, 233 pregnant women were evaluated at the University Hospital of Maringá; ninety-four met criteria for acute gestational toxoplasmosis. We followed up 61 children; eleven (18%) had the infection confirmed and 50 (82%) were free of toxoplasmosis (exposed). Children born to untreated mothers have 6.5-times higher risk of being infected; the transmission rate among untreated mothers was 50% versus 8.3% among treated ones. Three decreasing values of immunoglobulin G were a security parameter for stopping the child’s medication in the exposed group (50/61). Neutropenia was the leading side effect among children and the infected had a 2.7 times higher risk. There was no correlation between maternal use of pyrimethamine and children’s neutropenia.

Interpretation

The follow-up of women with acute T. gondii infection and their children, through a multidisciplinary team, availability of anti-T. gondii serology and pre- and post-natal treatments reduced the risk of toxoplasmosis transmission.
Mycobacteria modulate SUMOylation to suppresses protective responses in dendritic cells
Authors: Anang Vandana , Singh Aayushi , Kumar Rana Ankush , Saraswati Shakuntala Surender Kumar , Bandyopadhyay Upasana , Verma Chaitenya , Chadha Attinder , Natarajan Krishnamurthy
Published: September 2023

Post translational modifications (PTMs) are exploited by various pathogens in order to escape host immune responses. SUMOylation is one of the PTMs which is involved in regulation of a variety of cellular responses. However, the effects of host SUMOylation on pathogenic bacteria largely remain elusive. We, therefore, investigated the role of SUMOylation in regulating defense responses in dendritic cells (DCs) during mycobacterial infection. Dendritic Cells of female BALB/c mice and THP-1 macrophages were used. Western blotting was performed to measure the expression of level of SUMO1, pSTAT1, pp38, pERK, Beclin-1, LC3, Bax and Cytochrome C. For bacterial burden confocal microscopy and CFU (Colony Forming Unit) were used. Flow cytometry was used for ROS and co-stimulatory molecules measurement. Cytokine level were measured using ELISA. We show that stimulation of Bone Marrow Derived Dendritic Cells (BMDCs) with mycobacterial antigen Rv3416 or live infection with Mycobacterium bovis BCG increases the SUMOylation of host proteins. Inhibition of SUMOylation significantly decreased intracellular bacterial loads in DCs. Additionally, inhibiting SUMOylation, induces protective immune responses by increasing oxidative burst, pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and surface expression of T cell co-stimulatory molecules, and activation of pSTAT1 and Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK) proteins- pp38 and pERK. SUMOylation inhibition also increased apoptosis and autophagy in BMDCs. Intriguingly, mycobacteria increased SUMOylation of many of the above molecules. Furthermore, inhibiting SUMOylation in DCs primed T cells that in turn attenuated bacterial burden in infected macrophages. These findings demonstrate that SUMOylation pathway is exploited by mycobacteria to thwart protective host immune responses.
Infections and risk factors for infection-related mortality after pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Mexico: A single center retrospective study
Authors: Jiménez-Hernández Elva , Núñez-Enriquez Juan Carlos , Arellano-Galindo José , de los Angeles Del Campo-Martínez María , Reynoso-Arenas Perla Verónica , Reyes-López Alfonso , Delgado-Gaytan Alejandra Viridiana , Del Socorro Méndez-Tovar María , Marín-Palomares Teresa , Dueñas-Gonzalez María Teresa , Ortíz-Fernández Antonio , Montero-Ponce Inés , Espinosa-Hernández Laura Eugenia , Núñez-Villegas Nora Nancy , Pérez-Casillas Ruy , Sánchez-Jara Berenice , García-Soto Angel , Herver-Olivares Annecy Nelly , Jaimes-Reyes Ethel Zulie , Tiznado-García Hector Manuel , Martínez-Villegas Octavio , Valdez-Garibay Betzayda , Del Rocío Loza-Santiaguillo Paloma , García-Jiménez Xochiketzalli , Ortíz-Torres Guadalupe , Fernández-Castillo Gabriela Jazmin , Aguilar-Olivares Dulce María , Díaz-Padilla Luis Alejandro , Noya-Rodríguez Mario Alberto , García-Jiménez Mariana , Mejía-Aranguré Juan Manuel
Published: September 2023

Objective

To identify the type of infections and risk factors for infection-related mortality (IRM) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of patients <16 years of age treated in 2010–2019 was conducted. Unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox regression. Cumulative incidence was calculated.

Results

Data for 99 pediatric patients were analyzed. The myeloablative conditioning was the most used regimen (78.8%) and the hematopoietic stem cell source was predominantly peripheral blood (80.8%). Primary graft failure occurred in 19.2% of patients. Frequency of acute graft-versus-host disease was 46.5%. Total of 136 infectious events was recorded, the most common of which were bacterial (76.4%) followed by viral infection (15.5%) and then fungal infection (8.1%). The best predictors for infection subtypes where the following: a) for bacterial infection (the age groups of 10.1–15 years: aHR = 3.33; 95% CI: 1.62–6.85 and. >15 years: aHR = 3.34; 95% CI: 1.18–9.45); b) for viral infection (graft versus host disease: aHR = 5.36; 95% CI: 1.62–17.68), however, for fungal infection statistically significant predictors were not identified. Related mortality was 30% (n = 12). Increased risk for infection-related mortality was observed in patients with unrelated donor and umbilical cord stem cells recipients (HR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.00–9.85).

Conclusions

Frequencies of infections and infection-related mortality appear to be similar to those reported. Unrelated donors and stem cells from umbilical cord recipients were associated with a high risk of mortality.
Item development and pre-testing of an Osteoarthritis Conceptualisation Questionnaire to assess knowledge and beliefs in people with knee pain
Authors: Pulling Brian W. , Braithwaite Felicity A. , Butler David S. , Vogelzang Anna R. , Moseley G. Lorimer , Catley Mark J. , Murray Carolyn M. , Stanton Tasha R.
Published: September 2023

Many people with osteoarthritis hold beliefs that physical activity is unhelpful or dangerous for their joints, despite high-level evidence suggesting otherwise. Recent advances in scientific understanding of osteoarthritis have led to new treatments that target an individual’s understanding both of their condition and the importance of best-practice management strategies, such as physical activity. Conceptual change has been proposed as an important mechanism by which cognitive interventions, such as pain science education, may reduce pain and improve function. There are currently no specific assessments of osteoarthritis conceptualisation to determine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in effecting conceptual change in people with knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, we aimed to develop an item bank, as the first phase of developing a questionnaire to assess people’s conceptualisations about their knee osteoarthritis and the role of physical activity in managing their osteoarthritis. Using a guideline-informed mixed method design, a panel of experts identified domains relevant to conceptualisation about knee osteoarthritis and physical activity (knowledge, beliefs, understanding) based upon available evidence. The panel created 33 provisional items. Qualitative and quantitative pretesting were used to explore how people with knee osteoarthritis understood the provisional items. Eighteen people with knee osteoarthritis completed cognitive interviews about their comprehension of the wording/grammar of each provisional item. The provisional item bank was field tested with 100 people with knee osteoarthritis. Readability was adequate with a Flesch reading ease score of 57.7. Although 14.7% used the ‘Strongly agree’ response option, only 3.4% of responses used the ‘Strongly disagree’ option, suggesting possible response bias. Predictive quality testing identified relevant modifications to the questionnaire instructions. The panel of experts appraised the qualitative data to assess whether and how items should be modified to address the problems identified, resulting in a final item bank of 45 items that can be evaluated for psychometric properties in future research.
UIBVFEDPlus-Light: Virtual facial expression dataset with lighting
Authors: Mascaró-Oliver Miquel , Amengual-Alcover Esperança , Roig-Maimó Maria Francesca , Mas-Sansó Ramon
Published: September 2023

It is well-known that lighting conditions have an important influence on the automatic recognition of human expressions. Although the impact of lighting on the perception of emotions has been studied in different works, databases of facial expressions do not consider intentional lighting. In this work, a new database of facial expressions performed by virtual characters with four different lighting configurations is presented. This database, named UIBVFEDPlus-Light, is an extension of the previously published UIBVFED virtual facial expression dataset. It includes 100 characters, four lighting configurations and a software application that allows one to interactively visualize the expressions, and manage their intensity and lighting condition. Also, an experience of use is described to show how this work can raise new challenges to facial expression and emotion recognition techniques under usual lighting environments. Thus, opening new study perspectives in this area.
Short text classification with machine learning in the social sciences: The case of climate change on Twitter
Authors: Shyrokykh Karina , Girnyk Max , Dellmuth Lisa
Published: September 2023

To analyse large numbers of texts, social science researchers are increasingly confronting the challenge of text classification. When manual labeling is not possible and researchers have to find automatized ways to classify texts, computer science provides a useful toolbox of machine-learning methods whose performance remains understudied in the social sciences. In this article, we compare the performance of the most widely used text classifiers by applying them to a typical research scenario in social science research: a relatively small labeled dataset with infrequent occurrence of categories of interest, which is a part of a large unlabeled dataset. As an example case, we look at Twitter communication regarding climate change, a topic of increasing scholarly interest in interdisciplinary social science research. Using a novel dataset including 5,750 tweets from various international organizations regarding the highly ambiguous concept of climate change, we evaluate the performance of methods in automatically classifying tweets based on whether they are about climate change or not. In this context, we highlight two main findings. First, supervised machine-learning methods perform better than state-of-the-art lexicons, in particular as class balance increases. Second, traditional machine-learning methods, such as logistic regression and random forest, perform similarly to sophisticated deep-learning methods, whilst requiring much less training time and computational resources. The results have important implications for the analysis of short texts in social science research.
Children’s nutritional health and wellbeing in food insecure households in Europe: A qualitative meta-ethnography
Authors: Bell Zoë , Scott Steph , Visram Shelina , Rankin Judith , Bambra Clare , Heslehurst Nicola
Published: September 2023

Since the 2008 global financial crisis, there has been a rise in the number of people experiencing food insecurity. Particularly vulnerable are households with children. This systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies focuses on families’ perceptions of food insecurity and how it affects children’s nutritional health and wellbeing. Six electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL and ASSIA), were searched for studies from European high-income countries between January 2008—July 2021, and supplemented by searches of grey literature databases, relevant websites, examination of reference lists and citation searches. We adhered to PRISMA and eMERGe guidelines to improve the completeness and clarity of meta-ethnographic reporting. Methodological quality of the studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. We identified 11,596 records; we included 19 publications involving 813 participants in total. Data were synthesised according to Noblit & Hare’s seven phases of meta-ethnography. We identified four key themes—food and eating practices, awareness, fragility, and networks of care–comprising five sub-themes. Our meta-ethnography provides a progressive ‘storyline’ of the children’s experiences of food insecurity from both caregivers and children’s perspectives. We found that children are aware of their family’s limited resources and are often active in trying to help their families cope, and that food insecurity adversely impacts children’s physical, psychological, and social experiences. Our analysis highlights gaps in knowledge about how food insecurity impacts children’s nutritional health and wellbeing. It suggests that future research should prioritise minoritised ethnic communities, children living in temporary accommodation and caregivers of very young children.
Prioritising cardiovascular disease risk assessment to high risk individuals based on primary care records
Authors: Chung Ryan , Xu Zhe , Arnold Matthew , Stevens David , Keogh Ruth , Barrett Jessica , Harrison Hannah , Pennells Lisa , Kim Lois G. , DiAngelantonio Emanuele , Paige Ellie , Usher-Smith Juliet A. , Wood Angela M.
Published: September 2023

Objective

To provide quantitative evidence for systematically prioritising individuals for full formal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment using primary care records with a novel tool (eHEART) with age- and sex- specific risk thresholds.

Methods and analysis

eHEART was derived using landmark Cox models for incident CVD with repeated measures of conventional CVD risk predictors in 1,642,498 individuals from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Using 119,137 individuals from UK Biobank, we modelled the implications of initiating guideline-recommended statin therapy using eHEART with age- and sex-specific prioritisation thresholds corresponding to 5% false negative rates to prioritise adults aged 40–69 years in a population in England for invitation to a formal CVD risk assessment.

Results

Formal CVD risk assessment on all adults would identify 76% and 49% of future CVD events amongst men and women respectively, and 93 (95% CI: 90, 95) men and 279 (95% CI: 259, 297) women would need to be screened (NNS) to prevent one CVD event. In contrast, if eHEART was first used to prioritise individuals for formal CVD risk assessment, we would identify 73% and 47% of future events amongst men and women respectively, and a NNS of 75 (95% CI: 72, 77) men and 162 (95% CI: 150, 172) women. Replacing the age- and sex-specific prioritisation thresholds with a 10% threshold identify around 10% less events.

Conclusions

The use of prioritisation tools with age- and sex-specific thresholds could lead to more efficient CVD assessment programmes with only small reductions in effectiveness at preventing new CVD events.
The importance of spatial language for early numerical development in preschool: Going beyond verbal number skills
Authors: Georges Carrie , Cornu Véronique , Schiltz Christine
Published: September 2023

Recent evidence suggests that spatial language in preschool positively affects the development of verbal number skills, as indexed by aggregated performances on counting and number naming tasks. We firstly aimed to specify whether spatial language (the knowledge of locative prepositions) significantly relates to both of these measures. In addition, we assessed whether the predictive value of spatial language extends beyond verbal number skills to numerical subdomains without explicit verbal component, such as number writing, symbolic magnitude classifications, ordinal judgments and numerosity comparisons. To determine the unique contributions of spatial language to these numerical skills, we controlled in our regression analyses for intrinsic and extrinsic spatial abilities, phonological awareness as well as age, socioeconomic status and home language. With respect to verbal number skills, it appeared that spatial language uniquely predicted forward and backward counting but not number naming, which was significantly affected only by phonological awareness. Regarding numerical tasks that do not contain explicit verbal components, spatial language did not relate to number writing or numerosity comparisons. Conversely, it explained unique variance in symbolic magnitude classifications and was the only predictor of ordinal judgments. These findings thus highlight the importance of spatial language for early numerical development beyond verbal number skills and suggest that the knowledge of spatial terms is especially relevant for processing cardinal and ordinal relations between symbolic numbers. Promoting spatial language in preschool might thus be an interesting avenue for fostering the acquisition of these symbolic numerical skills prior to formal schooling.