bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optomechanical force sensor operating over wide detection range
Authors: Yan Ze Feng , He Bing , Lin Qing
Published: April 2023

A detector with both broad operation range and high sensitivity is desirable in the measurement of weak periodic forces. Based on a nonlinear dynamical mechanism of locking the mechanical oscillation amplitude in optomechanical systems, we propose a force sensor that realizes the detection through the cavity field sidebands modified by an unknown external periodic force. Under the mechanical amplitude locking condition, the unknown external force happens to modify the locked oscillation amplitude linearly to its magnitude, thus achieving a linear scaling between the sideband changes read by the sensor and the magnitude of the force to be measured. This linear scaling range is found to be comparable to the applied pump drive amplitude, so the sensor can measure a wide range of force magnitude. Because the locked mechanical oscillation is rather robust against thermal perturbation, the sensor works well at room temperature. In addition to weak periodic forces, the same setup can as well detect static forces, though the detection ranges are much narrower.
Fast reconstruction of programmable integrated interferometers
Authors: Bantysh Boris , Katamadze Konstantin , Chernyavskiy Andrey , Bogdanov Yurii
Published: April 2023

Programmable linear optical interferometers are important for classical and quantum information technologies, as well as for building hardware-accelerated artificial neural networks. Recent results showed the possibility of constructing optical interferometers that could implement arbitrary transformations of input fields even in the case of high manufacturing errors. The building of detailed models of such devices drastically increases the efficiency of their practical use. The integral design of interferometers complicates its reconstruction since the internal elements are hard to address. This problem can be approached by using optimization algorithms [Opt. Express 29, 38429 (2021)10.1364/OE.432481]. In this paper, we present what we believe to be a novel efficient algorithm based on linear algebra only, which does not use computationally expensive optimization procedures. We show that this approach makes it possible to perform fast and accurate characterization of high-dimensional programmable integrated interferometers. Moreover, the method provides access to the physical characteristics of individual interferometer layers.
High-temperature resistant electromagnetic protection bilayer structure based on the low-reflection metasurface and wave-absorbing material
Authors: Zhang Hengzhi , Jia Chunyang , Bi Mei , Weng Xiaolong , Li Kai , Liao Ming , Li Zhiming
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we propose a high-temperature resistant bilayer structure for electromagnetic protection with low reflection, consisting of a metasurface and an absorbing layer. The bottom metasurface decreases the reflected energy by using a phase cancellation mechanism to make electromagnetic wave scattering in the 8–12 GHz range. While the upper absorbing layer assimilates the incident electromagnetic energy through electrical losses and simultaneously regulates the reflection amplitude and phase of the metasurface to enhance scattering and expand its operating bandwidth. Research shows that the bilayer structure achieves a low reflection of -10 dB in the range of 6.7–11.4 GHz due to the combined effect of the above two physical mechanisms. In addition, long-term high-temperature and thermal cycling tests verified the stability of the structure in the temperature range of 25–300°C. This strategy provides the feasibility of electromagnetic protection in high-temperature conditions.
Bound states in the continuum in asymmetric dual-patch metasurfaces
Authors: Chern Ruey-Lin , Yang Hsueh-Chi , Chang Jui-Chien
Published: April 2023

We investigate the bound states in the continuum (BICs) in dielectric metasurfaces consisting of asymmetric dual rectangular patches in the unit cell of a square lattice. Various types of BICs are identified in the metasurface at normal incidence, associated with very large quality factors and vanishing spectral linewidths. In particular, symmetry-protected (SP) BICs occur when the four patches are fully symmetric, which exhibit antisymmetric field patterns that are decoupled from the symmetric incident waves. By breaking the symmetry of patch geometry, the SP BICs degrade to quasi-BICs that are characterized by Fano resonance. Accidental BICs and Friedrich-Wintgen (FW) BICs occur when the asymmetry is introduced in the upper two patches, while holding the lower two patches symmetric. The accidental BICs occur on isolated bands when the linewidth of either the quadrupole-like mode or LC-like mode vanishes by tuning the upper vertical gap width. The FW BICs appear when the avoided crossing is formed between the dispersion bands of dipole-like and quadrupole-like modes by tuning the lower vertical gap width. At a special asymmetry ratio, the accidental BICs and FW BICs may appear in the same transmittance or dispersion diagram, accompanied with the concurrence of dipole-like, quadrupole-like, and LC-like modes.
Phase estimation of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer via the Laguerre excitation squeezed state
Authors: Zhao Zekun , Zhang Huan , Huang Yibing , Hu Liyun
Published: April 2023

Quantum metrology has an important role in the fields of quantum optics and quantum information processing. Here we introduce a kind of non-Gaussian state, Laguerre excitation squeezed state as inputs of traditional Mach-Zehnder interferometer to examine phase estimation in realistic case. We consider the effects of both internal and external losses on phase estimation by using quantum Fisher information and parity detection. It is shown that the external loss presents a bigger effect than the internal one. The phase sensitivity and the quantum Fisher information can be improved by increasing the photon number and even surpass the ideal phase sensitivity by two-mode squeezed vacuum in a certain region of phase shift for realistic case. Our results can find significant practical applications in quantum metrology.
Dipole-lattice nanoparticle resonances in finite arrays
Authors: Karimi Vahid , Babicheva Viktoriia E.
Published: April 2023

We investigate how the periodic lattices define the collective optical characteristics of the silicon and titanium nanoparticle arrays. We examine the effects of dipole lattice on the resonances of optical nanostructures, including those made of lossy materials, such as titanium. Our approach involves employing coupled-electric-magnetic-dipole calculations for finite-size arrays, as well as lattice sums for effectively infinite arrays. Our model shows that the convergence to the infinite-lattice limit is faster when the resonance is broad, requiring fewer array particles. Our approach differs from previous works by altering the lattice resonance through modifications in the array period. We observed that a higher number of nanoparticles is necessary to achieve convergence to the infinite-array limit. Additionally, we observe that the lattice resonances excited next to higher diffraction orders (such as second order) converge more quickly toward the ideal case of an infinite array than the lattice resonances related to the first diffraction order. This work reports on the significant advantages of using a periodic arrangement of lossy nanoparticles and the role of collective excitation in enhancing response from transition metals, such as titanium, nickel, tungsten, and so on. The periodic arrangement of nanoscatterers allows for the excitation of strong dipoles, boosting the performance of nanophotonic devices and sensors by improving the strength of localized resonances.
Experience-dependent evolution of odor mixture representations in piriform cortex
Authors: Berners-Lee Alice , Shtrahman Elizabeth , Grimaud Julien , Murthy Venkatesh N.
Published: April 2023

Rodents can learn from exposure to rewarding odors to make better and quicker decisions. The piriform cortex is thought to be important for learning complex odor associations; however, it is not understood exactly how it learns to remember discriminations between many, sometimes overlapping, odor mixtures. We investigated how odor mixtures are represented in the posterior piriform cortex (pPC) of mice while they learn to discriminate a unique target odor mixture against hundreds of nontarget mixtures. We find that a significant proportion of pPC neurons discriminate between the target and all other nontarget odor mixtures. Neurons that prefer the target odor mixture tend to respond with brief increases in firing rate at odor onset compared to other neurons, which exhibit sustained and/or decreased firing. We allowed mice to continue training after they had reached high levels of performance and find that pPC neurons become more selective for target odor mixtures as well as for randomly chosen repeated nontarget odor mixtures that mice did not have to discriminate from other nontargets. These single unit changes during overtraining are accompanied by better categorization decoding at the population level, even though behavioral metrics of mice such as reward rate and latency to respond do not change. However, when difficult ambiguous trial types are introduced, the robustness of the target selectivity is correlated with better performance on the difficult trials. Taken together, these data reveal pPC as a dynamic and robust system that can optimize for both current and possible future task demands at once.
Age, experience, social goals, and engagement with research scientists may promote innovation in ecological restoration
Authors: Mohr Jakki J. , Cummins Tina M. , Floyd Theresa M. , Metcalf Elizabeth Covelli , Callaway Ragan M. , Nelson Cara R.
Published: April 2023

Innovation in ecological restoration is necessary to achieve the ambitious targets established in United Nations conventions and other global restoration initiatives. Innovation is also crucial for navigating uncertainties in repairing and restoring ecosystems, and thus practitioners often develop innovations at project design and implementation stages. However, innovation in ecological restoration can be hindered by many factors (e.g., time and budget constraints, and project complexity). Theory and research on innovation has been formally applied in many fields, yet explicit study of innovation in ecological restoration remains nascent. To assess the use of innovation in restoration projects, including its drivers and inhibitors, we conducted a social survey of restoration practitioners in the United States. Specifically, we assessed relationships between project-based innovation and traits of the individual practitioner (including, for example, age, gender, experience); company (including, for example, company size and company’s inclusion of social goals); project (including, for example, complexity and uncertainty); and project outcomes (such as completing the project on time/on budget and personal satisfaction with the work). We found positive relationships between project-based innovation and practitioner traits (age, gender, experience, engagement with research scientists), one company trait (company’s inclusion of social goals in their portfolio), and project traits (project complexity and length). In contrast, two practitioner traits, risk aversion and the use of industry-specific information, were negatively related to project-based innovation. Satisfaction with project outcomes was positively correlated with project-based innovation. Collectively, the results provide insights into the drivers and inhibitors of innovation in restoration and suggest opportunities for research and application.
The impact of COVID-19 vaccination in the US: Averted burden of SARS-COV-2-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths
Authors: Yamana Teresa K. , Galanti Marta , Pei Sen , Di Fusco Manuela , Angulo Frederick J. , Moran Mary M. , Khan Farid , Swerdlow David L. , Shaman Jeffrey
Published: April 2023

By August 1, 2022, the SARS-CoV-2 virus had caused over 90 million cases of COVID-19 and one million deaths in the United States. Since December 2020, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been a key component of US pandemic response; however, the impacts of vaccination are not easily quantified. Here, we use a dynamic county-scale metapopulation model to estimate the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths averted due to vaccination during the first six months of vaccine availability. We estimate that COVID-19 vaccination was associated with over 8 million fewer confirmed cases, over 120 thousand fewer deaths, and 700 thousand fewer hospitalizations during the first six months of the campaign.
A rad50 germline mutation induces tumorigenesis and ataxia-telangiectasia phenotype in a transparent medaka model
Authors: Chisada Shinichi , Ohtsuka Kouki , Fujiwara Masachika , Yoshida Masao , Matsushima Satsuki , Watanabe Takashi , Karita Kanae , Ohnishi Hiroaki
Published: April 2023

The MRE11A-RAD50-NBS1 complex activates the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pathway and plays a central role in genome homeostasis. The association of RAD50 mutations with disease remains unclear; hence, we adopted a medaka rad50 mutant to demonstrate the significance of RAD50 mutation in pathogenesis using the medaka as an experimental animal. A 2-base pair deletion in the rad50 gene was introduced into transparent STIII medaka using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The mutant was analyzed histologically for tumorigenicity and hindbrain quality, as well as for swimming behavior, to compare with existing ATM-, MRE11A-, and NBS1-mutation-related pathology. Our results revealed that the medaka rad50 mutation concurrently reproduced tumorigenesis (8 out of 10 rad50Δ2/+ medaka), had a decrease in median survival time (65.7 ± 1.1 weeks in control vs. 54.2 ± 2.6 weeks in rad50Δ2/+ medaka, p = 0.001, Welch’s t-test), exhibited semi-lethality in rad50Δ2/Δ2 medaka and most of the major ataxia-telangiectasia phenotypes, including ataxia (rheotaxis ability was lower in rad50Δ2/+ medaka than in the control, Mann–Whitney U test, p < 0.05), and telangiectasia (6 out of 10 rad50Δ2/+ medaka). The fish model may aid in further understanding the tumorigenesis and phenotype of ataxia-telangiectasia-related RAD50 germline mutations and in developing novel therapeutic strategies against RAD50 molecular disorders.
The outcomes of lockdown in the higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Cai Peiling , Ye Peng , Zhang Yihao , Dai Rui , Fan Jingchun , Hambly Brett D. , Bao Shisan , Tao Kun
Published: April 2023

To control COVID-19 pandemic, complete lockdown was initiated in 2020. We investigated the impact of lockdown on tertiary-level academic performance, by comparing educational outcomes amongst first-year students during second semester of their medical course prior to and during lockdown. Evidence: The demographics, including educational outcomes of the two groups were not significantly different during semester one (prior to the lockdown). The academic performance amongst women was better than men prior to lockdown. However, the scores were improved significantly for both sexes during lockdown in 2020, following the complete online teaching, compared to that in 2019, showing no significant difference between men and women in 2020, for English and Chinese History. There were significant different scores between men and women in lab-based Histology Practice in 2019 (in-person tuition) and 2020 (online digital tuition), although only a significant improvement in women was observed between 2019 and 2020. Implication: the forced change to online delivery of the second semester of the first-year medical program in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in any decline in assessment outcomes in any of the subjects undertaken. We believe extensive online digital media should continue to be available to students in future.
Case-only exome variation analysis of severe alcohol dependence using a multivariate hierarchical gene clustering approach
Authors: Gentry Amanda Elswick , Alexander Jeffry C. , Ahangari Mohammad , Peterson Roseann E. , Miles Michael F. , Bettinger Jill C. , Davies Andrew G. , Groteweil Mike , Bacanu Silviu A. , Kendler Kenneth S. , Riley Brien P. , Webb Bradley T. ,   VCU Alcohol Research Center working group
Published: April 2023

Background

Variation in genes involved in ethanol metabolism has been shown to influence risk for alcohol dependence (AD) including protective loss of function alleles in ethanol metabolizing genes. We therefore hypothesized that people with severe AD would exhibit different patterns of rare functional variation in genes with strong prior evidence for influencing ethanol metabolism and response when compared to genes not meeting these criteria.

Objective

Leverage a novel case only design and Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) of severe AD cases from the island of Ireland to quantify differences in functional variation between genes associated with ethanol metabolism and/or response and their matched control genes.

Methods

First, three sets of ethanol related genes were identified including those a) involved in alcohol metabolism in humans b) showing altered expression in mouse brain after alcohol exposure, and altering ethanol behavioral responses in invertebrate models. These genes of interest (GOI) sets were matched to control gene sets using multivariate hierarchical clustering of gene-level summary features from gnomAD. Using WES data from 190 individuals with severe AD, GOI were compared to matched control genes using logistic regression to detect aggregate differences in abundance of loss of function, missense, and synonymous variants, respectively.

Results

Three non-independent sets of 10, 117, and 359 genes were queried against control gene sets of 139, 1522, and 3360 matched genes, respectively. Significant differences were not detected in the number of functional variants in the primary set of ethanol-metabolizing genes. In both the mouse expression and invertebrate sets, we observed an increased number of synonymous variants in GOI over matched control genes. Post-hoc simulations showed the estimated effects sizes observed are unlikely to be under-estimated.

Conclusion

The proposed method demonstrates a computationally viable and statistically appropriate approach for genetic analysis of case-only data for hypothesized gene sets supported by empirical evidence.
High concordance rate of capillary electrophoresis workflow for microsatellite instability analysis and mismatch repair (MMR) immunostaining in colorectal carcinoma
Authors: Huang Wenya , Ho Chung-Liang , Lee Chung-Ta , Chen Wan-Li , Yang Shu-Ching , Chow Nan-Haw , Chen Yi-Lin
Published: April 2023

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is the primary predictive biomarker for therapeutic efficacies of cancer immunotherapies. Establishment of the MSI detection methods with high sensitivity and accessibility is important. Because MSI is mainly caused by defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR), immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for the MMR proteins has been widely employed to predict the responses to immunotherapies. Thus, due to the high sensitivity of PCR, the MSI-PCR analysis has also been recommended as the primary approach as MMR IHC. This study aimed to develop a sensitive and convenient platform for daily MSI-PCR services. The routine workflow used a non-labeling QIAxcel capillary electrophoresis system which did not need the fluorescence labeling of the DNA products or usage of a multi-color fluorescence reader. Furthermore, the 15 and 1000 bp size alignment markers were used to precisely detect the size of the DNA product. A cohort of 336 CRC cases was examined by MSI-PCR on the five mononucleotide MSI markers recommended by ESMO. The PCR products were analyzed in the screening gels, followed by high-resolution gel electrophoresis for confirmation if needed. In the MSI-PCR tests, 90.1% (303/336) cases showed clear major shift patterns in the screening gels, and only 33 cases had to be re-examined using the high-resolution gels. The cohort was also analyzed by MMR IHC is, which revealed 98.5% (331/336) concordance with MSI-PCR. In the five discordant cases, 4 (3 MSI-L and 1 MSS) showed MSH6 loss. Besides, one case exhibited MSI-H but no loss in the MMR IHC. Further NGS analysis, in this case, found that missense and frameshift mutations in the PMS2 and MSH6 genes occurred, respectively. In conclusion, the non-labeling MSI-PCR capillary electrophoresis revealed high concordance with the MMR IHC analysis and is cost- and time-effective. Therefore, it shall be highly applicable in clinical laboratories.
Description, reliability and utility of a ground-reaction-force triggered protocol for precise delivery of unilateral trip-like perturbations during gait
Authors: Shih Hui-Ting , Gregor Robert , Lee Szu-Ping
Published: April 2023

Tripping is a common cause of falls and a focus of many biomechanical investigations. Concerns regarding the precision of delivery of simulated-fall protocols reside in the current biomechanical methodology literature. This study aimed to develop a treadmill-based protocol that generated unanticipated trip-like perturbations during walking with high timing precision. The protocol utilized a side-by-side split-belt instrumented treadmill. Programmed treadmill belt acceleration profiles (two levels of perturbation magnitude) were triggered unilaterally at the instant the tripped leg bore 20% of the body weight. Test-retest reliability of fall responses was examined in 10 participants. Utility was examined as to whether the protocol could differentiate the fall recovery responses and likelihood of falls, estimated using peak trunk flexion angle after perturbation, between young and middle-aged adults (n = 10 per group). Results showed that the perturbations could be precisely and consistently delivered during early stance phases (10–45 milliseconds after initial contact). The protocol elicited excellent reliability of responses in both perturbation magnitudes (ICC = 0.944 and 0.911). Middle-aged adults exhibited significantly greater peak trunk flexion than young adults (p = 0.035), indicating that the current protocol can be utilized in differentiating individuals with different levels of fall risks. The main limitation of the protocol is that perturbations are delivered in stance rather swing phase. This protocol addressed some issues discussed in previous “simulated fall” protocols and may be useful for future fall research and subsequent clinical interventions.
Genomic capacities for Reactive Oxygen Species metabolism across marine phytoplankton
Authors: Omar Naaman M. , Fleury Katherine , Beardsall Brian , Prášil Ondřej , Campbell Douglas A.
Published: April 2023

Marine phytoplankton produce and scavenge Reactive Oxygen Species, to support cellular processes, while limiting damaging reactions. Some prokaryotic picophytoplankton have, however, lost all genes encoding scavenging of hydrogen peroxide. Such losses of metabolic function can only apply to Reactive Oxygen Species which potentially traverse the cell membrane outwards, before provoking damaging intracellular reactions. We hypothesized that cell radius influences which elements of Reactive Oxygen Species metabolism are partially or fully dispensable from a cell. We therefore investigated genomes and transcriptomes from diverse marine eukaryotic phytoplankton, ranging from 0.4 to 44 μm radius, to analyze the genomic allocations encoding enzymes metabolizing Reactive Oxygen Species. Superoxide has high reactivity, short lifetimes and limited membrane permeability. Genes encoding superoxide scavenging are ubiquitous across phytoplankton, but the fractional gene allocation decreased with increasing cell radius, consistent with a nearly fixed set of core genes for scavenging superoxide pools. Hydrogen peroxide has lower reactivity, longer intracellular and extracellular lifetimes and readily crosses cell membranes. Genomic allocations to both hydrogen peroxide production and scavenging decrease with increasing cell radius. Nitric Oxide has low reactivity, long intracellular and extracellular lifetimes and readily crosses cell membranes. Neither Nitric Oxide production nor scavenging genomic allocations changed with increasing cell radius. Many taxa, however, lack the genomic capacity for nitric oxide production or scavenging. The probability of presence of capacity to produce nitric oxide decreases with increasing cell size, and is influenced by flagella and colony formation. In contrast, the probability of presence of capacity to scavenge nitric oxide increases with increasing cell size, and is again influenced by flagella and colony formation.
Quantum spin models for numerosity perception
Authors: Yago Malo Jorge , Cicchini Guido Marco , Morrone Maria Concetta , Chiofalo Maria Luisa
Published: April 2023

Humans share with animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates, the capacity to sense the number of items in their environment already at birth. The pervasiveness of this skill across the animal kingdom suggests that it should emerge in very simple populations of neurons. Current modelling literature, however, has struggled to provide a simple architecture carrying out this task, with most proposals suggesting the emergence of number sense in multi-layered complex neural networks, and typically requiring supervised learning; while simple accumulator models fail to predict Weber’s Law, a common trait of human and animal numerosity processing. We present a simple quantum spin model with all-to-all connectivity, where numerosity is encoded in the spectrum after stimulation with a number of transient signals occurring in a random or orderly temporal sequence. We use a paradigmatic simulational approach borrowed from the theory and methods of open quantum systems out of equilibrium, as a possible way to describe information processing in neural systems. Our method is able to capture many of the perceptual characteristics of numerosity in such systems. The frequency components of the magnetization spectra at harmonics of the system’s tunneling frequency increase with the number of stimuli presented. The amplitude decoding of each spectrum, performed with an ideal-observer model, reveals that the system follows Weber’s law. This contrasts with the well-known failure to reproduce Weber’s law with linear system or accumulators models.
Feature selection for high dimensional microarray gene expression data via weighted signal to noise ratio
Authors: Hamraz Muhammad , Ali Amjad , Mashwani Wali Khan , Aldahmani Saeed , Khan Zardad
Published: April 2023

Feature selection in high dimensional gene expression datasets not only reduces the dimension of the data, but also the execution time and computational cost of the underlying classifier. The current study introduces a novel feature selection method called weighted signal to noise ratio (WSNR) by exploiting the weights of features based on support vectors and signal to noise ratio, with an objective to identify the most informative genes in high dimensional classification problems. The combination of two state-of-the-art procedures enables the extration of the most informative genes. The corresponding weights of these procedures are then multiplied and arranged in decreasing order. Larger weight of a feature indicates its discriminatory power in classifying the tissue samples to their true classes. The current method is validated on eight gene expression datasets. Moreover, results of the proposed method (WSNR) are also compared with four well known feature selection methods. We found that the (WSNR) outperform the other competing methods on 6 out of 8 datasets. Box-plots and Bar-plots of the results of the proposed method and all the other methods are also constructed. The proposed method is further assessed on simulated data. Simulation analysis reveal that (WSNR) outperforms all the other methods included in the study.
Are environmental damage and export concentration the major threats for the long-run economic growth in Bangladesh?
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Mafizur , Velayutham Eswaran , Abul Kashem Mohammad
Published: April 2023

Using World Bank and IMF data over the period 1990–2018, this research explores the determinants of economic growth in Bangladesh with particular attention to environmental degradation and export concentration variables. An ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) bound testing approach is employed as an estimation strategy with FMOLS (Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares) and CCR (Canonical Cointegrating Regression) for cross-checking the results. The obtained results confirm that CO2 emissions, consumption expenditure, export concentration, remittances, and inflation are the main driving forces for the long-run economic growth in Bangladesh where the effects of the first two variables and the last three variables are positive and negative, respectively. The study also reveals the dynamic short-run relationships among the chosen variables. Environmental pollution and export concentration are found to be the barriers to economic growth; therefore, the country should take necessary steps to mitigate this problem for ensuring long-run sustainable economic development.
Identification of reference genes for the normalization of retinal mRNA expression by RT-qPCR in oxygen induced retinopathy, anemia, and erythropoietin administration
Authors: Molomjamts Mandkhai , Ingolfsland Ellen C.
Published: April 2023

Background

Anemia and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are common comorbidities experienced by preterm infants, yet the role of anemia on the pathogenesis of ROP remains unclear. Reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a sensitive technique for estimating the gene expression changes at the transcript level but requires identification of stably expressed reference genes for accurate data interpretation. This is particularly important for oxygen induced retinopathy studies given that some commonly used reference genes are sensitive to oxygen. This study aimed to identify stably expressed reference genes among eight commonly used reference genes in the neonatal rat pups’ retina upon exposure to cyclic hyperoxia-hypoxia, anemia, and erythropoietin administration at two age groups (P14.5 and P20) using Bestkeeper, geNorm, and Normfinder, three publicly available, free algorithms, and comparing their results to the in-silico prediction program, RefFinder.

Results

The most stable reference gene across both developmental stages was Rpp30, as predicted by Genorm, Bestkeeper, and Normfinder. RefFinder predicted Tbp to be the most stable across both developmental stages. At P14.5, stability varied by prediction program; at P20, RPP30 and MAPK1 were the most stable reference genes. Gapdh, 18S, Rplp0, and HPRT were predicted as the least stable reference genes by at least one of the prediction algorithms.

Conclusion

Expression of Rpp30 is the least affected by experimental conditions of oxygen induced retinopathy, phlebotomy induced anemia and erythropoietin administration at both timepoints of P14.5 and P20.
Disparate properties of Burkholderia multivorans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa regarding outer membrane chemical permeabilization to the hydrophobic substances novobiocin and triclosan
Authors: Ruskoski Sallie A. , McDonald Allison A. , Bleichner Jeffrey J. , Aga Sheeba S. , Boyina Kavya , Champlin Franklin R.
Published: April 2023

Burkholderia multivorans causes opportunistic pulmonary infections and is intrinsically resistant to many antibacterial compounds including the hydrophobic biocide triclosan. Chemical permeabilization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa outer membrane affects sensitization to hydrophobic substances. The purpose of the present study was to determine if B. multivorans is similarly susceptive suggesting that outer membrane impermeability properties underlie triclosan resistance. Antibiograms and conventional macrobroth dilution bioassays were employed to establish baseline susceptibility levels to hydrophobic antibacterial compounds. Outer membrane permeabilizers compound 48/80, polymyxin B, polymyxin B-nonapeptide, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were used in attempts to sensitize disparate B. multivorans isolates to the hydrophobic agents novobiocin and triclosan, and to potentiate partitioning of the hydrophobic fluorescent probe 1-N-phenylnapthylamine (NPN). The lipophilic agent resistance profiles for all B. multivorans strains were essentially the same as that of P. aeruginosa except that they were resistant to polymyxin B. Moreover, they resisted sensitization to hydrophobic compounds and remained inaccessible to NPN when treated with outer membrane permeabilizers. These data support the notion that while both phylogenetically-related organisms exhibit general intrinsic resistance properties to hydrophobic substances, the outer membrane of B. multivorans either resists permeabilization by chemical modification or sensitization is mitigated by a supplemental mechanism not present in P. aeruginosa.
Effect of abusive supervision on organizational cynicism (Cognitive, affective, behavioral) mediating effect of playing dumb
Authors: Chaudhry Mahwash Ghafoor , Hameed Zartashia , Ahmed Fawad
Published: April 2023

The purpose of the present study is to examine the link of Abusive Supervision with Organizational Cynicism i.e. Cognitive, Emotional, or Behavioral Cynicism by focusing on the mediating role of Abusive Supervisor’s Knowledge Hiding behavior of Playing Dumb in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan. Data was collected using questionnaire under the survey research design. The participants included 400 faculty and staff members from Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan. Structural Equation Modelling using SmartPLS is used to test the hypothesized relationships of Abusive Supervision and Knowledge Hiding Behavior of Abusive Supervisors with the faculty and staff’s Organizational Cynicism behaviors. The results indicate that Abusive Supervision is significantly and positively related with faculty and staff’s Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Cynicism. This study also indicates that Knowledge Hiding behavior of Playing Dumb fully mediates the relationship between Abusive Supervision and Cognitive Cynicism and partially mediates the relationship between Abusive Supervision and Behavioral Cynicism. However, Playing Dumb as a knowledge Hiding behaviour does not impact the relationship between Abusive Supervision and Emotional Cynicism. This means that Knowledge Hiding by Playing dumb contributes to the adverse effect of Abusive Supervision, leading to increased Cognitive and Behavioral Cynicism. This study contributes to literature on Organizational Cynicism and Abusive Supervision by studying the link between them and effect of Abusive Supervisor’s Knowledge Hiding behavior of Playing Dumb as a mediator. The study also indicates that Abusive Supervision characterized by Knowledge Hiding behavior of Playing Dumb is really a problem in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan. This study holds importance for top management in Higher Education Institutions in to curb the negative effects of Abusive Supervision by developing a policy framework that ensures prevention of Organizational Cynicism in faculty and staff. Moreover, the policy guidelines should ensure that control of essential resources such as Knowledge in the hands of the Abusive leaders should not be misused, causing Organizational Cynicism and eventually leading to problems such as turnover and psychological and behavioral issues among faculty and staff in Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan.
Prevalence and determinants of occupational injuries among emergency medical technicians in Northern Ghana
Authors: Awini Ali Baba , Opoku Douglas Aninng , Ayisi-Boateng Nana Kwame , Osarfo Joseph , Sulemana Alhassan , Yankson Isaac Kofi , Osei-Ampofo Maxwell , Zackaria Ahmed Nuhu , Newton Sam
Published: April 2023

Background

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are the primary providers of prehospital emergency medical services. The operations of EMTs increase their risks of being exposed to occupational injuries. However, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, therefore, sought to estimate the prevalence and determinants of occupational injuries among EMTs in the northern part of Ghana.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 154 randomly recruited EMTs in the northern part of Ghana. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ demographic characteristics, facility-related factors, personal protective equipment use, and occupational injuries. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses with a backward stepwise approach were used to examine the determinants of occupational injuries among EMTs.

Results

In the 12 months preceding data collection, the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs was 38.6%. Bruises (51.8%), and sprains/strains (14.3%) were the major types of injuries reported among the EMTs. The key determinants of occupational injury among EMTs were male sex (AOR: 3.39, 95%CI: 1.41–8.17), an absence of a health and safety committee at the workplace (AOR: 3.92, 95%CI: 1.63–9.43), absence of health and safety policy at the workplace (AOR: 2.76, 95%CI: 1.26–6.04) and dissatisfaction with health and safety measures at the workplace (AOR: 2.51, 95%CI: 1.10–5.71).

Conclusion

In the twelve months before to the data collection for this study, the prevalence of occupational injuries among EMTs of the Ghana National Ambulance Service was high. The creation of health and safety committees, the creation of health and safety rules, and the strengthening of current health and safety procedures for EMTs are all possible ways to lessen this.
Female genital lichen sclerosus is connected with a higher depression rate, decreased sexual quality of life and diminished work productivity
Authors: Jabłonowska Olga , Woźniacka Anna , Szkarłat Simona , Żebrowska Agnieszka
Published: April 2023

Female genital lichen sclerosus is an underdiagnosed, distressing, chronic dermatosis affecting the well-being of women. The aim of this retrospective case-control study was to assess whether the disease is connected with work productivity and activity impairment, depression and decreased sexual quality of life. Fifty-one female patients with genital lichen sclerosus and forty-five healthy women were enrolled to the study and filled out an online survey including: Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: General Health (WPAI:GH), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and The Sexual Quality of Life-Female (SQOL-F) questionnaires. The results showed that women with genital lichen sclerosus are at risk of having a diminished work productivity, are more often screened for depression and have a decreased sexual quality of life. The study highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to treating female genital lichen sclerosus.
Shifting consumers’ mindset towards the growth of sustainable fashion practices in India
Authors: Arora Nidhi
Published: April 2023

The concept of sustainability is becoming increasingly important to Indian customers. Millennials are recognized to be the most active, intelligent and sensitive buyers and consumers. This article focuses on millennials, because India has the world’s largest millennial population. Millennials are known for their high spending power and desire for eco-friendly workplaces and products. Indian millennials are more concerned about their buying behaviours’ environmental effects than their social and economic effects. The transformation of consumer behaviour towards more environmentally responsible consumption is a challenge for many countries, including India. It is not enough to have socially responsible firms that make environmentally friendly goods or to create standards for regulatory compliance; one must also meet customers’ growing need for ecologically responsible fashion. As time passed, consumers have become more enlightened about the products they purchase and how they are made. Consumers now want to make socially responsible purchases that boost their wardrobes. Large global fashion companies are increasingly prioritizing an ethical and transparent fashion industry that honours clients and the local ecosystem. Slow designer brands develop sustainable and ethical clothing by providing safe work environments to labourers, partnering with handloom industries and talented artisans to create handmade goods, employing green products or recyclable materials and upcycling post-production and post-consumer waste. The growing movement towards fashion that is both environmentally and socially responsible can be seen clearly in India. New and established fashion companies are transforming daily to meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly clothes by embracing new innovative approaches, new designer brands and new supply chain systems. This research’s main goal is to understand the shifts that sustainable fashion recommends, which are also necessary for ethical production and consumption. The goal is to uncover clients’ psychological buying habits and persuade them to shift their decision to buy sustainable clothes.
Rheumatoid arthritis: historical aspects
Authors: Shchedrigin I. N. , Lila A. M.
Published: April 2023

The historical essay presents the main stages in the development of scientific views on rheumatoid arthritis, starting from the middle of the 19th century and until the middle of the 20th century, history of research of its characteristic clinical and instrumental signs, diagnostic criteria, methods of drug therapy.
Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases: close relatives or friends?
Authors: Gordeev A. V. , Olyunin Yu. A. , Galushko E. A. , Zotkin E. G. , Lila A. M.
Published: April 2023

The problem of comorbidity is widely discussed in modern medical literature. Its role in rheumatic diseases is of particular interest due to their multifactorial nature and the involvement of a wide range of pathogenetic mechanisms. For many years, researchers around the world have noted correlations between the presence of active autoimmune disorders and the complicated course of cardiovascular diseases. A deeper understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms at the present stage of development of rheumatology allows us to take a fresh look at the relationship between atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The definition of multimorbidity developed in recent years and the results of recent scientific studies may contribute to a more correct choice of tactics for managing patients with a combination of these two diseases.
Comparison of rheological and viscoelastic properties of hyaluronic acid for intraarticular injections
Authors: Prizov A. P. , Zagorodniy N. V. , Lazko F. L. , Nikitin A. A. , Belyak E. A. , Lazko M. F. , Kamenchuk Ya. A. , Il’ina E. A.
Published: April 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease that affects more than 80% of people over 55 years and in its final stages leads to disability. One of the safe non-surgical methods of OA treatment is intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA).

Objective: to compare the viscoelastic rheological properties of HA medical products with different concentrations of sodium hyaluronate (SH) available in the Russian Federation.

Material and methods. The study was carried out using a modular rheometer MCR 302 (Anton Paar, Austria). All measurements were carried out at a temperature of 25.0±0.1 °C using the measuring system "cone-plane" (angle – 2 ˚ , cone diameter – 40 mm, gap height – 0.169 mm). The determination of the elastic moduli (G’) and viscosity (G”) was carried out depending on the frequency in the linear region of the shear stress, and the dynamic viscosity was determined at a shear rate of 1 sec-1.

Results. The evaluation of the rheological properties of the studied samples revealed a positive relationship with the concentration of SH and no relationship with the molecular weight of SH. The highest viscoelastic properties were possessed by medical products in the 1% SH group: Armaviscon and Ripart; in the group with SH concentration of 1.5–1.6%, all the studied samples, except for Hyalubrix, showed similar higher results compared to the previous group; in the group with SH concentration of 2–3%, Armaviscon Platinum had the highest results and Flexotron Ultra and Armaviscon Forte – somewhat lower results.

Conclusion. The study of the rheological viscoelastic properties of HA medical products is the most accessible method, on the basis of which it is possible to predict the clinical effect.
THE CONUNDRUM OF INTESTATE SUCCESSION FOR MUSLIMS IN UGANDA: Qadhis Court, Women’s Rights, and Islamic Inheritance Law Issues
Authors: Mujuzi Jamil Ddamulira
Published: April 2023

During the 2018–2022 process to amend the Succession Act, Muslims in Uganda requested a separate law to regulate their inheritance. However, this was rejected by the Parliamentary Committee. As a result, Muslims are governed by the Succession Act for intestate succession. This article aims to examine the legal uncertainty regarding the status of Qadhis' courts in Uganda and its impact on the unclear enforcement of Muslim inheritance law, particularly intestate succession, through these courts. Relying on the case law study, it is safe to argue that Qadhis’ courts do not exist legally. Although the Constitution provides for the right to equality, allowing Muslims to follow Sharia in the distribution of an estate can be justified under the Constitution's guarantee of equality, as long as the rights of individual Muslims are balanced against the interests of the Muslim community. Overall, navigating the legal landscape of inheritance for Muslims in Uganda is a complex issue with various legal and practical considerations.[Selama proses amandemen Undang-Undang Kewarisan pada 2018–2022, umat Islam di Uganda meminta undang-undang terpisah untuk mengatur kewarisan mereka. Namun, hal itu ditolak oleh Komite Parlemen. Akibatnya, umat Islam diatur oleh Undang-Undang Kewarisan yang lama. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji ketidakpastian hukum mengenai status pengadilan Qadhis di Uganda dan dampaknya terhadap penegakan hukum kewarisan Muslim, khususnya kewarisan tanpa wasiat. Berdasarkan studi kasus, dapat dikatakan bahwa pengadilan Qadhis tidak ada secara legal. Meskipun Konstitusi memberikan hak atas kesetaraan, mengizinkan umat Islam untuk mengikuti Syariah dalam pembagian harta waris dapat dibenarkan di bawah jaminan konstitusi atas kesetaraan, selama hak-hak individu Muslim seimbang dengan kepentingan komunitas Muslim. Secara keseluruhan, menavigasi lanskap hukum kewarisan bagi umat Islam di Uganda merupakan masalah yang kompleks dengan berbagai pertimbangan hukum dan praktis.]
Optical and Optoelectronic Studies of Binary and Ternary Films of Poly(L-Tryptophane), Poly(5-hydroxy-L-tryptophane), and P(TER-CO-TRI) Doped with Sudan Dye
Authors: Rahim Barham K. , Amin Peshawa O. , Muhammadsharif Fahmi F. , Saeed Salah R. , Ketuly Kamal A.
Published: April 2023

In this work, the optical properties and optoelectronics parameters of binary and ternary composite films made of two electron acceptors, poly(L-Tryptophane) and poly(5-hydroxy-L-Tryptophane), with an electron donor, P(TER-CO-TRI), doped with Sudan dyes, are comprehensively investigated. The films with different volumetric ratios of the components were deposited onto the glass substrates using spin coating technique. Results showed that with the help of dye doping into the binary systems of poly(L-Tryptophane):P(TRI-co-TER) (1:2) and poly(5-hydroxy-L-Tryptophane):P(TRI-co-TER)(1:2), the refractive index was increased from 2.01 to 2.32. The nature of the electronic transition in the studied films was found to be a direct allowed transition, which was derived from Tauc’s equation. The combination of Cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique and absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the molecular energy levels, HOMO and LUMO of the polymer samples. It was seen that the mixture of poly(L-Tryptophane):P(TRI-co-TER):Sudan dye (1:2:2) has led to increase the energy gap to 2.95 eV and the real optical conductivity ( ) to about 433.11 S.cm-1. According to the findings, the investigated polymers can have a great potential for semitransparent organic solar cells.