bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between Physical Self-Concept and Psychological Well-being in Sport Participants
Authors: Lee Haekyung
Published: September 2024

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between physical self-concept and psychological well-being and provided scientific evidence for participation in exercise. Methods: A Correlational survey design was used. Data was collected from 359 adult males and females who regularly participated in health-exercise programs in 2 sport centers. Subjects were given a self-report questionnaire. The SPSS/WIN 12.0 program was used for descriptive analysis, t-test and correlation. Results: There was a positive correlation between physical self-concept and psychological well-being. There were significant differences in physical self-concept according to gender, the length of participation, the frequency of participation per week, length of time per participation, and intensity of exercise. There were significant differences in psychological well-being according to the length of participation, and the frequency of participation per week. There was a significant difference in the psychological well-being and physical self-concept. Conclusion: This study showed that exercise participation has an effect on the psychological well-being of participants via enhancing the physical fitness.
Effects of Self Express Training on Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia
Authors: Han Kuem Sun , Choi Mi Young , Park Young Hee , Jung Mi Ran , Im Se Hyeon , Cheon Ae Ri , Um Myung Sook , Kim Guen Myun
Published: September 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of self express training on assertiveness, interpersonal relations and coping strategies of patients with chronic schizophrenia living in the community.Methods: This study employed a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Thirty-three participants were selected from the enrolled members of a community mental health center who were patients with chronic schizophrenia, and they were divided into an experimental group(18) and control group(15). The experimental group completed self express training that consisted of an 8 session program, once a week over 8-weeks. Results: The result indicated that significant differences are shown in assertiveness and coping strategies between the experimental group and control group. Conclusion: Self express training is effective on increasing assertiveness and positive coping of patients with chronic schizophrenia living in the community.
The Effects of a Group Counseling Program for the Military in Mental Health, Self-Esteem, and Quality of Life
Authors: Jung Hae Sun , Song Eun-Ju
Published: September 2024

Purpose: This study was for verifying how a group counseling program for the military affected soldiers' mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life. Methods: The research design was a one group pretest-posttest design using quasi-experimental research. The subjects, 30 soldiers who entered a recruit training center for the military, were measured for changes in mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life, after they participated in the program for eight sessions. This program was aimed to reduce psychological problems of soldiers through the use of group counselling and help soldiers adjust to army life better. Results: This program showed a significant difference statistically in the mental health and self-esteem of soldiers, but the change for quality of life was not statistically different. Conclusion: This program had an effect on mental health and self-esteem of soldiers. Accordingly, psychiatric nurses will continue to proceed with the study so that they can help soldiers adapt to army life and promote heatlh.
The Effect of Therapeutic Recreation on Interpersonal Relationships and Quality of Life in Nursing Students
Authors: Kim Gyung Hee , Kim Kye Ha
Published: September 2024

Purpose: This study was to examine the effects of therapeutic recreation on interpersonal relationships and quality of life in nursing students. Methods: A randomized controlled pre-post test design was used.Subjects consisted of 63 nursing students residing in 2 nursing colleges in S city. The subjects participated in a 60 minute therapeutic recreation program for 10 sessions (10 week period). The collected data was analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program that included a chi-square test and independent t-test. Results: This study showed that the interpersonal relationships and quality of life significantly increased after the therapeutic recreation. Conclusion: In conclusion, this therapeutic recreation was effective in improving interpersonal relationships and quality of life of nursing students.
The Effect of the Tai Chi Exercise on the Self-Concept and Interpersonal Relationship of Persons with Schizophrenia
Authors: Oh Kyong-Ok , Gang Moon-Hee , Sung Eun-Ok
Published: September 2024

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effects of the Tai Chi exercise program on persons with schizophrenia. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design.The data was collected from June to October. 2006. The subjects consisted of 55 chronic schizophrenic inpatients. The experimental group participated in the Tai Chi exercise program twice a week for 12 weeks. Data was analyzed with the SPSS/WIN 11.5 program and included χ2 test and t4est. Results: The subjective seK-esteem showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups. The effects of the Tai Chi exercise program was confirmed by changes in interpersonal relationship. There were significant differences between the two groups in communication and understanding. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the positive effects of the Tai Chi exerdse program in persons with schizophrenia.
Gender Differences in the Affecting Factors of Children's Beliefs Relative to Parental Divorce in Divorced Families
Authors: Shin Sung Hee , Lee Sook
Published: September 2024

Purpose: This study aimed at comparing the level of children's beliefs about parental divorce, environmental change after parental divorce, and social support as well as identifying the gender differences in affecting factors of children's beliefs about parental divorce. Methods: Data was collected from 219(M=100, F = 119) children in Seoul, Korea, using Beliefs about Parental Divorce Scale, Environmental Change after Parental Divorce Scale, and Social Support Scale.Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square, t-test, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The level of children's beliefs about parental divorce, environmental change after parental divorce and social support was significantly different between gender. Factors affecting children's beliefs about parental divorce were statistically different according to gender. For boys, changes in daily life alone significantly explained their beliefs about parental divorce (R2 = .180, p< .001). For girls, family support, change of daily life, friends' support, and economic change significantly explained their beliefs about parental divorce (R2 = .464, p < .001). Conclusion: Nurses working with children in divorced families should indude the affecting factors in beliefs about parental divorce by children's gender in their nursing plan.
Evidence-based treatment of severe equine asthma
Authors: Dunkel Bettina
Published: September 2024

Equine asthma is one of the most common non-infectious respiratory conditions associated with inhalation of dust that affects horses worldwide. The disease causes airway inflammation, bronchoconstriction and increased mucus production. Severe equine asthma causes the most profound clinical signs, and although the disease cannot be cured, it can be managed successfully. Environmental modifications remain the most important strategy to decrease clinical signs in horses with severe equine asthma, while medical treatment relies on the use of anti-inflammatories (usually corticosteroids) and bronchodilators. In an acute asthma attack, systemic corticosteroids in combination with systemic or inhaled bronchodilators are most effective, while inhaled corticosteroid treatment in horses with controlled severe equine asthma offers the lowest risk of side effects.
Analyzing Learning Style Patterns in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Examination Spanning 1984 to 2022 Based on the Scopus Database
Authors: Nguyen Hoa-Huy , Nguyen Tung-Lam , Vu Cam-Tu
Published: September 2024

In an era where diversity and digitalization significantly influence higher education, understanding and adapting to various learning preferences is crucial. This study comprehensively analyzes 394 scholarly articles from 1984 to 2022 using bibliometric methods, providing a dynamic overview of the research patterns in learning styles within higher education. We identified four stages of development during this period: 1984–1995 (Low-interest), 1996–2005 (Early development), 2006–2018 (Development), and 2019–2022 (Intensification). Our analysis highlights that the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia were the top three leading publishers of research on learning styles in higher education. The results reveal three main topics of publications: educational technology, learning environments, and subject behaviors. This research not only identifies emerging research topics but also underscores the importance of adapting instructional strategies to diverse learning styles to enhance educational outcomes in higher education.
The Correlation of Emotional Empathy With Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being Among Postgraduate Students: A Hierarchical Model
Authors: Abdel-Hadi Samer Adnan , Al-Quraan Mahmoud Fisal
Published: September 2024

Emotional empathy, mindfulness, and subjective well-being are essential to understanding human behavior and mental health among students. However, more research is needed to investigate how these constructs interplay within academic contexts. This study explored the hierarchical relationships between emotional empathy, mindfulness, and subjective well-being. The Multidimensional Emotional Empathy Scale (MDEES), The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), and the Subjective Well-Being Scale (WeBs) were administered with a sample of postgraduate professional diplomas in teaching students attending Al Ain University in Abu Dhabi campus and Al Ain campus (n = 1545). The results showed that emotional empathy (positive sharing, suffering, feeling for others, and emotional contagion) positively affects physical and eudaimonic well-being. A negative correlation was found between financial and social well-being and other components of emotional empathy, such as emotional attention and responsive crying. Mindfulness significantly improves emotional empathy in components like describing, accepting without judgment, and observing. This study revealed that some components of mindfulness, such as observing and acting with awareness, decrease emotional empathy, such as suffering and feeling for others. Acting with the awareness component in mindfulness decreases positive sharing, responsive crying, and emotional contagion. Future research could explore these relationships further and examine potential cultural differences.
Diagnostic and management challenges in primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma with necrosis, inflammation, and surgical intervention: A case report
Authors: Kim Jun Mo , Choi Woo Young , Cheon Ji Seon
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (PC-ALCL) poses significant diagnostic difficulties due to its similarity in the appearance of skin lesions with chronic inflammatory disorders and other dermatological conditions. This study aims to investigate these challenges by conducting a comprehensive analysis of a case presenting with PC-ALCL, emphasizing the necessity of accurate differentiation for appropriate management.

CASE SUMMARY

An 89-year-old female patient with diabetes and hypertension presented with arm and abdominal ulcerated mass lesions. Diagnostic procedures included skin biopsies, histopathological assessments, and immunohistochemistry, complemented by advanced imaging techniques to confirm the diagnosis. The patient’s lesions were determined as PC-ALCL, characterized by necrosis, chronic inflammation, and a distinct immunophenotypic profile, including CD30, CD3, CD4, and EBER, CD56, MUM-1, Ki 67-positive in > 80% of tumor cells, CD10, but negative for anaplastic lymphoma kinase, CD5, CD20, PAX-5, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, CD8, and CD15. Recurrence was not reported at the 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Accurate PC-ALCL differentiation from similar conditions is crucial for effective management and requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Image processing for feature detection and extraction
Authors: APOSTOLESCU Nicolae , ION-GUTA Dragos-Daniel
Published: September 2024

The present paper aims to conduct an experiment that compares different methods of detecting objects in images. Programs were developed to evaluate the efficiency of SURF, BRISK, MSER, and ORB object detection methods. Four static gray images with sufficiently different histograms were used. The experiment also highlighted the need for image preprocessing to improve feature extraction and detection. Thus, a programmed method for adjusting pixel groups was developed. This method proved useful when one of the listed algorithms failed to detect the object in the original image, but succeeded after adjustment. The effectiveness of detection methods and the evaluation of their performance depend on the application, image preparation, algorithms used, and their implementation. Results of the detection methods were presented numerically (similarities, gradients, distances, etc.) and graphically.
Schlieren Image Velocimetry and colorimetry for a burning candle and its thermal plume
Authors: ROSU Raluca Andreea
Published: September 2024

This article explores the feasibility of generating velocity maps for a flame and its plume from a burning candle using Schlieren Image Velocimetry (SIV). Currently, SIV is predominantly employed in the literature to track highly turbulent flows by using the developing eddies as flow markers. The novelty of this study lies in evaluating the quality of a nearly laminar flame, which exhibits significant background density variation due to its own plume. In addition to the SIV technique, a brief assessment is conducted using a segmented color filter, specially designed and manufactured to evaluate the potential for measuring the temperature range of the flame.
Demonstrative irregular fatigue cycle counting by rainflow method implementation using a Python program
Authors: CORMOS Raul , NEAGOE Catalin Andrei , CIOLCA Miruna , HADAR Anton
Published: September 2024

The main aim of this article is to present a fatigue cycle counting program for a given application. The application is an example from a given case presented in the literature, with the analytical solution discussed herein. Cycle counting for irregular fatigue spectra is important to evaluate for various given load cases, in different industries. Such evaluations are difficult to make without dedicated computer programs. Several specific methods are available in the technical literature to evaluate irregular fatigue spectrums. For this study, one of the most well-known and used methods was chosen, the rainflow-counting algorithm. This method extracts the number of cycles from an irregular fatigue recording which, in turn, is used in the Palmgren-Miner rule to evaluate the fatigue damage for the examined application, considering that the Wohler curve is given. The developed program is written in the Python programming language. The theoretical background is presented for the application and the use of it with the program algorithm.
Fundamental principles and realities of practice: work health and safety in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Walters David , James Phil , Johnstone Richard
Published: September 2024

This article sets out to explore whether the amendment to the ILO’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work which, in June 2022, added a ‘safe and healthy work environment’ to the principles and rights already included, might help to address conditions leading to the disproportionate burden of work-related death, injury and disease estimated to occur in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It does so by drawing on the findings of an extensive review of the literature to examine evidence for the influence and operation of (a) global and national regulatory standards and interventions; and (b) private standards and their role in influencing practices in export-oriented work. It situates its examination of this evidence in relation to the economic, social and regulatory contexts in which work and its poor outcomes for safety and health are experienced in many LMICs, and hence in relation to the challenges that confront the effective utilisation of regulatory action. The article argues that these contextual challenges are formidable, and evidence of the operational means of securing sustainable improvements to work health and safety in the face of them remains incomplete. But it concludes that the 2022 amendment could contribute a useful driver for the considerable strategic orchestration and leadership required to achieve such effective utilisation if, within the ILO, there were a tripartite consensus concerning its desirability.
Celebration and Remembrance in Kalibo’s Ati-Atihan: Mythmaking, Devotion, and Cultural Memory
Authors: Tiatco S Anril
Published: September 2024

Abstract: The Ati-Atihan is a Philippine festival held every January in Kalibo, Aklan province on Panay Island, in honor of the town’s patron saint, the Santo Niño (The Child Jesus) and, at the same time, a commemoration of the original settlers of the island, the dark-skinned Atis. The festival is believed to predate Hispanic colonialism. However, Spanish missionaries gradually added Christian meanings to it. The festival’s origin is also linked to the epic Maragtas , which tells the story of Ten Bornean Datus (chieftains) led by Datu Puti, who fled Borneo in the thirteenth century and landed on the island of Panay. The Borneans purchased the island from the Ati people. Feasting and festivities followed soon after the transaction, including a traditional Ati dance, which was mimicked by the Borneans as an act of appreciation. Today, the festival consists of religious processions and street dancing, showcasing groups and individuals wearing colorful and elaborate costumes and marching drummers. The street dancing , sadsad , is improvised where the foot is momentarily dragged along the ground in tune with the drummers’ beat. The essay interrogates the Ati-atihan Festival through its three components—a dance-drama called Maragtas it Panay (The Barter of Panay), the sadsad , and the cultural dance competition. I argued that religion (Catholicism), cultural history (the Maragtas ), and the series of performances during the weeklong merry-making complicate the festival’s ontology. Entangling these aspects, the festival is explored as a celebration and, at the same time, a repulsion of the foreign (colonial disposition), which leads toward an understanding of the festival as a concatenation of entanglements: devotion and entertainment, utopia and nostalgia, and history and mythmaking. In the end, the Ati-atihan invokes a communal identity, which may be asserted as a recuperation of a pre-contact collective identity that embodies a proposition signifying how the body remembers what the archives failed to record.
The Task of Contemporary History
Authors: Rothfels Hans
Published: September 2024

Abstract: In the first essay of the Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte , which appeared in 1953, Hans Rothfels took up the challenge of outlining contemporary history as a field of research. His short article, titled "Zeitgeschichte als Aufgabe" can be considered a timeless classic, and just about any student of recent history at a German university will have encountered Rothfels's definition of contemporary history as the "epoch of contemporaries and its scholarly treatment." The dynamics by which the present is continually turned into history were, for Rothfels, the unique feature of contemporary history. His understanding of the field had a profound influence on future scholarship and remains valid to this day, despite the occasionally fierce criticism of his national-conservative political outlook, and despite the period-specific ambivalence in the historical thought of a returned emigrant who had once been driven out of Germany by the National Socialists because of his Jewish ancestry.
The Role of Atrocities in the Turn from Western to Post-Western Order: Reflections on Pankaj Mishra’s ‘The Shoah after Gaza’
Authors: Gail Dorothea
Published: September 2024

Both the ‘West’ as floating signifier and the self-understanding of ‘Western’ national communities arguably face deeper deficits of legitimacy today than after 1914, Hiroshima, Auschwitz, post-war decolonisation, or the ‘War on Terror’. At the same time, the American—and probably final—embodiment of Western claims to the right of enforcement of global moral standards and geopolitical order is in visibly accelerating decay. By engaging with Pankaj Mishra’s
February 2024 essay ‘The Shoah after Gaza’, this paper argues that these two sets of crises are mutually reinforcing, and probably irrevocable. It then contemplates the prospects for the future preservation in the world at large of a conflated set of universal and Western values, without the legitimising presence of a hegemonic Western enforcer.
Holocaust Education and Human Rights Advocacy on TikTok
Authors: Morrow Paul , Schreyer Katie
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT: This article analyzes a recent and controversial form of social media engagement with the Shoah : user-generated digital videos that circulated on TikTok. Drawing on a combination of visual discourse analysis, surveys of content creators, and empirical mapping of digital practices of Holocaust and human rights museums, this article pursues three goals. First, it distinguishes several categories of Holocaust-related content on TikTok. Second, it situates that content in a broader historical context, highlighting earlier examples of visual Holocaust education and advocacy led by young people. Third, it makes an argument for greater institutional engagement with TikTok and identifies two specific ways in which Holocaust and human rights museums can productively use the platform.
Alegoría del deseo: trascendencia y temporalidad en el Diario de un poeta reciencasado de Juan Ramón Jiménez
Authors: Geyer Charlie
Published: September 2024

Abstract: This essay examines the politics of poetic form in Juan Ramón Jiménez’s Diario de un poeta reciencasado (1917), specifically, the manner in which the work’s heterogeneous composition of prose poems and verse lyrics engenders conflicting ontologies for the lyric subject, marked by both transcendental desire and existential dread. Whereas Juan Ramón’s verse poems follow a symbolist tradition in which the poetic symbol becomes a site of transcendence of the material and temporal world, the prose poem challenges this project by bringing the symbol into contact with the social and the historical. In other words, while the lyric poems of the Diario work to bring about a transcendental union of the lyric voice and the world of atemporal divine essence, the clash between poetry and prose that defines the prose poem dramatizes an irresolvable conflict between transcendental longing and historical rootedness. Finally, this article proposes that this conflict structures not only the Diario ’s prose poems, but the entirety of the collection itself, which in turn allows the Diario to be read not as a work of transcendental symbolism, but as an allegory of the divided subject, defined by the irreconcilable forces of transcendental yearning and historical consciousness.
The Work of the Swedish-American Historical Quarterly , 1950–2023
Authors: Proescholdt Kevin
Published: September 2024

Abstract: The Swedish-American Historical Quarterly , the journal of the Swedish-American Historical Society, has been continuously published since 1950. In 2024, the journal transitioned into a new annual format and a new name, Swedish-American Studies . For decades, the Quarterly served as a central source for historical information for the great migration of over a million Swedes to America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, of the continuing Swedish presence in America, and of the connections between the two countries. This article gives an overview of the work, significance, and people behind the publication of the Quarterly .
Null projection screen test for aerodynamic surfaces on wind turbine blades
Authors: Castillo-Santiago Gabriel , Moreno-Oliva Víctor Iván , Roman-Hernandez Edwin , Ortega-Vidals Paula , Campos-García Manuel , Montoya-De Los Santos Isaac
Published: September 2024

This work proposes a novel method, to our knowledge, to qualitatively test aerodynamic surfaces by projecting a null screen. The main idea is, by using ray tracing equations in a model with two pinhole systems, to map an ordered predefined array of fringes formed by points on the detection plane, defined as a CMOS sensor, to the projection plane of a commercial projector, passing through the surface under test whose geometry must be known in advance. Once the coordinates on the projection plane are calculated, the pattern is projected onto the aerodynamic surface. The proposed predefined array will be observed by the camera if the surface and the alignment of the optical systems are perfect; otherwise, a distorted array will be detected, indicating misalignment or that the surface has defects that can be observed qualitatively. The mathematical expressions found to perform the direct and inverse ray tracing in 3D are applied to design a null test by projection on a reference plane and on an aerodynamic surface based on the NACA 0012 airfoil.
Out-of-focus signal rejection for in vivo pO2 measurements using two-photon phosphorescence lifetime microscopy
Authors: Pian Qi , Li Baoqiang , Şencan-Eğilmez Ikbal , Cheng Xiaojun , Dubb Jay , Huang Xinyue , Fu Buyin , Rao Allu Srinivasa , Yaseen Mohammad Abbas , Devor Anna , Vinogradov Sergei A. , Sakadžić Sava
Published: September 2024

Two-photon phosphorescence lifetime microscopy has been a key tool for studying cerebral oxygenation in mice. However, the accuracy of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) measurements is affected by out-of-focus signal. In this work, we applied reconfigurable differential aberration imaging to characterize and correct for out-of-focus signal contamination in intravascular pO2 imaging. Our results show that signal contamination is higher in more oxygenated vessels and that it could be effectively removed using the proposed method.
Implementation of HetNet architectures based on FSO, VLC, RoF, and photonics-based RF generation toward 6G applications
Authors: de Souza Lopes Celso Henrique , Villena Andrade Tomas Powell , Pereira Luiz Augusto Melo , Conforti Evandro , Cerqueira Sodré Junior Arismar
Published: September 2024

This paper presents two distinct network architectures designed to address the demands of 5G/6G applications. The first architecture is an analog radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fronthaul operating in the V-band at 60 GHz, integrated within a wavelength-division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON). This setup employs photonic techniques for RF signal generation, specifically using carrier-suppressed double sideband (CS-DSB) modulation via Mach–Zehnder modulators (MZMs), enabling efficient frequency multiplication and signal transport. Experimental results demonstrate its ability to achieve a data rate of approximately 11.8 Gbit/s, meeting the requirements for 5G/6G cell densification. The second architecture is a heterogeneous network (HetNet) that combines fiber-wireless (FiWi), free space optics (FSO), and visible light communication (VLC) technologies in a unified network configuration designed for indoor 6G solutions. This HetNet architecture was tested at 39 GHz and features a 20 km optical fiber midhaul, an FSO fronthaul, and a dual VLC/RF access network. The setup was evaluated based on the root mean square error vector magnitude (EVMRMS) requirements, with results indicating satisfactory coexistence of the employed technologies, achieving a total data throughput of 1.5 Gbit/s.
Polarized adding method of discrete ordinate approximation for ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared radiative transfer
Authors: Wu Kun , Zhang Feng , Li Wenwen , Bao Fengzi , Shi Yi-Ning
Published: September 2024

The polarization characteristics of atmospheric scattering are important for planetary studies and should not be ignored in radiative transfer simulations. In this study, what we believe to be a new vector radiative transfer model called the polarized adding method of discrete ordinate approximation (POLDDA) is proposed for use in remote sensing applications for ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared spectra. The single-layer radiative transfer process and inhomogeneous multi-layer connection are solved using the discrete ordinate method (DOM) and adding methods, respectively. By combining the advantages of DOM and the adding method, the Stokes vector (including the I-, Q-, U-, and V-components) calculated using the supposed new method conforms to the results of PolRadtran/RT3, whether in a Rayleigh scattering atmosphere or a water cloud-dominated case. Moreover, the relative root-mean-square error (RMSE) values of the Stokes vector for the test cases between MYSTIC and the new method or RT3 demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method. In addition, the apparently new method has a higher computational efficiency than RT3, particularly for an atmosphere with a large scattering optical depth. Unlike RT3, the computation time of the proposed method does not increase with the optical depth of each layer.
Internal quantum efficiency improvement of InGaN-based red LED by using double V-pits layers as strain relief layer
Authors: Jia Chuanyu , Li Yuan , Wang Qi
Published: September 2024

Micro/mini light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on AlInGaN material system have vast potential in display applications. Nevertheless, the low internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of InGaN-based red LED limits its development and application. In the epitaxial structure of our designed red LED, double V-pits layers were used as strain relief layers to reduce compressive strain and improve the IQE of the active layer. First, InGaN/GaN superlattices (SLs) were grown below the active layer to form low-density large V-pits layer. Subsequently, multi-period green and red composite quantum wells were adopted as the active layer. A high-density small V-pits layer was introduced into the active region to release the compressive strain by adjusting the growth parameters of green multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The V-shaped pits divide the continuous large-area of active layer into mutually isolated small pieces, which prevents the transmission of strain and converts the long-range strain into separated local strain. The peak IQEs of LED A2 with single V-pits layer and LED B4 with double V-pits layers were measured to be 10.5% at 613 nm and 21.5% at 612.1 nm, respectively. The IQE is greatly improved by 204.7%. The research results indicate that the double V-pits layers structure can alleviate the compressive strain of InGaN QWs more effectively, reduce the influence of piezoelectric polarization field, and improve the IQE.
High beam quality, high brightness dense spectral beam combining of 650 nm laser diode module
Authors: Zhao Bingxu , Zhang Weiqiao , Zhou Xuyan , Liu Jing , Meng Lingqian , Hu Man , Zhang Nihui , Chen Ao , Zheng Wanhua
Published: September 2024

Dense spectral beam combining (DSBC) of a laser diode module at a wavelength of 650 nm was realized for what we believe to be the first time. In this paper, the optimal spectral locking interval range for the 650 nm wavelength band was obtained by stimulation. A DSBC device containing 19 single emitters was designed and built according to the optimal spectral interval. The output power of the combining beam reached 17.74 W, and the stable spectral width was 4.75 nm. The beam quality factors (M2) in the fast-axis and slow-axis directions were basically the same as that of the single emitter, and even slightly optimized in the slow-axis direction. The beam brightness of the DSBC beam was about 123.395 MW·cm−2·sr−1, which was about fourteen times higher than that of the single emitter output.
Tri-channel metasurface fusion of continuously varying gray levels for nanoprinting and holographic displays
Authors: Lin Zihui , Huang Tian , Zhang Zhiyao , Chen Nana , Li Zile , Guan Zhiqiang , Zhang Shunping , Li Gongfa , Zheng Guoxing , Dai Qi
Published: September 2024

Metasurfaces are extensively utilized in nanoprinting and hologram fusion displays due to their superior wavefront shaping capabilities. However, the creation of continuously varying grayscale images based on conventional Malus's law necessitates the use of at least one polarizer for observation, which compromises the metasurface's integration. In this study, inspired by the Jacobi-Anger expansion, we propose a tri-channel metasurface to establish three independent information channels for simultaneous grayscale nanoprinting and polarization multiplexed holography. By meticulously designing the sizes and orientation angles of the nanostructures, the multifunctional metasurface can generate a grayscale nanoprinting image observable in the near-field without any polarization control, and simultaneously reconstruct two distinct holographic images in the far-field under varying incident light conditions. With its advantages of ultra-compactness, high information capacity, flexible design, and ease of observation, the proposed multifunctional and tri-channel metasurface holds significant promise for potential applications in three-dimensional stereoscopic displays, information multiplexing storage, and beyond.
Comparison between InAs-based and GaSb-based interband cascade lasers with hybrid superlattice plasmon-enhanced claddings
Authors: Petrović B. , Bader A. , Nauschütz J. , Sato T. , Birner S. , Estevam S. , Weih R. , Hartmann F. , Höfling S.
Published: September 2024

We compare InAs-based and GaSb-based interband cascade lasers (ICLs) with the same 12-stage active region designed to emit at a wavelength of 4.6 µm. They employ a hybrid cladding architecture with the same geometry and inner claddings consisting of InAs/AlSb superlattices but different outer claddings: The InAs-based ICL employs plasmon enhanced n-type doped InAs layers while the GaSb-based ICL employs plasmon-enhanced n-type doped InAs0.915Sb0.085 claddings lattice matched to GaSb. Due to the lower refractive index of n + -InAsSb (n = 2.88) compared to n+ -InAs (n = 3.10) and higher refractive index of separate confinement layers, the GaSb-based ICL shows a 3.8% higher optical mode confinement in the active region compared to the InAs-based ICL. However, the InAs-based ICL has 15.3% lower free carrier absorption losses than the GaSb-based ICL, resulting in approximately equal threshold gains. Experimentally operated in pulsed mode and at room temperature, the GaSb-based ICL shows a 15.3% lower threshold current density, but also 12.8% higher threshold voltage resulting in comparable threshold power densities. Also presented is the influence of geometry and doping variation on confinement factors and calculated free carrier absorption losses in the GaSb-based ICL.
Wavelength-agnostic Metasurface Design for Next-Generation 2D Photodetectors
Authors: Jamdar Ayush , Rituraj . , Krishnamurthy Srini , Bhallamudi Vidya P. , Krishnan Sivarama
Published: September 2024

We present a versatile method for designing two-dimensional photonic crystal-based dielectric metasurfaces. We optimize their geometric patterns to achieve specific functionalities like near-perfect absorption at chosen wavelengths. This technique can also be applied to tailor reflectance and transmittance for any optical mode and wavelength. Our method combines Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA) and Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) for efficient design and optimization. We demonstrate its effectiveness by realizing simple, high-performance structures using conventional materials. This approach holds promise for applications in quantum technologies, optical communication, and nonlinear optics.
Creating cell-specific computational models of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes using optical experiments
Authors: Yang Janice , Daily Neil J. , Pullinger Taylor K. , Wakatsuki Tetsuro , Sobie Eric A.
Published: September 2024

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) have gained traction as a powerful model in cardiac disease and therapeutics research, since iPSCs are self-renewing and can be derived from healthy and diseased patients without invasive surgery. However, current iPSC-CM differentiation methods produce cardiomyocytes with immature, fetal-like electrophysiological phenotypes, and the variety of maturation protocols in the literature results in phenotypic differences between labs. Heterogeneity of iPSC donor genetic backgrounds contributes to additional phenotypic variability. Several mathematical models of iPSC-CM electrophysiology have been developed to help to predict cell responses, but these models individually do not capture the phenotypic variability observed in iPSC-CMs. Here, we tackle these limitations by developing a computational pipeline to calibrate cell preparation-specific iPSC-CM electrophysiological parameters. We used the genetic algorithm (GA), a heuristic parameter calibration method, to tune ion channel parameters in a mathematical model of iPSC-CM physiology. To systematically optimize an experimental protocol that generates sufficient data for parameter calibration, we created in silico datasets by simulating various protocols applied to a population of models with known conductance variations, and then fitted parameters to those datasets. We found that calibrating to voltage and calcium transient data under 3 varied experimental conditions, including electrical pacing combined with ion channel blockade and changing buffer ion concentrations, improved model parameter estimates and model predictions of unseen channel block responses. This observation also held when the fitted data were normalized, suggesting that normalized fluorescence recordings, which are more accessible and higher throughput than patch clamp recordings, could sufficiently inform conductance parameters. Therefore, this computational pipeline can be applied to different iPSC-CM preparations to determine cell line-specific ion channel properties and understand the mechanisms behind variability in perturbation responses.
Impact of a pilot mHealth intervention on treatment outcomes of TB patients seeking care in the private sector using Propensity Scores Matching—Evidence collated from New Delhi, India
Authors: Sodhi Ridhima , Vatsyayan Vindhya , Panibatla Vikas , Sayyad Khasim , Williams Jason , Pattery Theresa , Pal Arnab
Published: September 2024

Mobile health applications called Digital Adherence Technologies (DATs), are increasingly used for improving treatment adherence among Tuberculosis patients to attain cure, and/or other chronic diseases requiring long-term and complex medication regimens. These DATs are found to be useful in resource-limited settings because of their cost efficiency in reaching out to vulnerable groups (providing pill and clinic visit reminders, relevant health information, and motivational messages) or those staying in remote or rural areas. Despite their growing ubiquity, there is very limited evidence on how DATs improve healthcare outcomes. We analyzed the uptake of DATs in an urban setting (DS-DOST, powered by Connect for LifeTM, Johnson & Johnson) among different patient groups accessing TB services in New Delhi, India, and subsequently assessed its impact in improving patient engagement and treatment outcomes. This study aims to understand the uptake patterns of a digital adherence technology and its impact in improving follow-ups and treatment outcomes among TB patients. Propensity choice modelling was used to create balanced treated and untreated patient datasets, before applying simple ordinary least square and logistic regression methods to estimate the causal impact of the intervention on the number of follow-ups made with the patient and treatment outcomes. After controlling for potential confounders, it was found that patients who installed and utilized DS-DOST application received an average of 6.4 (95% C.I. [5.32 to 7.557]) additional follow-ups, relative to those who did not utilize the application. This translates to a 58% increase. They also had a 245% higher likelihood of treatment success (Odds ratio: 3.458; 95% C.I. [1.709 to 6.996]).
“My friends said they should no longer be with a b*tch like me…”: A qualitative study to explore the consequences of adolescent childbearing among teen mothers in Gatsibo district, Rwanda
Authors: Twagirayezu Innocent , Rugema Joselyne , Nkurunziza Aimable , Nyirazigama Alice , Bagweneza Vedaste , Nikuze Belancille , Ndayisenga Jean Pierre
Published: September 2024

In low and middle income countries (LMICs), the rate of teenage pregnancy continues to be high, with significant implications for maternal health. The prevalence of teenage pregnancy is worrisome in Rwanda, and little is known about the consequences faced by teen mothers aged 15–19. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the consequences of adolescent childbearing among teen mothers in Gatsibo district, Rwanda. A descriptive qualitative study design was carried out. We purposively recruited 20 teen mothers aged 15–19 from four health centers in Gatsibo district for in-depth interview. Conversations were conducted in Kinyarwanda and audio recorded. The research team, fluent in both English and Kinyarwanda, carefully listened to each recording and verbatim translated them into English ensuring they are clear and understandable. Transcripts were entered into Dedoose and then inductively and thematically analyzed. Three themes were identified: (1) self-reported health outcomes; (2) socio-economic consequences; and (3) perceived structural barriers of access to healthcare services. Teen mothers in this study reported experiencing physical and psychological problems during pregnancy and after delivery. The socio-economic consequences included lack of social support, feelings of guilt and stigmatization, discrimination, domestic violence, school interruption and dropout, and financial constraint. The structural barriers of access to healthcare included adverse health facility requirements, feeling stigmatized by adult mothers in the healthcare environment, and confronting healthcare providers’ negative attitudes toward teen mothers. The results from this study indicated that adolescent childbearing is associated with several negative consequences. Therefore, there is a need in Rwanda to develop interventions addressing these consequences and revise policies and laws to ensure they support the needs of teen mothers.
Impact of an eddy dipole of the Mozambique channel on mesopelagic organisms, highlighted by multifrequency backscatter classification
Authors: Annasawmy Pavanee , Roudaut Gildas , Lebourges Dhaussy Anne
Published: September 2024

The impact of a cyclonic (C), an anticyclonic (AC) eddy and transition zone (TZ), which is the area between the two eddies, on acoustic groups representing various mesopelagic organisms, was investigated using a semi-supervised multifrequency classification approach (hereafter, Escore algorithm). The Escore algorithm involved selecting regions of interest (ROIs) within multifrequency (18, 38, 70, and 120 kHz) echograms and classifying into four clusters or echo-classes using Sv differences (Sv18-38, Sv70-38, and Sv120-38). Acoustic densities and diel vertical migration strength varied between the AC, C, and TZ according to the frequency. The vertical stratification of temperature, salinity and fluorescence within the oceanographic structures had varied influences on the vertical structure of each echo-class which represent zooplankton-like organisms, small and large fish with swimbladders, and small and large siphonophores with pneumatophores. The echo-classes within the C were influenced by surface fluorescence, whereas in the AC and TZ, the echo-classes were influenced by deeper fluorescence and strong EKE. Our study provides new insights into the environmental variables within mesoscale and sub-mesoscale features impacting different groups of mesopelagic communities in the Indian Ocean.
Chaplain development in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in healthcare settings in England: A mixed methods study
Authors: Szilagyi Csaba , Newitt Mark , Nuzum Daniel
Published: September 2024

Background

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is the predominant specialised training for healthcare chaplains in several national contexts. CPE is spiritual care education that uses experiential and action-reflection learning methods to train diverse participants. However, CPE is not established for chaplaincy training in England. Currently, chaplaincy education in England lacks standardisation, leading to inequalities in entry into the profession and inconsistent training and career pathways. CPE has the potential to address these issues. We examined changes associated with participating in CPE and participants’ perceptions about their learning experience. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of CPE as a viable chaplaincy education model in healthcare settings in England.

Methods

Convergent mixed methods involved pre-post surveys and focus group sessions to examine the experiences and development of seven chaplains, with diverse experience levels and backgrounds, who participated in the pilot CPE unit in NHS England. We integrated thematic analysis and survey results.

Results

We identified four overarching themes: Development pathways, Catalysts for development, Advantages of CPE for chaplaincy education, and Experiences with CPE course structure. Participants developed along various pathways: confidence, reflective practice, emotional intelligence, listening and attending skills, diversity in chaplaincy care, and spiritual assessment. Survey results confirmed several themes, indicating gains in chaplaincy capabilities, emotional intelligence, and counselling self-efficacy. Participants emphasised the advantages and effectiveness of the CPE model.

Conclusions

Quantitative and qualitative findings converged to provide rich evidence that CPE generated personal and professional development, improving chaplaincy practice. General learning pathways moved from personal development, through the interpersonal learning context, and translated into chaplain competency. Participants endorsed CPE, as a robust and effective training model for chaplaincy in the English context, for those entering the profession and experienced chaplains alike. We conceptualised preliminary models for chaplain development and learning pathways in CPE that need validation and refinement by future research.
Fashion: Seductive Play, Stefano Marino and Giovanni Matteucci (eds) (2023)
Authors: Cook Jennie
Published: September 2024

Review of: Fashion: Seductive Play, Stefano Marino and Giovanni Matteucci (eds) (2023)

London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 131 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-35020-038-8, h/bk, $115.00