bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seeker head geometric parameters influence on the hypersonic aero-optical effect
Authors: Li Yubo , Deng Shuanghou , Zhou Zheng , Xue Caijun , Xiao Tianhang
Published: May 2023

The aero-optical effect of hypersonic flight vehicles creates serious distortion on the imaging system. In this paper, based on the 2D model of a typical optical seeker, flow field density data are obtained by numerical simulation with different optical seeker head radii, cone angles, and relative positions of incident rays reaching the window as variables. Through a series of evaluation parameters, the aero-optical effect under different conditions is quantitatively computed by a ray tracing method. The results show that with the increase of the line of sight (LOS) angle, image deviation decreases. When the optical seeker radius is 40 mm and the cone angle is more than 20°, image deviation will not change with the increase of the cone angle. In the case of a small cone angle, the bore sight error (BSE) decreases gradually with the increase of LOS angle. The BSE decreases with the increase of the cone angle, and tends to be stable when the cone angle is above 40°. The variation of the optical path difference with respect to the flow field density is more sensitive than the distance from the shock wave region to the optical seeker window. The Strehl ratio decreases with the increase of the optical seeker cone angle, indicating that the larger the cone angle, the worse the imaging quality.
Propagation of coherence-OAM matrix of an optical beam in vacuum and turbulence
Authors: Wang Fei , Li Weihao , Wu Dan , Liu Lin , Korotkova Olga , Cai Yangjian
Published: May 2023

Propagation of the coherence-orbital angular momentum (COAM) matrix of partially coherent beams in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence, e.g., atmosphere, is formulated using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. It is found that under the effect of turbulence the elements in the COAM matrix will generally be affected by other elements, resulting in certain OAM mode dispersion. We show that if turbulence is homogeneous and isotropic, there exists an analytic “selection rule” for governing such a dispersion mechanism, which states that only the elements having the same index difference, say l – m, may interact with each other, where l and m denote OAM mode indices. Further, we develop a wave-optics simulation method incorporating modal representation of random beams, multi-phase screen method and the coordinate transformation to simulate propagation of the COAM matrix of any partially coherent beam propagating in free space or in turbulent medium. The simulation method is thoroughly discussed. As examples, the propagation characteristics of the most representative COAM matrix elements of circular and elliptical Gaussian Schell-model beams in free space and in turbulent atmosphere are studied, and the selection rule is numerically demonstrated.
Modeling sea ice albedo and transmittance measurements with a fully-coupled radiative transfer model
Authors: Jin Zhonghai , Ottaviani Matteo , Sikand Monika
Published: May 2023

A rigorous treatment of the sea ice medium has been incorporated in the advanced Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Radiative Transfer (COART) model. The inherent optical properties (IOPs) of brine pockets and air bubbles over the 0.25-4.0 µm spectral region are parameterized as a function of the sea ice physical properties (temperature, salinity and density). We then test the performance of the upgraded COART model using three physically-based modeling approaches to simulate the spectral albedo and transmittance of sea ice, and compare them with measurements collected during the Impacts of Climate on the Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment (ICESCAPE) and the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) field campaigns. The observations are adequately simulated when at least three layers are used to represent bare ice, including a thin surface scattering layer (SSL), and two layers to represent ponded ice. Treating the SSL as a low-density ice layer yields better model-observation agreement than treating it as a snow-like layer. Sensitivity results indicate that air volume (which determines the ice density) has the largest impact on the simulated fluxes. The vertical profile of density drives the optical properties but available measurements are scarce. The approach where the scattering coefficient for the bubbles is inferred in lieu of density leads to essentially equivalent modeling results. For ponded ice, the albedo and transmittance in the visible are mainly determined by the optical properties of the ice underlying the water layer. Possible contamination from light-absorbing impurities, such as black carbon or ice algae, is also implemented in the model and is able to effectively reduce the albedo and transmittance in the visible spectrum to further improve the model-observation agreement.
Tamper performance for confined laser drive applications
Authors: Ly Sonny , Lee Janghyuk , Rubenchik Alexander M. , Crowhurst Jonathan C. , Boley Charles D. , Peters Vanessa N. , Keller Wesley J.
Published: May 2023

The shock imparted by a laser beam striking a metal surface can be increased by the presence of an optically transparent tamper plate bonded to the surface. We explore the shock produced in an aluminum slab, for a selection of tamper materials and drive conditions. The experiments are conducted with a single-pulse laser of maximum fluence up to 100 J/cm2. The pressure and impulse are measured by photon doppler velocimetry, while plasma imaging is used to provide evidence of nonlinear tamper absorption. We demonstrate a pressure enhancement of 50x using simple commercially available optics. We compare results from hard dielectric glasses such as fused silica to soft plastics such as teflon tape. We discuss the mechanism of pressure saturation observed at high pulse fluence, along with some implications regarding applications. Below saturation, overall dependencies on pulse intensity and material parameters such as mechanical impedances are shown to correlate with a model by Fabbro et al.
Optical noise-resistant nonreciprocal phonon blockade in a spinning optomechanical resonator
Authors: Yuan Ning , He Shuang , Li Shi-Yan , Wang Nan , Zhu Ai-Dong
Published: May 2023

A scheme of nonreciprocal conventional phonon blockade (PB) is proposed in a spinning optomechanical resonator coupled with a two-level atom. The coherent coupling between the atom and breathing mode is mediated by the optical mode with a large detuning. Due to the Fizeau shift caused by the spinning resonator, the PB can be implemented in a nonreciprocal way. Specifically, when the spinning resonator is driven from one direction, the single-phonon (1PB) and two-phonon blockade (2PB) can be achieved by adjusting both the amplitude and frequency of the mechanical drive field, while phonon-induced tunneling (PIT) occurs when the spinning resonator is driven from the opposite direction. The PB effects are insensitive to cavity decay because of the adiabatic elimination of the optical mode, thus making the scheme more robust to the optical noise and still feasible even in a low-Q cavity. Our scheme provides a flexible method for engineering a unidirectional phonon source with external control, which is expected to be used as a chiral quantum device in quantum computing networks.
Calibration method for large-field-of-view stereo vision system based on distance-related distortion model
Authors: Wang Xu , Gao Yang , Wei Zhenzhong
Published: May 2023

Large-field-of-view stereo vision system lacks flexible and high-precision calibration methods. To this end, we proposed a new distance-related distortion model based calibration method combining 3D points and checkerboards. The experiment indicates that the proposed method has a root mean square of fewer than 0.08 pixels for the reprojection error on the calibration dataset, and the mean relative error of length measurement in a volume of 5.0 m × 2.0 m × 16.0 m is 3.6‰. Compared with other distance-related models, the proposed model has the lowest reprojection error on the test dataset. Besides, in contrast to other calibration methods, our method offers enhanced accuracy and greater flexibility.
Synergistic luminescence effect and high-pressure optical properties of CsPbBr2Cl@EuMOFs nanocomposites
Authors: Li Mingxing , Liu Wenting , Yang Tieshan , Xu Qinfeng , Mu Haifeng , Han Jing , Cao Kunjian , Tan Xiaoming , Wang Kai , Yang Chuanlu
Published: May 2023

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of highly porous materials that have garnered significant attention in the field of optoelectronics due to their exceptional properties. In this study, CsPbBr2Cl@EuMOFs nanocomposites were synthesized using a two-step method. The fluorescence evolution of the CsPbBr2Cl@EuMOFs was investigated under high pressure, revealing a synergistic luminescence effect between CsPbBr2Cl and Eu3+. The study found that the synergistic luminescence of CsPbBr2Cl@EuMOFs remains stable even under high pressure, and there is no energy transfer among different luminous centers. These findings provide a meaningful case for future research on nanocomposites with multiple luminescent centers. Additionally, CsPbBr2Cl@EuMOFs exhibit a sensitive color-changing mechanism under high pressure, making them a promising candidate for pressure calibration via the color change of the MOF materials.
Silicon nitride assisted tri-layer edge coupler on lithium niobate-on-insulator platform
Authors: Yu Zhiguo , Yin Yuxiang , Huang Xingrui , Tu Donghe , Yu Hang , Guan Huan , Jiang Lei , Yan Wei , Li Zhiyong
Published: May 2023

Lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) is a promising integration platform for various applications, such as optical communication, microwave photonics, and nonlinear optics. To make Lithium niobate (LN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) more practical, low-loss fiber–chip coupling is essential. In this Letter, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a silicon nitride (SiN) assisted tri-layer edge coupler on LNOI platform. The edge coupler consists of a bilayer LN taper and an interlayer coupling structure composed of an 80 nm-thick SiN waveguide and an LN strip waveguide. The measured fiber–chip coupling loss for the TE mode is 0.75 dB/facet at 1550 nm. Transition loss between the SiN waveguide and LN strip waveguide is ∼0.15 dB. In addition, the fabrication tolerance of the SiN waveguide in the tri-layer edge coupler is high.
Observation of delocalization transition in topological waveguide arrays with long-range interactions
Authors: Wang Li-Cheng , Chen Yang , Tian Zhen–Nan , Wang Ying–De , Ren Xi–Feng , Chen Qi–Dai
Published: May 2023

Topological edge states are a generic feature of topological insulators, and the long-range interactions, which break certain properties of topological edge states, are always non-negligible in real physical systems. In this Letter, we investigate the influence of next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) interactions on the topological properties of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model by extracting the survival probabilities at the boundary of the photonic lattices. By introducing a series of integrated photonic waveguide arrays with different strengths of long-range interactions, we experimentally observe delocalization transition of light in SSH lattices with nontrivial phase, which is in good agreement with our theoretical predictions. The results indicate that the NNN interactions can significantly affect the edge states, and that the localization of these states can be absent in topologically nontrivial phase. Our work provides an alternative way to investigate the interplay between long-range interactions and localized states, which may stimulate further interest in topological properties in relevant structures.
Randomness, determinism, and ignorance in coherence
Authors: Koivurova Matias
Published: May 2023

The effect of randomness and determinism on the coherence properties of light are studied in detail. As it is well known, a random field can have widely varying coherence properties. Here, it is shown that one can also produce a deterministic field with an arbitrarily low degree of coherence. The role of constant (non-random) fields are then considered, and some simulations with a toy model laser are presented. An interpretation of coherence as a measure of “ignorance” is presented.
A Joint Illumination and Communication GaN MQW LED Model for Visible Light Communication System
Authors: Shi Dayu , zhang xun , LIU Ziqi , CHEN Xuanbang , Liu Xiaodong , WANG JINTAO , Song Jian , Vladimirescu Andrei
Published: May 2023

This paper presents a joint illumination and communication model for Gallium Nitride (GaN) Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used in Visible Light Communication (VLC) systems. Based on device physics, the proposed model characterizes the intrinsic nonlinearity of the LED's electro-optic conversion by incorporating the LED's material, physical structure, and bias voltage. The modeling methodology and the model's accuracy are demonstrated through experimental measurements on a commercial sample LED by a VLC system performance testbed. The validation results indicate the proposed GaN MQW LED model is consistent with physical principles and accurately predicts the LED's nonlinear impact on the VLC system under varying signal frequency and illumination intensity of the LED, underscoring its significance for analyzing and optimizing VLC systems. Overall, the proposed model offers a valuable tool for the design and optimization of VLC systems using GaN-based LEDs.
Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalisation and infection fatality ratios over 23 months in England
Authors: Eales Oliver , Haw David , Wang Haowei , Atchison Christina , Ashby Deborah , Cooke Graham S. , Barclay Wendy , Ward Helen , Darzi Ara , Donnelly Christl A. , Chadeau-Hyam Marc , Elliott Paul , Riley Steven
Published: May 2023

The relationship between prevalence of infection and severe outcomes such as hospitalisation and death changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reliable estimates of the infection fatality ratio (IFR) and infection hospitalisation ratio (IHR) along with the time-delay between infection and hospitalisation/death can inform forecasts of the numbers/timing of severe outcomes and allow healthcare services to better prepare for periods of increased demand. The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study estimated swab positivity for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in England approximately monthly from May 2020 to March 2022. Here, we analyse the changing relationship between prevalence of swab positivity and the IFR and IHR over this period in England, using publicly available data for the daily number of deaths and hospitalisations, REACT-1 swab positivity data, time-delay models, and Bayesian P-spline models. We analyse data for all age groups together, as well as in 2 subgroups: those aged 65 and over and those aged 64 and under. Additionally, we analysed the relationship between swab positivity and daily case numbers to estimate the case ascertainment rate of England’s mass testing programme. During 2020, we estimated the IFR to be 0.67% and the IHR to be 2.6%. By late 2021/early 2022, the IFR and IHR had both decreased to 0.097% and 0.76%, respectively. The average case ascertainment rate over the entire duration of the study was estimated to be 36.1%, but there was some significant variation in continuous estimates of the case ascertainment rate. Continuous estimates of the IFR and IHR of the virus were observed to increase during the periods of Alpha and Delta’s emergence. During periods of vaccination rollout, and the emergence of the Omicron variant, the IFR and IHR decreased. During 2020, we estimated a time-lag of 19 days between hospitalisation and swab positivity, and 26 days between deaths and swab positivity. By late 2021/early 2022, these time-lags had decreased to 7 days for hospitalisations and 18 days for deaths. Even though many populations have high levels of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 from vaccination and natural infection, waning of immunity and variant emergence will continue to be an upwards pressure on the IHR and IFR. As investments in community surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection are scaled back, alternative methods are required to accurately track the ever-changing relationship between infection, hospitalisation, and death and hence provide vital information for healthcare provision and utilisation.
Improving neonatal health with family-centered, early postnatal care: A quasi-experimental study in India
Authors: Murthy Seema , Yan Shirley Du , Alam Shahed , Kumar Amit , Rangarajan Arjun , Sawant Meenal , Sulaiman Huma , Yadav Bhanu Pratap , Singh Pathani Tanmay , Kumar H. G. Anand , Kak Sareen , A. M. Vinayaka , Kaur Baljit , N. Rajkumar , Mishra Archana , Elliott Edith , Delaney Megan Marx , Semrau Katherine E. A.
Published: May 2023

Despite the global decline, neonatal mortality rates (NMR) remain high in India. Family members are often responsible for the postpartum care of neonates and mothers. Yet, low health literacy and varied beliefs can lead to poor health outcomes. Postpartum education for family caregivers, may improve the adoption of evidence-based neonatal care and health outcomes. The Care Companion Program (CCP) is a hospital-based, pre-discharge health training session where nurses teach key healthy behaviors to mothers and family members, including skills and an opportunity to practice them in the hospital. We conducted a quasi-experimental study to assess the effect of the CCP sessions on mortality outcomes among families seeking care in 28 public tertiary facilities across 4 Indian states. Neonatal mortality outcomes were reported post-discharge, collected via phone surveys at four weeks postpartum, between October 2018 to February 2020. Risk ratios (RR), adjusting for hospital-level clustering, were calculated by comparing mortality rates before and after CCP implementation. A total of 46,428 families participated in the pre-intervention group and 87,305 in the post-intervention group; 76% of families completed the phone survey. Among the 33,599 newborns born before the CCP implementation, there were 1386 deaths (NMR: 41.3 deaths per 1000 live births). After the intervention began, there were 2021 deaths out of 60,078 newborns born (crude NMR: 33.6 deaths per 1000 live births, RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.87; cluster-adjusted RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.94). There may be a substantial benefit to family-centered education in the early postnatal period to reduce neonatal mortality.
Multi-centric evaluation of Biomeme Franklin Mobile qPCR for rapid detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in clinical specimens
Authors: Frimpong Michael , Frimpong Venus Nana Boakyewaa , Numfor Hycenth , Donkeng Donfack Valerie , Amedior Jennifer Seyram , Deegbe Danielle Emefa , Dadson Baaba , Ablordey Anthony , Eyangoh Sara , Phillips Richard Odame , Vedithi Sundeep Chaitanya
Published: May 2023

The gold standard for detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans is PCR due to its high accuracy in confirmation of suspected cases. But the available PCR assays are designed for standard size thermocyclers which are immobile and suited for reference laboratories often located long distances from endemic communities. This makes it a challenge to obtain immediate results for patient management. We validated and evaluated a dried reagent-based PCR assay adapted for a handheld, battery-operated, portable thermocycler with the potential to extend diagnostics to endemic communities with limited infrastructure. The diagnostic accuracy of the assay following a multi-center evaluation by three Buruli ulcer reference laboratories with over 300 clinical samples showed sensitivity and specificity of 100–97% and 100–94%, respectively using centralized IS2404 quantitative PCR platform as a reference standard. This assay coupled with a field-friendly extraction method fulfill almost all the target product profiles of Buruli ulcer for decentralized testing at the district, health center and community levels; a key critical action for achieving the NTD Road Map 2030 target for Buruli ulcer.
Assessing COVID-19 pandemic excess deaths in Brazil: Years 2020 and 2021
Authors: Colonia Saditt Rocio Robles , Cardeal Lara Morena , de Oliveira Rogério Antonio , Trinca Luzia Aparecida
Published: May 2023

We estimated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality in Brazil for 2020 and 2021 years. We used mortality data (2015–2021) from the Brazilian Health Ministry for forecasting baseline deaths under non-pandemic conditions and to estimate all-cause excess deaths at the country level and stratified by sex, age, ethnicity and region of residence, from March 2020 to December 2021. We also considered the estimation of excess deaths due to specific causes. The estimated all-cause excess deaths were 187 842 (95% PI: 164 122; 211 562, P-Score = 16.1%) for weeks 10-53, 2020, and 441 048 (95% PI: 411 740; 470 356, P-Score = 31.9%) for weeks 1-52, 2021. P-Score values ranged from 1.4% (RS, South) to 38.1% (AM, North) in 2020 and from 21.2% (AL and BA, Northeast) to 66.1% (RO, North) in 2021. Differences among men (18.4%) and women (13.4%) appeared in 2020 only, and the P-Score values were about 30% for both sexes in 2021. Except for youngsters (< 20 years old), all adult age groups were badly hit, especially those from 40 to 79 years old. In 2020, the Indigenous, Black and East Asian descendants had the highest P-Score (26.2 to 28.6%). In 2021, Black (34.7%) and East Asian descendants (42.5%) suffered the greatest impact. The pandemic impact had enormous regional heterogeneity and substantial differences according to socio-demographic factors, mainly during the first wave, showing that some population strata benefited from the social distancing measures when they could adhere to them. In the second wave, the burden was very high for all but extremely high for some, highlighting that our society must tackle the health inequalities experienced by groups of different socio-demographic statuses.
Internet of things (IoT) for smart agriculture: Assembling and assessment of a low-cost IoT system for polytunnels
Authors: Jaliyagoda Nuwan , Lokuge Sandali , Gunathilake P. M. P. C. , Amaratunga K. S. P. , Weerakkody W. A. P. , Bandaranayake Pradeepa C. G. , Bandaranayake Asitha U.
Published: May 2023

Internet of things (IoT) applications in smart agricultural systems vary from monitoring climate conditions, automating irrigation systems, greenhouse automation, crop monitoring and management, and crop prediction, up to end-to-end autonomous farm management systems. One of the main challenges to the advancement of IoT systems for the agricultural domain is the lack of training data under operational environmental conditions. Most of the current designs are based on simulations and artificially generated data. Therefore, the essential first step is studying and understanding the finely tuned and highly sensitive mechanism plants have developed to sense, respond, and adapt to changes in their environment, and their behavior under field and controlled systems. Therefore, this study was designed to achieve two specific objectives; to develop low-cost IoT components from basic building blocks, and to study the performance of the developed systems, and generate real-time experimental data, with and without plants. Low-cost IoT devices developed locally were used to convert existing basic polytunnels to semi-controlled and monitoring-only polytunnels. Their performances were analyzed and compared with each other based on several matrices while maintaining the planted tomato variety and agronomic practices similar. The developed system performed as expected suggesting the possibility of commercial applications and research purposes.
Online randomised trials with children: A scoping review
Authors: Lepage Simone , Conway Aislinn , Goodson Noah , Wicks Paul , Flight Laura , Devane Declan
Published: May 2023

Background

Paediatric trials must contend with many challenges that adult trials face but often bring additional obstacles. Decentralised trials, where some or all trial methods occur away from a centralised location, are a promising strategy to help meet these challenges. This scoping review aims to (a) identify what methods and tools have been used to create and conduct entirely online-decentralised trials with children and (b) determine the gaps in the knowledge in this field. This review will describe the methods used in these trials to identify their facilitators and the gaps in the knowledge.

Methods

The methods were informed by guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. We systematically searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Embase databases, trial registries, pre-print servers, and the internet. We included randomised and quasi-randomised trials conducted entirely online with participants under 18 published in English. A risk of bias assessment was completed for all included studies.

Results

Twenty-one trials met our inclusion criteria. The average age of participants was 14.6 years. Social media was the most common method of online recruitment. Most trials employed an external host website to store and protect their data. Duration of trials ranged from single-session interventions up to ten weeks. Fourteen trials compensated participants. Eight trials involved children in their trial design process; none reported compensation for this. Most trials had a low risk of bias in “random sequence generation”, “selective reporting”, and “other”. Most trials had a high risk of bias in “blinding participants and personnel”, “blinding of outcome assessment”, and “incomplete outcome data”. “Allocation concealment” was unclear in most studies.

Conclusions

There was a lack of transparent reporting of the recruitment, randomisation, and retention methods used in many of the trials included in this review. Patient and public involvement (PPI) was not common, and the compensation of PPI partners was not reported in any study. Consent methods and protection against fraudulent entries to trials were creative and thoroughly discussed by some trials and not addressed by others. More work and thorough reporting of how these trials are conducted is needed to increase their reproducibility and quality.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was not necessary since all data sources used are publicly available.
Effect of voluntary human mobility restrictions on vector-borne diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: A descriptive epidemiological study using a national database (2016 to 2021)
Authors: Hibiya Kenji , Shinzato Akira , Iwata Hiroyoshi , Kinjo Takeshi , Tateyama Masao , Yamamoto Kazuko , Fujita Jiro
Published: May 2023

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic not only encouraged people to practice good hygiene but also caused behavioral inhibitions and resulted reduction in both endemic and imported infectious diseases. However, the changing patterns of vector-borne diseases under human mobility restrictions remain unclear. Hence, we aimed to investigate the impact of transborder and local mobility restrictions on vector-borne diseases through a descriptive epidemiological study. The analysis was conducted using data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases system in Japan. We defined the pre-pandemic period as the period between the 1st week of 2016 to the 52nd week of 2019 and defined the pandemic period as from the 1st week of 2020 to the 52nd week of 2021, with the assumption that human mobility was limited throughout the pandemic period. This study addressed 24 diseases among notifiable vector borne diseases. Datasets were obtained from weekly reports from the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases, and the incidence of each vector-borne disease was examined. Interrupted time series analysis was conducted on the epidemic curves for the two periods. Between the pre- and post-pandemic periods, the incidence of dengue fever and malaria significantly decreased, which may be related to limited human transboundary mobility (p= 0.003/0.002). The incidence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, scrub typhus, and Japanese spotted fever did not show changes between the two periods or no association with human mobility. This study suggests that behavioral control may reduce the incidence of new mosquito-borne diseases from endemic areas but may not affect tick-borne disease epidemics within an endemic area.
Estimation of glucose rate of appearance in portal vein circulation using a phenomenological-based model
Authors: Lema-Perez Laura , Herrón-Bedoya Alejandro , Paredes-Ángel Valentina , Hernández-Arango Andrea , Builes-Montaño Carlos E. , Alvarez Hernan
Published: May 2023

The joint work of the stomach and the small intestine plays a fundamental role in human digestion. In the stomach, food is turned into a semi-fluid mixture that is slowly released into the small intestine, where most enzymatic reactions occur, and nutrients are absorbed as they become available. This whole process is closely related to glucose homeostasis, mainly because of the appearance of glucose in the portal system and the energetic expenditure of the process itself. The current phenomenological-based model describes such effects of the digestive process on blood glucose concentration. It considers enzymatic and mechanical transformations, energetic expenditure, and the impact of macro-nutrients, fiber, and water on overall digestion and glucose absorption. The model estimates the rate of glucose appearance in the portal vein and is intended to be further integrated into existing models for other human organs and used in model-based systems such as an artificial pancreas with automated insulin delivery.
An autoregressive distributed lag approach for estimating the nexus between CO2 emissions and economic determinants in Pakistan
Authors: Daniyal Muhammad , Tawiah Kassim , Qureshi Moiz , Haseeb Mohammad , Asosega Killian Asampana , Kamal Mustafa , Rehman Masood ur
Published: May 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have become a critical aspect of the economic and sustainable development indicators of every country. In Pakistan, where there is a substantial increase in the population, industrialization, and demand for electricity production from different resources, the fear of an increase in CO2 emissions cannot be ignored. This study explores the link that betwixt CO2 emissions with different significant economic indicators in Pakistan from 1960 to 2018 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling technique. We implemented the covariance proportion, coefficient of determination, the Durbin Watson D statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), variance inflating factor (VIF), the Breusch-Pagan test, the Theil’s inequality, the root mean quare error (RMSE), the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and the mean absolute error (MAE) for the diagnostics, efficiency, and validity of our model. Our results showed a significant association between increased CO2 emissions and increased electricity production from oil, gas, and other sources. An increase in electricity production from coal resources was seen to have resulted in a decrease in CO2 emissions. We observed that an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) and population growth significantly contributed to the increased CO2 emissions. The increment in CO2 emissions resulting from industrial growth was not significant. The increment in CO2 emissions in the contemporary year is significantly associated with the preceding year’s increase. The rate of increase was very alarming, a sign that no serious efforts have been channelled in this regard to reduce this phenomenon. We call for policy dialogue to devise energy-saving and CO2 emission reduction strategies to minimize the impact of climate change on industrialization, population growth, and GDP growth without deterring economic and human growth. Electricity production from different sources with no or minimal CO2 emissions should be adopted. We also recommend rigorous tree planting nationwide to help reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere as well as environmental pollution.
Socioeconomic and sex inequalities in chronic pain: A population-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Oliveira Ana Maria Braga de , Teixeira Doralice Severo da Cruz , Menezes Fabrício dos Santos , Marques Amélia Pasqual , Duarte Yeda Aparecida de Oliveira , Casarotto Raquel Aparecida
Published: May 2023

Objective

We investigated the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on chronic pain of older adults according to sex.

Materials and methods

This population-based cross-sectional study used survey data from the 2015 cohort of the SABE Study (Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento), Brazil. Socioeconomic status was examined at individual level (educational attainment, financial independence, and race/skin color) and contextual level (Human Development Index). We analyzed the association between variables using the chi-square test and the Rao & Scott correction. Logistic regression models were adjusted for risk factors.

Results

The study comprised 1,207 older adults representing 1,365,514 residents 60≥ years of age in the city of São Paulo. Chronic pain was more frequent in females (27.2%) than in males (14.5%) (p<0.001). Females evidenced the worst self-perception of pain, especially those of the most vulnerable socioeconomic strata. Social inequalities impacted chronic pain in different ways between sexes. Among females, unfavorable living conditions (OR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.07; 2,37) and Blacks/Browns females were most likely to have chronic pain (OR = 1.32; 95%CI 1.01; 1.74). Among males, only the individual aspects were significant for the occurrence of chronic pain, such as low educational attainment (OR = 1.88; 95%CI 1.16; 3.04) and insufficient income (OR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.01; 2.62).

Discussion

The potential for inequality was greater for females than for males reflecting structural factors inherent in a highly unequal society. Conclusions: Equity-oriented health policies are critical to preventing pain in human aging.
The effects of safinamide on dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Hirano Makito , Samukawa Makoto , Isono Chiharu , Nagai Yoshitaka
Published: May 2023

Dysphagia is a potentially fatal symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and is characterized by frequent silent aspiration, a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia. The transdermal dopamine agonist rotigotine alleviates dysphagia in patients with PD and is more effective than oral levodopa, suggesting the importance of continuous dopaminergic stimulation (CDS) in swallowing. Safinamide is a monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) inhibitor that facilitates CDS. In this retrospective open-label evaluator-blinded research, swallowing functions in nine patients with PD were examined using a video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) before and after treatment with 50 mg of oral safinamide. The VFSS results showed that safinamide significantly improved some swallowing measures during oral and pharyngeal phases, including oral transit time and pharyngeal transit time, without worsening of any measures. Notably, improvements in lip closure, an oral phase component, seemed to be most attributable to improvements in oral phase scores. In conclusion, a medicine for CDS may effectively improve swallowing functions in patients with PD. This is the first study to show that the MAOB inhibitor safinamide partly but significantly improves swallowing function in patients with PD.
SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection on environmental surfaces in COVID-19 wards
Authors: Zhou Xuan , Fu HuiXiao , Du Guiqin , Wei Xiaoyu , Zhang BingBing , Zhao Tao
Published: May 2023

This study monitored the presence of SARS-Cov-2 RNA on environmental surfaces in hospital wards housing patients with mild, severe, and convalescent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), respectively. From 29 October to 4 December 2021, a total of 787 surface samples were randomly collected from a General Ward, Intensive Care Unit, and Convalescent Ward at a designated hospital for COVID-19 patients in China. All of the samples were used for SARS-Cov-2 detection. Descriptive statistics were generated and differences in the positivity rates between the wards were analyzed using Fisher’s exact tests, Yates chi-squared tests, and Pearson’s chi-squared tests. During the study period, 787 surface samples were collected, among which, 46 were positive for SARS-Cov-2 RNA (5.8%). The positivity rate of the contaminated area in the Intensive Care Unit was higher than that of the General Ward (23.5% vs. 10.4%, P<0.05). The positivity rate of the semi-contaminated area in the Intensive Care Unit (4.5%) was higher than that of the General Ward (1.5%), but this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). In the clean area, only one sample was positive in the Intensive Care Unit (0.5%). None of the samples were positive in the Convalescent Ward. These findings reveal that the SARS-Cov-2 RNA environmental pollution in the Intensive Care Unit was more serious than that in the General Ward, while the pollution in the Convalescent Ward was the lowest. Strict disinfection measures, personal protection, and hand hygiene are necessary to limit the spread of SARS-Cov-2.
Is Benin on track to reach universal household coverage of basic water, sanitation and hygiene services by 2030?
Authors: Gaffan Nicolas , Dégbey Cyriaque , Kpozèhouen Alphonse , Glèlè Ahanhanzo Yolaine , Johnson Roch Christian , Salamon Roch
Published: May 2023

Introduction

With the end of the Millennium Agenda, the United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Agenda in 2015. This new agenda identifies 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets for 2030, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

Objective

To study the evolution of household access to WASH services over the last two decades in Benin and make projections for 2030.

Methods

In this study, secondary analyses were performed using the datasets of the Demographic and Health Surveys in Benin from 2001 to 2017–2018. The statistical unit was the household. The achievement of the WASH SDGs targets was monitored through the proportion of households using individual basic WASH services, the proportion of households using surface water for drinking, and the proportion of households practising open defecation. The study generated Annual Percentage Changes (APCs) for outcome variables. Based on the APCs between 2001 and 2017–2018, projections were made for 2030.

Results

From 2001 to 2017–2018, household access to individual basic WASH services increased from 50.54% to 63.98% (APC = +1.44%), 5.39% to 13.29% (APC = +5.62%), and 2.12% to 10.11% (APC = +9.92%), respectively. At the same time, the prevalence of surface water consumption and open defecation among households decreased from 10.54% to 5.84% (APC = -3.52%) and 67.03% to 53.91% (APC = -1.31%), respectively. If the trend observed between 2001 and 2017–2018 remains unchanged, the national coverage of households with basic individual WASH services would be 76.50%, 26.33% and 10.51%, respectively, by 2030. The prevalence of surface water consumption and open defecation among households would be 3.73% and 45.71%, respectively, by 2030.

Conclusion

Benin achieved significant progress in household coverage of adequate WASH services over the last two decades. However, progress appears insufficient to achieve universal coverage of households with basic WASH services, and eliminate surface water consumption and open defecation by 2030. There is a need to strengthen research into the drivers of household access to adequate WASH services.
Semi-supervised nuclei segmentation based on multi-edge features fusion attention network
Authors: Li Huachang , Zhong Jing , Lin Liyan , Chen Yanping , Shi Peng
Published: May 2023

The morphology of the nuclei represents most of the clinical pathological information, and nuclei segmentation is a vital step in current automated histopathological image analysis. Supervised machine learning-based segmentation models have already achieved outstanding performance with sufficiently precise human annotations. Nevertheless, outlining such labels on numerous nuclei is extremely professional needing and time consuming. Automatic nuclei segmentation with minimal manual interventions is highly needed to promote the effectiveness of clinical pathological researches. Semi-supervised learning greatly reduces the dependence on labeled samples while ensuring sufficient accuracy. In this paper, we propose a Multi-Edge Feature Fusion Attention Network (MEFFA-Net) with three feature inputs including image, pseudo-mask and edge, which enhances its learning ability by considering multiple features. Only a few labeled nuclei boundaries are used to train annotations on the remaining mostly unlabeled data. The MEFFA-Net creates more precise boundary masks for nucleus segmentation based on pseudo-masks, which greatly reduces the dependence on manual labeling. The MEFFA-Block focuses on the nuclei outline and selects features conducive to segment, making full use of the multiple features in segmentation. Experimental results on public multi-organ databases including MoNuSeg, CPM-17 and CoNSeP show that the proposed model has the mean IoU segmentation evaluations of 0.706, 0.751, and 0.722, respectively. The model also achieves better results than some cutting-edge methods while the labeling work is reduced to 1/8 of common supervised strategies. Our method provides a more efficient and accurate basis for nuclei segmentations and further quantifications in pathological researches.
Hematological abnormalities and associated factors among metabolic syndrome patients at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Kelem Amanuel , Shiferaw Elias , Adane Tiruneh
Published: May 2023

Background

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected metabolic diseases. Hematological abnormalities are common but neglected complications of MetS. Thus, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of hematological abnormalities and their associated factors among MetS patients at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Method

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital from March to May 2022. A total of 384 MetS patients were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using pre-tested structured questionnaires and checklists. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken, and blood sample was collected for complete blood count determination. Stool and blood film examinations were performed to detect intestinal and malaria parasites, respectively. Data were entered into EpiData 3.1 and analyzed by Stata 14.0 software. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with hematological abnormalities. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The magnitude of anemia, leukopenia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and thrombocytosis was found to be 13.3%, 0.5%, 2.9%, 1.6%, and 2.3%, respectively. Being male (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.14, 6.20), rural residency (AOR = 5.79, 95% CI: 1.72, 19.51), taking antihypertensive medications (AOR = 3.85, 95% CI: 1.16, 12.78), having elevated triglyceride level (AOR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.75), and being overweight or obese (AOR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.64) were significantly associated with anemia.

Conclusions

Anemia was the most prevalent hematological abnormality identified in the present study, followed by leukocytosis and thrombocytosis. Anemia was a mild public health problem among MetS patients in the study area. Routine anemia screening for all MetS patients, especially for those with significant associated factors, may help in the early detection and effective management of anemia, which subsequently improves the patients’ quality of life.
Validating the Children’s Depression Inventory-2: Results from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study
Authors: Anant Nandini , Kaur Divjyot , Nadarajan Ranjani , Phua Desiree Y. , Chong Yap Seng , Gluckman Peter D. , Yap Fabian , Chen Helen , Broekman Birit , Meaney Michael J. , Ang Yuen-Siang
Published: May 2023

Childhood-onset depression has adverse consequences that are sustained into adulthood, which increases the significance of detection in early childhood. The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) is used globally in evaluating depressive symptom severity in adolescents, and its second version, the CDI-2, was developed by taking into account advances in childhood depression research. Prior research has reported inconsistencies in its factor structure across populations. In addition, the CDI-2 has not yet been empirically validated with Southeast Asian populations. This study sought to empirically validate the CDI-2’s psychometric properties and evaluate its factorial structure with a Singaporean community sample of non-clinical respondents. A total sample of 730 Singaporean children aged between 8.5 and 10.5 years was used. Psychometric properties of the CDI-2, including internal consistency as well as convergent and discriminant validity, were assessed. Factor analyses were conducted to assess the developers’ original two-factor structure for a Southeast Asian population. This two-factor structure was not supported in our sample. Instead, the data provided the best fit for a hierarchical two-factor structure with factors namely, socio-emotional problems and cognitive-behavioural problems. This finding suggests that socio-cultural and demographic elements influence interpretation of depressive symptoms and therefore the emerging factor structure of the construct under scrutiny. This study highlights the need to further examine the CDI-2 and ensure that its interpretation is culture-specific. More qualitative work could also bring to light the idiosyncratic understanding of depressive symptomatology, which would then guide culture-specific validation of the CDI-2.
Cardiac RNase Z edited via CRISPR-Cas9 drives heart hypertrophy in Drosophila
Authors: Migunova Ekaterina , Rajamani Saathvika , Bonanni Stefania , Wang Fei , Zhou Chao , Dubrovsky Edward B.
Published: May 2023

Cardiomyopathy (CM) is a group of diseases distinguished by morphological and functional abnormalities in the myocardium. It is etiologically heterogeneous and may develop via cell autonomous and/or non-autonomous mechanisms. One of the most severe forms of CM has been linked to the deficiency of the ubiquitously expressed RNase Z endoribonuclease. RNase Z cleaves off the 3’-trailer of both nuclear and mitochondrial primary tRNA (pre-tRNA) transcripts. Cells mutant for RNase Z accumulate unprocessed pre-tRNA molecules. Patients carrying RNase Z variants with reduced enzymatic activity display a plethora of symptoms including muscular hypotonia, microcephaly and severe heart hypertrophy; still, they die primarily due to acute heart decompensation. Determining whether the underlying mechanism of heart malfunction is cell autonomous or not will provide an opportunity to develop novel strategies of more efficient treatments for these patients. In this study, we used CRISPR-TRiM technology to create Drosophila models that carry cardiomyopathy-linked alleles of RNase Z only in the cardiomyocytes. We found that this modification is sufficient for flies to develop heart hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction. These observations support the idea that the RNase Z linked CM is driven by cell autonomous mechanisms.