bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Objectivity, Social Sciences, and the Charge of Inferiority
Authors: Adeyanju Olanshile Muideen
Published: July 2023

This paper challenges the charge of inferiority, on the basis of objectivity, against the social sciences. The idea of objectivity is that facts about the state of the world and entities in it are observed or studied without a taint of personal bias, value judgement or particular perspective. The social sciences are accused of falling short of the requirements of objectivity hence they are considered inferior to the natural sciences which are claimed to merit the requirements. This paper argues that the idea of objectivity has been misleadingly conceived as a method exclusive only to the natural sciences. The paper maintains that if the concept of objectivity is conceptually analysed and conceived in a strict sense, the ideals and requirements of objectivity would be outside the ken of both the natural sciences and the social sciences. However, if the concept of objectivity is conceived in a moderate sense, the social sciences would merit being called objective as much as the natural sciences. Thus, a conceptual analysis will show that both the natural sciences and social sciences are at par on the threshold of objectivity. Thus, the paper submits that the social sciences are not inferior to the natural sciences on the basis of objectivity.
Six Steps towards an Object-oriented Social Theory (O.O.S.T)
Authors: Pinho Thiago
Published: July 2023

In the approach that sustains this entire essay, besides my own trajectory as a researcher, the path moves away from the orthodox tradition, the more Kantian one, incorporating in Social Theory a philosophical line for a long time forgotten, by including figures such as Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), the founding father, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), Henri Bergson (1859-1941), Gilbert Simondon (1924-1989), Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995) and many others. They would be the famous authors of vitalism, also known as philosophers of life (Lebensphilosophie), philosophers of process, or philosophers of affect. What are the implications when these figures invade the field of Social Theory, which characteristics can be found and, mainly, which advantages when compared with their more orthodox side and their insistent commitment to Kantian philosophy and its transcendental by-products (power, culture, ideology, discourse, etc)? Following this and other questions, six points will be considered as representative of what we call here an Object-Oriented Social Theory (O.O.S.T.).
Η διδασκαλία της Φιλοσοφίας με τη χρήση του Κινηματογράφου
Authors: Στεφάνου Μαργαρίτα
Published: July 2023

Το παρόν πόνημα καταπιάνεται με το βασικό ερώτημα αν ο Κινηματογράφος δύναται να διαδραματίσει ρόλο μεσάζοντα κατά την εισαγωγική διδασκαλία θεμάτων φιλοσοφίας σε αρχάριους μαθητές στο πλαίσιο της δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης. Η εργασία διαρθρώνεται σε δύο βασικά μέρη. Στο πρώτο τίθενται θεωρητικές παράμετροι αυτής της σύζευξης, με κυρίαρχη την αναζήτηση του τρόπου με τον οποίο μία ταινία μπορεί να προάγει τη φιλοσοφική σκέψη. Υποστηρίζεται ότι η αισθητοποίηση αφηρημένων και ενίοτε δυσνόητων φιλοσοφικών ιδεών μέσω της εικόνας και του ήχου, η χρήση μίας ταινίας ως νοητικού πειράματος, αλλά συγχρόνως και η συναισθηματική εμπλοκή του θεατή κατά την παρακολούθησή της, συμβάλλουν στη δεκτικότητά του να τεθεί στη βάσανο της φιλοσοφικής απορίας διευκολύνοντας τον στόχο του φιλοσοφικού προβληματισμού και της φιλοσοφικής μέθεξης. Αφού αναφέρονται -και αντικρούονται- συγκεκριμένες ενστάσεις που σχετίζονται με τη νομιμοποίηση του κινηματογράφου ως μέσου για το φιλοσοφείν, παρέχονται ειδικότερες μεθοδολογικές προτάσεις για την πρακτική ενσωμάτωση μίας ταινίας στο μάθημα φιλοσοφίας στην ελληνική σχολική πραγματικότητα του σημερινού Λυκείου.Στο δεύτερο και εκτενέστερο τμήμα της εργασίας, παρέχονται συγκεκριμένα παραδείγματα ταινιών από τον διεθνή κινηματογράφο οι οποίες αναλύονται συνδεόμενες με φιλοσοφικές προβληματικές, με βάση τη συστηματική θεώρηση της φιλοσοφίας στο υπάρχον αναλυτικό πρόγραμμα. Οι εν λόγω ταινίες θα μπορούσαν να χαρακτηρισθούν «φιλοσοφικές» είτε επειδή η υπόθεσή τους στηρίζεται εξ ολοκλήρου σε κάποιες φιλοσοφικές ιδέες είτε επειδή θίγουν έμμεσα συγκεκριμένα φιλοσοφικά προβλήματα. Κατατίθενται δε προς επίρρωση του ισχυρισμού μας ότι ο Κινηματογράφος μπορεί να φιλοσοφεί «δείχνοντας» με τρόπο εύληπτο και παραστατικό αυτό που η Φιλοσοφία αναδεικνύει μέσω του λογικού επιχειρήματος. Συνεπικουρικά, στην αρχή κάθε κεφαλαίου προτάσσεται ένα είδος εισαγωγής στη Φιλοσοφία, αφού η παρούσα εργασία δύναται να αξιοποιηθεί διδακτικά από τον διδάσκοντα/διδάσκουσα του μαθήματος στο Λύκειο.
Socio-psychological processes involved in bullying interpretation
Authors: Καραγιάννη Κυριακή
Published: July 2023

Σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής είναι να διερευνήσει πώς νεαροί/-ές έφηβοι κατασκευάζουν τον εκφοβισμό και την νεανική βία στις αλληλεπιδράσεις τους σε ομάδες εστίασης. Στο θεωρητικό μέρος της μελέτης ασκείται κριτική σε υπάρχουσες ψυχολογικές και κοινωνιο-ψυχολογικές προσεγγίσεις που τείνουν να αντιμετωπίζουν με στατικό τρόπο τις ομάδες που εμπλέκονται σε βίαιες αλληλεπιδράσεις (π.χ., θύτης, θύμα). Η παρούσα ανάλυση προτείνει την χρήση της ρητορικής ψυχολογικής προσέγγισης για τη μελέτη της ευέλικτης κατασκευής κοινωνικών κατηγοριών όπως κινητοποιούνται στον λόγο περί βίας. Πέραν τούτου, αναλύεται ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ιδεολογικά διλήμματα του φιλελευθερισμού μπορεί να γίνονται εμφανή όταν οι κοινωνικοί δράστες μιλούν για την κατάσταση της θυματοποίησης, ζήτημα το οποίο αναδεικνύεται από την υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία. Έμφαση δίνεται επίσης στο ιστορικό και πολιτισμικό πλαίσιο που μπορεί να σχετίζεται με την κοινωνική κατασκευή της νεανικής βίας. Για την διεξαγωγή της έρευνας πραγματοποιήθηκαν 27 ομάδες εστίασης στις οποίες συμμετείχαν 125 νεαροί/-ές έφηβοι, ηλικίας 12-15 ετών. Για την διεξαγωγή της κύριας ανάλυσης, χρησιμοποιήθηκαν έννοιες και εργαλεία της κριτικής κοινωνικής λογοψυχολογίας που εστίαζαν στο μικρο- και μακρο-επίπεδο της αλληλεπίδρασης. Από την ανάλυση προέκυψαν τέσσερα θέματα που αφορούν: 1. Το συναίσθημα ως μέσο ταύτισης με το θύμα 2. Το αδύναμο θύμα και η ήπια προκλητικότητά του 3. Η εχθρότητα της πλειονότητας έναντι της μειονότητας 4. Οι σχέσεις των νέων ως ασφαλείς έναντι των λογικών ενηλίκων. Η συζήτηση εστιάζει στους τρόπους με τους οποίους οι συμμετέχοντες-ουσες τοποθετούν τον εαυτό τους ή την ενδο-ομάδα τους (συνήθως στενά δίκτυα φίλων) και την έμφασή τους στην εδραίωση μίας δυναμικής ταυτότητας, ώστε να αποφύγουν την τοποθέτησή τους ως θύματα.
Mujer, mujeres andaluzas: proyectando imágenes sociales y narrativas
Authors: Núñez Domínguez Trinidad
Published: July 2023

Esta obra muestra cómo los productos discursivos (institucionales, publicitarios, políticos, mediatizados en redes sociales, e, incluso, artísticos) crean un ima­ginario que no solo determina la visión de un grupo social, sino que llega a condicionar su propia consideración identitaria y su comportamiento, así como el de aquellos con los que interactúa. La heterogeneidad de los trabajos que conforman el volumen responde a la transversalidad necesaria para abordar un aspecto sociocomunicativo que precisa de una revisión a todos los niveles implicados (el lingüístico, el comunicativo, el sociocultural y el psicosocial). Con esta obra se quiere contribuir al conocimiento del funcionamiento del discurso y de la repercusión que tiene en la configuración de la imagen de la mujer, en general, y de la mujer andaluza, en particular, y en la fijación de unos presupuestos que, hoy más que nunca, han de ser desenmascarados.
Ride-Hailing Networks with Strategic Drivers: The Impact of Platform Control Capabilities on Performance
Authors: Afèche Philipp , Liu Zhe , Maglaras Costis
Published: July 2023

Problem definition: Motivated by ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Lyft and Didi, we study the problem of matching riders with self-interested drivers over a spatial network. We focus on the performance impact of two operational platform controls—demand-side admission control and supply-side repositioning control—considering the interplay with two practically important challenges: (i) spatial demand imbalances prevail for extended periods of time; and (ii) self-interested drivers strategically decide whether to join the network, and, if so, whether to reposition when not serving riders. Methodology/results: We develop and analyze the steady-state behavior of a novel game-theoretic fluid model of a two-location, four-route loss network. First, we fully characterize and compare the steady-state system equilibria under three control regimes, from minimal control to centralized control. Second, we provide insights on how and why platform control impacts equilibrium performance, notably with new findings on the role of admission control: the platform may find it optimal to strategically reject demand at the low-demand location even if drivers are in excess supply, to induce repositioning to the high-demand location. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for this policy. Third, we derive upper bounds on the platform’s and drivers’ benefits caused by increased platform control; these are more significant under moderate capacity and significant cross-location demand imbalance. Managerial implications: Our results contribute important guidelines on the optimal operations of ride-hailing networks. Our model can also inform the design of driver compensation structures that support more centralized network control.

Supplemental Material: The e-companion and Supplemental Material are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1221 .
Colonialism as Globalism
Authors: Yoak Evan
Published: July 2023

Lorenzo Veracini’s book Colonialism: A Global History offers a sweeping and negative portrait of colonialism across the world and throughout history, which provides a compelling jumping off point for exploring globalism. The book depicts different phases of colonialism as global waves brought about by the economic incentives of (unequal) trade. These colonial trades, including both protectionist and free trade, were of sufficient depth and breadth to lead to “deep and lasting impacts” on the states involved – that is, to globalism. Veracini’s arguments, while generally convincing, nonetheless suffer from an overly broad rendering, which misses specific historical details. Futhermore, the book ignores both the agency of the colonized and intercolonial trade, which may account for the continuation of globalism in a post-colonial era. Nevertheless, in the final analysis, Veracini’s work provides useful insights into colonialism, economic incentive, and globalism.
Food and Shelter for the Itinerant Pilgrims: Maratha Chattrams in Southernmost India
Authors: Suresh S
Published: July 2023

A chattram, also called choultry, primarily refers to a wayside inn or resthouse for travelers, mostly pilgrims. They may halt here for a meal or for a few hours or even for a few days or weeks. Such chattrams were built almost throughout India by many kings and queens, ministers and merchants. Although there are copious references to such chattrams in ancient and medieval literature and inscriptions, actual specimens of such chattrams are limited in number. Many of them appear to have been destroyed during wars or in the course of later developments and constructions. In Tamil Nadu, in southern India, the Tanjavur Maratha dynasty (1676-1855) that ruled this region with Tanjavur as the capital, erected scores of such chattrams. Some of these chattrams have survived to this day. Many of these chattrams are massive and elegant buildings displaying innovative architectural features. Some of them also bear beautiful sculptures and wall paintings akin to those in the medieval temples of the region. Mainly based on archival and field researches, the present paper analyzes the historical, architectural and artistic importance of these chattrams and simultaneously, probes the role of these institutions in the socio-economic life of the Maratha period. The paper concludes with a brief account of the present-day condition of these chattrams and the ways in which they could be put to adaptive reuse according to the exigencies of contemporary times.
Mixed Method Approach to Assess the Current Research Practices in Higher Education Institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Authors: Khan Faheem , Bibi Sadia , Minhas Asif , Fatima Ishrat , Saadat Ume Ruqia , Kanwal Naila Noreeen
Published: July 2023

The current research paper aimed to investigate the current research practices in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Khyber PakhtunKhwa (KP). The study was Mixed Methods Research (MMR) and thereby convergent Parallel design was used. A sample 254 participants were taken out of 695 individuals through Yamane’s (Yamane, 1967) formula. A self-developed questionnaire, checklist and semi-structure interview were developed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used as inferential statistics to analysis the quantitative data while thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The result of study indicates that collaborative research environment in the HEIs. HEC approved supervisors available in the institutions. Thesis evaluation process found transparent but lengthy. The study found that paper publication is one of the difficult tasks for the teachers and students.
Pharmacological Potential of Coumarin-Based Derivatives: (A Comprehensive Brief Review)
Authors: Kumari Sumita , Sharma Amit , Yadav Sonia
Published: July 2023

By combining of benzene nucleus and pyrone ring a class of heterocyclic compounds known as benzopyrone is generated. As a basic parent scaffold 1,2- benzopyrone ring system contains by coumarins. These compounds can be divided into two groups: 1. Benzo-α-pyrone 2. Benzo-γ-pyrone. Data on different coumarin derivatives are gathered in this review article as these compounds have a wide spectrum of pharmacological actions and can be further modified to make more potent and effective medications. Derivatives of coumarin play a significant role in industries and sectors of medicine. This can be linked to their variety of chemical characteristics and multiple biological activities. Coumarin based derivatives has a phenolic hydroxyl group which is generated as one of the most derivative functional groups. The focus of this systematic and comprehensive review on synthetic pathway of coumarin affiliates and their biological activities or potential. According to authors this review could help to medicinal chemists to choose appropriate functional group for development of novel therapeutic drugs.
Analysis of Anchar Lake Water, Kashmir, India
Authors: S Salahuddin
Published: July 2023

Water is very crucial for surviving life of all human being and animals. Without water nobody can be survived. The existing manuscript associated with Anchar Lake water. Water is vulgarized by unwanted materials. Water quality tests and reevaluate of attributes. Scrupulous substances are: Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Alkalinity(TA), Electric Conductivity(EC), Potential of Hydrogen(pH), Phosphate(P), Total Dissolve Solids(TDS) , Total Hardness(TH) and Chloride thereupon. The attributes are statistically interpreted using Cluster Analysis, Correlation matrix, factor Analysis and ANOVA techniques and interpret that the Lake water is unsuitable for drinking. Experimental data shows that most of the attributes does not satisfy the desirable limits prescribed by BIS. Hence the Anchar Lake water is not suitable for drinking purposes.
Biogenic Synthesis of Bismuth Oxide Nanoparticles and It's Antifungal Activity
Authors: Palanisamy Karumalaiyan , Gurunathan Velayutham , Sivapriya Jothilingam
Published: July 2023

The Chenopodium album extracts served as a capping agent in the present work to synthesize the Bi2O3 Nps. The synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. Nano-structured Bi2O3 was measured to have a mean size of 79.99nm. Anti-fungal activity of the synthesized Bi2O3 Nps was also evaluated. Bi2O3 Nps have been shown to have impressive antifungal efficacy against a variety of fungal species. It's a powerful anti-fungal medication that outperforms both plant extract and clotrimazole.
A Novel Study on 2-D Material in Photoelectrochemical Cell for the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy
Authors: Meena Shanker Lal , Meena Kavita , Bhupesh Ravi kumar , Meena R. C.
Published: July 2023

A photo-sensitizer made of graphene-based material (2-D) is used in concert with EDTA in photoelectrochemical solar cells to increase efficiency and storage capacity of solar energy in order to make a solar cell economically feasible. Photopotential and photocurrent are created at 1142 mV and 960 μA, respectively. Photoelectrochemical cell have achieved a maximum power of 228.40 μW, a fill factor of 0.17, and a conversion efficiency of 4.38%. The cell storage capacity allows for a half power (t1/2) level to be maintained for 1300 minutes. The electrical output of the photoelectrochemical cell has been observed to be influenced by a number of different factors.
In silico Screening and Identification of Inhibitor Molecules Targeting SDS22 protein
Authors: Saxena Ritika , Mishra Sanjay
Published: July 2023

World's population is increasing at an alarming rate. Contraceptive methods for male are comparatively less common than female. Sperm motility, an indicator for fertilisation, is regulated by a set of proteins of protein phosphatase (PP) family. Among these PP1 is directly related with sperm motility. SDS22 (suppressor of Dis2 mutant 2) is a conserved and extensively expressed PP1 regulator, with less information regarding its function. This study used SDS22 protein from Homo sapiens as target and 100 plant-based compounds as the most relevant lead molecules with highest binding energy and affinity. Furthermore, this research incorporates homology modelling of SDS22 and protein-ligand interaction analysis. Benzeneacetonitrile, 4-hydroxy- had a binding energy of -6.9 kcal mol-1, higher to the reference MDP's -3.5 kcal mol-1, while other ligands exhibited binding energies of -6.2 kcal mol-1 for -terpineol, Coumarin, and 2-Phenylpropan-2-ol. These compounds may reduce the sperm motility and pave a promising path towards male contraception.
A-Review on Anticancer Agents: Conventional Drugs and Novel Target Specific Inhibitors
Authors: Patel Shivkant , Sadhu Piyushkumar , Kumari Mamta , Dash Dillip Kumar , Jain Surabhi , Sen Ashim Kumar
Published: July 2023

The second-most common reason for death globally and a significant issue for human health is cancer. The focus of the current review is to discuss cancer treatment and issues with anti-cancer medications. Nearly all cell types can develop cancer, a very varied group of approximately 200 illnesses with at least one factor in common “uncontrolled cellular development” that results in aberrant cell proliferation. In solid tumors, cancerous cells may remain localized or in situ at the location of the initial lesion, or they may become locally progressed or metastatic to distant site. Ninety percent of all cancer-related fatalities are due to by metastasis. It is the primary determinant of whether malignancy is high-risk, requiring aggressive treatment, or low-risk, curable by active surveillance, surgical removal, or adjuvant therapy. Recent advancements in computational drug discovery methodologies have not only produced important insights into the field of cancer therapy but have also had a significant and impact on the development of novel anticancer medications. Within the scope of this review, we investigated potential therapeutic targets for anti-cancer drugs.
Impacts of combination of onion bulb, holy basil and turmeric rhizome on shelf- life, flesh and microbial quality of smoked Clarias gariepinus
Authors: Olusola Sunday Emmanuel , Martins Toyosi Elizabeth
Published: July 2023

The increasing use of synthetic antimicrobials has created a situation leading to a pond ecological imbalance and enrichment of multiple multi-resistant pathogenic microorganisms. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of spices and natural preservatives using a mixture of Onion Bulb (OB), Holy Basil (HB) and Turmeric Rhizome (TR) on shelf–life, flesh and microbial quality of smoked Clarias gariepinus during 56 days storage. Spices were added at the point of processing with five treatments of 8 fresh C. gariepinus (1.2-2kg) were distributed into experimental containers; the control (without Onion Bulb, Holy Basil and Turmeric Rhizome), (TR + OB)2, (TR+ HB)3, (OB +HB)4, (TR + OB + HB)5 and the experiment were carried out in triplicates. Clarias gariepinus were smoked in a smoking kiln at 40ºC- 60ºC and 120-150ºC for 6 and 18 hours respectively. Proximate composition, biochemical parameters, organoleptic assessment, and microbial analysis were carried out using standard methods. The result showed that the crude protein of C. gariepinus was higher in the treated groups compared to the control. Also, the result shows that the biochemical parameters, organoleptic assessment and the microbial loads in smoked C. gariepinus were reduced in the treated groups than in the control at 1 day, 28 days and 56 days storage respectively. The results indicated that using onion bulb, holy basil, and turmeric rhizome in combination may be useful in improving the shelf life, consumer acceptability of smoked C. gariepinus and preventing bacteria pathogens in smoked C. gariepinus.Keywords: Catfish, Onion Bulb, Holy Basil, Microbial Loads, Turmeric Rhizome
Assessment of heavy metals in water, fish tissues and soil from selected fish farms in Ekiti State, Nigeria
Authors: Akinsorotan Ademola Michael , Iyiola Adams Ovie , Omotosho Femi Peters , Adejayi Oyindamola Oluwaseun , Adesoye Fatimah Akorede
Published: July 2023

Heavy metals were determined in samples of fish tissues, soil, and water from nine randomly selected fish farms based on production facility (earthen pond) in the Ekiti Central (EC), Ekiti North (EN) and Ekiti South (ES) senatorial districts of Ekiti state. Fresh fish samples were collected and tissues from the dorsal area were used for analysis. Soil samples were collected using a soil auger, air-dried and stored in a sterile and well-labeled polythene bag. The water samples were collected using sterile bottles (2L) and labeled. After digestion of samples, Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Co), Chromium (Ch), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). The levels of Co, Cd and Pb which are disastrous to fish species were observed to be elevated while Zn and Cu were observed to accumulate in the fish tissues. It was revealed that the heavy metals concentration across the districts was higher when compared with recommended standards. This suggests a dire need for intervention in controlling water pollution which is posed by anthropogenic activities in the state. It is recommended that there should be a reduction in the use of chemicals with high concentrations of heavy metals which is a significant source of pollution in the environment.
Effect of Water Hyacinth Leaf Flour (Eichhornia crassipes) Fermented by Aspergillus niger on the Growth, Survival Rate and Blood Profile of Sangkuriang Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
Authors: Ariyanto Febri , Nugroho Rudy Agung , Aryani Retno , Manurung Hetty , Rudianto Rudianto
Published: July 2023

Catfish sangkuriang (Clarias gariepinus) is one of the aquaculture commodities with great potential to be developed in Indonesia to support the demand for feed. Efforts to reduce dependence on imported feed raw materials for fish feed is continued. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crasspies) leaf which contains phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, steroids and saponins is an alternatif raw material for fish pellet component. This study aimed to determine the addition of fermented water hyacinth leaf meal in fish feed on the growth, survival rate, and blood profile of sangkuriang catfish. In total 150 fish (Average initial weight 5.45 ± 0.02 g) were randomly divided into triplicates of five groups, containing 10 fishes per group. Group one is a control group, P1 (10% of non fermented water hyacinth leaf meal), while P2, P3 and P4  were treatment groups of fish fed with 10 , 15, and 20% fermented water hyacinth leaf meal by Aspergillus niger. At the end of the 42 days of treatment, growth, survival rate, and blood profile of all fish were determined. The results showed that the addition of 10% water hyacinth leaf meal fermented by Aspergillus niger had an effect on the growth of final weight, body weight gain and spesific growth rate (p 0.05) in comparison to all groups. However, the addition of any concentration of water hyacinth leaf meal did not affect on the feed conversion ratio and survival rate value. Further, the addition of water hyacinth leaf meal had a significant effect (p 0.05) on the erythrocytes, leukocytes and hemoglobin of fish, but did not show a significant effect on the values of hematocrit and platelets.
Vibration rejection of phased array telescope systems via disturbance-propagation-characteristics-based feedforward control
Authors: Tu Qiong , Ma Rong-Qi , Wang Qiang , Huang Yong-Mei , Shi Jian-Liang , Yuan Liang-Zhu , Li Jin-Ying , Yang Kai-Yuan , Li Yang , Tang Wei
Published: July 2023

Vibration rejection is one of the key techniques to stabilize the line of sight (LOS) for phased array telescope systems. Conventionally, feedback control based on image sensors is mainly used to correct the tip/tilt errors caused by disturbances and to keep the LOS stable. However, it is restricted by the sampling rate and time delay of image sensors, leading to a limited closed-loop bandwidth. Disturbances in the middle and high frequencies are hard to suppress. In this paper, disturbance-propagation-characteristics-based feedforward control is proposed to overcome these problems. A theoretical imaging model of the phased array telescope is developed to analyze the LOS disruption caused by disturbance. In addition, to improve the disturbance suppression bandwidth and correction accuracy of the system, the disturbance propagation characteristics of the phased array telescope system are analyzed. Combined with the disturbance feedforward, targeted compensation is achieved for the sub-apertures. Finally, a comparative experiment is carried out based on the self-developed Fizeau phased array telescope system to verify the superiority of the proposed method.
Optical frequency averaging of light
Authors: Loh William , Maxson Ryan T. , Medeiros Alexander P. , West Gavin N. , Juodawlkis Paul W. , McConnell Robert P.
Published: July 2023

The use of averaging has long been known to reduce noise in statistically independent systems that exhibit similar levels of stochastic fluctuation. This concept of averaging is general and applies to a wide variety of physical and man-made phenomena such as particle motion, shot noise, atomic clock stability, measurement uncertainty reduction, and methods of signal processing. Despite its prevalence in use for reducing statistical uncertainty, such averaging techniques so far remain comparatively undeveloped for application to light. We demonstrate here a method for averaging the frequency uncertainty of identical laser systems as a means to narrow the spectral linewidth of the resulting radiation. We experimentally achieve a reduction of frequency fluctuations from 40 Hz to 28 Hz by averaging two separate laser systems each locked to a fiber resonator. Only a single seed laser is necessary here as acousto-optic modulation is used to enable independent control of the second path. This technique of frequency averaging provides an effective solution to overcome the linewidth constraints of a single laser alone, particularly when limited by fundamental noise sources such as thermal noise, irrespective of the spectral shape of noise.
Gallium arsenide optical phased array photonic integrated circuit
Authors: Nickerson Michael , Song Bowen , Brookhyser Jim , Erwin Gregory , Kleinert Jan , Klamkin Jonathan
Published: July 2023

A 16-channel optical phased array is fabricated on a gallium arsenide photonic integrated circuit platform with a low-complexity process. Tested with a 1064 nm external laser, the array demonstrates 0.92° beamwidth, 15.3° grating-lobe-free steering range, and 12 dB sidelobe level. Based on a reverse biased p-i-n structure, component phase modulators are 3 mm long with DC power consumption of less than 5 µW and greater than 770 MHz electro-optical bandwidth. Separately fabricated 4-mm-long phase modulators based on the same structure demonstrate single-sided Vπ·L modulation efficiency ranging from 0.5 V·cm to 1.22 V·cm when tested at wavelengths from 980 nm to 1360 nm.
How Itten’s color diagram fails to illustrate color mixing of paints
Authors: Kirchner Eric
Published: July 2023

Itten’s color diagram, published in 1961, is still considered by many to be the cornerstone of color education. We show experimentally and theoretically that by mixing oil paints it is hardly possible to reproduce Itten’s primary colors red, yellow and blue such that their mixtures produce Itten’s secondary colors orange, green and purple. Optical models show why it is highly unlikely that paints can be created that follow the color mixing rules from Itten’s color diagram. Our results confirm and explain earlier anecdotal evidence. We conclude that Itten’s color diagram does not show how paint colors mix, and disagrees with optical theory and experimental evidence.
Highly coherent hybrid dual-comb spectrometer
Authors: Ghosh Sutapa , Eisenstein Gadi
Published: July 2023

Dual comb spectroscopy (DCS) is a broadband technique offering high resolution and fast data acquisition. Current state-of-the-art designs are based on a pair of fiber or solid-state lasers, which allow broadband spectroscopy but require a complicated stabilization setup. Semiconductor lasers are tunable, cost-effective, and easily integrable while limited by a narrow bandwidth. This motivates a hybrid design combining the advantages of both systems. However, establishing sufficiently long mutual coherence time remains challenging. This work describes a hybrid dual-comb spectrometer comprising a broadband fiber laser (FC) and an actively mode-locked semiconductor laser (MLL) with a narrow but tunable spectrum. A high mutual coherence time of around 100 seconds has been achieved by injection locking the MLL to a continuous laser (CW), which is locked on a single line of the FC. We have also devised a method to directly stabilize the entire spectrum of FC to a high finesse cavity. This results in a long term stability of 5 × 10−12 at 1 second and 5 × 10−14 at 350 seconds. Additionally, we have addressed the effect of cavity dispersion on the locking quality, which is important for broadband comb lasers.
Tunability of non-plasmon resonances in e-polarized terahertz wave scattering from microsize graphene strip-on-substrate gratings
Authors: Yevtushenko Fedir O. , Dukhopelnykov Sergii V. , Rapoport Yuriy G. , Zinenko Tatiana L. , Sauleau Ronan , Nosich Alexander I.
Published: July 2023

We consider the scattering and absorption of the E-polarized plane wave by the infinite grating of flat graphene strips lying on flat dielectric substrate. To build a trusted full-wave meshless algorithm, we cast the scattering problem to the dual series equations and perform its analytical regularization based on the use Inverse of Discrete Fourier Transform. Then, the problem reduces to a Fredholm 2nd-kind matrix equation for the unknown Floquet harmonic amplitudes. Therefore, the convergence of the resulting code is guaranteed by the Fredholm theorems. Numerical experiments show that such a configuration is a frequency-selective metasurface or one-periodic photonic crystal. If the grating period and substrate thickness are micrometer-sized, the resonance frequencies of such a cavity are in the terahertz range. As plasmon modes are absent in the E-polarization case, these resonances correspond to low-Q slab modes of the substrate, slightly perturbed by the presence of grating, and ultrahigh-Q lattice modes of the whole grating as a periodic open cavity. We quantify their effect both using our full-wave numerical code and deriving the asymptotic analytical expressions for the lattice-mode frequencies and Q-factors.
Modeless Raman fiber laser
Authors: Li Yanxin , Deng Jiancheng , Shen Ming , Cheng Peiyun , Shu Xuewen
Published: July 2023

The discrete multi-longitudinal mode structure and temporal periodic fluctuation are the intrinsic features of conventional lasers. However, longitudinal mode spacing limits the maximum resolution in high-resolution laser sensing systems. In addition, temporal periodic fluctuation reduces the security of secure communication and deteriorates the randomness in fast physical random bit generation. Therefore, it still remains an open challenge to realize a laser source without discrete longitudinal mode and temporal periodic fluctuation. Here, a modeless Raman fiber laser (RFL) with high efficiency was demonstrated. The output cavity mirror adopts a fiber Bragg grating with ultralow reflectance of −27dB. Due to the modulation instability, the discrete multi-longitudinal modes in the RFL gradually broaden with the increase of intracavity Stokes wave power and eventually fully overlap. At high power levels, the RFL no longer has discrete longitudinal modes like a conventional laser but generates a quasi-continuous spectrum. Benefiting from the modeless nature, the RFL can achieve extremely low relative intensity noise, favorable temporal stability, and rather low coherence. Modeless RFLs are expected to be ushered as ideal light sources into secure communication, optical sensing, and optical imaging.
All-fiberized linearly polarized superfluorescent fiber source with 5 kW power output
Authors: Chen Qi , Ren Shuai , Liu Wei , Chen Yisha , Ma Pengfei , Pan Zhiyong , Chen Zilun , Wang Zefeng
Published: July 2023

Superfluorescent fiber source (SFS) is a special fiber laser which commonly possesses high temporal stability and wide spectral linewidth. In this work, an all-fiberized linearly polarized SFS with record output power and near-diffraction-limited beam quality is presented. Up to 5.03 kW SFS is achieved at a pump power of 6.18 kW with the corresponding conversion efficiency of ~81.1%. At the maximum output power, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to background spectral noise is over 50 dB, the polarization extinction ratio (PER) is ~17 dB, and the beam quality factor is Mx2=1.49, My2=1.44. Further comparisons confirm the power scalability of fiber amplifiers employing SFSs as seed laser. Overall, this work could provide a well reference for the potential exploration of high-power fiber laser systems.
Biological complexity facilitates tuning of the neuronal parameter space
Authors: Schneider Marius , Bird Alexander D. , Gidon Albert , Triesch Jochen , Jedlicka Peter , Cuntz Hermann
Published: July 2023

The electrical and computational properties of neurons in our brains are determined by a rich repertoire of membrane-spanning ion channels and elaborate dendritic trees. However, the precise reason for this inherent complexity remains unknown, given that simpler models with fewer ion channels are also able to functionally reproduce the behaviour of some neurons. Here, we stochastically varied the ion channel densities of a biophysically detailed dentate gyrus granule cell model to produce a large population of putative granule cells, comparing those with all 15 original ion channels to their reduced but functional counterparts containing only 5 ion channels. Strikingly, valid parameter combinations in the full models were dramatically more frequent at ~6% vs. ~1% in the simpler model. The full models were also more stable in the face of perturbations to channel expression levels. Scaling up the numbers of ion channels artificially in the reduced models recovered these advantages confirming the key contribution of the actual number of ion channel types. We conclude that the diversity of ion channels gives a neuron greater flexibility and robustness to achieve a target excitability.
The role of modelling and analytics in South African COVID-19 planning and budgeting
Authors: Meyer-Rath Gesine , Hounsell Rachel A. , Pulliam Juliet RC , Jamieson Lise , Nichols Brooke E. , Moultrie Harry , Silal Sheetal P.
Published: July 2023

Background

The South African COVID-19 Modelling Consortium (SACMC) was established in late March 2020 to support planning and budgeting for COVID-19 related healthcare in South Africa. We developed several tools in response to the needs of decision makers in the different stages of the epidemic, allowing the South African government to plan several months ahead.

Methods

Our tools included epidemic projection models, several cost and budget impact models, and online dashboards to help government and the public visualise our projections, track case development and forecast hospital admissions. Information on new variants, including Delta and Omicron, were incorporated in real time to allow the shifting of scarce resources when necessary.

Results

Given the rapidly changing nature of the outbreak globally and in South Africa, the model projections were updated regularly. The updates reflected 1) the changing policy priorities over the course of the epidemic; 2) the availability of new data from South African data systems; and 3) the evolving response to COVID-19 in South Africa, such as changes in lockdown levels and ensuing mobility and contact rates, testing and contact tracing strategies and hospitalisation criteria. Insights into population behaviour required updates by incorporating notions of behavioural heterogeneity and behavioural responses to observed changes in mortality. We incorporated these aspects into developing scenarios for the third wave and developed additional methodology that allowed us to forecast required inpatient capacity. Finally, real-time analyses of the most important characteristics of the Omicron variant first identified in South Africa in November 2021 allowed us to advise policymakers early in the fourth wave that a relatively lower admission rate was likely.

Conclusion

The SACMC’s models, developed rapidly in an emergency setting and regularly updated with local data, supported national and provincial government to plan several months ahead, expand hospital capacity when needed, allocate budgets and procure additional resources where possible. Across four waves of COVID-19 cases, the SACMC continued to serve the planning needs of the government, tracking waves and supporting the national vaccine rollout.
Prevalence and associated risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections among children in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in the Adadle woreda of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia
Authors: Lanker Kayla C. , Muhummed Abdifatah M. , Cissé Guéladio , Zinsstag Jakob , Hattendorf Jan , Yusuf Ramadan Budul , Hassen Shamil Barsenga , Tschopp Rea , Vonaesch Pascale
Published: July 2023

Background

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) can cause illness, morbidity, and occasional mortality in children. Agro-pastoralist and pastoralist children in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (ESRS) are especially at risk for IPIs, as access to safe water, sanitation, and health services is lacking. Minimal data on the prevalence of IPIs and associated risk factors exists in this region.

Methodology

We assessed the prevalence of IPIs and associated risk factors during the wet season from May-June 2021 in 366 children aged 2 to 5 years in four agro-pastoralist and four pastoralistkebeles(wards) in Adadleworeda(district) of the Shebelle zone, ESRS. Household information, anthropometric measurements, and stool samples were obtained from included children. Parasites were identified microscopically using Kato-Katz and direct smear methods. Risk factors were assessed using general estimating equation models accounting for clustering.

Principal findings

Overall prevalence of IPIs was 35%: 30.6% for single infections and 4.4% for poly-parasitic infections. Intestinal protozoan prevalence was 24.9%: 21.9%Giardia intestinalis, and 3.0%Entamoebaspp.. Intestinal helminth prevalence was 14.5%: 12.8%Ascaris lumbricoides, 1.4% hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus.), and 0.3%Hymenolepis nana.G.intestinalisinfection was associated with drinking water sourced from the river (aOR 15.6, 95%CI 6.84, 35.4) and from collected rainwater (aOR 9.48, 95%CI 3.39, 26.5), with toilet sharing (aOR 2.93, 95%CI 1.36, 6.31) and with household ownership of cattle (1–5 cattle: aOR 1.65, 95%CI 1.13, 2.41; 6+ cattle: aOR 2.07, 95%CI 1.33, 3.21) and chickens (aOR 3.80, 95%CI 1.77, 8.17).A.lumbricoidesinfection was associated with children 36 to 47 months old (aOR 1.92, 95%CI 1.03, 3.58).

Conclusions/Significance

Improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services in Adadle and employing a One Health approach would likely improve the health of children living in (agro-) pastoralist communities in Adadle and the ESRS; however, further studies are required.
Perception of the purchase budget (BGT) and purchase intention in smartphone selling industry: A cross-country analysis
Authors: N’da Karamoko , Ge Jiaoju , Ji-Fan Ren Steven , Wang Jia
Published: July 2023

The study explores the direct and mediated impacts of customers’ perception of purchase budget (BGT) on purchase intention (PIT) through perceived quality (PPQ), perceived price (PPR), and perceived benefit (PB) in a cross-country setting to understand BGT’s role in predicting customer purchase intention in smartphone selling through international online shopping platforms. An online survey was conducted in Kenya, France, and the United States to gather data from 429 consumers who had recently purchased one or more smartphones through international online shopping platforms. SmartPLS-4 was used to test the hypotheses. Results for the entire sample showed a significantly positive mediating role of PPR and PPQ between BGT and PIT. However, the mediating roles of PPQ and PB were not significant in the samples from Kenya, France, and the United States. The results also showed that PPR plays a significant and positive mediating role between BGT and PIT in samples from Kenya, France, the United States, and overall. However, the direct relationships between BGT and PPQ, PPR, and PB are shown to be negatively significant.
Automated identification and tracking of cells in Cytometry of Reaction Rate Constant (CRRC)
Authors: Nebbioso Giammarco , Yosief Robel , Koshkin Vasilij , Qiu Yumin , Peng Chun , Elisseev Vadim , Krylov Sergey N.
Published: July 2023

Cytometry of Reaction Rate Constant (CRRC) is a method for studying cell-population heterogeneity using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, which allows one to follow reaction kinetics in individual cells. The current and only CRRC workflow utilizes a single fluorescence image to manually identify cell contours which are then used to determine fluorescence intensity of individual cells in the entire time-stack of images. This workflow is only reliable if cells maintain their positions during the time-lapse measurements. If the cells move, the original cell contours become unsuitable for evaluating intracellular fluorescence and the CRRC experiment will be inaccurate. The requirement of invariant cell positions during a prolonged imaging is impossible to satisfy for motile cells. Here we report a CRRC workflow developed to be applicable to motile cells. The new workflow combines fluorescence microscopy with transmitted-light microscopy and utilizes a new automated tool for cell identification and tracking. A transmitted-light image is taken right before every fluorescence image to determine cell contours, and cell contours are tracked through the time-stack of transmitted-light images to account for cell movement. Each unique contour is used to determine fluorescence intensity of cells in the associated fluorescence image. Next, time dependencies of the intracellular fluorescence intensities are used to determine each cell’s rate constant and construct a kinetic histogram “number of cells vs rate constant.” The new workflow’s robustness to cell movement was confirmed experimentally by conducting a CRRC study of cross-membrane transport in motile cells. The new workflow makes CRRC applicable to a wide range of cell types and eliminates the influence of cell motility on the accuracy of results. Additionally, the workflow could potentially monitor kinetics of varying biological processes at the single-cell level for sizable cell populations. Although our workflow was designed ad hoc for CRRC, this cell-segmentation/cell-tracking strategy also represents an entry-level, user-friendly option for a variety of biological assays (i.e., migration, proliferation assays, etc.). Importantly, no prior knowledge of informatics (i.e., training a model for deep learning) is required.
Validation of the shotgun metabarcoding approach for comprehensively identifying herbal products containing plant, fungal, and animal ingredients
Authors: Zhang Zhaolei , Mu Weishan , Kong Weijun , Liu Jiali , Zhao Jingyi , Zhao Qing , Shi Mengmeng , Zhao Hongye , Liu Jinxin , Shi Linchun
Published: July 2023

Identifying plant, fungal, and animal ingredients in a specific mixture remains challenging during the limitation of PCR amplification and low specificity of traditional methods. Genomic DNA was extracted from mock and pharmaceutical samples. Four type of DNA barcodes were generated from shotgun sequencing dataset with the help of a local bioinformatic pipeline. Taxa of each barcode was assigned by blast to TCM-BOL, BOLD, and GenBank. Traditional methods including microscopy, thin layer chromatography (TLC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were carried out according to Chinese pharmacopoeia. On average, 6.8 Gb shotgun reads were sequenced from genomic DNA of each sample. Then, 97, 11, 10, 14, and one operational taxonomic unit (OTU) were generated for ITS2, psbA-trnH, rbcL, matK, and COI, respectively. All the labeled ingredients including eight plant, one fungal, and one animal species were successfully detected in both the mock and pharmaceutical samples, in which Chebulae Fructus, Poria, and Fritilariae Thunbergia Bulbus were identified via mapping reads to organelle genomes. In addition, four unlabeled plant species were detected from pharmaceutical samples, while 30 genera of fungi, such as Schwanniomyces, Diaporthe, Fusarium were detected from mock and pharmaceutical samples. Furthermore, the microscopic, TLC, and HPLC analysis were all in accordance with the standards stipulated by Chinese Pharmacopoeia. This study indicated that shotgun metabarcoding could simultaneously identified plant, fungal, and animal ingredients in herbal products, which has the ability to serve as a valuable complement to traditional methods.