bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Sevoflurane Anesthesia on Diastolic Function: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Lee Sang Hyun , Ahn Hyun Joo , Kim Gyeong Min , Yang MiKyung , Kim Jie Ae , Lee Sangmin M. , Heo Burn Young , Choi Ji Won , Lee Jin Young , Jeong Heejoon , Kim Jeayoun
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:

The effect of sevoflurane on left ventricular diastolic function is not well understood. We hypothesized that parameters of diastolic function may improve under sevoflurane anesthesia in patients with preexisting diastolic dysfunction compared to patients with normal diastolic function.

METHODS:

This observational study included 60 patients undergoing breast surgery or laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients were assigned to diastolic dysfunction (n = 34) or normal (n = 26) groups of septal e’ < 8 or ≥ 8.0 cm/s on the first thoracic echocardiography (TTE) performed before anesthesia. During anesthesia, sevoflurane was maintained at 1 to 2 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) to maintain the bispectral index at 40 to 50. At the end of surgery, the second TTE was performed under 0.8 to 1 MAC of sevoflurane with the patient breathing spontaneously without ventilator support. Primary end point was the percentage change (Δ) of e’ on 2 TTEs (Δe’). Secondary end points were ΔE/e’, Δleft atrial volume index (ΔLAVI), and Δtricuspid regurgitation maximum velocity (ΔTR Vmax). These percentage changes (Δ) were compared between diastolic dysfunction and normal groups.

RESULTS:

e’ (Δe’: 30 [6, 64] vs 0 [−18, 11]%; P < .001), mitral inflow E wave velocity (E), mitral inflow E/A ratio (E/A), and mitral E velocity deceleration time (DT) improved significantly in diastolic dysfunction group compared to normal group. LAVI decreased in diastolic dysfunction group but did not reach statistical significance between the 2 groups (ΔLAVI:−15 [−31, −3] vs −4 [−20, 10]%, P = .091). ΔE/e’ was not different between the 2 groups (11 [−16, 26] vs 12 [−9, 22]%, P = .853) (all: median [interquartile range, IQR]). TR was minimal in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this study, echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function, including septal e’, E, E/A, and DT, improved with sevoflurane anesthesia in patients with preexisting diastolic dysfunction, but remained unchanged in patients with normal diastolic function.
Severe Multilevel Tracheal Stenosis with Significant Twisting in a Patient with Spondylometaphyseal Dysplasia: A Case Report
Authors: Stefko Jordan M. , Oommen Abraham , Jones Judith , Arai Lynda , Dicindio Sabina , Theroux Mary
Published: February 2024

Spondylometaphyseal dysplasia (SMD) is a rare genetic disorder affecting skeletal growth and development presenting anesthesiologists with many perioperative challenges. We present a case of a patient found to have multilevel tracheal stenosis due to twisting and folding of his trachea. This was discovered on imaging during a research review of SMD cases at our institution. Structural and functional abnormalities of the trachea have not been reported in SMD. This is the first description of a patient with SMD with severe multilevel tracheal disease requiring tracheal reconstructive surgery.
Incommunicable
Authors: Briggs Charles L.
Published: February 2024

In Incommunicable, Charles L. Briggs examines the long-standing presumptions that medical discourse translates easily across geographic, racial, and class boundaries. Bringing linguistic and medical anthropology into conversation with Black and decolonial theory, he theorizes the failure in health communication as incommunicability, which negatively affects all patients, doctors, and healthcare providers. Briggs draws on W. E. B. Du Bois and the work of three philosopher-physicians—John Locke, Frantz Fanon, and Georges Canguilhem—to show how cultural models of communication and health have historically racialized people of color as being incapable of communicating rationally and understanding biomedical concepts. He outlines incommunicability through a study of COVID-19 discourse, in which health professionals defined the disease based on scientific medical knowledge in ways that reduced varieties of nonprofessional knowledge about COVID-19 to “misinformation” and “conspiracy theories.” This dismissal of nonprofessional knowledge led to a failure of communication that eroded trust in medical expertise. Building on efforts by social movements and coalitions of health professionals and patients to craft more just and equitable futures, Briggs helps imagine health systems and healthcare discourses beyond the oppressive weight of communicability and the stigma of incommunicability.
G. Carl Huber (1865-1934): A Michigan Pioneer in Peripheral Nerve Injury and Regeneration
Authors: Hooten Kristopher G. , Puffer Ross C. , Kline David G. , McGillicuddy John E. , Yang Lynda J.-S.
Published: February 2024

The treatment of peripheral nerve injuries has seen tremendous innovations over the past century. Dr Gotthelf Carl Huber, an American immigrant and early experimental pioneer in the field of peripheral nerve injury, created a foundation of scientific knowledge for these advancements. At the beginning of his career, Huber published novel work in peripheral nerve injury, supporting the concept of Wallerian degeneration and demonstrating the use of nerve grafting for repair. As his scientific career evolved into other research areas at the University of Michigan, Huber's impact extended far beyond just the study of peripheral nerve injury. Because of the external forces of the First World War, Dr Huber's focus returned to translational projects concentrated on the treatment of neuromas and war time peripheral nerve injuries. Huber's scientific impact in the field of peripheral nerve injury and repair came as a result of his incredible work ethic, mentorship, and tremendous leadership qualities; through this, his work still influences clinical practice today, a century later.
A comparative analysis of peptide-delivered antisense antibiotics employing diverse nucleotide mimics
Authors: Ghosh Chandradhish , Popella Linda , Dhamodharan V. , Jung Jakob , Dietzsch Julia , Barquist Lars , Höbartner Claudia , Vogel Jörg
Published: February 2024

Antisense oligomer (ASO)-based antibiotics that target mRNAs of essential bacterial genes have great potential for counteracting antimicrobial resistance and for precision microbiome editing. To date, the development of such antisense antibiotics has primarily focused on using phosphorodiamidate morpholino (PMO) and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) backbones, largely ignoring the growing number of chemical modalities that have spurred the success of ASO-based human therapy. Here, we directly compare the activities of seven chemically distinct 10mer ASOs, all designed to target the essential gene acpP upon delivery with a KFF-peptide carrier into Salmonella. Our systematic analysis of PNA, PMO, phosphorothioate-modified DNA (PTO), 2’-methylated RNA (RNA-OMe), 2’-methoxyethylated RNA (RNA-MOE), 2’-fluorinated RNA (RNA-F) and 2’-4’-locked RNA (LNA) is based on a variety of in vitro and in vivo methods to evaluate ASO uptake, target pairing and inhibition of bacterial growth. Our data show that only PNA and PMO are efficiently delivered by the KFF peptide into Salmonella to inhibit bacterial growth. Nevertheless, the strong target binding affinity and in vitro translational repression activity of LNA and RNA-MOE make them promising modalities for antisense antibiotics that will require the identification of an effective carrier.
Αλγόριθμοι βελτιστοποίησης για ρομποτικές εφαρμογές
Authors: Μπαράς Νικόλαος
Published: February 2024

Εξαιτίας της ραγδαίας τεχνολογικής και επιστημονικής ανάπτυξης, τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες παρατηρείται η ολοένα αυξανόμενη χρήση των ρομποτικών συστημάτων σε πολλούς τομείς, όπως η γεωργία, η εξερεύνηση της θάλασσας και η χαρτογράφηση. Παρόλο που η ρομποτική δίνει λύση σε μια σειρά από προβλήματα, νέα προβλήματα που χρήζουν λύση έρχονται στην επιφάνεια. Ένα από τα πιο σημαντικά προβλήματα είναι ο σχεδιασμός μιας διαδρομής που καλύπτει όλα τα σημεία μιας προκαθορισμένης περιοχής και αποφεύγει σημεία με συγκεκριμένα χαρακτηριστικά, όπως εμπόδια και περιοχές απαγορευμένης πτήσης. Το πρόβλημα αυτό είναι γνωστό και ως Σχεδιασμός Διαδρομής Κάλυψης (ΣΔΚ). Η παρούσα διατριβή εστιάζει στο πολυδιάστατο πρόβλημα της ρομποτικής πλοήγησης, δίνοντας ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στην πρόκληση του ΣΔΚ. Αρχικά, περιγράφονται οι ιστορικές προοπτικές της ρομποτικής και των ποικίλων εφαρμογών της, θέτοντας στον αναγνώστη τις βάσεις της εξέλιξης και του μετασχηματιστικού ρόλου των ρομπότ σε διάφορους τομείς της ζωής του ανθρώπου. Στη συνέχεια, αναλύεται η καίρια πρόκληση της πλοήγησης και η σημασία του ΣΔΚ, παρέχοντας ένα ολοκληρωμένο πλαίσιο για τη συζήτηση που ακολουθεί. Στην πρώτη συνεισφορά της διατριβής, παρουσιάζεται μια μέθοδος διαμοιρασμού της περιοχής που αντιμετωπίζει αποτελεσματικά τις πολυπλοκότητες του ΣΔΚ σε περιπτώσεις πολλαπλών ρομπότ. Με τον αποτελεσματικό διαμοιρασμό της περιοχής, αυτή η προσέγγιση εξασφαλίζει την αποτελεσματικότερη και την πιο αποδοτική κάλυψη της περιοχής. Στη δεύτερη συνεισφορά της διατριβής, παρουσιάζεται μια τεχνική για τη βελτίωση των υποπεριοχών των ρομπότ, με σκοπό τη δημιουργία πιο αποδοτικών διαδρομών κάλυψης. Έτσι, αφενός διευκολύνεται η ομαλότερη πλοήγηση και αφετέρου επιτυγχάνεται σημαντική εξοικονόμηση ενέργειας. Οι συνεισφορές που παρουσιάζονται στην παρούσα διατριβή διαμορφώνουν μια πορεία προς πιο προηγμένες, αποδοτικές και βιώσιμες λύσεις ρομποτικής πλοήγησης, αναδεικνύοντας τον καθοριστικό ρόλο των αλγορίθμων στη διαμόρφωση του μέλλοντος των ρομποτικών εφαρμογών.
Decomposable Formulation of Transmission Constraints for Decentralized Power Systems Optimization
Authors: Xavier Álinson Santos , Dey Santanu Subhas , Qiu Feng
Published: February 2024

One of the most complicating factors in decentralized solution methods for a broad range of power system optimization problems is the modeling of power flow equations. Existing formulations for direct current power flows either have limited scalability or are very dense and unstructured, making them unsuitable for large-scale decentralized studies. In this work, we present a novel sparsified variant of the injection shift factors formulation, which has a decomposable block-diagonal structure and scales well for large systems. We also propose a decentralized solution method, based on the alternating direction multiplier method, that efficiently handles transmission line outages in N-1 security requirements. Benchmarks on multizonal security-constrained unit commitment problems show that the proposed formulation and algorithm can reliably and efficiently solve interconnection-level test systems with up to 6,515 buses with no convergence or numerical issues.

History: Accepted by Pascal Van Hentenryck, Area Editor for Computational Modeling: Methods & Analysis.

Funding: This work was partially supported by Laboratory Directed Research and Development funding from Argonne National Laboratory provided by the Director, Office of Science, of the U.S. Department of Energy [Grant DE-AC02-06CH11357]. This work was also partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Grid Modeling Program [Grant DE-OE0000875].

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.0326 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2022.0326 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .
Decision Diagram-Based Branch-and-Bound with Caching for Dominance and Suboptimality Detection
Authors: Coppé Vianney , Gillard Xavier , Schaus Pierre
Published: February 2024

The branch-and-bound algorithm based on decision diagrams is a framework for solving discrete optimization problems with a dynamic programming formulation. It works by compiling a series of bounded-width decision diagrams that can provide lower and upper bounds for any given subproblem. Eventually, every part of the search space will be either explored or pruned by the algorithm, thus proving optimality. This paper presents new ingredients to speed up the search by exploiting the structure of dynamic programming models. The key idea is to prevent the repeated expansion of nodes corresponding to the same dynamic programming states by querying expansion thresholds cached throughout the search. These thresholds are based on dominance relations between partial solutions previously found and on pruning inequalities given by rough upper bounds and local bounds — two additional filtering techniques recently introduced. Computational experiments show that the pruning brought by this caching mechanism allows for significantly reducing the number of nodes expanded by the algorithm. This results in more benchmark instances of difficult optimization problems being solved in less time while using narrower decision diagrams.

History: Accepted by Andrea Lodi, Area Editor for Design and Analysis of Algorithms–Discrete.

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.0340 ), as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2022.0340 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .
Organizational and Economic Obstacles to Automation: A Cautionary Tale from AT&T in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Feigenbaum James , Gross Daniel P.
Published: February 2024

AT&T was the largest U.S. firm for most of the 20th century. Telephone operators once comprised more than 50% of its workforce, but in the late 1910s, it initiated a decades-long process of automating telephone operation with mechanical call switching—a technology invented in the 1880s. We study what drove AT&T to do so and why it took nearly a century. Interdependencies between call switching and nearly every other activity in AT&T’s business presented obstacles to change: Telephone operators were the fulcrum of a complex production system that had developed around them, and automation only began after the firm and new technology were adapted to work together. Even then, automatic switching was only profitable in larger markets—hence, diffusion expanded when the technology improved or service areas grew. The example suggests even narrowly defined tasks can be difficult to automate if they interact with many others.

This paper was accepted by Joshua Gans, business strategy.

Funding: The authors thank the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and Harvard Business School Division of Research and Faculty Development for financial support.

Supplemental Material: The online appendices and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.01760 .
Survivalist Organizing in Urban Poverty Contexts
Authors: Weiss Tim , Lounsbury Michael , Bruton Garry
Published: February 2024

Institutional scholarship on organizing in poverty contexts has focused on the constraining nature of extant institutions and the need for external actors to make transformative change interventions to alleviate poverty. Comparatively little attention has been paid to the potentially enabling nature of extant institutions in poverty contexts. We argue that more empirical work is needed to deepen our understanding of self-organizing processes that actors embedded in such contexts generate in their own efforts to survive. Drawing on the social worlds approach to institutional analysis, we shed light on how actors self-organize to produce enduring organizational arrangements to safeguard themselves against adverse poverty outcomes. Employing data from fieldwork and interviews collected in the urban neighborhood of Dagoretti Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, we examine the colocation of 105 largely identical auto repair businesses in close spatial proximity. We find that actors leverage an indigenous institution—the societal ethos of Harambee—to enable a process we identify as “survivalist organizing.” Based on our research, we argue that survivalist organizing incorporates four interlocking survival mechanisms: cultivating interbusiness solidarity, maintaining precarious interbusiness relationships, redistributing resources to prevent business deaths, and generating collective philanthropy to avoid personal destitution. We develop a new research agenda on the institutional study of self-organizing in poverty contexts focused on strengthening rather than supplanting urbanized indigenous institutions that catalyze collective self-organizing.

Funding: This work was supported by the China National Science Foundation [Grants 72091310 and 72091315].
To the Ukrainian People – Stable, Systematic and Sustainable Human Development (Historical and Analytical Essays: Reinterpretation of the Past). Part 5. System of Strategic Planning for Sustainable Human Development in Ukraine: a Vision of the Post-War Future
Authors: Fokin V.
Published: February 2024

The article summarizes the achievements and contribution of the national economy of the Ukrainian SSR as part of the Soviet Union on the eve of obtaining economic sovereignty and state independence. The main trends, initial conditions and effective signs of the intensification of social production in 1981-1990 are revealed. The working hypothesis of the essays was the consideration of alternative options for state decisions in the field of managing the national economy in 1991-2021 through an expert evaluation for the publications of Doctor of Economics, Professor Vasyl Feodosiyovych Stolyarov in the materials of the Discussion Club of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine. The national-historical origins of social and economic democratization in Ukraine of the last century are systematized and the essence and content of statehood and post-war state-building are determined in order to change the paradigm of the interaction of the Base and Superstructure of the state from material enrichment to spiritual development and moral flourishing of Ukrainian society. Definitions and examples of confederations and Сondominiums as management of separate territories by two states are given. Virtually modeled versions of Condominium creations in Ukraine. Attention is paid to the principle of territorial and land organization of the state, which was proposed at the beginning of the last century and was not taken into account in the first years of Ukraine’s independence. The directions of reforming the economic research institute of the State Plan of Ukraine and the role of its specialists in the formation of scientific and methodological support for social transformation are revealed. The essence and content of the indigenous fundamental law of Ukraine as the awareness of its people of the feeling of their native land as a national treasury of their own gene pool, as well as the consequences of its deliberate violation or deliberate use, are revealed. The questions for public discussion in the Discussion Club of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine are formulated.
Integration of Sales Technologies in the Activities of Enterprises in the Field of Trade and their Logistics and Network Development
Authors:   SHEI ", Kravchenko M. S. ,   Pryazovskyi State Technical University", Kuzmyak Yu. Y. ,   SHEI "Pryazovskyi State Technical University", Tarasov V. H. ,   Central Ukrainian National Technical University
Published: February 2024

Integration processes have positive potential for the stability and sustainable development of maritime trade entities. The integration processes of the maritime industry expand the opportunities of the subjects of their activities, creating conditions of market stability and the potential for development, taking into account modern trends. Each direction of the integration process has its own risks and advantages, but the orientation of companies towards a single goal of sustainable development, joining efforts in the direction of maximum satisfaction of customer needs, and obtaining a positive financial effect is the main advantage in solving issues of any level of complexity. The corresponding development is aimed at a technical and technological breakthrough in the maritime industry, which opens the way to reducing costs while obtaining the maximum results. This study analyzes the dynamics of the Drewry World Container Index, container throughput, and cargo throughput at the Shanghai Container Port, where it was found that the decrease in demand for sea transportation has made it possible to overcome huge backlogs, reduce waiting times in ports, and provide a revenue component related to economic crises. The world's best container lines from to 2020-2022 were studied, highlighting their development features, and the potential of the world's ten largest container lines for the period of the third quarter of 2023 was analyzed. It was determined that not all companies have positive changes in their development, maintaining leading positions in the corresponding rating. The possibilities of developing subjects for the integration processes of maritime trade are considered, focusing on Maersk as an example of vertical integration of container logistics and the Hong Kong Seaport Alliance – horizontal integration, where their main strategic directions of activity under sustainability conditions are presented. Based on the results of the research, ways of promoting further sustainable development of maritime trade are proposed under the conditions of expansion and improvement of technical and technological equipment and the influence of the governments of countries to accelerate the relevant process.
Special Features of Business Ecosystem Development in the Context of Digital Economy Transformation
Authors:   Alfred Nobel University, Dubnytskyi V. , Mishustina T. ,   Alfred Nobel University, Ovcharenko O. ,   Alfred Nobel University, Naumenko N. ,   SHEI Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology
Published: February 2024

At work, the results of research by foreign scholars in the field of business ecosystems and digital platforms have been summarized. The evolution of the construction of business structures/ecosystems has been systematized. Strategic models of digital society transformation have been analyzed, specifically: the model of an economy "driven by technology" and the model of an economy "driven by the market." The main drivers of business ecosystem development in the context of digital transformation have been considered. The forms of functioning of business ecosystems in centralized and adaptive ecosystem conditions have been analyzed, highlighting differences based on criteria such as structure, partners, goals, conditions of use, strategic focus, relationship management, and impact on the central company. Distinctions between digital ecosystems and traditional business alliances, particularly clusters, have been outlined. The most relevant risks associated with ecosystem functioning have been discussed, including tax risk, strategic risk, business risk, compliance risk, technological risk, cyber risk, and reputational risk. The significance of customer experience in the functioning of a business ecosystem has been substantiated.
Activation of Corporate Governance in the Innovative Activities of Joint-Stock Companies
Authors:   SHEI ", Chelovan S. ,   Pryazovskyi State Technical University", Patuk S. ,   SHEI "Pryazovskyi State Technical University", Maryanchuk O. ,   SHEI "Pryazovskyi State Technical University"
Published: February 2024

The article looks into the possibilities of activisation of innovative activity of financial and industrial groups, holdings, stock companies, cluster formations, corporate networks. The nearest possibilities and strategic perspectives of formation and development of the innovative potential of integrative and cooperative formations were determined, and the languages of effective innovation were defined. this is in the process of intellectual development and commercialization of technical and technical developments. The author offers a number of measures that promote the interaction coordination between organizational, production, financial and market constituents of the innovative development mechanism of the integrated corporate structures.
Algorithmic violence
Authors:   Three anonymous authors, Huws Ursula
Published: February 2024

This article draws together insights from several diverse bodies of literature from fields including political economy, organisational and management studies, sociology and psychology to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the phenomenon of bullying in academia. Situated in the current context of organisational restructuring, it goes beyond the conventional notion of the ‘bully’ as an exceptional individual. Central to the article is the concept of ‘algorithmic violence’ which is used to draw a connection between neoliberal management practices, the use of digitally enabled processes and the development of organisational cultures in which standardised, target-driven rules create illusions of fairness while encouraging the intensification and precarisation of work: a situation in which bullying behaviours are simultaneously rendered invisible and normalised. The article next suggests that bullying is an endemic aspect of neoliberal management, with effects that differentially impact women, people of colour, migrants and other historically disadvantaged groups who may be regarded as interlopers in a workforce traditionally dominated by the figure of the white male professor. To test the usefulness of this concept, it is then applied to the results of a series of interviews carried out with academic workers in 2021 for research on the state of critical management studies in the UK. While this empirical material was originally designed for another project, the participants discuss experiences of bullying in academic workplaces and the results draw attention to the high human costs of academic bullying, suggesting that such an interdisciplinary framework could provide a fruitful basis for future research that is focused more specifically on bullying in the context of higher education.
CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder: Some Lessons Learned 20 Years After the First Description
Authors: Pestana Knight Elia M. , Olson Heather E.
Published: February 2024

Loss of function variants in the Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 gene (CDKL5) causes CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). Most cases of CDD are due to a de novo missense or truncating variants. The CDKL5 gene was discovered in 1998 as part of the genomic mapping of the chromosome Xp22 region that led to the discovery of the serine-threonine kinases STK9. Since then, there have been significant advancements in the description of the disease in humans, the understanding of the pathophysiology, and the management of the disease. There have been many lessons learned since the initial description of the condition in humans in 2003. In this article, we will focus on pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, with particular focus on seizures because of its relevance to the medical practitioners and researchers and guidelines for management. We finalize the manuscript with the voice of the parents and caregivers, as discussed with the 2019 meeting with the Food and Drug Administration.
The Power of Partnerships to Identify and Address Mental Health Concerns Experienced by Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Lunsky Yona , Lake Johanna , Thakur Anupam
Published: February 2024

There are significant research gaps with regard to understanding and addressing the mental health concerns of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. In this article, we reflect on research we have carried out about mental health and IDD prior to and during the pandemic in Ontario, Canada. We aim to address how partnering with people with IDD, family caregivers, service providers, and policy makers can help accelerate needed progress in this area. We conclude with some lessons learned during the pandemic about what to emphasize in building and maintaining such partnerships.
The Lonely Hearts Club: A polyphonic reflection on the making of an erotica performance in India
Authors: Ghosalkar Anuja , Jacob Nidhi Mariam , Madhav Tushar , Oishorjyo Oishorjyo , Philip Rency , Raghavan Balakrishnan , Rajendran Bhavana
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This essay is a multi-authored text by the creator and the six performer-writers of The Lonely Hearts Club —an erotica performance made in India during the pandemic. The Lonely Hearts Club initially unfolded on Instagram, and subsequently on Zoom as a digital show. The text below documents the collaborative spirit with which the show was realised. Rather than a singular authorial voice, here multiple perspectives with varied registers share their experience, process, and trepidation of making an online erotica show. This erotica does not cater to the hetero-normative gaze, but lies in-between and on the periphery—queer stories, feminist narratives and intimate chronicles in regional Indian languages. The essay is framed as a series of reflections, along with excerpts from the original performance texts, to offer a flavour of the language, artistic choices, and impulses. This recounting offers an insight into a documentary theatre making process in India.
Samuel R. Delany as Genre Flaneur: Encountering Science Fiction in Dhalgren
Authors: Rocca A.J.
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT: Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren (1975) moves through different genres and styles of literature in much the same way that Walter Benjamin's flaneur moves through the spaces of the city. Delany as a writer makes contact with any number of other traditions outside of science fiction, but he expresses no radical desire to revolutionize sf or move it into mainstream literature. Delany does not assimilate or synthesize outside influences into his work so much as he encounters them. In Starboard Wine (1984), his book of sf criticism, Delany defines "encounter" in literature as the interpretation of a text associated with one genre through the reading protocols associated with another. I argue that "encounter" is analogous to "contact," a concept from Delany's Times Square Red, Times Square Blue (1999) that relates to the real, physical interaction of individuals in an urban environment. Nowhere is this convergence of literary encounter and urban contact clearer than in his novel, Dhalgren. Dhalgren uses the city as a conceptual framework for encounters among a diverse array of influences including myth, poetry, autobiography, and literary modernism. These types of encounters are also plentiful in Delany's earlier work, but Dhalgren pushes them to a point where even sf itself is decentered and becomes just one more thing to be met in the space of the city.
Emily in Paris : Nostalgia, Nationalism and Sepia Cinema in an American Fish-Out-Of-Water Dramedy
Authors: Brown Nathan
Published: February 2024

Abstract: The Netflix series Emily in Paris , while highly cliché and problematic, lies at the intersection of two related artistic phenomena from the early 2000s. First, the series represents an evolution of the nostalgic "sepia cinema" wave of films, popularized by filmmakers such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, toward an Instagram aesthetic. Second, the series engages with "Francofascination" texts from the period, such as Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow's 60 Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong (2003), among others, for American patriotic ends. Using various theoretical models and close readings, the article suggests that Emily in Paris has implications for America's national and nostalgic self-fashioning.
Miniaturizing a coherent beam combining system into a compact laser diode module
Authors: Mourikis Christos , Sahm Alexander , Hildenstein Philipp , Paschke Katrin , Tränkle Günther
Published: February 2024

We present a laser module with dimensions of 76×43×15mm3 that for the first time to our knowledge realizes a coherent beam combination in such a compact device, using two tapered amplifiers seeded by a distributed Bragg reflector ridge waveguide laser diode operating at 761 nm in a single longitudinal mode. The generated combined optical power is up to 5 W continuous wave with a combing efficiency of 85%. The phase of the system is controlled by the current in the ridge waveguide section of one of the tapered amplifiers. The phase-stabilization process is automated using a reverse hill-climbing algorithm and an ATmega328P microcontroller.
Matrix-based integral transformations for Stokes imaging with partially polarized and partially coherent light
Authors: Wang Wei , Takeda Mitsuo
Published: February 2024

With the aid of the matrix-based integral transforms called matrix convolution and matrix direct correlation, we provide a simplified expression for the space- and frequency-domain calculations of polarization imaging with partially polarized and partially coherent light. As an example of practical interest, a formula for Stokes imaging, based on the generalized Stokes parameters, is presented, in which a hypermatrix-based transmission cross-coefficient matrix is introduced to represent the combined effects of diffraction and aberrations of a polarization-dependent imaging system and a partially polarized, partially coherent illumination system. The coherent and incoherent limits in Stokes imaging are discussed with the optical transfer matrix, along with its frequency response for a diffraction-limited incoherent polarization imaging system. A generalized concept of the apparent transfer matrix is introduced to deal with the nonlinearity inherent in the polarization imaging system under partially coherent illumination.
Imaging electromagnetic boundary of microdevice using a wide field quantum microscope
Authors: Wen Huan Fei , Liu Yanjie , Hao Wenyuan , Fu Zijin , Gao Ziheng , Wang Ding , Li Xin , Li Zhonghao , Guo Hao , Ma Zongmin , Li Yan Jun , Tang Jun , Liu Jun
Published: February 2024

Imaging of electronic device surface or sub-surface electromagnetic fields under operating conditions is important for device design and diagnosis. In this study, we proposed a method to characterize specific magnetic field properties of electromagnetic devices at micron-scale using a solid-state quantum sensor, namely diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. By employing a wide-field magnetic field measurement technique based on NV centers, we rapidly obtain the first-order magnetic field distribution of anomalous regions. Furthermore, we approximate the second-order magnetic field (magnetic gradient tensor) using the differential gradient method. To visualize the electromagnetic anomalous regions boundary, we utilize the tensor invariants of the magnetic gradient tensor components, along with their nonlinear combinations. The identification error rate of the anomalous regions is within 12.5%. Additionally, the electromagnetic field of anomalous regions is simulated showing the measurement accuracy. Our study shows that the experimental results are very similar to the theoretical simulation of the electromagnetic field (error: 7%). This work is essential for advancing electromagnetic field characterization of electronic devices and the advancement of quantum magnetic sensor applications.
Octave soliton microcombs in lithium niobate microresonators
Authors: Wang Pi-Yu , Wan Shuai , Ma Rui , Li Wei , Bo Fang , Guo Guang-Can , Dong Chun-Hua
Published: February 2024

Soliton microcombs are regarded as an ideal platform for applications such as optical communications, optical sensing, low-noise microwave sources, optical atomic clocks, and frequency synthesizers. Many of these applications require a broad comb spectrum that covers an octave, essential for implementing the f − 2f self-referencing techniques. In this work, we have successfully generated an octave-spanning soliton microcomb based on a z-cut thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microresonator. This achievement is realized under on-chip optical pumping at 340 mW and through extensive research into the broadening of dual dispersive waves (DWs). Furthermore, the repetition rate of the octave soliton microcomb is accurately measured using an electro-optic comb generated by an x-cut TFLN racetrack microresonator. Our results represent a crucial step toward the realization of practical, integrated, and fully stabilized soliton microcomb systems based on TFLN.
Selecting mode by the complex Berry phase in non-Hermitian waveguide lattices
Authors: Zheng Lingzhi , Wang Bing , Qin Chengzhi , Zhao Lange , Chen Shuyue , Liu Weiwei , Lu Peixiang
Published: February 2024

Bloch oscillations (BOs) in a parity-time (PT)-symmetric Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) waveguide array are theoretically investigated. We show that the BOs are amplified or damped even for the systems to exhibit entirely real energy bands. The amplified and damped BOs stem from the complex Berry phase and closely relate to the topological properties of the lattice. For the topological nontrivial lattice, the amplification and attenuation of BOs are much more prominent than the trivial case and the output Bloch mode can be selected. Furthermore, we propose an experimental scheme and perform a numerical simulation based on a bent waveguide array. Our work uncovers the impact of the topological properties on the dynamics of the bulk Bloch modes and unveils a horizon in the study of non-Hermitian physics. The mode selection induced by the complex Berry phase may also find application in integrated photonic devices such as the mode filter.
Effective medium metasurfaces using nanoimprinting of the refractive index: design, performance, and predictive tolerance analysis
Authors: Panipinto Matthew , Ryckman Judson D.
Published: February 2024

Production of flat optics incorporating subwavelength features, particularly at visible frequencies, remains a significant challenge. Here, we establish a framework for the design of effective medium metasurfaces (EMM), relying on nanoimprinting of mesoporous silicon to realize a patterned refractive index n(x,y) corresponding to an arbitrary transmitted phase profile ϕ(x,y). The method is used to design the stamp profile required to produce a Fresnel lens and the theoretical performance of the metalens is examined using the finite-difference time-domain method. Additionally, we demonstrate neural network aided Monte Carlo analysis as a method to model the effects of metasurface fabrications errors on EMM performance and process yield.
Can lateral tenodesis improve the rotational stability of the ACL reconstruction? A finite element analysis
Authors: Risvas Konstantinos , Stanev Dimitar , Moustakas Konstantinos
Published: February 2024

One of the most common knee injuries is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture with severe implications on knee stability. The usual treatment is the ACL Reconstruction (ACLR) surgery where the surgeon replaces the torn ligament with a graft in an effort to restore knee kinematics. In case of excessive rotatory instability, Lateral Extra—Articular Tenodesis (LET) can be performed in combination with ACLR. Additionally, LET appears to reduce ACLR graft forces minimizing graft failure chances. However, there are concerns about overconstraining physiological rotation. To gain insight in this controversial topic, we developed an automatic, open-source tool to create a series of Finite Element (FE) models attempting to investigate the interactions of ACLR and LET through simulation. We started by creating a validated model of the healthy knee joint that served as reference for subsequent FE simulations. Then, we created FE models of standalone ACLR and combined ACLR—LET. Each model was assessed by applying a loading profile that resembles the reduction phase of the Pivot—Shift clinical exam. We measured the External Tibia Rotation (ETR), the Posterior Tibia Translation (PTT) of the lateral tibial compartment, and the ACLR graft stress developed around the femoral tunnel insertion site. We observed the following: a) LET reduces ETR and PTT compared to isolated ACLR, b) combined ACLR—LET is more sensitive to LET graft pretension with lower values showcasing performance closer to the healthy joint, c) LET reduces ACLR graft forces for the same pretension values, d) LET exhibits significant overconstraint for higher pretension values. In general, these findings are in agreement with relevant clinical studies and accentuate the potential of the developed framework as a tool that can assist orthopaedists during surgery planning. We provide open access for the FE models of this study to enhance research transparency, reproducibility and extensibility.
Risks in the analogue and digitally-supported medication process and potential solutions to increase patient safety in the hospital: A mixed methods study
Authors: Kopanz Julia , Lichtenegger Katharina , Schwarz Christine , Wimmer Melanie , Kamolz Lars Peter , Pieber Thomas , Sendlhofer Gerald , Mader Julia , Hoffmann Magdalena
Published: February 2024

Background

In hospital medication errors are common. Our aim was to investigate risks of the analogue and digitally-supported medication process and any potential solutions.

Methods

A mixed methods study including a structured literature search and online questionnaires based on the Delphi method was conducted. First, all risks were structured into main and sub-risks and second, risks were grouped into risk clusters. Third, healthcare experts assessed risk clusters regarding their likelihood of occurrence their possible impact on patient safety. Experts were also asked to estimate the potential for digital solutions and solutions that strengthen the competence of healthcare professionals.

Results

Overall, 160 main risks and 542 sub-risks were identified. Main risks were grouped into 43 risk clusters. 33 healthcare experts (56% female, 50% with >20 years professional-experience) ranked the likelihood of occurrence and the impact on patient safety in the top 15 risk clusters regarding the process steps: admission (n = 4), prescribing (n = 3), verifying (n = 1), preparing/dispensing (n = 3), administering (n = 1), discharge (n = 1), healthcare professional competence (n = 1), and patient adherence (n = 1). 28 healthcare experts (64% female, 43% with >20 years professional-experience) mostly suggested awareness building and training, strengthened networking, and involvement of pharmacists at point-of-care as likely solutions to strengthen healthcare professional competence. For digital solutions they primarily suggested a digital medication list, digital warning systems, barcode-technology, and digital support in integrated care.

Conclusions

The medication process holds a multitude of potential risks, in both the analogue and the digital medication process. Different solutions to strengthen healthcare professional competence and in the area of digitalization were identified that could help increase patient safety and minimize possible errors.
Why are some countries rich and others poor? development and validation of the attributions for Cross-Country Inequality Scale (ACIS)
Authors: Vezzoli Michela , Valtorta Roberta Rosa , Gáspár Attila , Cervone Carmen , Durante Federica , Maass Anne , Suitner Caterina
Published: February 2024

Understanding lay theories on the causes of economic inequality is the first step to comprehending why people tolerate, justify, or react against it. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop and validate with two cross-sectional studies the Attributions for Cross-Country Inequality Scale (ACIS), which assesses how people explain cross-country economic inequality–namely, the uneven distribution of income and wealth between poor and rich countries. After selecting and adapting items from existing scales of attributions for poverty and wealth, in Study 1, we tested the factorial structure of this initial pool of items in three countries with different levels of economic development and inequality, namely, Italy (n = 246), the UK (n = 248), and South Africa (n = 228). Three causal dimensions emerged from the Exploratory Factor Analysis: “rich countries” (blaming the systematic advantage of and exploitation by rich countries), “poor countries” (blaming the dispositional inadequacy and faults of poor countries), and “fate” (blaming destiny and luck). The retained items were administered in Study 2 to three new samples from Italy (n = 239), the UK (n = 249), and South Africa (n = 248). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) corroborated the factorial structure of the ACIS, and Multi-Group CFA supported configural and metric invariances of the scale across countries. In addition, we show internal consistency and construct validity of the scale: the scale correlates with relevant constructs (e.g., beliefs about cross-country inequality and ideological orientation) and attitudes toward relevant policies related to international redistribution and migration. Overall, the scale is a valid instrument to assess causal attribution for cross-national inequality and is reliable across countries. By focusing on resource distribution from an international perspective, this scale will allow researchers to broaden the discussion on economic inequality to a global level.
Can the combination of antiplatelet or alteplase thrombolytic therapy with argatroban benefit patients suffering from acute stroke? a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression
Authors: Xie Haiyan , Chen Ying , Ge Wukun , Xu Xiuping , Liu Chengjiang , Lan Zhiyong , Yang Yina
Published: February 2024

Background

The effectiveness of administering argatroban as a treatment approach following antiplatelet therapy or alteplase thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute stroke is presently uncertain. However, it is important to highlight the potential benefits of combining this medication with known thrombolytics or antiplatelet therapy. One notable advantage of argatroban is its short half-life, which helps minimize excessive anticoagulation and risk of bleeding complications in inadvertent cases of hemorrhagic stroke. By conducting a meticulous review and meta-analysis, we aim to further explore the common use of argatroban and examine the plausible advantages of combining this medication with established thrombolytic and antiplatelet therapies.

Method

In this study, we performed a rigorous and methodical search for both randomized controlled trials and retrospective analyses. Our main objective was to analyze the impact of argatroban on the occurrence of hemorrhagic events and the mRS scores of 0–2. We utilized a meta-analysis to assess the relative risk (RR) associated with using argatroban versus not using it.

Results

In this study, we analyzed data from 11 different studies, encompassing a total of 8,635 patients. Out of these patients, 3999(46.3%) received argatroban treatment while the remaining 4636(53.7%)did not. The primary outcome of 90-day functional independence (modified Rankin scale (mRS) score≤2) showed that the risk ratio (RR) for patients using argatroban after alteplase thrombolytic therapy compared to those not using argatroban was(RR, 1.00 ([95% CI, 0.92–1.09]; P = 0.97), indicating no statistical significance. However, for patients using argatroban after antiplatelet therapy, was (RR,1.09 [95% CI, 1.04–1.14]; P = 0.0001), which was statistically significant. In terms of hemorrhagic events, the RR for patients using argatroban compared to those not using argatroban was (RR,1.08 [95% CI, 0.88–1.33]; P = 0.46), indicating no statistical significance.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that further research into combination therapy with argatroban and antiplatelet agents may be warranted, however more rigorous RCTs are needed to definitively evaluate the effects of combination treatment.