bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building Paper Embassies
Authors: Powell Jason
Published: October 2020

The late 1640s and 1650s in England witnessed a growing popular interest in letters of state, attested by collections such as Cabala, Mysteries of State, in Letters of the great Ministers of K. James and K. Charles (1653), which promises that ministers of state will be “presented naked, their Consultations, Designs, Policies … exposed to every mans eye.” Then in 1655, Cabala stationers Bedell and Collins arranged for the printing of another volume focused more closely on ambassadorial correspondence: The Compleat Ambassador, which centered on Queen Elizabeth’s potential marriage to successive ducs d’Anjou and negotiations that followed the abandonment of those marriages, as discussed in letters written in 1569–73 and 1581 by Francis Walsingham, Thomas Smith, Henry Norris, and others, often in correspondence with Lord Burghley. The title page describes the Ambassador as having been “Faithfully Collected by … Sir Dudly Digges Knight, late Master of the Rolls.” However, this survey of seventeen of the twenty-six or more extant manuscripts containing the same material raises questions about the work’s connection with Digges. The article shows how the printed book derived from letters that had been widely copied in manuscript long before their dissemination in print. It also discusses unique letters and passages that were omitted from the book and no longer survive in the State Papers. English diplomacy abroad built paper embassies at home, within England, well before the publication of this seminal volume in 1655.
Diplomatic Parrhesia and the Ethos of Trustworthiness in Hotman’s The Ambassador and Shakespeare’s Henry V
Authors: de Carles Nathalie Rivère
Published: October 2020

Sir Henry Wotton’s definition of an ambassador as “an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country” should be confronted with his later assessment that the ambassador “should alwayes, and upon all occasions speak the truth … ’twill also put [his] Adversaries (who will still hunt counter) to a loss in all their disquisitions, and undertakings.” Wotton’s contrasting views point to the early modern concern with true, bold, and plain speech, known as parrhesia, and its importance in diplomatic practice. Combining Quentin Skinner’s rhetorical approach to political language and Timothy Hampton’s literary analysis of diplomacy, this essay examines Shakespeare’s mirror of diplomatic speech featured in Henry V (ca. 1599) in light of Jean Hotman’s reflections on parrhesia in The Ambassador (1603). Analyzing theoretical and dramatic views of parrhesiastic speech in early modern diplomacy, the essay argues for diplomatic parrhesia as a matter of trustworthiness rather than sincerity. Shakespeare introduces a new perspective on the ambassador’s speech and its function and on the capacity of authorities to hear truthful speech, while reasserting the political necessity of good parrhesia.
Robust and efficient gene regulation through localized nuclear microenvironments
Authors: Tsai Albert , Galupa Rafael , Crocker Justin
Published: October 2020

Developmental enhancers drive gene expression in specific cell types during animal development. They integrate signals from many different sources mediated through the binding of transcription factors, producing specific responses in gene expression. Transcription factors often bind low-affinity sequences for only short durations. How brief, low-affinity interactions drive efficient transcription and robust gene expression is a central question in developmental biology. Localized high concentrations of transcription factors have been suggested as a possible mechanism by which to use these enhancer sites effectively. Here, we discuss the evidence for such transcriptional microenvironments, mechanisms for their formation and the biological consequences of such sub-nuclear compartmentalization for developmental decisions and evolution.
Cardiophysiological responses of the air-breathing Alaska blackfish to cold acclimation and chronic hypoxic submergence at 5°C
Authors: Stecyk Jonathan A. W. , Couturier Christine S. , Abramochkin Denis V. , Hall Diarmid , Arrant-Howell Asia , Kubly Kerry L. , Lockmann Shyanne , Logue Kyle , Trueblood Lenett , Swalling Connor , Pinard Jessica , Vogt Angela
Published: October 2020

The Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) remains active at cold temperature when experiencing aquatic hypoxia without air access. To discern the cardiophysiological adjustments that permit this behaviour, we quantified the effect of acclimation from 15°C to 5°C in normoxia (15N and 5N fish), as well as chronic hypoxic submergence (6-8 weeks; ∼6.3-8.4 kPa; no air access) at 5°C (5H fish), on in vivo and spontaneous heart rate (fH), electrocardiogram, ventricular action potential (AP) shape and duration (APD), the background inward rectifier (IK1) and rapid delayed rectifier (IKr) K+ currents and ventricular gene expression of proteins involved in excitation-contraction coupling. In vivo fH was ∼50% slower in 5N than 15N fish, but 5H fish did not display hypoxic bradycardia. Atypically, cold acclimation in normoxia did not induce shortening of APD or alter resting membrane potential. Rather, QT interval and APD were ∼2.6-fold longer in 5N than 15N fish because outward IK1 and IKr were not upregulated in 5N fish. By contrast, chronic hypoxic submergence elicited a shortening of QT interval and APD, driven by an upregulation of IKr. The altered electrophysiology of 5H fish was accompanied by increased gene expression of kcnh6 (3.5-fold; Kv11.2 of IKr), kcnj12 (7.4-fold; Kir2.2 of IK1) and kcnj14 (2.9-fold; Kir2.4 of IK1). 5H fish also exhibited a unique gene expression pattern that suggests modification of ventricular Ca2+ cycling. Overall, the findings reveal that Alaska blackfish exposed to chronic hypoxic submergence prioritize the continuation of cardiac performance to support an active lifestyle over reducing cardiac ATP demand.
Multi-parametric characterization of drug effects on cells
Authors: Paran Yael , Liron Yuvalal , Batsir Sarit , Mabjeesh Nicola , Geiger Benjamin , Kam Zvi
Published: October 2020

We present here a novel multi-parametric approach for the characterization of multiple cellular features, using images acquired by high-throughput and high-definition light microscopy. We specifically used this approach for deep and unbiased analysis of the effects of a drug library on five cultured cell lines. The presented method enables the acquisition and analysis of millions of images, of treated and control cells, followed by an automated identification of drugs inducing strong responses, evaluating the median effect concentrations and those cellular properties that are most highly affected by the drug. The tools described here provide standardized quantification of multiple attributes for systems level dissection of complex functions in normal and diseased cells, using multiple perturbations. Such analysis of cells, derived from pathological samples, may help in the diagnosis and follow-up of treatment in patients.
Potential therapeutic manipulations of the CXCR3 chemokine axis for the treatment of inflammatory fibrosing diseases
Authors: Groover Morgan K. , Richmond Jillian M.
Published: October 2020

Chemokines play important roles in homeostasis and inflammatory processes. While their roles in leukocyte recruitment are well-appreciated, chemokines play additional roles in the body, including mediating or regulating angiogenesis, tumor metastasis and wound healing. In this opinion article, we focus on the role of CXCR3 and its ligands in fibrotic processes. We emphasize differences of the effects of each ligand, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, on fibroblasts in different tissues of the body. We include discussions of differences in signaling pathways that may account for protective or pro-fibrotic effects of each ligand in different experimental models andex vivoanalysis of human tissues. Our goal is to highlight potential reasons why there are disparate findings in different models, and to suggest ways in which this chemokine axis could be manipulated for the treatment of fibrosis.
VTES: a stochastic Python-based tool to simulate viral transmission
Authors: Kurtin Danielle L. , Parsons Daniel A.J. , Stagg Scott M.
Published: October 2020

The spread of diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human populations involve a large number of variables, making it difficult to predict how it will spread across communities and populations. Reduced representation simulations allow us to reduce the complexity of disease spread and model transmission based on a few key variables. Here we have created a Viral Transmission Education Simulator (VTES) that simulates the spread of disease through the interactions between circles representing individual people bouncing around a bounded, 2D plane. Infections are transmitted via person-to-person contact and the course of an outbreak can be tracked over time. Using this approach, we are able to simulate the influence of variables like infectivity, population density, and social distancing on the course of an outbreak. We also describe how VTES's code can be used to calculate R0 for the simulated pandemic. VTES is useful for modeling how small changes in variables that influence disease transmission can have large changes on the outcome of an epidemic. Additionally, VTES serves as an educational tool where users can easily visualize how disease spreads, and test how interventions, like masking, can influence an outbreak. VTES is designed to be simple and clear to encourage user modifications. These properties make VTES an educational tool that uses accessible, clear code and dynamic simulations to provide a richer understanding of the behaviors and factors underpinning a pandemic. VTES is available from: https://github.com/sstagg/disease-transmission.
Pedagogical Subjectivity of Monitoring the Formation of Professional Readiness of Future Workers in the Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Danilova T.
Published: October 2020

The article considers a teacher as a subject of monitoring the professional readiness of future workers in the oil and gas industry, who has pedagogical subjectivity in its implementation. This quality of personality is characterized in the context of the teacher's monitoring competence. The structure of pedagogical subjectivity is determined by the features of professional readiness of workers in the oil and gas industry and its monitoring. It involves the relationship of theoretical, technological, and personal components. The article presents the results of a ascertaining experiment that established insufficient formation of structural components of pedagogical subjectivity in monitoring. The expediency of correcting the identified problem aspects and related professional development of teachers to monitor the professional readiness of future workers in the oil and gas industry is justified. It is assumed that the problem of their formation is characterized by industry specifics and is implemented by means of additional professional education.
Shareholder Litigation and Corporate Innovation
Authors: Lin Chen , Liu Sibo , Manso Gustavo
Published: October 2020

We investigate whether and to what extent shareholder litigation shapes corporate innovation by examining the staggered adoption of universal demand laws in 23 states from 1989 to 2005. These laws impose obstacles against shareholders filing derivative lawsuits, thereby significantly reducing managers’ litigation risk. Using a difference-in-differences design and a matched sample, we find that, following the passage of the laws, firms invested more in research and development, produced more patents in new technological classes and more patents based on new knowledge, generated more patents with significant impacts, and achieved higher patent value. Our findings suggest that the external pressure imposed by shareholder litigation discourages managers from engaging in explorative innovation activities.

This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance.
Joint vs. Separate Crowdsourcing Contests
Authors: Hu Ming , Wang Lu
Published: October 2020

In a crowdsourcing contest, innovation is outsourced by a firm to an open crowd that competes in generating innovative solutions. Given that the projects typically consist of multiple attributes, how should the firm optimally design a crowdsourcing contest for such a project? We consider two alternative mechanisms. One is a joint contest, where the best solution is chosen from the joint solutions across attributes submitted by all contestants. The other is multiple separate parallel subcontests, with each dedicated to one attribute of the project. It is intuitive that the separate contest has the advantage of potentially creating a “cooperative” final solution contributed by different contestants. However, somewhat surprisingly, we show that the separate contest may reduce the incentive for the crowd to exert effort, resulting in the joint contest becoming the optimal scheme. The comparison of the expected best performances in the two contests depends on the project’s characteristics. For example, if contestants’ performances have a sufficiently high (respectively, low) level of randomness, the separate (respectively, joint) contest is optimal. If the number of contestants is large (respectively, small) enough, the separate (respectively, joint) contest is optimal. Moreover, we find that when the prize is endogenized, the optimal amount of the prize in the joint contest is no less than that in the separate contest. Finally, we extend the model to account for contestants with heterogeneous types.

This paper was accepted by Gad Allon, operations management.
Consumer Learning from Own Experience and Social Information: An Experimental Study
Authors: Davis Andrew M. , Gaur Vishal , Kim Dayoung
Published: October 2020

We investigate how different types of social information affect the demand characteristics of firms competing through service quality. We first generate behavioral hypotheses around both consumers’ learning behavior and firms’ corresponding demand characteristics: market share, demand uncertainty, and rate of convergence. We then conduct a controlled human-subject experiment in which a consumer chooses to visit one of two firms, each with unknown service quality, in a repeated interaction and is exposed to different information treatments from a social network: (1) no social information; (2) share-based social information, which details the percentage of people who visited each firm; (3) quality-based social information, which illustrates the percentage of people who received a satisfactory experience from each firm; or (4) full social information, which contains both share- and quality-based social information. A key insight from our study is that different types of social information have different effects on firms’ demand. First, promoting quality-based social information leads to a significantly higher market share, lower demand variability, and faster rate of convergence for a firm with significantly better service quality. Second, when the higher quality firm has only a marginal advantage over the other firm, promoting only share-based information leads to significantly higher market share and lower demand variability. A third important result is that providing only one type of social information can actually be more helpful to the higher quality firm than providing full social information.

This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, operations management.
A Queueing Model and Analysis for Autonomous Vehicles on Highways
Authors: Mirzaeian Neda , Cho Soo-Haeng , Scheller-Wolf Alan
Published: October 2020

We investigate the effects of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on highway congestion. AVs have the potential to significantly reduce highway congestion because they can maintain smaller intervehicle gaps and travel together in larger platoons than human-driven vehicles (HVs). Various policies have been proposed to regulate AV travel on highways, yet no in-depth comparison of these policies exists. To address this shortcoming, we develop a queueing model for a multilane highway and analyze two policies: the designated-lane policy (“D policy”), under which one lane is designated to AVs, and the integrated policy (“I policy”), under which AVs travel together with HVs in all lanes. We connect the service rate to intervehicle gaps (governed by a Markovian arrival process) and congestion, and measure the performance using mean travel time and throughput. Our analysis shows that although the I policy performs at least as well as a benchmark case with no AVs, the D policy outperforms the benchmark only when the highway is heavily congested and AVs constitute the majority of vehicles; in such a case, this policy may outperform the I policy only in terms of throughput. These findings caution against recent industry and government proposals that the D policy should be employed at the beginning of the mass appearance of AVs. Finally, we calibrate our model to data and show that for highly congested highways, a moderate number of AVs can make a substantial improvement (e.g., 22% AVs can improve throughput by 30%), and when all vehicles are AVs, throughput can be increased by over 400%.

This paper was accepted by Jayashankar Swaminathan, operations management.
Benders Decomposition for the Profit Maximizing Capacitated Hub Location Problem with Multiple Demand Classes
Authors: Taherkhani Gita , Alumur Sibel A. , Hosseini Mojtaba
Published: October 2020

This paper models the profit maximizing capacitated hub location problem with multiple demand classes to determine an optimal hub network structure that allocates available capacities of hubs to satisfy demand for commodities from different market segments. A strong deterministic formulation of the problem is presented, and a Benders reformulation is described to optimally solve large-size instances of the problem. A new two-phase methodology is developed to decompose the Benders subproblem, and two effective separation routines are derived to strengthen the Benders optimality cuts. The algorithm is enhanced by the integration of improved variable-fixing techniques. The deterministic model is further extended by considering uncertainty associated with the demand to develop a two-stage stochastic program. To solve the stochastic version, a Monte Carlo simulation–based algorithm is developed that integrates a sample average approximation scheme with the proposed Benders decomposition algorithm. Novel acceleration techniques are presented to improve the convergence of the algorithm proposed for the stochastic version. The efficiency and robustness of the algorithms are evaluated through extensive computational experiments. Computational results show that large-scale instances with up to 500 nodes and three demand classes can be solved to optimality, and that the proposed separation routines generate cuts that provide significant speedups compared with using Pareto-optimal cuts. The developed two-phase methodology for solving the Benders subproblem as well as the variable-fixing and acceleration techniques can be used to solve other discrete location and network design problems.
Wound cleansing: benefits of hypochlorous acid
Authors: Joachim Dissemond
Published: October 2020

Cleansing provides an opportunity to remove pathogens from the wound bed, thereby preventing an increase in the bioburden and delayed healing. This article describes the reported efficacy of hypochlorous acid-containing wound cleansers
Analysis of Corn Dust Particle Properties and How Surface Roughness Influences Adhesion
Authors: Plumier Benjamin M. , Zhao Yumeng , Casada Mark E. , Maghirang Ronaldo G. , Ambrose R. P. Kingsly
Published: October 2020

Highlights

Freshly harvested, higher quality corn samples have a higher proportion of small dust particles with a lower circularity and aspect ratio compared to older, lower quality samples.

For freshly harvested grain, dust particles removed at low centrifuge speed were significantly rougher than particles removed at high speed.

Lower quality corn did not show a significant decrease in particle roughness for strongly attached dust.

The surface area decreased while the surface energy increased with the attachment strength of dust particles.

Abstract. High dust concentrations associated with grain handling can cause serious problems, including health and safety risks from dust inhalation and increased risk of explosions due to contained suspended dust in the presence of an ignition source. The amount of dust generated during grain handling is influenced by several factors, including the adhesion strength of dust to the grain. One factor that could influence the adhesion strength of grain dusts is how the dust particles are shaped and how their shape relates to the surface texture of corn. To better understand the properties of dust particles separated from corn samples, dust samples were analyzed for morphology and particle size. In addition, dust samples were separated with different centrifugation speeds to compare the properties of dusts that were strongly or weakly attached to the grain. These samples were observed with a light profilometer to measure their surface roughness characteristics. Results showed that freshly harvested corn samples contained a higher presence of small particles with low circularity than older, lower quality samples. The large particles observed were determined to be starch, as opposed to the smaller particles that were more likely soil or other non-plant-based material. The dust particles that were more strongly attached to corn kernels tended to have lower surface roughness than those that were weakly attached for the freshly harvested grain. Keywords: Dust adhesion, Particle shape, Surface adhesion, Surface roughness.
Surgical site infection after digestive surgery in a single tertiary hospital in Indonesia: six years of data
Authors: Syaiful Ridho Ardhi , Mazni Yarman , Prasetyo Muhamad Luthfi , Lalisang Toar Jean Maurice
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND Surgical site infection (SSI) is responsible for increasing cost, morbidity, and mortality related to surgical operations, and has continued to be a significant problem even in hospitals with advanced facilities. This study aimed to describe the SSI among patients after digestive surgery.

METHODS From 2012 to 2017, all abdominal surgeries with SSI in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, except obstetrics and gynecology cases, were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, nutritional status, preoperative and intraoperative conditions, wound contamination/SSI type, and mortality data were reported.

RESULTS From 4,893 abdominal surgeries during the period, 135 subjects (2.8%) developed SSI with 42.2% of cases were the clean-contaminated type. Most of the cases were males (66.7%), aged between 2565 years old (80.0%), subjective goal assessment B (46.7%), had normal weight (57.8%), had longer duration of surgery (70.4%), and had preoperative stay between 215 days (65.2%). Most of the SSI patients survived (77.8%).

CONCLUSIONS Even though the SSI in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital was low, it still needs improvement in preoperative care, intraoperative care, and SSI awareness. Therefore, further studies are required to understand how to reduce the incidence, risk, and SSI-related mortality.
A randomized, controlled, cross-over study of the safety and efficacy of superabsorbent diaper for babies with mild-to-moderate diaper rash
Authors: Diana Inne Arline , Gondokaryono Srie Prihianti , Sugito Titi Lestari , Lokanata Maya Devita , Agustin Triana , Rahmayunita Githa , Maharani Indah , Shoraya Nanny , Toyoshima Haruko , Yunaidi Danang Agung
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND Super-absorbent diaper is a disposable diaper with new technology which has a soft-airy structure, breathable sheet, and rich absorbent core. This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of super-absorbent diaper with standard absorbent diaper.

METHODS A single-blinded, randomized, controlled, cross-over study was performed in 324 months babies. A safety study was performed in 113 babies without diaper rash (group A: super-absorbent to standard and B: standard to super-absorbent) and efficacy study in 59 babies with mild-to-moderate diaper rash (group C: super-absorbent to standard and D: standard to super-absorbent). Each group used super-absorbent or standard diaper for 2 weeks. Skin assessment scores (SAS) were recorded at baseline, week-2, and week-4. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS In the safety study, there was no significant increase of SAS in group A at week-2 and -4, but in group B there was a significant increase of SAS (1.9 to 4.1, p = 0.001) at week-2 with a significant reduction at week-4 (4.1 to 2.2, p<0.001). In the efficacy study, there was a reduction of SAS at week-2 in group C (p = 0.07) and D (p = 0.05). However, SAS increased in group C (6.4 to 8.3, p = 0.2) and decreased in group D (8.6 to 6.1, p = 0.13) at week-4. Super-absorbent diaper showed a significant reduction of SAS in the pubic areas (1.43 to 0.73, p<0.011).

CONCLUSIONS The new super-absorbent diaper is safe to use and may have efficacy in the improvement of skin conditions and diaper rash, especially in the pubic areas.
‘New’ migrations transforming the city: East European settlement in Glasgow
Authors: Kay Rebecca , Trevena Paulina
Published: October 2020

This chapter explores the ways in which 21st Century migrations from Eastern Europe have transformed Glasgow. A city of emigration for much of the 20th century, Glasgow has more recently become a city of destination. Globally and regionally occurring economic and political developments which go beyond the ‘post-industrial’ form the backdrop to this new migration: the collapse of state socialist regimes, EU expansions and free movement, the impacts of globalisation and neoliberalism on labour markets around the world. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 31 Eastern Europeans living and working in Glasgow in 2014-15 this chapter discusses the effects of recent migration from Eastern Europe on Glasgow as well as the impact of the city on its new residents, particularly with regard to experiences of employment, housing and longer-term settlement in particular neighbourhoods within the city.
Canine mammary cancer diagnosis from quantitative properties of nonlinear optical images
Authors: Reis Luana A. , Garcia Ana P. V. , Gomes Egleidson F. A. , Longford Francis G. J. , Frey Jeremy G. , Cassali Geovanni D. , de Paula Ana M.
Published: October 2020

We present nonlinear microscopy imaging results and analysis from canine mammary cancer biopsies. Second harmonic generation imaging allows information of the collagen structure in the extracellular matrix that together with the fluorescence of the cell regions of the biopsies form a base for comprehensive image analysis. We demonstrate an automated image analysis method to classify the histological type of canine mammary cancer using a range of parameters extracted from the images. The software developed for image processing and analysis allows for the extraction of the collagen fibre network and the cell regions of the images. Thus, the tissue properties are obtained after the segmentation of the image and the metrics are measured specifically for the collagen and the cell regions. A linear discriminant analysis including all the extracted metrics allowed to clearly separate between the healthy and cancerous tissue with a 91%-accuracy. Also, a 61%-accuracy was achieved for a comparison of healthy and three histological cancer subtypes studied.
Tailoring of modal losses in anisotropic 2D material ribbons by regulating material absorption
Authors: Chang Po-Han , Lin Charles , Engheta Nader , Helmy Amr S.
Published: October 2020

In plasmonic guided waves, material absorption is generally an unwanted shortcoming that degrades the quality of plasmon modes by greatly curtailing their propagation distance. In this work, we explore the general features of the modal properties supported by 2D anisotropic materials and elucidate how the material’s in-plane anisotropy can offer a previously untenable level of control or tailoring over plasmonic waveguide design. In particular, we find that utilizing the in-plane anisotropy of anisotropic 2D materials in the conductivity of ribbon films, it is possible to significantly manipulate the modal loss of the plasmonic guided modes by increasing the material absorption of the 2D materials. The physical root cause of this behavior is control over the various electric field components within the film by utilizing the material dispersion of the anisotropic film. This control allows for the ability to manipulate at will, for a wide a range of structure parameters and wavelengths, the net field within the ribbon arising from the interplay between the two edge modes, which constitute the film edges. The findings thus unlock beneficial capabilities offered by using natural 2D anisotropic materials such as black phosphorous in the design of active/passive nano-scale circuits. Furthermore, when these effects are employed in gain media composed of 2D materials, the ability for the realization of low modal loss plasmonic modes concomitant with the presence of substantial material absorption can introduce a new design paradigm that promises novel and enhanced functionality.
Multi-channel swept source optical coherence tomography concept based on photonic integrated circuits
Authors: Nevlacsil Stefan , Muellner Paul , Maese-Novo Alejandro , Eggeling Moritz , Vogelbacher Florian , Sagmeister Martin , Kraft Jochen , Rank Elisabet , Drexler Wolfgang , Hainberger Rainer
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we present a novel concept for a multi-channel swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system based on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). At the core of this concept is a low-loss polarization dependent path routing approach allowing for lower excess loss compared to previously shown PIC-based OCT systems, facilitating a parallelization of measurement units. As a proof of concept for the low-loss path routing, a silicon nitride PIC-based single-channel swept source OCT system operating at 840 nm was implemented and used to acquire in-vivo tomograms of a human retina. The fabrication of the PIC was done via CMOS-compatible plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to allow future monolithic co-integration with photodiodes and read-out electronics. A performance analysis using the results of the implemented photonic building blocks shows a potential tenfold increase of the acquisition speed for a multi-channel system compared to an ideal lossless single-channel system with the same signal-to-noise ratio.
Numerical design of three-dimensional gradient refractive index structures for beam shaping
Authors: Minster Kunkel W. , Leger James R.
Published: October 2020

A numerical design method is demonstrated for gradient refractive index (GRIN) beam shapers embedded in a medium. The three-dimensional refractive index profile Δn(x, y, z) gradually changes the spatial characteristics of a beam during propagation. Diffraction effects such as beam expansion are controlled and compensated by the refractive index profile, resulting in efficient field transformations with no coherent artifacts. The solution is found using phase retrieval and a paraxial scalar wave beam propagation model. An example design is shown in which small changes in refractive index (Δn < 10−3) are used to transform a beam over a device length of 10 mm.
Optical performance monitoring using digital coherent receivers and convolutional neural networks
Authors: Cho Hyung Joon , Varughese Siddharth , Lippiatt Daniel , Desalvo Richard , Tibuleac Sorin , Ralph Stephen E.
Published: October 2020

We experimentally demonstrate accurate modulation format identification, optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) estimation, and bit error ratio (BER) estimation of optical signals for wavelength division multiplexed optical communication systems using convolutional neural networks (CNN). We assess the benefits and challenges of extracting information at two distinct points within the demodulation process: immediately after timing recovery and immediately prior to symbol unmapping. For the former, we use 3D Stokes-space based signal representations. For the latter, we use conventional I-Q constellation images created using demodulated symbols. We demonstrate these methods on simulated and experimental dual-polarized waveforms for 32-GBaud QPSK, 8QAM, 16QAM, and 32QAM. Our results show that CNN extracts distinct and learnable features at both the early stage of demodulation where the information can be used to optimize subsequent stages and near the end of demodulation where the constellation images are readily available. Modulation format identification is demonstrated with >99.8% accuracy, OSNR estimation with <0.5 dB average discrepancy and BER estimation with percentage error of <25%.
Reference-free quantitative microscopic imaging of coherent arbitrary vectorial light beams
Authors: Baroni Arthur , Ferrand Patrick
Published: October 2020

Precise spatial characterization of vectorial beams is crucial for many advanced optical experiments, but challenging when wavefront and polarization features are involved together. Here we propose a reference-free method aimed at extracting the map of the complex-amplitude components of any coherent beam at an optical-microscopy resolution. Our method exploits recent advances in ptychographic imaging approaches. We emphasize its versatility by reconstructing successfully various experimental vectorial beams including polarization and phase vortices, the exit field of a multicore fiber and a speckle pattern.
Suppression of decoherence tied to electron–phonon coupling in telecom-compatible quantum dots: low-threshold reappearance regime for quantum state inversion
Authors: Ramachandran A. , Wilbur G. R. , O’Neal S. , Deppe D. G. , Hall K. C.
Published: October 2020

We demonstrate suppression of dephasing tied to deformation potential
coupling of confined electrons to longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons
in optical control experiments on large semiconductor quantum dots
(QDs) with emission compatible with the low-dispersion
telecommunications band at 1.3 µm. By exploiting the sensitivity of
the electron–phonon spectral density to the size and shape of the QD,
we demonstrate a fourfold reduction in the threshold pulse area
required to enter the decoupled regime for exciton inversion using
adiabatic rapid passage (ARP). Our calculations of the quantum state
dynamics indicate that the symmetry of the QD wave function provides
an additional means to engineer the electron–phonon interaction. Our
findings will support the development of solid-state quantum emitters
in future distributed quantum networks using semiconductor QDs.
Influence of nonlinear and saturable absorption on laser lift-off threshold of an oxide/metal structure
Authors: Žemaitis Andrius , Gaidys Mantas , Gečys Paulius , Gedvilas Mindaugas
Published: October 2020

In this work, a new, to the best of our knowledge, model of effective lift-off threshold of an oxide/metal target is presented. The influence of nonlinear processes in the oxide layer on its removal from the metallic samples using a picosecond laser was investigated. Nonlinear and saturable absorption in the layer was incorporated into modeling for prediction of effective laser lift-off threshold fluence change with varying peak intensities in a

z

-scan-type experiment for the first time. The new model coincides well with the experimental results.
Multi-aperture imaging for flat cameras
Authors: Carles Guillem , Harvey Andrew R.
Published: October 2020

Imaging with high angular resolution requires large apertures and long focal lengths. This has prevented the integration of telephoto lenses into thin devices such as modern mobile phones. We report a camera module employing multiple rotated rectangular apertures and folding of the optical system into the plane of the camera, enabling an order-of-magnitude reduction in depth compared to traditional telephoto lenses. Multiple images are fused in the frequency domain to yield a single high-resolution image equivalent to that yielded by a single circular aperture. The diameter of this equivalent aperture may be several times wider than the depth of the camera module. We propose two architectures and present illustrative optical designs to demonstrate the concept. Simulations of raytraced image acquisition and computational image reconstruction demonstrate the potential for high-quality, high-resolution imaging from thin, flat lens modules.
Strain measurement range enhanced chirped pulse φ-OTDR for distributed static and dynamic strain measurement based on random fiber grating array
Authors: Wang Yuan , Lu Ping , Mihailov Stephen , Chen Liang , Bao Xiaoyi
Published: October 2020

A high-performance distributed sensing system based on a random fiber grating array (RFGA) and multi-frequency database demodulation (MFDD) method for strain induced delay time measurement is demonstrated. It enables a wide measurement range for both static and dynamic strain sensing. The proposed MFDD method can enlarge the strain measurement range, since the large strain variation induced time domain trace distortion could be compensated for by laser initial frequency changes. Furthermore, a random fiber grating made with embedded large random refractive index changes along the single-mode fiber could provide a stable reflection with a wide reflection spectrum range. Such a structure successfully improves the time delay measurement precision and achieves a large tuning range, as demonstrated by the database in which a set of pre-recorded undisturbed reflected Rayleigh traces form RFGA at various laser frequencies. Ultimately, a dynamic strain with a peak-to-peak value of

12.5

µ
ε

at a vibration frequency of 50 Hz is accurately reconstructed when the pulse repetition rate is 1 kHz, which was not detected using a conventional chirped pulse phase-sensitive optical frequency domain reflectometers. The maximum measurable strain variation of about

12.5

µ
ε

represents a factor of 3 improvement. This number is limited by a pre-recorded frequency scanning range of RFGA response in the database.
Carrier-less phase retrieval receiver leveraging digital upsampling
Authors: Huang Hanzi , Chen Haoshuo , Huang Yetian , Fontaine Nicolas K. , Ryf Roland , Song Yingxiong
Published: October 2020

Phase retrieval (PR) receivers can reconstruct the full electrical field of the signal using only intensity measurements without any optical carrier. In this Letter, we investigate the requirement of digital upsampling and receiver bandwidth of the PR receiver based on alternative projection employing a dispersive element. An iteration scheme averaging the interleaved upsampled symbols to maintain two samples per symbol for the estimated complex-valued signal is proposed and experimentally demonstrated with fast algorithm convergence. The PR uses a modified Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm. Experimentally, we measure Nyquist-shaped 30-GBaud quadrature phase shift keying signals after 55-km single-mode fiber transmission using only 110 and 250 iterations to reach, respectively, the 20% and 7% forward-error correction threshold levels.
Quantum random number generation based on spontaneous Raman scattering in standard single-mode fiber
Authors: Hu Ying-Ying , Lin Xing , Wang Shuang , Geng Jia-Qi , Yin Zhen-Qiang , Chen Wei , He De-Yong , Huang Wei , Xu Bing-Jie , Guo Guang-Can , Han Zheng-Fu
Published: October 2020

We investigate quantum random number generation based on backward spontaneous Raman scattering in standard single-mode fiber, where the randomness of photon wavelength superposition and arrival time is simultaneously utilized. The experiment uses four avalanche photodiodes working in gated Geiger mode to detect backward Raman scattering photons from four different wavelength channels and a time-to-digital converter placed behind the detectors to record their arrival time. Both information of the wavelength and arrival time interval of photons from different channels are applied to generate random bits. Due to the independence of these two entropy sources, the random number resource of the present system is fully utilized. Five-bit raw data can be obtained for every effective click, which contains 2.87-bit min-entropy. To obtain the optimal generation rate of random bits, appropriate pump power and fiber length are adopted. The post-processing method by the SHA-256 hashing algorithm is used to remove the bias of the raw data, after which the final random bit sequences pass the NIST statistical test.
Ground fused silica processed by combined chemical etching and CO2 laser polishing with super-smooth surface and high damage resistance
Authors: Cao Zhen , Wei Chaoyang , Cheng Xin , Zhao Yuanan , Peng Xiaocong , Jiang Zhigang , Shao Jianda
Published: October 2020

Laser damage in fused silica, particularly ultraviolet laser damage, is still a key problem limiting the development of high-power laser systems. In this Letter, a combined process of chemical etching and

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laser polishing was applied to ground fused silica. A super-smooth surface with a root-mean-square roughness of 0.25 nm was achieved through this combined process. Furthermore, the combined process can reduce the introduction of photoactive metal impurity elements, destructive defects, and chemical-structure defects, resulting in a 0% probability damage threshold nearly 33% higher than a conventional chemical mechanical polished sample for a 7.6 ns pulse at a wavelength of 355 nm.
Soft x-ray microscopy with 7 nm resolution
Authors: Rösner Benedikt , Finizio Simone , Koch Frieder , Döring Florian , Guzenko Vitaliy A. , Langer Manuel , Kirk Eugenie , Watts Benjamin , Meyer Markus , Loroña Ornelas Joshua , Späth Andreas , Stanescu Stefan , Swaraj Sufal , Belkhou Rachid , Ishikawa Takashi , Keller Thomas F. , Gross Boris , Poggio Martino , Fink Rainer H. , Raabe Jörg , Kleibert Armin , David Christian
Published: October 2020

The availability of intense soft x-ray beams with tunable energy and polarization has pushed the development of highly sensitive, element-specific, and noninvasive microscopy techniques to investigate condensed matter with high spatial and temporal resolution. The short wavelengths of soft x-rays promise to reach spatial resolutions in the deep single-digit nanometer regime, providing unprecedented access to magnetic phenomena at fundamental length scales. Despite considerable efforts in soft x-ray microscopy techniques, a two-dimensional resolution of 10 nm has not yet been surpassed in direct imaging. Here, we report on a significant step beyond this long-standing limit by combining newly developed soft x-ray Fresnel zone plate lenses with advanced precision in scanning control and careful optical design. With this approach, we achieve an image resolution of 7 nm. By combining this highly precise microscopy technique with the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism effect, we reveal dimensionality effects in an ensemble of interacting magnetic nanoparticles. Such effects are topical in current nanomagnetism research and highlight the opportunities of high-resolution soft x-ray microscopy in magnetism research and beyond.
Simultaneous selection of peach rootstocks by mixed models
Authors: Santana Alice , Uberti Alison , Rocha João Romero , Lugaresi Adriana , Mayer Newton Alex , Giacobbo Clevison Luiz
Published: October 2020

The term adaptability refers to the ability of a genotype to respond favorably to environmental spur, while stability is the predictability of genotypic behavior. Therefore, the objective was to select Prunus rootstock cultivars with greater adaptability and genotypic stability for subtropical environmental conditions using the HMPRVG method. The experiment was conducted in Chapecó, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Twenty-one rootstock genotypes were evaluated under the ‘BRS-Libra’ canopy cultivar and one genotype from self-rooted seedlings. The 22 genotypes were evaluated for canopy volume, yield, fruit diameter and fruit set in the growing seasons 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19. Adaptability and stability were measured by means of the harmonic mean relative performance of genotypic values (HMRPGV). In addition, genetic parameters for heritability and ratio test were measured. According to the results, the self-rooted, ‘De Guia’, ‘I-67-52-4’, ‘Mexico Row 1’ and ‘Rosaflor’ genotypes coincided most frequently in the ranking of the three most adaptable and stable genotypes. On the other hand, the ‘P. mandshurica’, ‘Rigitano’ and ‘Santa Rosa’ genotypes corresponded to the lowest adaptability and stability values, thus constituting low quality genetic materials for cultivation. It can be concluded that under the tested conditions the HMPRVG method is efficient for the Prunus rootstock selection cultivars and the ‘BRS-Libra’ grafted on ‘Mexico Row 1’, ‘Rosaflor’ rootstocks and trees from self-rooted seedlings have greater adaptability and phenotypic stability under the subtropical cultivation conditions.
Saline water and nitrogen doses in the cultivation of West Indian cherry in the post-grafting phase
Authors: Pinheiro Francisco Wesley Alves , Lima Geovani Soares de , Gheyi Hans Raj , Dias Adaan Sudário , Soares Lauriane Almeda dos Anjos , Silva Saulo Soares da
Published: October 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the photosynthetic pigments and growth of the West Indian cherry cv. BRS 366 Jaburu in the post-grafting phase as a function of the salinity levels of the irrigation water and nitrogen fertilization under greenhouse conditions, in the municipality of Campina Grande-PB. The study was performed in randomized blocks, consisting of two levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water - ECw (0.8 and 4.5 dS m-1) and four nitrogen doses (70, 85, 100, and 115% of the recommended dose for the crop), with three replications. The synthesis of chlorophyll a and carotenoids in the West Indian cherry plants was inhibited with ECw of 4.5 dS m-1. Nitrogen fertilization in the estimated doses of 92 and 80% of N reduced the effects of salt stress on the contents of chlorophyll a and b in West Indian cherry plants, at 630 days after transplanting. The increment in nitrogen fertilization increases quadratically the absolute and relative growth rate of the diameter in the rootstock of the West Indian cherry plants under irrigation with saline waters.
Relação entre o consumo de drogas psicoativas e COVID-19
Authors: Barbosa Diogo Jacintho , Gomes Marcia Pereira , Gomes Antonio Marcos Tosoli , Souza Fabiana Barbosa Assumpção de
Published: October 2020

Este artigo buscou identificar na literatura científica atual a relação entre o consumo de drogas psicoativas e a COVID-19, através da síntese de evidências. Foi realizado através da busca na literatura não sistematizada por artigos que relacionavam drogas psicoativas e COVID-19, sem recorte temporal. Os resultados apontaram que o consumo de drogas psicoativas pode aumentar as chances do desenvolvimento dos sintomas mais graves da COVID-19. É necessário reconhecer que os pacientes dependentes químicos fazem parte de uma população vulnerável. A equipe de saúde precisa estar atenta às comorbidades que os pacientes da COVID-19 possuem, sendo imperativo investigar o uso de drogas.
Speculative Bibliography
Authors: Cordell Ryan
Published: October 2020

This article proposes speculative bibliography as an experimental approach to the digitised archive, in which textual associations are constituted propositionally, iteratively, and (sometimes) temporarily, as the result of probabilistic computational models. Speculative bibliography is offered as a complement to digital scholarly editing, and as a direct response to the challenges of scale and labour that will make comprehensive editing of digital archives impossible. Rather than acting on specific, individual texts, a speculative bibliography enacts a scholarly theory of the text through a computational model, reorganising the archive to evidence a particular idea of textual relation or interaction. Such models, in which textual relationships are determined by formal, internal textual structures, constitute bibliographic arguments that can be verified, amended, extended, or contested on either humanistic or computational grounds.