bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
White matter inflammation and cognitive function in a co-morbid metabolic syndrome and prodromal Alzheimer’s disease rat model
Authors: Ivanova Nadezda , Liu Qingfan , Agca Cansu , Agca Yuksel , Noble Earl G. , Whitehead Shawn Narain , Cechetto David Floyd
Published: January 2020

Background

Metabolic syndrome, the development of which is associated with high-caloric Western diet (HCD) intake, represent a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) later in life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of diet-induced metabolic disturbances on white matter neuroinflammation and cognitive function in a transgenic (TG) Fischer 344 rat carrying a human β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene with Swedish and Indiana mutations (APP21 TG), a model of pre-AD and MCI.

Methods

TG and wildtype (WT) rats received either a HCD with 40% kJ from fat supplemented with 20% corn syrup drink or a standard diet for 12 weeks. Body weight, caloric intake, and blood pressure were measured repeatedly. End-point changes in glucose and lipid metabolism were also assessed. Open field task was used for assessment of activity; Morris water maze was used to assess spatial learning and memory. Cerebral white matter microglia and astrocytes, hippocampal neurons, and neuronal synapses were examined using immunohistochemistry.

Results

Rats maintained on the HCD developed significant obesity, visceral adiposity, dyslipidemia, and hyperinsulinemia, but did not become hypertensive. Impaired glucose tolerance was observed only in WT rats on the HCD. Total microglia number, activated OX-6+ microglia, as well as GFAP+ astrocytes located predominantly in the white matter were greater in the APP21 TG rat model in comparison to WT rats. HCD-driven metabolic perturbations further exacerbated white matter microgliosis and microglia cell activation in the APP21 TG rats and led to detectable changes in spatial reference memory in the comorbid prodromal AD and metabolic syndrome group compared to WT control rats. Neuronal density in the CA1 subregion of the hippocampus was not different between the experimental groups. Synaptic density in the CA1 and CA3 hippocampal subregions was lower in the TG rats compared to WT rats; however, there was no additional effect of the co-morbidity on this measure.

Conclusions

These results suggest that white matter neuroinflammation might be one of the possible processes of early interaction of metabolic syndrome with MCI and pre-AD and could be one of the early brain pathologies contributing to cognitive deficits observed in mild cognitive impairment and dementia, including AD cases.
A systematic review on the burden of illness in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)
Authors: Zöllner Johann Philipp , Franz David Neal , Hertzberg Christoph , Nabbout Rima , Rosenow Felix , Sauter Matthias , Schubert-Bast Susanne , Wiemer-Kruel Adelheid , Strzelczyk Adam
Published: January 2020

Objective

This review will summarize current knowledge on the burden of illness (BOI) in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a multisystem genetic disorder manifesting with hamartomas throughout the body, including mainly the kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, heart, and lungs.

Methods

We performed a systematic analysis of the available literature on BOI in TSC according to the PRISMA guidelines. All studies irrespective of participant age that reported on individual and societal measures of disease burden (e.g. health care resource use, costs, quality of life) were included.

Results

We identified 33 studies reporting BOI in TSC patients. Most studies (21) reported health care resource use, while 14 studies reported quality of life and 10 studies mentioned costs associated with TSC. Only eight research papers reported caregiver BOI. Substantial BOI occurs from most manifestations of the disorder, particularly from pharmacoresistant epilepsy, neuropsychiatric, renal and skin manifestations. While less frequent, pulmonary complications also lead to a high individual BOI. The range for the mean annual direct costs varied widely between 424 and 98,008 International Dollar purchasing power parities (PPP-$). Brain surgery, end-stage renal disease with dialysis, and pulmonary complications all incur particularly high costs. There is a dearth of information regarding indirect costs in TSC. Mortality overall is increased compared to general population; and most TSC related deaths occur as a result of complications from seizures as well as renal complications. Long term studies report mortality between 4.8 and 8.3% for a follow-up of 8 to 17.4 years.

Conclusions

TSC patients and their caregivers have a high burden of illness, and TSC patients incur high costs in health care systems. At the same time, the provision of inadequate treatment that does not adhere to published guidelines is common and centralized TSC care is received by no more than half of individuals who need it, especially adults. Further studies focusing on the cost effectiveness and BOI outcomes of coordinated TSC care as well as of new treatment options such as mTOR inhibitors are necessary.
Correction to: Promoter hypomethylation mediated upregulation of MicroRNA-10b-3p targets FOXO3 to promote the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)
Authors: Lu Yi-fang , Yu Jia-rui , Yang Zhao , Zhu Guan-xia , Gao Peng , Wang Huan , Chen Si-yuan , Zhang Jie , Liu Mei-yue , Niu Yi , Wei Xiao-mei , Wang Wei , Ye Feng-jin , Zhang Li-xin , Zhao Yue , Sun Guo-gui
Published: January 2020

In the original publication of this manuscript [1], Fig. 6 contains a repeated image in error (the left image of ‘Migration’ and the left image of ‘Invasion’).
Forest cover change detection using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing techniques: a spatio-temporal study on Komto Protected forest priority area, East Wollega Zone, Ethiopia
Authors: Negassa Milkessa Dangia , Mallie Demissie Tsega , Gemeda Dessalegn Obsi
Published: January 2020

Background

Forest plays an important role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration. Komto Forest is one of the remnant natural forests found in Guto Gida district of East Wollega zone, Ethiopia, has been supporting the local community for construction, energy and household furniture. Currently, influenced by land use land cover change (LULCC), this forest has been declining at an alarming rate. Detecting LULCC and understanding the driving forces has important for supporting decision making processes. We examine variation in forest cover dynamics over the period 1991–2012 using Landsat TM image of 1991, ETM + of 2002 and OLI-TIRS of 2019.

Results

The LULCC detection results show that a dramatic increase of agricultural land from (24.78%) in 1991 to (33.5%) in 2019 with annual expansion rate (23.68%) per annum, where forest cover declined by 20.1% in 1991 and 37.38% in 2019 with annual decreasing rate of 4.18% per annum. Our finding indicates the increment of agricultural land, grassland, and settlement, while the dense and open forest cover shows a declining trend. The declining of forest coverage is likely to cause unpleasant environment and affects human wellbeing.

Conclusions

The massive declined in forest cover change are often associated with agricultural expansion in the periphery of the forest. Timber exploitation and charcoal production are other problems that contribute for the declining of forest coverage. Overall, our results suggest the need of participatory forest management and public awareness creation to sustain the Komto remnant forest.
Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the utilization of ethanol
Authors: Cao Yujin , Mu Hui , Guo Jing , Liu Hui , Zhang Rubing , Liu Wei , Xian Mo , Liu Huizhou
Published: January 2020

Background

The fuel ethanol industry has made tremendous progress in the last decades. Ethanol can be obtained by fermentation using a variety of biomass materials as the feedstocks. However, few studies have been conducted on ethanol utilization by microorganisms. The price of petroleum-derived ethanol, easily made by the hydrolysis of ethylene, is even lower than that of bioethanol. If ethanol can be metabolized by microorganisms to produce value-added chemicals, it will open a new door for the utilization of inexpensive ethanol resources.

Results

We constructed an engineered Escherichia coli strain which could utilize ethanol as the sole carbon source. The alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase from Aspergillus nidulans was introduced into E. coli and the recombinant strain acquired the ability to grow on ethanol. Cell growth continued when ethanol was supplied after glucose starvation and 2.24 g L−1 of ethanol was further consumed during the shake-flasks fermentation process. Then ethanol was further used for the production of mevalonic acid by heterologously expressing its biosynthetic pathway. Deuterium-labeled ethanol-D6 as the feedstock confirmed that mevalonic acid was synthesized from ethanol.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the possibility of using ethanol as the carbon source by engineered E. coli strains. It can serve as the basis for the construction of more robust strains in the future though the catabolic capacity of ethanol should be further improved.
Transcriptomics and Epigenomics in head and neck cancer: available repositories and molecular signatures
Authors: Serafini Mara S. , Lopez-Perez Laura , Fico Giuseppe , Licitra Lisa , De Cecco Loris , Resteghini Carlo
Published: January 2020

For many years, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been considered as a single entity. However, in the last decades HNSCC complexity and heterogeneity have been recognized. In parallel, high-throughput omics techniques had allowed picturing a larger spectrum of the behavior and characteristics of molecules in cancer and a large set of omics web-based tools and informative repository databases have been developed. The objective of the present review is to provide an overview on biological, prognostic and predictive molecular signatures in HNSCC. To contextualize the selected data, our literature survey includes a short summary of the main characteristics of omics data repositories and web-tools for data analyses. The timeframe of our analysis was fixed, encompassing papers published between January 2015 and January 2019. From more than 1000 papers evaluated, 61 omics studies were selected: 33 investigating mRNA signatures, 11 and 13 related to miRNA and other non-coding-RNA signatures and 4 analyzing DNA methylation signatures. More than half of identified signatures (36) had a prognostic value but only in 10 studies selection of a specific anatomical sub-site (8 oral cavity, 1 oropharynx and 1 both oral cavity and oropharynx) was performed. Noteworthy, although the sample size included in many studies was limited, about one-half of the retrieved studies reported an external validation on independent dataset(s), strengthening the relevance of the obtained data. Finally, we highlighted the development and exploitation of three gene-expression signatures, whose clinical impact on prognosis/prediction of treatment response could be high. Based on this overview on omics-related literature in HNSCC, we identified some limits and strengths. The major limits are represented by the low number of signatures associated to DNA methylation and to non-coding RNA (miRNA, lncRNA and piRNAs) and the availability of a single dataset with multiple omics on more than 500 HNSCC (i.e. TCGA). The major strengths rely on the integration of multiple datasets through meta-analysis approaches and on the growing integration among omics data obtained on the same cohort of patients. Moreover, new approaches based on artificial intelligence and informatic analyses are expected to be available in the next future.
Biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic nematode species against Tribolium confusum (Jac.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Rhyzopertha dominica (Fab.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) under laboratory conditions
Authors: Javed Salma , Khanum Tabassum Ara , Khan Samreen
Published: January 2020

Grain commodities, like cereals and legumes, are subject to insect infestation during postharvest processing and storage. Public concerns about the potential risks that derive from the consumption of pesticide-treated commodities have created interest for the development and integration in stored product protection of alternative, ecologically safe methods for the disinfestation of stored commodities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the biocontrol potential of four entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs): Steinernema pakistanense (LM-07), S. bifurcatum (LM-30), S. affinae (GB-14), and S. cholashanense (GB-22) against adult beetles of Tribolium confusum (Jac.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Rhyzopertha dominica (Fab.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) under laboratory conditions. Suspensions of nematodes were applied at three different concentrations, 50, 100, and 150 IJs/beetle in 1 ml of distilled water at three different temperatures, 20, 25, and 30 °C. Mortality was recorded after 3 days of application. The concentration of 150 IJs/beetle achieved a maximum mortality of 100% for S. pakistanense at 30 °C. The same concentrations revealed that all four species of EPN were able to cause mortal effects depended on temperature and concentrations. S. pakistanense (LM-07) and S. bifurcatum (LM-30) were the most effective at 150 IJs/beetle at 30 °C and S. affinae (GB-14) and S. cholashanense (GB-22) at the same concentration at 20 °C.
Fire-associated reptile mortality in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa
Authors: Jordaan Philip R. , Steyl Johan C. A. , Hanekom Catharine C. , Combrink Xander
Published: January 2020

Background

Even though fire has been used extensively as part of conservation management in South Africa, its impact on the life history and mortality of fossorial reptiles is poorly documented. We conducted post-fire transects after three controlled burns during different seasons in Tembe Elephant Park, recorded 14 reptile species, and found fewer mortalities in winter compared to spring.

Results

Histopathological examinations of species were conducted from different microhabitats to elucidate the possible cause of death. The unburned condition of most mortality specimens prompted suspicion of particulate smoke inhalation as a possible cause of death. However, the relative absence of carbon-rich particulate matter and the occasional presence of pulmonary oedema suggested asphyxiation, heat-induced cardiac arrest, or gas intoxication as the most likely cause of death. The association of most specimens with microhabitats rich in leaf litter may indicate higher reptile densities in this habitat or increased mortalities due to smoldering detrital material, or both. Detrital combustion and smoldering may result in advective transportation of heated gasses into underlying soil layers, with subsequent increased mortalities.

Conclusion

Even though burrowing could potentially offer protection from fire to fossorial vertebrates through vertical movements into deeper substrate, our results indicated that they are not necessarily protected from fire effects. We speculate that seasonal reproductive behavior may contribute to fire mortality. These observations may contribute to improved understanding and management of fire in areas where fossorial reptiles occur.
Cardiac magnetic resonance assessment of aortic distensibility in prediabetic patients
Authors: A. Razik Nady , Kishk Y. T. , Bakheet Madeeha Younis , Nous Mina , Abdel Ghany Mohamed
Published: January 2020

Background

Hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia represent important pathophysiological components of the prediabetic stage that result in arteriosclerosis and increased arterial stiffness. We sought to compare the aortic distensibility (AD) assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in prediabetic patients presenting with chronic coronary artery disease (CCAD) versus patients with normal HbA1C. Ninety-eight patients with CCAD were recruited. All patients were screened for HbA1C levels and then underwent a CMR study to assess AD of the aortic root and the ascending and descending thoracic aorta. Patients were classified into two groups: 52 prediabetic (HbA1C 5.7–6.4%) (study group) and 46 with normal glycemic status (HbA1C < 5.7%) (control group).

Results

AD values at the aortic root (AR) (13.93 ± 5.17 vs 34.3 ± 9.65 Kpa-1× 10-3), ascending aorta (AA) (13.17 ± 4.81 vs 28.1 ± 8.33 Kpa-1× 10-3), and descending thoracic aorta (DA) (18.12 ± 4.34 vs 33.68 ± 7.57 Kpa-1× 10-3) were significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (P value for all was< 0.001). Twenty-eight patients fulfilled the criteria for metabolic syndrome, and in those patients, AD was significantly lower than in those without metabolic syndrome.

Aortic distensibility at the AR, AA, and DA had strong significant negative correlations with the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (AA, AR, DA;r− 0.66, − 0.68, − 0.58, respectively)(P <0.001).

Conclusion

AD values at different points (AR, AA, and DA) were significantly lower in prediabetic and metabolic syndrome patients than in controls. These values also showed a significant negative correlation with the levels of HBA1C.
Q-factor estimation using bisection algorithm with power spectrum
Authors: Yang Dengfeng , Liu Jun , Li Jingnan , Liu Daoli
Published: January 2020

The centroid frequency shift (CFS) method is a widely used [Formula: see text] estimation approach. However, the CFS approach assumes that the amplitude spectrum of a source wavelet has a particular shape, which can cause systematic error in [Formula: see text] estimation. Moreover, the amplitude spectrum at high and low frequencies is susceptible to random noise, which can reduce the robustness of [Formula: see text] estimation using the CFS method. To improve the accuracy and robustness of [Formula: see text] estimation, we have developed a [Formula: see text] extraction method using the bisection algorithm based on the centroid frequency shift of power spectrum (BPCFS). In the BPCFS approach, we first obtain the source and the received wavelet. Then, we calculate the centroid frequency of the attenuated wavelet and that of the received wavelet from the power spectrum. Based on the obtained centroid frequencies, we establish an equation containing only one variable — the [Formula: see text] factor. Introducing the Jeffrey divergence to measure the attenuation of the power spectrum, we prove that this equation has only one root when [Formula: see text] is greater than zero. The root of this equation, which is the desired [Formula: see text] factor, is obtained through the bisection algorithm; we do not make any assumption about the shape of the amplitude spectrum. The noise-free numerical tests indicate that the BPCFS gives more accurate results than the CFS, which demonstrates that the shape of the wavelet spectrum has little effect on the [Formula: see text] estimation accuracy for BPCFS. Gaussian random and blue noise tests also show that the stability of BPCFS is better than that of CFS. The frequency band selection for BPCFS is also more flexible when the amplitude spectrum of the seismic wavelet is band limited. The application to real vertical seismic profile data further demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the new method.
Ground-penetrating radar data diffraction focusing without a velocity model
Authors: Economou Nikos , Vafidis Antonis , Bano Maksim , Hamdan Hamdan , Ortega-Ramirez Jose
Published: January 2020

Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) sections commonly suffer from strong scattered energy and weak reflectors with distorted lateral continuity. This is mainly due to the gradual variation of moisture with depth, dense lateral sampling of common-offset GPR traces (which are considered as zero-offset data), along with the small wavelength of the electromagnetic waves that is comparable to the size of the shallow subsurface dielectric heterogeneities. Focusing of the diffractions requires efficient migration that, in the presence of highly heterogeneous subsurface formations, can be improved by a detailed migration velocity model. Such a velocity model is difficult to develop because the common-offset antenna array is mostly used for its reduced time and cost in the data acquisition and processing stages. In such cases, migration processes are based on limited information from velocity analysis of clear diffractions, cores, or other ground truth knowledge, often leading to insufficient imaging. We have developed a methodology to obtain GPR sections with focused diffractions that is based on multipath summation, using weighted stacking (summation) of constant-velocity migrated sections over a predefined velocity range. The success of this method depends on the assignment of an appropriate weight, for each constant-velocity migrated section to contribute to the final stack, and the optimal width of the velocity range used. Additionally, we develop a postmultipath summation processing step, which consists of time-varying spectral whitening, to deal with the decrease of the dominant frequency due to attenuation effects and the additional degraded resolution expected by the constant migration summed images. This imaging strategy leads to GPR sections with sufficiently focused diffractions, enhancing the lateral and the temporal resolution, without the need to explicitly build a migration velocity model.
Timeliness of Initial Therapy in Multiple Myeloma: Trends and Factors Affecting Patient Care
Authors: Kumar Vivek , Alhaj-Moustafa Muhamad , Bojanini Leyla , Sher Taimur , Roy Vivek , Manochakian Rami , Vishnu Prakash , Bodepudi Srilekha , Shareef Zan , Ahmed Salman , Jani Prachi , Paulus Aneel , Grover Ashna , Alegria Victoria R. , Ailawadhi Meghna , Chanan-Khan Asher , Ailawadhi Sikander
Published: January 2020

Multiple myeloma (MM) treatment has advanced significantly over the last 2 decades. In most patients, the disease course has been altered from early fatality to chronic morbidity with multiple lines of treatment. The MM treatment paradigm has shifted toward treating patients before end-organ damage occurs. Thus, timeliness of treatment initiation in this era might improve patient outcomes. This is the first report to our knowledge analyzing disparities and trends in treatment timeliness of patients with MM using the National Cancer Database. Multiple factors affected the timing of treatment initiation in MM and disparities were found. We noted that initiation of treatment was delayed in women (odds ratio [OR], 1.15; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.2) and blacks (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.28; reference, whites) and in patients diagnosed in more recent years (2012-2015; OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.22; reference, 2004-2007). Patients were likely to start treatment earlier if they were age ≥ 80 years (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.9; reference, age < 60 years), were uninsured (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.91; reference, private insurance), had Medicaid (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.95; reference, private insurance), were treated in a comprehensive community cancer program (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.77; reference, community cancer program), lived in a location other than the US Northeast, or had a higher Charlson comorbidity score. Patient education and income levels did not affect time to treatment initiation. Particular aspects of these disparities could be explained by our current health care system and insurance rules, whereas others need to be investigated more deeply.
The problem of lower extremity burns in diabetics
Authors: Vasilopoulos Georgios
Published: January 2020

No abstract available
How can we make better health decisions: a Best Buy for all?
Authors: O'Brien Niki , Li Ryan , Isaranuwatchai Wanrudee , Dabak Saudamini Vishwanath , Glassman Amanda , Culyer Anthony J. , Chalkidou Kalipso
Published: January 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) resolution calling on Member States to work towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) requires them to prioritize health spending. Prioritizing is even more important as low- and middle-income countries transition from external aid. Countries will have difficult decisions to make on how best to integrate and finance previously donor-funded technologies and health services into their UHC packages in ways that are efficient and equitable, and operationally and financially sustainable.

The International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI) is a global network of health, policy and economic expertise which supports countries in making better decisions about how best to spend public money on healthcare. In May 2019, iDSI convened a roundtable entitled Why strengthening health systems to make better decisions is a Best Buy. The event brought together members of iDSI, development partners and other organizations working in the areas of evidence-informed priority-setting, resource allocation, and purchasing. The roundtable participants identified key challenges and activities that could be undertaken by the broader health technology assessment (HTA) community:

•           to develop a new publication package on premium estimation and budgeting, actuarial calculations and risk adjustment, provider payment modalities and monitoring of quality in service delivery

•           to call on the WHO to redouble its efforts in accordance with the 2014 Health Intervention and Technology Assessment (HITA) World Health Assembly resolution to support countries in developing priority setting and HTA institutionalization, and to lead by example through introducing robust HTA processes in its own workings

•             to develop a single Theory of Change (ToC) for evidence-informed priority setting, to be agreed by the major organizations working in the areas of priority setting and HTA.
Malaria elimination transmission and costing in the Asia-Pacific: Developing an investment case
Authors: Shretta Rima , Silal Sheetal Prakash , Celhay Olivier J. , Gran Mercado Chris Erwin , Kyaw Shwe Sin , Avancena Anton , Fox Katie , Zelman Brittany , Baral Ranju , White Lisa Jane , Maude Richard James
Published: January 2020

Background: The Asia-Pacific region has made significant progress against malaria, reducing cases and deaths by over 50% between 2010 and 2015. These gains have been facilitated in part, by strong political and financial commitment of governments and donors. However, funding gaps and persistent health system challenges threaten further progress. Achieving the regional goal of malaria elimination by 2030 will require an intensification of efforts and a plan for sustainable financing. This article presents an investment case for malaria elimination to facilitate these efforts.

Methods: A transmission model was developed to project rates of decline of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria and the output was used to determine the cost of the interventions that would be needed for elimination by 2030. In total, 80 scenarios were modelled under various assumptions of resistance and intervention coverage. The mortality and morbidity averted were estimated and health benefits were monetized by calculating the averted cost to the health system, individual households, and society. The full-income approach was used to estimate the economic impact of lost productivity due to premature death and illness, and a return on investment was computed.

Results: The study estimated that malaria elimination in the region by 2030 could be achieved at a cost of USD 29.02 billion (range: USD 23.65-36.23 billion) between 2017 and 2030. Elimination would save over 400,000 lives and avert 123 million malaria cases, translating to almost USD 90 billion in economic benefits. Discontinuing vector control interventions and reducing treatment coverage rates to 50% will result in an additional 845 million cases, 3.5 million deaths, and excess costs of USD 7 billion. Malaria elimination provides a 6:1 return on investment.

Conclusion: This investment case provides compelling evidence for the benefits of continued prioritization of funding for malaria and can be used to develop an advocacy strategy.
Digitalization of the Economy As an Important Factor in the Formation of New Trends in the Labour Market
Authors: Svistunov Vasiliy , Mitrofanova Elena , Lobachyev Vitaliy , Bakieva V. , Polulyahova D.
Published: January 2020

The article analyzes the key digital technologies and their impact on the formation of new trends in the labor market. Particular attention is paid to the stages of development of the digital economy and the current state of Affairs in the practical application of information and communication technologies in the Russian Federation. A meaningful analysis of the key digital technologies, the practical use and application of which make modern business successful and effective in terms of its final results. The article presents the results of the analysis of indices (indicators) most commonly used in practice to assess the level of development of information and communication technologies in various countries of the world community. Based on the analysis of the values of various indexes using the methodology of SWOT-analysis, assessed the situation in the Russian Federation practical use of information and telecommunication technologies. The main reasons for the insufficient use of ICT in the development of the Russian economy are highlighted. The result of the analysis was the identification of the main factors that positively affect the effectiveness of the use of digital technologies in the production and management practices of domestic companies. The article presents the author’s position on the new trends of the labor market, formed as a response to the increasingly active penetration of the digital economy in the socio-economic sphere of society.
Diversity, abundance and distribution of grasshopper species (Orthoptera: Acrididea) in three different types of vegetation with different levels of anthropogenic disturbances in the Littoral Region of Cameroon

Authors: AGRIPPINE YETCHOM-FONDJO JEANNE , SÉVILOR KEKEUNOU - , MARTIN KENNE - , DIDIER MISSOUP ALAIN , XU SHENG-QUAN
Published: January 2020

Grasshoppers have been identified as excellent monitors of landscape use. Despite their importance, their composition and distribution in the highly disturbed Littoral Cameroon is still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of human activities on diversity, abundance and distribution of grasshopper species in the Littoral region of Cameron. We investigated three types of vegetation differing remarkably on the level of anthropogenic impact (farmlands, fallows and forests), using sweep netting. The eight non-parametric estimators for specific richness, abundance, α and β diversity indices and species abundance distribution models, were used to compare the structure of communities among vegetation. Overall, 38 species belonging to three families and ten subfamilies were recorded. The Acrididae was the most diverse family. The species richness, abundance and diversity were higher in farmlands than in fallows and in forests. Five species occurred exclusively in farmlands, one in fallows and four in forests. Eyprepocnemis plorans, Coryphosima stenoptera, Serpusia opacula were overall the most abundant species respectively in cultivated farms, fallows and forests. Species abundance distribution fitted the Motomura model in all sites. Serpusia opacula is considered as a useful indicator since its presence and abundance significantly depend on the rate of forest naturalness. The farmlands were characterized by short vegetation while the fallows and forests were dominated by tall grasses and tall trees respectively. Anthropogenic disturbances promote the species richness, diversity and abundance of open meadow species, while it is detrimental to forest species which are sensitive, specialized and have limited dispersal abilities. Key words: Grasshopper, diversity, abundance, distribution, bioindicator
EPIDEMIOLOGIA DA NEOPLASIA MALIGNA DE BEXIGA: UM ESTUDO DAS TAXAS DE MORTALIDADE E DE INTERNAÇÃO HOSPITALAR
Authors: Ottobelli Chielle Eduardo , Kuiava Victor , Perin Ana Thereza
Published: January 2020

Objetivo: Neoplasia de bexiga possui elevada morbidade e o tabagismo é o seu principal fator de risco. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil epidemiológico e de internação hospitalar por neoplasia de bexiga brasileiro e do Rio Grande do Sul (RS).Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo de agregado temporal, retrospectivo e descritivo de 16 anos, utilizando as taxas de mortalidade e de internação hospitalar de neoplasia maligna de bexiga no Brasil, no RS. Os dados foram extraídos do DATASUS e IBGE.Resultados: No período pesquisado foram 46.065 mortes no Brasil, sendo 4.617 no RS. Foram 134 mil internações, sendo que 86% dos pacientes possuíam 60 anos ou mais. As taxas de mortalidade no RS 3,89 (IC 95%, 3,63-4,15) para homens e 1,48 (IC 95%, 1,34-1,62) para mulheres, maiores que a média nacional. As taxas de mortalidade são 60% superiores no RS em relação ao resto do país.Conclusão: Os resultados permitiram caracterizar o perfil epidemiológico do câncer de bexiga no Brasil e no RS, mostrando um aumento de casos, especialmente no RS, com predomínio em homens e população mais idosa. Esses dados servirão de subsídio na implementação de políticas públicas, em ações preventivas, de controle e tratamento do câncer.
Application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for detection of elements in flowback water samples from shale gas wells
Authors: Lee Haebum , Kim Gibaek , Kim Hyun-A , Maeng Hyunok , Park Heewon , Park Kihong
Published: January 2020

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to rapidly detect elements in flowback water samples from shale gas wells in Oklahoma. Two types of LIBS systems (aerosolization and collection on a substrate) were used. The LIBS with an aerosolization system provided rapid determination of elements in flowback water, but moisture present in the chamber and variation in the water droplet size could make quantification difficult. In the substrate collection system, a comparison among substrate types showed that a hydrophilic cellulose filter gave the most homogeneous sample distribution after drying and provided the best performance. The elements in flowback water samples were also determined by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). ICP-OES data showed spatial variations for the elements among the different wells. Among the elements, K showed the highest variation (relative standard

d
e
v
i
a
t
i
o
n

=

62.8

%

) and Mg the lowest (relative standard

d
e
v
i
a
t
i
o
n

=

39.1

%

). Good correlations (

r

=

0.98
−
0.99

) were observed between Ca, K, Mg, and Na LIBS peak areas determined using the cellulose filter and their mass concentrations (ppm) measured by ICP-OES for aqueous solutions. The limits of detection for Ca, K, Mg, and Na by LIBS were 122 ppm, 68 ppm, 36 ppm, and 142 ppm, respectively. Both the LIBS and ICP-OES data showed that element concentrations in the flowback water samples were in the order of Na, Ca, Mg, and K from highest to lowest. Our data suggest that the LIBS technique could rapidly detect elements in flowback water samples on site. However, accurate quantification of elements present in low concentrations in water samples is limited.
Optical asymmetric cryptosystem for multi-image in cyan–magenta–yellow–black color space
Authors: Shen Yuxin , Tang Chen , Zhou Lixiang , Lei Zhenkun
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we propose an optical single-channel asymmetric cryptosystem for multi-image in cyan–magenta–yellow–black (CMYK) color space. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that multiple images in CMYK color space have been directly encrypted. The proposed optical asymmetric cryptosystem is based on the quick response (QR) encoding process and the designed Fresnel-linear canonical-fractional Fourier transform (FLFT) encryption process. Each FLFT encryption process consists of phase-truncated FLFT and random amplitude phase masks. The proposed cryptosystem without color space conversion can improve the quality of the decrypted images and avoid the loss of information. In addition, by utilizing the QR codes, the cross talk and quality-loss problems can be reduced efficiently. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the proposed cryptosystem possesses high robustness against various types of attacks, high security for encrypting multiple color images, and fast encryption efficiency. Furthermore, the proposed cryptosystem outperforms the other relevant cryptosystems and can be extended to encrypt multiple color images in a straightforward way.
Phase-modulation combined deflectometry for small defect detection
Authors: Qi Zhaoshuai , Wang Zhao , Huang Junhui , Duan Qiongqiong , Xing Chao , Gao Jianmin
Published: January 2020

Deflectometry has been widely used to detect defects on specular surfaces. However, it is still very challenging to detect defects on semispecular or diffuse surfaces because of the low contrast and low signal-to-noise ratio. To address this challenge, we proposed a phase-modulation combined method for accurate defect detection. Based on the phase and modulation of captured fringes, a dual-branch convolutional neural network is employed to simultaneously extract geometric and photometric features from the phase-shifting pattern sequence and modulation, which improves the defect detection performance significantly. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, we believe the results demonstrated the proposed method’s effectiveness and capability to reduce false positives.
2019 Topical Meeting on Optical Interference Coatings: introduction
Authors: Sargent Robert , Ristau Detlev , Sytchkova Anna
Published: January 2020

This feature issue of Applied Optics is dedicated to the fourteenth Topical Meeting on Optical Interference Coatings held 2–7 June 2019, in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA. The conference, taking place every three years, is a focal point for global technical interchange in the field of optical interference coatings and provides premier opportunities for people working in the field to present their new advances in research and development. Papers presented at the meeting covered a broad range of topics ranging from fundamental research on coating design theory, new materials, and deposition and characterization technologies, to the vast and growing number of applications in electronic displays, communication, optical instruments, consumer electronics, high power and ultra-fast lasers, solar cells, space missions, gravitational wave detection, and many others.
Programmable optical pulse repetition rate multiplication via spectral phase manipulation
Authors: Guo Rui , Peng Huanfa , Du Huayang , Xu Yongchi , Yin Qing , Xie Xiaopeng , Chen Zhangyuan
Published: January 2020

Flexible phase patterns for optical pulse repetition rate multiplication (PRRM) are proposed and experimentally demonstrated via spectral phase-only manipulation. We introduce formulas of the phase condition for power lossless PPRM with arbitrary multiplication factors and undistorted temporal pulse profiles. For some multiplication factors the solution extends PRRM phase patterns from reported phase conditions to more flexible phase patterns, inspiring potentials of further devices available for PRRM. This flexibility also benefits PRRM when we use the reported devices. As a proof of concept, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate PRRM with multiplication factors up to eight by programming the spectral phase using an optical wave-shaper (OWS), involving different phase patterns. In practice, manipulation of the spectral phase induces spectral amplitude variations due to the intrinsic property limitation of the OWS. We quantitatively characterize this limitation and select a suitable phase pattern from our new solution to achieve a uniform temporal pulse train but with no spectral amplitude trimming.
Real-time audio detection and regeneration of moving sound source based on optical flow algorithm of laser speckle images
Authors: Wu Nan , Haruyama S.
Published: January 2020

Sound detection with optical means is an appealing research topic. In this manuscript, we proposed a laser microphone system allowing simultaneous detection and regeneration of the audio signal by observing the movement of secondary speckle patterns. In the proposed system, optical flow method, along with some denoising algorithms are employed to obtain the motion information of the speckle sequence with high speed. Owing to this, audio signal can be regenerated in real time with simple optical setup even the sound source is moving. Experiments have been conducted and the results show that the proposed system can restore high quality audio signal in real time under various conditions.
Multi-wavelength coherent random laser in bio-microfibers
Authors: Xie Zhendong , Xie Kang , Hu Taoping , Ma Jiajun , Zhang Junxi , Ma Rui , Cheng Xusheng , Li Jianquan , Hu Zhijia
Published: January 2020

In this paper, pure silk protein was extracted from Bombyx mori silks and fabricated into a new kind of disordered bio-microfiber structure using electrospinning technology. Coherent random lasing emission with low threshold was achieved in the silk fibroin fibers. The random lasing emission wavelength can be tuned in the range of 33 nm by controlling the pump location with different scattering strengths. Therefore, the bio-microfiber random lasers can be a wide spectral light source when the system is doped with a gain or energy transfer medium with a large fluorescence emission band. Application of the random lasers of the bio-microfibers as a low-coherence light source in speckle-free imaging had also been studied.
On the Er3+ NIR photoluminescence at 800 nm
Authors: Li Leipeng , Zhou Yuan , Qin Feng , Zheng Yangdong , Zhang Zhiguo
Published: January 2020

Here, we study the Er3+ NIR 4I9/2-4I15/2 photoluminescence peaking at 800 nm. It can be detected with a good signal-to-noise for the prepared CaWO4:Yb3+,Er3+ phosphors upon excitation at 980 nm. When directly exciting the Er3+ green and red emitting states over the 333-773 K temperature range, the 800 nm photoluminescence for the samples is undetectable. It shows that the non-radiative relaxation from the upper excited states to the 4I9/2 emitting state is extremely inefficient. Moreover, the 800 nm photoluminescence decay curve is measured at high temperatures. It is found that the 800 nm emission always has a similar lifetime with the Er3+ 4I11/2-4I15/2 transition. This reminds us that the Er3+ 4I9/2 state is mainly populated by the adjacent lower 4I11/2 state by a thermally coupled way.
Resonant broadband unidirectional light scattering based on genetic algorithm
Authors: Liu Menghao , Xie Yaxin , Feng Tianhua , Xu Yi
Published: January 2020

The spectrum overlapping of the radiative power between magnetic and electric dipole moments in nanoparticles can be used to realize unidirectional light scattering, which is promising for various kinds of applications. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to achieve such overlapping in a broadband manner. Herein, we propose that the combination of a genetic algorithm, Maxwell’s equations, and electromagnetic multipole expansion can be used to design a nanoparticle that supports resonant broadband forward light scattering. Microwave experiments are performed to demonstrate our numerical results. The proposed method is quite general, and it can be straightforwardly generalized to design functional unidirectional scatters.
Generation of a mid-infrared femtosecond vortex beam from an optical parametric oscillator
Authors: Tong Hui , Xie Guoqiang , Qiao Zhen , Qin Zhipeng , Yuan Peng , Ma Jingui , Qian Liejia
Published: January 2020

Mid-infrared femtosecond vortex beams generated by optical parametric oscillators (OPO) are reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Order-tunable femtosecond Hermite–Gauss beams from the first to sixth order are produced from a synchronously pumped OPO and then converted into the corresponding first through sixth-order femtosecond vortex beams by a cylindrical lens mode converter. By slightly tuning the cavity length, the wavelength of the vortex beam can be continuously tunable in the range from 2323 to 2382 nm, and the pulse duration can be changeable from

∼

400

f
s

to

∼

1.1

p
s

. The work provides a flexible and reliable way to generate mid-infrared femtosecond vortex beams, and is of special significance for expanding the wavelength range of femtosecond vortex beams and their application fields.
Reliable coherent optical memory based on a laser-written waveguide
Authors: Liu Chao , Zhou Zong-Quan , Zhu Tian-Xiang , Zheng Liang , Jin Ming , Liu Xiao , Li Pei-Yun , Huang Jian-Yin , Ma Yu , Tu Tao , Yang Tian-Shu , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: January 2020

151

E
u

3

+

-doped yttrium silicate (

151

E
u

3

+

:

Y

2

S
i
O

5

) crystal is a unique material that possesses hyperfine states with coherence time up to 6 h. Many efforts have been devoted to the development of this material as optical quantum memories based on bulk crystals, but integrable structures (such as optical waveguides) that can promote

151

E
u

3

+

:

Y

2

S
i
O

5

-based quantum memories to practical applications have not been demonstrated so far. Here we report the fabrication of type II waveguides in a

151

E
u

3

+

:

Y

2

S
i
O

5

crystal using femtosecond-laser micromachining. The resulting waveguides are compatible with single-mode fibers and have the smallest insertion loss of 4.95 dB. On-demand light storage is demonstrated in a waveguide by employing the spin-wave atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme and the revival of silenced echo (ROSE) scheme. We implement a series of interference experiments based on these two schemes to characterize the storage fidelity. Interference visibility of the readout pulse is

0.99
±
0.03

for the spin-wave AFC scheme and

0.97
±
0.02

for the ROSE scheme, demonstrating the reliability of the integrated optical memory.
High-brightness and high-speed vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays
Authors: Khan Zuhaib , Shih Jie-Chen , Chao Rui-Lin , Tsai Tzong-Liang , Wang Hsin-Chuan , Fan Gang-Wei , Lin Yu-Chen , Shi Jin-Wei
Published: January 2020

High-power vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays, which can serve as the light source in modern lidar and three-dimensional optical sensing systems, have recently attracted a lot of attention. In these types of systems, the time-of-flight (ToF) technique, based on the round-trip time of short optical pulses is usually adopted. Further enhancement of the ranging distance and depth resolution in these ToF driven systems by the incorporation of a VCSEL array with a high available power, high brightness (narrow divergence angle), and fast response time is highly desirable. However, a large number of light emission apertures (several hundreds) in the VCSEL array is usually necessary to raise the output power level to several watts. This leads to a large parasitic capacitance and the RC-limited bandwidth may become the dominant limiting factor of the speed of the high-power VCSEL array. In this work, Zn-diffusion and oxide-relief apertures are used to manipulate the optical modes and reduce the parasitic capacitance, respectively, in a unit device for a 940 nm VCSEL array. The demonstrated VCSEL array has a quasi-single-mode output, high available power (4 W; 1% duty cycle), narrow divergence angle (

∼

14

∘

at

1

/

e

2

) under maximum output power, and a fast rise time (

<

100

p
s

). These results open up new possibilities for further enhancing the performance of ToF sensing systems at the 940 nm wavelength.