bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cascaded Raman Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers
Authors: Grubb Stephen G.
Published: December 2022

The recent availability of high power cladding pumped fiber lasers and low loss fiber resonators enabled with fiber Bragg grating technology, have made efficient CW Raman frequency conversion extremely efficient. The technology of cascaded Raman lasers and amplifiers will be reviewed.
Widely Wavelength Tunable External Cavity Laser by Using Fiber Bragg Grating Embedded Optical Switch
Authors: Shigehara Masakazu , Kohda Hiroshi , Saito Kazuhito , Kanamori Hiroo
Published: December 2022

A fiber Bragg grating(FBG) external cavity laser(ECL) has been of great interest for a variety of applications in wavelength division multiplexing systems such as a transmitter[1],[2], a pumping laser of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier[3], a low coherency light source for an optical time domain reflectometer(OTDR)[4], and so forth.
Long-period fiber gratings
Authors: Vengsarkar Ashish M.
Published: December 2022

Long period fiber gratings that couple light from guided core modes to non-guided cladding modes provide a means of introducing wavelength dependent losses in optical fiber systems.1 As a result, these in-fiber devices have found use as gain-equalizers in broadband optical fiber amplifiers,2 as band-rejection filters in high-power cascaded Raman fiber lasers and amplifiers,3 and as stabilizers in 980 nm pump diodes.4 In addition, the ability to access the cladding mode has rendered them sensitive to external perturbations such as temperature, pressure and refractive-index with obvious applications as sensors.5, 6 In this review, we highlight recent results and describe some of the key spectral and thermal properties of long-period fiber gratings.
Volume grating recording in fluorinated silicate glasses
Authors: Glebov L. , Glebova L. , Moharam M.G. , Richardson K. , Smirnov V.
Published: December 2022

Sodium-zinc-aluminum-silicate glasses doped with silver, cerium, fluorine, and bromine were melted in 100 cc fused silica crucibles in an electrical furnace. The polished glass plates were exposed to UV radiation of a He-Cd laser at 325 nm. Spatial frequencies of the interference patterns written ranged from 500 to 700 l/mm. Exposed samples under went heat treatment at temperatures from 500 to 520 °C to produce photoinduced crystallization. The thickness of gratings formed were from 1 mm to 10 mm. High diffraction efficiencies up to 75% and losses less than 10% have been obtained in these glasses for exposure doses of 100 mJ/cm2. The dependence of the grating properties on glass composition and thermodevelopment schedule is studied.
Bragg gratings inscription in rare earth doped fluoride glasses
Authors: Smektala F. , Sramek R. , Lucas J. , Xie W. , Bernage P. , Niay P.
Published: December 2022

Bragg gratings inscription experiments have been performed on fluorozirconate glasses (ZBLA) doped with Ho3+, as well as on fluorozirconate planar waveguides realized by chlorine ion exchange and doped with Ce3+ and Er3+. Both 244 nm and 260 nm light were used. The inscription wasn't possible in any case in the Ce3+ doped planar waveguide. Gratings were written in the Er3+ doped planar waveguide at 260 nm only. In the case of Ho3+ doped fluorozirconate bulk, the inscription was possible at both wavelengths. These results are discussed.
Yellow/blue Iuminescences of Dy3+ doped borate glasses and their anomalous temperature variations
Authors: Tanabe S. , Hanada T. , Kang J. , Soga N.
Published: December 2022

Dysprosium-doped borate glasses were prepared and their physical properties, optical absorption and fluorescence characteristics were investigated. Among three Judd-Ofelt parameters, the O2 increased and the O6 decreased with an increasing Na2O content. The Branching ratio of blue/yellow emission from the 4F9/2 level increased and its lifetime decreased with Na2O content. The lifetime of the 4F9/2 level increased with increasing temperature, which is unusual for most rare earth levels. Moreover, the branching ratio of blue/yellow emissions also changed with temperature. These behaviors could be explained by considering the temperature change of local structure and radiative transition probability of Dy3+ ions in the borate glasses.
NMR and IR study of the functionality of electrode glasses
Authors: Jäger C. , Glock K. , Thomas B.
Published: December 2022

During conditioning of glass electrodes in aqueous solutions a hydrated layer is formed, which is responsible for the pNa+ sensitivity. For a detailed understanding of this effect the structure of the bulk glass as well as of the hydrated layer is of particular importance. 27Al and 11B MAS NMR were used to investigate Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 and Na2O-B2O3-SiO2 glasses. The 27Al MAS spectra can be interpreted in terms of two different structural units. We can distinguish between AlO4 tetrahedra connected to Q4 groups only and AlO4 tetrahedra linked to Q3m groups. In a similar way two BO4 units can be detected which are linked to SiO4 units or BO3. In both cases only one of the two structural units is removed during the reaction in hydrous solution which can easily be concluded from the changes of the 11B and 27Al MAS lineshape. In summary criteria for a good pNa+ sensitivity could formulate in terms of certain structural units which must be present in the bulk glass. Also, the swelling layer must contain a large content of Q4 and the H2O/SiOH ratio must be sufficiently high.
Formation and photosensitivity of defects in Se implanted silica
Authors: Magruder R.H. , Weeks R.A. , Zuhr R.A.
Published: December 2022

Ion implantation in silica has been shown to form photosensitive materials that can be used to form photoinduced gratings. The purpose of this work is to ascertain the photosensitivity of optically active defects in Se implanted silica. Se was chosen because of its chemical similarity to oxygen. The two sources of photosensitive responses in ion implanted glass are defects induced by the ionization and atom displacements during implantation and defects induced by the chemical reaction of the implanted ion species with the host. Silica was implanted with 4 MeV Se ions with nominal doses of 0.1 to 1.0 × 1016 ions/cm2. Only bands at 5.85 and 5 eV are resolved in the absorption spectra in all samples. The bleaching of the bands with KrF irradiation is dose dependent. The sample implanted with 0.3 × 1016 ions/cm2 an increase in the absorption at 5.85 eV and only a small decrease at 5 eV while the 1.0 × 1016 ions/cm2 sample exhibits a decrease in absorption at 5.85 eV and a 33% decrease at 5 eV.
Passive silicon on-chip optic accelerometer for low frequency vibration detection
Authors: Qu Zhiyuan , Lu Ping , Zhang Wanjin , Liu Deming , Zhang Jiangshan
Published: December 2022

In this article, a fiber optic accelerometer based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer is presented and prepared by micromachining on a silicon substrate. The inertial sensing structure of the accelerometer is built by a center block mass and four folded springs with a high thickness-to-width ratio, providing an in-plane resonance vibration. The miniature-sized sensor has large flexibility in structural design and its acceleration response can be predicted by theoretical estimation and finite element simulation. Experimental results show that the proposed sensor’s sensitivity is over 161 rad/g in frequency range of 1 to 63 Hz. It also achieved a low average noise level of 67.4 ng/Hz1/2 on the working band. The sensor’s transverse crosstalk is less than 1.38%, proving its potential ability in low frequency vibration detection applications.
Wideband linear cross-polarization conversion with 3D metamaterial configuration
Authors: Deng Guangsheng , Yu Zhenchun , Wang Linjie , Yang Jun , Yin Zhiping , Li Ying
Published: December 2022

In this Letter, a broadband and wide-angle linear polarization (LP) converter based on a 3D resonator for cross-polarization conversion (CPC) is presented. The designed structure performs a CPC with a polarization conversion ratio (PCR) of more than 90% in the frequency range 16.32 to 34.12 GHz, corresponding to a relative frequency bandwidth of 70.6%. Moreover, the presented structure possesses broad angle stability and miniaturized configuration. The efficiency of CPC remains over 90% in the operational frequency band with the incident angles up to 40°, and the cell size is 0.18λ for the lowest frequency of the CPC operational band. The proposed 3D structure is fabricated using the multi-material hybrid microdroplet jetting modeling (MHMJM) technique, and the experiments agree closely with the simulated results. Compared with traditional polarization converters based on a planar resonant structure, the proposed design shows excellent bandwidth, wide-angle performance, and miniaturization advantages.
Research and Industry News
Authors: Cartlidge Edwin , Daukantas Patricia , Kim Meeri , Michaud Sarah , Kwon Karen , Lanford Hannah , Wills Stewart , Kirkland Alessia
Published: December 2022

Imaging CO2 emissions / Multiphoton entanglement / 3D microstructures /
Heat-resistant heterostructures / Shaping electron beams / Perovskite
optical fiber / Industry news
Inorganic sulfur fixation via a new homocysteine synthase allows yeast cells to cooperatively compensate for methionine auxotrophy
Authors: Yu Jason S. L. , Heineike Benjamin M. , Hartl Johannes , Aulakh Simran K. , Correia-Melo Clara , Lehmann Andrea , Lemke Oliver , Agostini Federica , Lee Cory T. , Demichev Vadim , Messner Christoph B. , Mülleder Michael , Ralser Markus
Published: December 2022

The assimilation, incorporation, and metabolism of sulfur is a fundamental process across all domains of life, yet how cells deal with varying sulfur availability is not well understood. We studied an unresolved conundrum of sulfur fixation in yeast, in which organosulfur auxotrophy caused by deletion of the homocysteine synthase Met17p is overcome when cells are inoculated at high cell density. In combining the use of self-establishing metabolically cooperating (SeMeCo) communities with proteomic, genetic, and biochemical approaches, we discovered an uncharacterized gene product YLL058Wp, herein named Hydrogen Sulfide Utilizing-1 (HSU1). Hsu1p acts as a homocysteine synthase and allows the cells to substitute for Met17p by reassimilating hydrosulfide ions leaked from met17Δ cells into O-acetyl-homoserine and forming homocysteine. Our results show that cells can cooperate to achieve sulfur fixation, indicating that the collective properties of microbial communities facilitate their basic metabolic capacity to overcome sulfur limitation.
Prevalence and determinants of anaemia among men in rural India: Evidence from a nationally representative survey
Authors: Singh Aditya , Ram Sumit , Singh Shivani , Tripathi Pooja
Published: December 2022

Anaemia among men is a significant health issue which has not been given due importance. Only a handful of studies have captured the prevalence of anaemia among men. There is dearth of evidence base on anaemia among men in India. Therefore, this study attempts to fill this research gap by examining the socioeconomic, geographic, health-related, and behavioural differentials of anaemia among rural men in India. We analysed a cross-sectional sample of 61,481 men aged between 15–54 and living in rural areas from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), conducted in 2019–21. Bivariate statistics and multivariable logistic regression were employed to assess the factors associated with anaemia. In rural India, three out of ten men were found to be anaemic. Older men [49–54 years] (Odds Ratio: 1.10, 95% CI, 1.00–1.21), men without a formal education (OR: 1.36, 95% CI, 1.26–1.47), those from Scheduled Tribes (OR: 1.48, 95% CI, 1.39–1.58) and men who belonged to the poorest wealth quintile (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.25–1.35) had a higher risk of anaemia. Men who were underweight were more likely to be anaemic (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.30–1.43). When compared to the central region, men from the eastern (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.39–1.55) parts of India had higher a risk of anaemia. The findings suggest the need to recognise anaemia among men as a public health issue. When developing policy, significant variation in socioeconomic, geographic, health-related, and behavioural factors must be taken into account. Men should also be screened on a regular basis in order to reduce the national burden of anaemia.
Clock genes regulate mating activity rhythms in the vector mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus
Authors: Liu Shuang , Zhou Jiayong , Kong Ling , Cai Yiquan , Liu Hongkai , Xie Zhensheng , Xiao Xiaolin , James Anthony A. , Chen Xiao-Guang
Published: December 2022

Background

Endogenous circadian rhythms result from genetically-encoded molecular clocks, whose components and downstream output factors cooperate to generate cyclic changes in activity. Mating is an important activity of mosquitoes, however, the key aspects of mating rhythm patterns and their regulatory mechanisms in two vector mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, remain unclear.

Methodology/Principal findings

We determined and compared the diel mating activity rhythms of these two mosquito species and discovered that Ae. albopictus had mating peaks in the light/dark transition periods (ZT0-3 and ZT9-12), while Cx. quinquefasciatus only had a mating peak at ZT12-15. Knockouts of the clock (clk) orthologous genes (Aalclk and Cxqclk) resulted in phase delay or phase reversal of the mating peaks in Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus, respectively. In addition, the temporal expression pattern of the desaturase orthologous genes, desat1, in both mosquito species was also different in respective wild-type strains and showed phase changes similar to the mating rhythms in clk mutant strains. Inhibition of desat1 expression resulted in decreased mating activity in male mosquitoes of both species but not females. In addition, desat1 regulated cuticular hydrocarbons’ synthesis in both species. Silencing desat1 in male Ae. albopictus resulted in decreases of nonadecane and tricosane, which promoted mating, with concomitant increases of heptacosane, which inhibited mating. Silencing desat1 in male Cx. quinquefasciatus also resulted in decreases of tricosane, which promoted mating.

Conclusions/Significance

These results suggest that Aalclk and Cxqclk have significant roles in the mating activity rhythms in both Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus by regulating the temporal expression of the desat1 gene under LD cycles, which affects sex pheromone synthesis and mating. This work provides insights into the molecular regulatory mechanism of distinct mating rhythm of Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus and may provide a basis for the control of these two important vector mosquitoes.
Sleep quality among workers in the health sector exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tmava-Berisha Adelina , Fellendorf Frederike T. , Ratzenhofer Michaela , Maget Alexander , Platzer Martina , Bengesser Susanne A. , Birner Armin , Queissner Robert , Schönthaler Elena , Dalkner Nina , Lenger Melanie , Reininghaus Eva Z.
Published: December 2022

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global health crisis that has posed enormous pressure on workers in the health sector (WHS), having a massive impact on their mental health. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of WHS during the pandemic and compare frontline WHS to those who are not directly engaged in the care of COVID-19 patients. This cross-sectional, self-reported online survey assessed the sleep quality of WHS in Austria using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The same questionnaire was sent out two times. Due to the unequal sample and anonymity of the study participants, we analyzed the data of each time point separate from each other. The first study was conducted in April/May 2020, during the first lockdown in Austria (Study1), and the second study was conducted in July/August 2020, when the social restrictions were loosened (Study2). T-test was used to compare the mean values of PSQI scores between frontline vs. non-frontline WHS, while two two-way ANCOVAs were used to analyze differences in the PSQI mean scores (controlled for age) for male vs. female between frontline vs. non-frontline WHS. During the first lockdown in Austria (Study1) we identified a shorter sleep duration of frontline WHS compared to the non-frontline group, however the difference in global PSQI score between these groups was statistically not significant. In the period after loosened restrictions (Study2) the sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and global PSQI score was worse in frontline WHS compared to the non-frontline WHS. Furthermore, female WHS scored higher in the PSQI indicating a worse sleep than male WHS. In addition, nurses and nursing assistants had a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality than other occupational groups. Our results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts the sleep of WHS, affecting particularly frontline WHS. Preventive interventions aiming to promote good sleep quality in WHS during a healthcare crisis like this pandemic are essential to enhance resilience and mitigate the vulnerability of this specific population.
Preference and performance of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae on three Brassicaceae vegetable plants and its association with amino acids and glucosinolates
Authors: Ahmed Muhammad Afaq , Ban Ning , Hussain Sarfaraz , Batool Raufa , Zhang Yong-Jun , Liu Tong-Xian , Cao He-He
Published: December 2022

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) is a generalist pest of various host plants, whose feeding preference and growth performance mainly depends on the quantity and quality of nutrients and defensive metabolites in host plants. Here, we studied the preference and performance of M. persicae on three major Brassicaceae vegetables in China and measured nutrient (amino acids) and defensive metabolites (glucosinolates) in these plants. We found that M. persicae preferred and performed better on Chinese cabbage than cabbage and radish, which may be due to the relatively higher concentration of amino acids and lower levels of indole glucosinolates in their leaves. The glucosinolates level in cabbage leaves was ten times higher than the other two plants, while the amino acid concentration in radish was only half of the cabbage or Chinese cabbage. The higher concentration of indole glucosinolates in cabbage and lower levels of amino acids in radish may account for the poorer preference and growth of M. persicae on these two plants. These results suggest that both amino acids and glucosinolates in plants may play important roles in the preference and performance of M. persicae, which provide new knowledge for the cultivation and breeding of Brassicaceae vegetables.
Passive tracking of underwater acoustic targets based on multi-beam LOFAR and deep learning
Authors: Wang Maofa , Qiu Baochun , Zhu Zefei , Ma Li , Zhou Chuanping
Published: December 2022

Conventional passive tracking methods for underwater acoustic targets in sonar engineering generate time azimuth histogram and use it as a basis for target azimuth and tracking. Passive underwater acoustic targets only have azimuth information on the time azimuth histogram, which is easy to be lost and disturbed by ocean noise. To improve the accuracy of passive tracking, we propose to adopt the processed multi-beam Low Frequency Analysis and Recording (LOFAR) as the dataset for passive tracking. In this paper, an improved LeNet-5 convolutional neural network model (CNN) model is used to identify targets, and a passive tracking method for underwater acoustic targets based on multi-beam LOFAR and deep learning is proposed, combined with Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to improve the tracking accuracy. The performance of the method under realistic conditions is evaluated through simulation analysis and validation using data obtained from marine experiments.
An investigation of the impact of human capital and supply chain competitive drivers on firm performance in a developing country
Authors: Santa Ricardo , Ferrer Mario , Tegethoff Thomas , Scavarda Annibal
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the effect that human capital and key competitive drivers such as quality, agility, and cost have on firm performance, whether this effect is related to the firm’s outsourcing strategy, and whether the firm size is relevant in explaining such relationships.

Design

This study uses structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations using a custom survey based on a review of the literature and completed by 404 firms in the Valle del Cauca agro-industrial region in Colombia.

Findings

Human capital strategies are essential for the effective deployment of operational agility, quality, and cost management strategies, which impact firm performance through effective outsourcing strategies. These relationships, however, do not hold the same across firms of different sizes. Specifically, outsourcing practices are lacking amongst SMEs in the studied region. The study is limited to a specific region, with infrastructure and connectivity limitations that hinder or undermine otherwise potentially valuable third-party logistics strategies.

Practical implications

This paper contributes to the theory and practice in supply chain competitiveness by extending current knowledge of the impact of human capital and key competitive drivers on firm performance, highlighting regional specificities that could hinder firms’ competitiveness, and by presenting a novel, quantitative methodology seldom used for these topics.
COVID-19 pandemic and unemployment rate prediction for developing countries of Asia: A hybrid approach
Authors: Shi Lumin , Khan Yousaf Ali , Tian Man-Wen
Published: December 2022

Unemployment is an essential problem for developing countries, which has a direct and major role in economy of a country. Understanding the pattrens of unemployment rate is critical now a days and has drawn attention of researcher from all fields of study across the globe. As unemployment plays an important role in the planning of a country’s monetary progress for policymakers and researcher. Determining the unemployment rate efficiently required an advance modeling approach. Recently,numerous studies have relied on traditional testing methods to estimate the unemployment rate. Unemployment is usually nonstationary in nature. As a result, demonstrating them using traditional methods will lead to unpredictable results. It needs a hybrid approach to deal with the prediction of unemployment rate in order to deal with the issue associated with traditional techniques. This research primary goal is to examine the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the unemployment rate in selected countries of Asia through advanced hybrid modeling approach, using unemployment data of seven developing countries of Asian: Iran, Sri Lanka; Bangladesh; Pakistan; Indonesia; China; and India,and compare the results with conventional modeling approaches. Finding shows that the hybrid ARIMA-ARNN model outperformed over its competitors for Asia developing economies. In addition, the best fitted model was utilised to predict five years ahead unemployment rate. According to the findings, unemployment will rise significantly in developing economies in the next years, and this will have a particularly severe impact on the region’s economies that aren’t yet developed.
Service network design for freight railway transportation: The Chinese case
Authors: Xin Xiaoyu
Published: December 2022

Service network design is a typical tactical planning problem faced in freight railway transportation. In this paper, we propose an integer linear programming model for the rail freight service network design problem in the context of the China railway system. The model aims to minimize the overall costs (including train costs and car costs) while satisfying a set of practical restrictions and operational requirements. Our model also considers a distinct operational feature in Chinese railway transportation practice, i.e., the tree-shaped path. A numerical experiment as well as a real-life case study from the China Railway Jinan Group (CR Jinan) is conducted to demonstrate the proposed solution approach. The real-life problem size reaches as many as 139 stations, 473 alternative train services and 562 shipments. Computational results show that our proposed approach is able to obtain quality solutions within a reasonable time frame.
Study on exercise muscle fatigue based on sEMG and ECG data fusion and temporal convolutional network
Authors: Mu Dinghong , Li Fenglei , Yu Linxinying , Du Chunlin , Ge Linhua , Sun Tao
Published: December 2022

Background

Muscle fatigue is a crucial indicator to determine whether training is in place and to protect trainers.

Purpose

To make full use of morphological information of surface EMG and ECG signals in the time domain, a new idea and method for the fatigue assessment of exercise muscles based on data fusion is proposed in this paper.

Methods

sEMG and ECG time series with the same length were obtained by signal preprocessing and sequence normalization, feature extraction of sequence tenses was realized by a deep learning network based on sequential convolution and signal fusion model of muscle fatigue evaluation was established by D-S evidence theory.

Experiment

Thirty volunteers were recruited and divided into three groups. ECG signals and sEMG signals at the biceps brachii of the right upper limb were monitored in a 20-minute exercise cycle.

Results

The prediction result of TCN based on time domain signal is better than the commonly used KNN and SVM recognition algorithm, and the recognition accuracy of relaxed, excessive and fatigue by D-S fusion was 89%, 86%, 88.5%. The accuracy was 0.9055, 0.9494 and 0.9269, respectively. The recall rates of the three conditions were 0.9303, 0.9570 and 0.9435. The F-score of the three conditions was 0.8911, 0.8764 and 0.8837, respectively.

Conclusion

Based on time series and time series convolutional network, sEMG and ECG fusion of motor muscle recognition method can better distinguish different state information and has certain practical value in the fields of muscle evaluation, clinical diagnosis, wearable devices and so on.
The role of parenthood in worry about overheating in homes in the UK and the US and implications for energy use: An online survey study
Authors: Huebner Gesche M.
Published: December 2022

Climate change brings an increase in temperatures and a higher frequency of heatwaves. Both have been linked to a rise in suicide rates and violent crime on a population level. However, little is known about the link between mental health and ambient temperatures on an individual level and for particular subgroups. Overheating poses health risks to children and disturbs sleep; leading to the expectation that parents are more worried about their homes getting too hot than non-parents. Two online survey studies (N = 1000 each) were conducted in the UK and the US to understand to what extent parents and an age-matched comparison group without children are worried about overheating and how they differ in their mitigation actions. Findings did not support the main hypotheses around greater overheating worry amongst parents in general, mothers or those with very young children. However, parents indicated a greater likelihood to upgrade or install air-conditioning (US) and to get electric fans (UK). Parents in the UK indicated using more mitigation options to cope with overheating than non-parents. Parents in the US, whilst not reporting doing more actions, were more likely to use air-conditioning to deal with overheating than non-parents. Finally, those parents who mentioned health impacts on children as a reason for worry about overheating, were more concerned about overheating than parents who had other reasons than children’s health as a reason for being concerned about overheating. In summary, parental status might have implications for cooling energy use and concern for children’s health might increase overheating worry; however, many open questions remain.
Patterns of antiemetic medication use during pregnancy: A multi-country retrospective cohort study
Authors: Fisher Anat , Paterson J. Michael , Winquist Brandace , Wu Fangyun , Reynier Pauline , Suissa Samy , Dahl Matthew , Ma Zhihai , Lu Xinya , Zhang Jianguo , Raymond Colette B. , Filion Kristian B. , Platt Robert W. , Moriello Carolina , Dormuth Colin R. ,   for the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES) Investigators
Published: December 2022

Objective

To compare patterns in use of different antiemetics during pregnancy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, between 2002 and 2014.

Methods

We constructed population-based cohorts of pregnant women using administrative healthcare data from five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan), the Clinical Practice Research Datalink from the United Kingdom, and the IBM MarketScan Research Databases from the United States. We included pregnancies ending in live births, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, or induced abortion. We determined maternal use of antiemetics from pharmacy claims in Canada and the United States and from prescriptions in the United Kingdom.

Results

The most common outcome of 3 848 734 included pregnancies (started 2002–2014) was live birth (66.7% of all pregnancies) followed by spontaneous abortion (20.2%). Use of antiemetics during pregnancy increased over time in all three countries. Canada had the highest prevalence of use of prescription antiemetics during pregnancy (17.7% of pregnancies overall, 13.2% of pregnancies in 2002, and 18.9% in 2014), followed by the United States (14.0% overall, 8.9% in 2007, and 18.1% in 2014), and the United Kingdom (5.0% overall, 4.2% in 2002, and 6.5% in 2014). Besides use of antiemetic drugs being considerably lower in the United Kingdom, the increase in its use over time was more modest. The most commonly used antiemetic was combination doxylamine/pyridoxine in Canada (95.2% of pregnancies treated with antiemetics), ondansetron in the United States (72.2%), and prochlorperazine in the United Kingdom (63.5%).

Conclusions

In this large cohort study, we observed an overall increase in antiemetic use during pregnancy, and patterns of use varied across jurisdictions. Continued monitoring of antiemetic use and further research are warranted to better understand the reasons for differences in use of these medications and to assess their benefit-risk profile in this population.
Clavis: An open and versatile identification key format
Authors: Koch Wouter , Elven Hallvard , Finstad Anders G.
Published: December 2022

The skills and knowledge needed to recognize and classify taxa are becoming increasingly scarce in the scientific community. At the same time, it is clear that these skills are strongly needed in biodiversity monitoring for management and conservation, especially when carried out by citizen scientists. Formalizing the required knowledge in the form of digital identification keys is one way of making such knowledge more available for professional and amateur observers of biodiversity. In this paper we describe Clavis, an open and versatile data format for capturing the knowledge required for taxon identification through digital keys, allowing for a level of detail beyond that of any current key format. We present the format independently from any particular implementation, as our aim is for Clavis to serve as a basis for interoperable tools and interfaces serving different needs and actors.
Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and other blood cell component counts are not associated with the development of postmolar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia
Authors: Braga Antonio , Canelas Ana Clara , Torres Berenice , Maesta Izildinha , Giongo Pedrotti Luana , Bessel Marina , Vieira dos Santos Esteves Ana Paula , Amim Junior Joffre , Rezende Filho Jorge , Elias Kevin M. , Horowitz Neil S. , Berkowitz Ross S.
Published: December 2022

Objective

To relate preevacuation platelet count and leukogram findings, especially neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratios with the occurrence of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) after complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) among Brazilian women.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of patients with CHM followed at Rio de Janeiro Federal University, from January/2015-December/2020. Before molar evacuation, all patients underwent a medical evaluation, complete blood count and hCG measurement, in addition to other routine preoperative tests. The primary outcome was the occurrence of postmolar GTN.

Results

From 827 cases of CHM treated initially at the Reference Center, 696 (84.15%) had spontaneous remission and 131 (15.85%) developed postmolar GTN. Using optimal cut-offs from receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for the possible confounding variables of age and preevacuation hCG level (already known to be associated with the development of GTN) we found that ≥2 medical complications at presentation (aOR: 1.96, CI 95%: 1.29–2.98, p<0.001) and preevacuation hCG ≥100,000 IU/L (aOR: 2.16, CI 95%: 1.32–3.52, p<0.001) were significantly associated with postmolar GTN after CHM. However, no blood count profile findings were able to predict progression from CHM to GTN.

Conclusion

Although blood count is a widely available test, being a low-cost test and mandatory before molar evacuation, and prognostic for outcome in other neoplasms, its findings were not able to predict the occurrence of GTN after CHM. In contrast, the occurrence of medical complications at presentation and higher preevacuation hCG levels were significantly associated with postmolar GTN and may be useful to guide individualized clinical decisions in post-molar follow-up and treatment of these patients.
Beyond tingles: An exploratory qualitative study of the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)
Authors: Trenholm-Jensen Enya Autumn , Burns Lindsey , Trenholm Jill Ellen , Hand Christopher James
Published: December 2022

This qualitative exploratory study investigated the embodied experiences and the meanings of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) from the viewer’s perspective. ASMR research has been sparse and largely quantitative, assuming it to be a predominantly fixed physiological response of “tingles”, despite the acronym being rooted in pseudoscience. A qualitative research design was adopted to facilitate the exploratory nature of the study in this under-researched area. In contrast to the mostly survey-based research on ASMR, this study employed semi-structured interviews as a means to understand the lived experience of ASMR and to promote participant agency. Six self-identifying ASMR consumers were recruited using a mixture of snowball and opportunity sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted both in person and using Skype to facilitate transnational data collection. Interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive, data-driven approach to thematic analysis. The analysis suggests that ASMR is felt to provide a social environment of comfort rather than a solely physiological-based experience. Three key themes emerged: who and what defines ASMR? (reflecting the variety of what was classed as ASMR and what content was consumed to produce the response); “real” intimacy tailored to me (reflecting the idiosyncratic perception of intimacy made possible through ASMR); and emotional relief on my terms (reflecting the role of ASMR in self-soothing). The present data reflect a rich, complex experience of the ASMR consumer, pointing to potential wider applications and informing further research.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis in France: How many MSM are eligible and how much will it cost?
Authors: Ousseine Youssoufa M. , Lydié Nathalie , Velter Annie
Published: December 2022

Background

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was definitively authorized in France in 2017 after a two-year probationary period. The fact that the estimated number of MSM eligible for PrEP is still unknown is a barrier to this prevention tool’s roll-out at the national level. This study aimed to estimate the number of MSM eligible for PrEP in France, and to evaluate the direct cost of its roll-out.

Methods

We used data from several sources including the Enquête Rapport au Sexe 2019-ERAS 2019 survey, the 2019 French population census from National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), and the National Public Health Agency’s (Santé Publique France) 2016 health barometer survey. We also used data from previous studies which estimated the proportion of MSM who were sexually active in the 12 months prior to the studies, and HIV prevalence in MSM in France. Furthermore, we used data on PrEP drug costs from the French public drug database and data on medical examinations costs from the IPERGAY study.

Results

For 2019, the number of HIV seronegative MSM in France who were sexually active in the previous 12 months was estimated at 398,015. Of these, 142,379 (95%CI: 139,893–145,241) and 104,645 (95%IC: 102311–106979) were eligible for PrEP, based on the Menza score and on official French criteria, respectively. The overall estimated cost of PrEP roll-out in eligible MSM varied between € 317,685,216 and € 545,903,216 for official French criteria, which was higher than the estimated €432,240,851 and €742,753,074 according to the Menza score.

Conclusions

Our estimations will enable policy makers to make evidence-based decisions about PrEP roll-out to MSM in France. To accelerate the process, it is important to decentralize PrEP delivery, authorize general practitioners to write prescriptions, and promote this prevention tool through information campaigns.
Is Infant and Young Child-feeding (IYCF) a potential double-duty strategy to prevent the double burden of malnutrition among children at the critical age? Evidence of association from urban slums in Pune, Maharashtra, India
Authors: Jeyakumar Angeline , Babar Prasad , Menon Pramila , Nair Raji , Jungari Suresh , Tamboli Aspiya , Dhamdhere Dipali , Hendre Kiran , Lokare Tushar , Dhiman Anshita , Gaikwad Anjali
Published: December 2022

Background

This study characterized undernutrition among children (0–24 months) by age groups specified for Infant and Young Child-feeding (IYCF) and determined the association between child malnutrition and IYCF.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey recruited mother-children dyads (N = 1443). WHO standards were used to assess nutritional status and IYCF indicators. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between IYCF and nutritional indicators.

Results

Stunting, underweight, wasting, overweight, and obesity were prevalent in 33.1%, 26%, 20.2%, 4.6%, and 2.9% of the children, respectively. Age-wise distribution of undernutrition identified severity of stunting and underweight at 10–24 months (median < -1.6 SD; < -1.2 SD; 25th percentile at -2.6 & -2.2 SD respectively) and wasting highest at 0–6 months (25th percentile close to -2SD). Boys manifested higher stunting (lower value -5.2 SD) and were more wasted (lower value -4.7 SD). IYCF prevalence recorded early initiation at 45.2%, exclusive breastfeeding at 23.1%, and prelacteal and bottle-feeding at 37.5 and 22.5% respectively. Child minimum diet diversity (MDD) ≥4 was not achieved by 84%. Minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet were achieved by 75% and 14% respectively. Bottle-feeding increased the odds of wasting [AOR: 1.501 (95% CI: 1.062–2.121)], severe stunting [AOR: 1.595 (95% CI: 1.079–2.358)] and underweight [AOR: 1.519 (95% CI 1.102–2.094)]. Wasting according to BAZ scores was associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding [AOR: 1.387 (95% CI: 1.018–1.889)] and bottle feeding [AOR: 1.538 (95% CI: 1.087–2.175)]. Delayed introduction of complementary feeding increased the odds of severe stunting [AOR: 2.189 (95% CI: 1.090–4.399)]. Formula feeding increased the odds of underweight [AOR: 1.738 (95% CI: 1.046–2.888)] and obesity [AOR: 4.664 (95% CI: 1.351–16.10)]. Prelacteal feeding increased the odds of severe forms of stunting and underweight by 56% and 79% respectively, and overweight by 96%.

Conclusion

Setting and age-specific interventions to improve age-appropriate child-feeding practices are vital to address the double burden of malnutrition in the critical age group.
Communicating with mechanically ventilated patients who are awake. A qualitative study on the experience of critical care nurses in Cyprus during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kyranou Maria , Cheta Chariklia , Pampoulou Eliada
Published: December 2022

Background

Modern protocols for light sedation in combination with the increased number of COVID-19 infected patients hospitalized in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have increased the number of patients who are mechanically ventilated and awake. Nurses require specific skills to care for this vulnerable group of patients. At the same time, nurses report feeling inadequate and frustrated when they attempt to establish communication with mechanically ventilated, conscious patients.

Study objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies nurses use when taking care of conscious, intubated patients in the intensive care unit and the barriers they encounter in their effort to communicate.

Methods

For this study, a qualitative design was employed. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 intensive care nurses working at ICUs in four different hospitals of Cyprus. The data were analyzed by applying thematic analysis.

Results

We identified several strategies of unaided (movements—lips, hands, legs—facial expressions, gestures, touching) and aided forms of communication (pen and paper, boards, tablets, mobiles) used by nurses to communicate with patients. However, barriers to communication were reported by the participating nurses mainly pertaining to patients and nurses’ characteristics as well as the ICU environment. The health protocols imposed by the pandemic added more obstacles to the communication between nurses and patients mostly related to the use of protective health equipment.

Conclusions

The results of this study point to the difficulties nurses in Cyprus face when trying to communicate with conscious patients during mechanical ventilation. It appears that the lack of nurses’ training and of appropriate equipment to facilitate augmentative and alternative communication leave the complex communication needs of critically ill patients unaddressed. However, further research including patients’ opinions, after they recover, would bring more clarity on this topic. Our study adds evidence to the communication crisis created by the protective health protocols imposed by the pandemic. As such, it highlights the need to educate nurses in augmentative and alternative ways of communication to address communication with mechanically ventilated, conscious patients during their ICU stay.
Occupational roles and risks of community-embedded peer educators providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services to persons who inject drugs in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Masese Linnet N. , Ludwig-Barron Natasha T. , Mbogo Loice , Guthrie Brandon L. , Musyoki Helgar , Bukusi David , Sinkele William , Gitau Esther , Farquhar Carey , Monroe-Wise Aliza
Published: December 2022

Background

In Kenya, harm reduction organizations have adopted evidence-based peer educator (PE) programs, where former people who inject drugs (PWID) serve as community health liaisons to engage PWID in HIV, HCV and harm reduction services. While PEs play an integral role in healthcare delivery, little data exists on their roles, risks and experiences working with PWID, which may be used to inform local harm reduction policy.

Methods

PE’s from two harm reduction sites in Nairobi were randomly and purposively selected to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to characterize the expected versus actual roles that PEs employ while serving PWID, personal motivation and/or challenges and occupational health risks. Data was analyzed using Atlas.ti software.

Results

Twenty PEs participated in the study. On average, PEs were 37 years of age, with 3 years of service. Female representation was 30%. Expected responsibilities included locating clients, establishing rapport, educating and escorting clients to addiction care facilities. Additional roles included attending to clients outside of work hours, escorting clients to medical appointments and facilitating patient-provider discussions. Occupational health risks included harassment by police and drug dealers, needle sticks, and close proximity to drug use environments that could prompt drug relapse. Despite these challenges and risks, PEs are motivated by their personal experiences of overcoming addiction with help from harm reduction programs.

Conclusions/Recommendations

PEs play a vital role in HIV, HCV and harm reduction service delivery in Kenya, often exceeding their job descriptions by offering additional support to PWID. Recommendations include (1) advocating for PEs to provide patient navigation services, (2) promoting the use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), (3) providing occupational mental health services to prevent drug relapse, and (4) collaborating with law enforcement to address harassment, with the ultimate goal of reducing HIV and HCV incidence among PWID.