bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma Kidney Injury Molecule-1 for Preoperative Prediction of Renal Cell Carcinoma Versus Benign Renal Masses, and Association With Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Xu Wenxin , Gaborieau Valerie , Niman Samuel M. , Mukeria Anush , Liu Xiaowen , Maremanda Krishna P. , Takakura Ayumi , Zaridze David , Freedman Matthew L. , Xie Wanling , McDermott David F. , Choueiri Toni K. , Catalano Paul J. , Sabbisetti Venkata , Bonventre Joseph V. , Pierorazio Phillip M. , Singla Nirmish , Brennan Paul , Bhatt Rupal S.
Published: May 2024

PURPOSE

Both clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) overexpress kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1). We investigated whether plasma KIM-1 (pKIM-1) may be a useful risk stratification tool among patients with suspicious renal masses.

METHODS

Prenephrectomy pKIM-1 was measured in two independent cohorts of patients with renal masses. Cohort 1, from the prospective K2 trial, included 162 patients found to have clear cell RCC (cases) and 162 patients with benign renal masses (controls). Cohort 2 included 247 patients with small (cT1a) renal masses from an academic biorepository, of whom 184 had RCC. We assessed the relationship between pKIM-1, surgical pathology, and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

In Cohort 1, pKIM-1 distinguished RCC versus benign masses with area under the receiver operating curve (AUC-ROC, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.76 to 0.86]). In Cohort 2 (cT1a only), pKIM-1 distinguished RCC versus benign masses (AUC-ROC, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.80]) and the addition of pKIM-1 to an established nomogram for predicting malignancy improved the model AUC-ROC (0.65 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.74] v 0.78 [95% CI, 0.72 to 0.85]). A pKIM-1 cutpoint identified using Cohort 2 demonstrated sensitivity of 92.5% and specificity of 60% for identifying RCC in Cohort 1. In long-term follow-up of RCC cases (Cohort 1), higher prenephrectomy pKIM-1 was associated with worse metastasis-free survival (multivariable MFS hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 per unit increase in log pKIM-1, 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.53) and overall survival (multivariable OS HR 1.31 per unit increase in log pKIM-1, 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.54). In long-term follow-up of Cohort 2, no metastatic events occurred, consistent with the favorable prognosis of resected cT1a RCC.

CONCLUSION

Among patients with renal masses, pKIM-1 is associated with malignant pathology, worse MFS, and risk of death. pKIM-1 may be useful for selecting patients with renal masses for intervention versus surveillance.
Imitation dynamics and the replicator equation
Authors: Fontanari José F.
Published: May 2024

Evolutionary game theory has impacted many fields of research by providing a mathematical framework for studying the evolution and maintenance of social and moral behaviors. This success is owed in large part to the demonstration that the central equation of this theory —the replicator equation— is the deterministic limit of a stochastic imitation (social learning) dynamics. Here we offer an alternative elementary proof of this result, which holds for the scenario where players compare their instantaneous (not average) payoffs to decide whether to maintain or change their strategies, and only more successful individuals can be imitated.
Risk of Gestational Diabetes in Women With PCOS Based on Body Mass Index: The Japan Environment and Children's Study
Authors: Okoshi Chihiro , Kyozuka Hyo , Fukuda Toma , Yasuda Shun , Murata Tsuyoshi , Isogami Hirotaka , Sato Akiko , Ogata Yuka , Hosoya Mitsuaki , Yasumura Seiji , Hashimoto Koichi , Nishigori Hidekazu , Kamijima Michihiro , Yamazaki Shin , Ohya Yukihiro , Kishi Reiko , Yaegashi Nobuo , Mori Chisato , Ito Shuichi , Yamagata Zentaro , Inadera Hidekuni , Nakayama Takeo , Sobue Tomotaka , Shima Masayuki , Kageyama Seiji , Suganuma Narufumi , Ohga Shouichi , Katoh Takahiko , Fujimori Keiya , Takahashi Toshifumi
Published: May 2024

Context

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, have a potentially increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Objective

To examine the impact of PCOS on GDM based on maternal body mass index (BMI) using data from a large birth cohort study in Japan.

Design

Prospective observational study using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Participants

Singleton pregnancies in the JECS during 2011-2014 were included. Mothers with HbA1c levels of ≥6.5% in the first trimester and history of diabetes mellitus or steroid use during pregnancy were excluded.

Main Outcome Measures

Participants were categorized according to their prepregnancy BMIs: G1 (<18.5 kg/m2), G2 (18.5-19.99 kg/m2), G3 (20.0-22.99 kg/m2), G4 (23.0-24.99 kg/m2), and G5 (≥25.0 kg/m2). The impact of PCOS on early(Ed) and late-onset(Ld) GDM for each group was estimated using a multiple logistic regression model.

Results

We included 92 774 participants, comprising 2012 PCOS(+) cases. GDM occurrence was higher in women with PCOS (P < .001). PCOS had no effect on GDM in G1, G2, and G3. In G4, PCOS increased the risk of Ed GDM (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-8.29). In G5, PCOS increased the risk of both Ed (aOR: 2.48; 95% CI, 1.53-4.02) and Ld GDM (aOR: 1.94; 95% CI, 1.23-3.07).

Conclusion

The impact of PCOS on GDM occurrence depended on the prepregnancy BMIs, which may facilitate personalized preconception counseling among women with PCOS.
Caring for Trans Kids, Transnationally, or, Against “Gender-Critical” Moms
Authors: Gill-Peterson Jules
Published: May 2024

This chapter names and indicts transnational anti-trans political alliances that target children explicitly for harassment, bullying, and legislative and administrative violence. Trans children are in the crosshairs of legislative efforts to make trans-affirmative healthcare a crime and to ban their participation in education and organized sports; the saturation of UK corporate media outlets with moral panic stories; the circulation of pseudoscientific theories; and their invocation as moral degeneracy incarnate by right-wing movements. This chapter focuses on the most “respectable” of such crusaders: “gender-critical moms,” who have organized around the aggrieved identity category of “mom” or “mommy.” Making use of a sentimental political mode from which white women, as mothers, have long benefited, these well-funded, organized groups claim to be sincerely alarmed at the supposed growing ranks among their children who are coming out as trans.
El nasciturus o fœtus: historia de un olvido
Authors: González Nieto Luisa Fernanda , Ternera Barrios Francisco
Published: May 2024

Familia, a propósito del tópico que nos congrega en esta obra, “en el sentido general, designa el conjunto de la casa doméstica, y en un sentido más limitado, sólo el patrimonio (por ejemplo, familae erciscundae, ex familia Cassia. Tito Livio, II. 8, 15, 41)”. Precisamente, en las siguientes líneas nos ocuparemos de un tópico del derecho de familia: el nasciturus. Más exactamente, abordaremos algunos aspectos de la personalidad del fœtus o nasciturus. De manera puntual, únicamente pretendemos exhibir una serie de consecuencias en derecho que han sido “invisibilizadas” por distintas dinámicas, principalmente religiosas. En efecto, en las siguientes líneas, nos ocuparemos exclusivamente de las consecuencias sucesorales de la violación del deber jurídico general relacionado con el nasciturus. En primer término, expondremos una aproximación al concepto de personalidad. En segundo término, nos ocuparemos de los deberes jurídicos establecidos en la normativa con respecto al nasciturus o fœtus.
Enfermedades infecciosas
Authors: Firacative Carolina , Olaya Nury N. , Muñoz Julián E. , Gómez Beatriz L.
Published: May 2024

En este capítulo explicaremos los aspectos generales de cada grupo de microorganismos o agentes infecciosos, revisando de una manera comprensible y sencilla aspectos como su clasificación, estructura o morfología, los principales agentes etiológicos causantes de las infecciones más comunes en el humano, y aspectos generales de su diagnóstico, tratamiento y profilaxis, entre otros.
Robust Drone Delivery with Weather Information
Authors: Cheng Chun , Adulyasak Yossiri , Rousseau Louis-Martin
Published: May 2024

Problem definition: Drone delivery has recently garnered significant attention due to its potential for faster delivery at a lower cost than other delivery options. When scheduling drones from a depot for delivery to various destinations, the dispatcher must take into account the uncertain wind conditions, which affect the delivery times of drones to their destinations, leading to late deliveries. Methodology/results: To mitigate the risk of delivery delays caused by wind uncertainty, we propose a two-period drone scheduling model to robustly optimize the delivery schedule. In this framework, the scheduling decisions are made in the morning, with the provision for different delivery schedules in the afternoon that adapt to updated weather information available by midday. Our approach minimizes the essential riskiness index, which can simultaneously account for the probability of tardy delivery and the magnitude of lateness. Using wind observation data, we characterize the uncertain flight times via a cluster-wise ambiguity set, which has the benefit of tractability while avoiding overfitting the empirical distribution. A branch-and-cut (B&C) algorithm is developed for this adaptive distributionally framework to improve its scalability. Our adaptive distributionally robust model can effectively reduce lateness in out-of-sample tests compared with other classical models. The proposed B&C algorithm can solve instances to optimality within a shorter time frame than a general modeling toolbox. Managerial implications: Decision makers can use the adaptive robust model together with the cluster-wise ambiguity set to effectively reduce service lateness at customers for drone delivery systems.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72101049 and 72232001], the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province [Grant 2023-BS-091], the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant DUT23RC(3)045], and the Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation [Grant 22&ZD151].

Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0339 .
Development of a physics experiment module based on smartphone sensors on mechanics for high school students
Authors: Raharja Endra Putra , Irianti Mustika , Lestari Ristya Dewi , Kabes Yuliana
Published: May 2024

Managing physics laboratory equipment often necessitates substantial funding, resulting in infrequent physics practicums, particularly in schools located in remote and economically challenging areas (3T areas). This research endeavors to address this challenge by developing a valid and practical physics experiment module based on smartphone sensors, thereby facilitating easier access to experiments for students. Employing a research and development (R&D) approach, the development process adheres to the Borg & Gall procedural model. Material experts validated the module, yielding an average score of 90.75% in the appropriate category, while media experts rated it 88.75% in the highly suitable category. A practicality test involving 25 students produced an average score of 89.25% in response to the questionnaire. The research results show that this smartphone-based physics experiment module is valid and practical so it can be recommended for high school laboratory practicums, providing a cost-effective and easily accessible solution for improving physics education.
Study of metacognitive awareness at the individual level of students across study programs using Rasch modeling
Authors: Sukarelawan Moh. Irma , Hidayat Panji , Widodo Widodo
Published: May 2024

Evaluating students' metacognitive awareness is necessary to identify weaknesses and strengths in managing their cognition, which can help develop effective cognitive regulation to overcome academic challenges. Therefore, this research aims to examine students' level of metacognitive awareness using Rasch modeling. Survey research was conducted on 122 students at FKIP. Metacognitive awareness was evaluated using the 18-item Jr. MAI, and each item uses a 5-point Likert rating scale. Jr. MAI in the Google form is distributed for 2–3 weeks. Metacognitive awareness data was analyzed using the Logit Value of Person (LVP) approach and the Person Wright Map in Rasch modeling. The analysis results show that the distribution of metacognitive awareness shows that the majority of physics education students tend to have a higher level of metacognitive awareness, while the distribution of metacognitive awareness among elementary school teacher education students is more even across all categories. The implication of this research is the need to develop effective cognitive regulation in overcoming academic challenges through evaluating students' metacognitive awareness.
Delegation of insulin administration: a survey of community nursing teams in England
Authors: Stenner Karen , Edwards Judith , Mills Lesley , Sherrington Sam , Mold Freda
Published: May 2024

In community nursing, the administration of insulin for people with type 2 diabetes can be delegated by registered nurses to healthcare support workers. Although a voluntary framework in England provides national guidance, little is known about its uptake. The project aim was to determine the roll-out, characteristics and support needs in relation to the delegation of insulin administration in community settings. An online survey was disseminated to community nursing services in England via social media and nursing networks. Of the 115 responding organisations, 81% (n=93) had an insulin delegation programme, with most initiated since 2018. From these services, 41% (n=3704) of insulin injections were delegated daily, with benefits for patients, staff and services reported, along with some challenges. Delegation of insulin administration is an established and valued initiative. Awareness of the national voluntary framework is increasing. National guidance is considered important to support governance arrangements and safety.
Exploring the barriers to oral healthcare promotion and provision in the community
Authors: Ramadan Francesca
Published: May 2024

With their wide breadth of expertise and the ability to leverage the therapeutic relationship, community nurses are ideally placed to provide treatment and support to an extensive variety of patients with a diverse range of conditions. However, to date, oral health has remained a neglected domain in the community, especially in older demographics. Francesca Ramadan explores the barriers to community nurse provision of oral healthcare and the solutions proposed to overcome these challenges.
Support for antenatal screening
Authors: MacWard Katy
Published: May 2024

Katy MacWard, from Antenatal Results and Choices, discusses the charity's work to support parents throughout antenatal screening and diagnosis.
Digitally enabled perinatal mental health programmes: a Scottish perspective
Authors: McEwan Tom , Balment Marie , Farrow Lorraine , Wright Chris , Shankland Marie Claire
Published: May 2024

This article provides an overview of the use of digitally enabled programmes to support perinatal mental healthcare in the NHS in Scotland, focusing on the Perinatal Wellbeing Programme from SilverCloud®. This follow up to a previous article published in the British Journal of Midwifery considers the experiences of using this programme in a Scottish context, examining feedback from users of the intervention.
Changing care provision in times of changing contexts: the experience of adult children during the pandemic in the UK
Authors: Pomeroy Edward , Fiori Francesca
Published: May 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed the suspension of many care services, and families had to choose between adhering to lockdown measures or caring for vulnerable relatives. This study revisits the Informal Care Model by explicitly incorporating the role of changing circumstances during the pandemic to understand care provision by adult children. Using nationally representative data from the UK, statistical analyses reveal that the usual suspects, such as women, were more likely to undertake additional care tasks. However, they also highlight new enabling factors for care provision that have arisen from the pandemic, such as the ability to work from home.
The Plantation Carbon Complex: Slavery and the Origins of Climate Change in the Early Modern British Atlantic
Authors: Herschthal Eric , Brooke John L.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: In recent years, scholars working across the humanities and social sciences have suggested that agricultural land use emissions from early modern enslaved labor plantations may have played an important role in the origins of anthropogenic, or human-induced, climate change. Yet historians of slavery and the early modern Atlantic world have been slow to engage with this argument. Focusing on the major enslaved-grown export commodities of the colonial British Atlantic world, this paper employs a carbon accounting method to test whether enslaved labor plantations and enslaved-grown exports substantially increased agricultural land use emissions in the early modern British Atlantic and how they compared to British fossil fuel emissions—namely, coal burning—in the colonial period. For each of the major types of plantations modeled—tobacco, rice, and sugar—enslaved labor, regardless of crop, decisively increased the amount of carbon any single household could emit. But the wide divergence in emissions between different plantation types and export crops suggests that enslaved labor was only one essential, though not singular, factor shaping the carbon footprint of enslaved-based plantations and enslaved-grown commodities. It was instead the interaction of the multiple factors comprising what we call the plantation carbon complex —racial and gender ideologies, crop ecologies, capital requirements, African agricultural knowledge, and enslaved resistance, among other factors—that determined an individual plantation or commodity's emissions. Nonetheless, the results reveal that the combined emissions of enslaved-grown tobacco, rice, and sugar exports far surpassed not only the emissions of the major non-enslaved-grown agricultural exports of the British Atlantic colonies but also British coal emissions throughout the eighteenth century. The form of enslaved-based racial capitalism represented by colonial British plantations thus marked an important transition in the shift toward a more carbon-intensive global economy.
Centering Slavery in the Age of Abolition: Insights from the Saint Lucia Register of Plantation Slaves, 1815
Authors: Murphy Tessa
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Scholars have used a range of sources, including oral histories, written accounts, and plantation inventories, to reconstruct the lives of people subjected to slavery in the Atlantic world. Yet in contested colonies such as Saint Lucia, the experiences of enslaved people remain little known. Attention to a seemingly static, bureaucratic document—the 1815 Register of Plantation Slaves—provides details about all 12,726 individuals who were enslaved on estates in Saint Lucia just one year after France ceded the island to Great Britain. This, in turn, facilitates the reconstruction of life histories and genealogies of people who labored on the plantation frontier of the British Empire during the age of abolition. As one of 671 such documents created throughout the empire in the decades after Great Britain's 1807 abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the 1815 Saint Lucia Register of Plantation Slaves illustrates the potential for such documents to significantly enlarge current understandings of slavery. The register testifies to the importance of regional trafficking and the role of reproductive labor in giving rise to a creolized enslaved population in Saint Lucia, and it poignantly illustrates how these phenomena affected enslaved individuals and families.
Cavity QED systems for steady-state sources of Wigner-negative light
Authors: Elliott Alex , Parkins Scott
Published: May 2024

We present a theoretical investigation of optical cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED) systems, as described by the driven, open Jaynes–Cummings model and some of its variants, as potential sources of steady-state Wigner-negative light. We consider temporal modes in the continuous output field from the cavity and demonstrate pronounced negativity in their Wigner distributions for experimentally relevant parameter regimes. We consider models of both single and collective atomic spin systems, and find a rich structure of Wigner-distribution negativity as the spin size is varied. We also demonstrate an effective realization of all of the models considered using just a single 87Rb atom and based upon combinations of laser- and laser-plus-cavity-driven Raman transitions between magnetic sublevels in a single ground hyperfine state.
Attack detection scheme for continuous variable quantum key distribution based on a graph neural network
Authors: Jin Di , Jiang Wenqi , Guo Ying , Hu Junkai , Huang Duan
Published: May 2024

The practical security of a continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) system is vulnerable to various attack strategies due to the significant difference between the idealized theoretical model and the practical physical system. The existing countermeasures against these attacks involve exploiting different real-time monitoring modules, which presents a challenge in effectively classifying attacks. We investigate a graph neural network (GNN)-based attack detection scheme for CV-QKD, which models data as a graph structure using three different methods for various conditions. Particularly, one of the proposed methods requires no additional devices and can detect attacks with over 99% accuracy. The algorithm can be expanded to different scenarios without additional training and can achieve a detection efficiency of more than 95%. Furthermore, our proposed scheme incorporates anomaly detection algorithms into the detection module, enabling 85% effective detection of partially unknown attacks with minimal security data.
Efficient and accurate parameter extraction for quantum-well DFB lasers: a comprehensive approach integrating multiple mathematical models
Authors: Li Changpeng , Gao Feng , Chi Jiewen , Sang Shengtong , Niu Chuanning , Zhao Jia
Published: May 2024

This study proposes an efficient and accurate method for parameter extraction of quantum well distributed feedback (DFB) lasers by combining the rate equation model, finite element method, transmission matrix method, and traveling wave model (TWM). By fabricating and measuring the companion Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers, material and structural parameters common with the target DFB laser are extracted efficiently. All the intrinsic parameters of the DFB laser are accurately extracted by integrating multiple mathematical models, and the possibility of multiple solutions is avoided. From the extracted parameters, the output characteristics of the DFB laser are simulated using the TWM. The simulation results agree closely with the experimental results, proving the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method.
Broadband wavelength designable achromatic grating based on a cholesteric liquid crystal template
Authors: Tang Mingyuan , Sun Changli , Chen Qian , Ding Weiping , Yang Jianxin , Zhang Yumeng , Lu Jiangang
Published: May 2024

Liquid crystal (LC) gratings have played important roles in light field control due to the advantages of being lightweight, low cost, having no moving parts, and low power consumption. However, the chromatic aberration limits the bandwidth of the LC device and affects the efficiency of the grating. To solve the chromatic aberration issue, a broadband wavelength designable achromatic grating is proposed. Different grating structures are integrated into a single-layer templated cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) device, and the achromatic diffraction wavelength of the grating can be freely designed from the visible spectral region to the infrared range within the Bragg reflection band of the CLCs. The diffraction intensity of different orders can be changed with the electric field applied to meet the need for dynamic modulation. This grating shows suitable potential applications in optical communication and displays.
Imaging performance prediction of a hypersonic target in a geosynchronous orbit based on multi-dimensional information correlation of radiation, multi-spectral, and polarization
Authors: Yuan Hang , Xie Cong , Wang Xiao-rui , Han Yiping , Ren Dong , Ren Jiahui
Published: May 2024

Hypersonic target detection based on infrared intensity characteristics is easily disturbed by sea surface and cloud flares when detected by space-based optical systems, which results in a low detection rate, high false alarm, and difficulty in stable detection. This paper explores a method to improve target detection performance based on the correlation of infrared radiation, multi-spectral and polarization. Firstly, the comprehensive factors that influence complex ambient illumination, atmospheric transmission, and clutter background on spectral-polarization characteristics of hypersonic targets are analyzed. Based on the global radiation scattering theory, the temperature distribution model of the hypersonic target is established by using FLUENT. The polarization emission and pBRDF model of the target is established, and the radiation polarization transfer model is generated. Secondly, the sea surface temperature distribution is obtained by inversion of Landsat8 remote sensing data. The radiation polarization transfer model of the sea surface is established based on the Cox-Munk model combined with pBRDF and the polarization emission model. Thirdly, the polarization scattering effect of atmospheric particles on the upward radiation of the interaction of the target with the sunlight is considered comprehensively, and the 6SV radiative transfer model is used to calculate the polarization effect of atmospheric particles on the upward radiation transmission of the target and the background. Then, combined with the point diffusion of the optical system and the photoelectric conversion of the detector, the multi-dimensional full-chain imaging prediction model of the hypersonic target-sea background-ambient atmosphere-optical system-detector is established. The imaging characteristics and detection performance of the target in different imaging dimensions are simulated and analyzed with the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). The research shows that in the direction of reflected sunlight from the sea surface, the sea surface glare is suppressed and the target is highlighted through a target detection method of multi-dimensional information. This method has better detection results than the infrared multi-spectral detection method.
Display performance optimization method for light field displays based on a neural network
Authors: Chang Jiawei , Zhao Yan , Li Tianshu , Wang Shigang , Wei Jian
Published: May 2024

Crosstalk between adjacent views, lens aberrations, and low spatial resolution in light field displays limit the quality of 3D images. In the present study, we introduce a display performance optimization method for light field displays based on a neural network. The method pre-corrects the encoded image from a global perspective, which means that the encoded image is pre-corrected according to the light field display results. The display performance optimization network consists of two parts: the encoded image pre-correction network and the display network. The former realizes the pre-correction of the original encoded image (OEI), while the latter completes the modeling of the display unit and realizes the generation from the encoded image to the viewpoint images (VIs). The pre-corrected encoded image (PEI) obtained through the pre-correction network can reconstruct 3D images with higher quality. The VIs are accessible through the display network. Experimental results suggest that the proposed method can reduce the graininess of 3D images significantly without increasing the complexity of the system. It is promising for light field displays since it can provide improved 3D display performance.
Enhancement of solar blind full band absorption in photodetector with Ga2O3 nanopore and Al nanograting
Authors: Mao Qingyao , Yang Huarong , Li Zijian , Shi Yanpeng , Feng Hua Yu , Luo Feng , Jia Zhitai
Published: May 2024

In this paper, we presented a novel double-layer light-trapping structure consisting of nanopores and nanograting positioned on both the surface and bottom of a gallium oxide-based solar-blind photodetector. Utilizing the finite element method (FEM), we thoroughly investigated the light absorption enhancement capabilities of this innovative design. The simulation results show that the double-layer nanostructure effectively combines the light absorption advantages of nanopores and nanogratings. Compared with thin film devices and devices with only nanopore or nanograting structures, double-layer nanostructured devices have a higher light absorption, achieving high light absorption in the solar blind area.
Hybrid diffractive-refractive lens for chromatic confocal measurement system
Authors: Wang Yulong , Li Jie , Hou Xi , Chen Lin , Liu Xin , Yang Jie , Zheng Yidi
Published: May 2024

A novel chromatic confocal measurement (CCM) method using a hybrid diffractive- refractive lens is presented. This hybrid diffractive- refractive lens is designed to optimize the linearity of chromatic dispersion and minimize the size of the optical system. The hybrid diffractive- refractive lens is fabricated by etching a diffractive surface onto a quartz aspheric lens through lithography, which combines the high numerical aperture (NA) of a refractive lens with the unique dispersion properties of the diffractive optical elements (DOE). The lens is incorporated as a dispersive objective lens in a CCM experimental system. The system has a measurement range of 514.8 µm, calibrated using a laser displacement interferometer. The experimental results show that the wavelength-to-axial position coding of the CCM system achieves high linearity (R2= 0.9999) in the working wavelength range (500-700 nm). The system has an axial resolution of 0.08 µm and a displacement measurement nonlinear error of less than 2.05 µm.
Re-awakening the brain: Forcing transitions in disorders of consciousness by external in silico perturbation
Authors: Dagnino Paulina Clara , Escrichs Anira , López-González Ane , Gosseries Olivia , Annen Jitka , Sanz Perl Yonatan , Kringelbach Morten L. , Laureys Steven , Deco Gustavo
Published: May 2024

A fundamental challenge in neuroscience is accurately defining brain states and predicting how and where to perturb the brain to force a transition. Here, we investigated resting-state fMRI data of patients suffering from disorders of consciousness (DoC) after coma (minimally conscious and unresponsive wakefulness states) and healthy controls. We applied model-free and model-based approaches to help elucidate the underlying brain mechanisms of patients with DoC. The model-free approach allowed us to characterize brain states in DoC and healthy controls as a probabilistic metastable substate (PMS) space. The PMS of each group was defined by a repertoire of unique patterns (i.e., metastable substates) with different probabilities of occurrence. In the model-based approach, we adjusted the PMS of each DoC group to a causal whole-brain model. This allowed us to explore optimal strategies for promoting transitions by applying off-line in silico probing. Furthermore, this approach enabled us to evaluate the impact of local perturbations in terms of their global effects and sensitivity to stimulation, which is a model-based biomarker providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying DoC. Our results show that transitions were obtained in a synchronous protocol, in which the somatomotor network, thalamus, precuneus and insula were the most sensitive areas to perturbation. This motivates further work to continue understanding brain function and treatments of disorders of consciousness.
A systematic analysis of regression models for protein engineering
Authors: Michael Richard , Kæstel-Hansen Jacob , Mørch Groth Peter , Bartels Simon , Salomon Jesper , Tian Pengfei , Hatzakis Nikos S. , Boomsma Wouter
Published: May 2024

To optimize proteins for particular traits holds great promise for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes. Machine Learning is increasingly applied in this field to predict properties of proteins, thereby guiding the experimental optimization process. A natural question is: How much progress are we making with such predictions, and how important is the choice of regressor and representation? In this paper, we demonstrate that different assessment criteria for regressor performance can lead to dramatically different conclusions, depending on the choice of metric, and how one defines generalization. We highlight the fundamental issues of sample bias in typical regression scenarios and how this can lead to misleading conclusions about regressor performance. Finally, we make the case for the importance of calibrated uncertainty in this domain.
Epidemiological and health economic implications of symptom propagation in respiratory pathogens: A mathematical modelling investigation
Authors: Asplin Phoebe , Keeling Matt J. , Mancy Rebecca , Hill Edward M.
Published: May 2024

Background

Respiratory pathogens inflict a substantial burden on public health and the economy. Although the severity of symptoms caused by these pathogens can vary from asymptomatic to fatal, the factors that determine symptom severity are not fully understood. Correlations in symptoms between infector-infectee pairs, for which evidence is accumulating, can generate large-scale clusters of severe infections that could be devastating to those most at risk, whilst also conceivably leading to chains of mild or asymptomatic infections that generate widespread immunity with minimal cost to public health. Although this effect could be harnessed to amplify the impact of interventions that reduce symptom severity, the mechanistic representation of symptom propagation within mathematical and health economic modelling of respiratory diseases is understudied.

Methods and findings

We propose a novel framework for incorporating different levels of symptom propagation into models of infectious disease transmission via a single parameter, α. Varying α tunes the model from having no symptom propagation (α = 0, as typically assumed) to one where symptoms always propagate (α = 1). For parameters corresponding to three respiratory pathogens—seasonal influenza, pandemic influenza and SARS-CoV-2—we explored how symptom propagation impacted the relative epidemiological and health-economic performance of three interventions, conceptualised as vaccines with different actions: symptom-attenuating (labelled SA), infection-blocking (IB) and infection-blocking admitting only mild breakthrough infections (IB_MB).

In the absence of interventions, with fixed underlying epidemiological parameters, stronger symptom propagation increased the proportion of cases that were severe. For SA and IB_MB, interventions were more effective at reducing prevalence (all infections and severe cases) for higher strengths of symptom propagation. For IB, symptom propagation had no impact on effectiveness, and for seasonal influenza this intervention type was more effective than SA at reducing severe infections for all strengths of symptom propagation. For pandemic influenza and SARS-CoV-2, at low intervention uptake, SA was more effective than IB for all levels of symptom propagation; for high uptake, SA only became more effective under strong symptom propagation. Health economic assessments found that, for SA-type interventions, the amount one could spend on control whilst maintaining a cost-effective intervention (termed threshold unit intervention cost) was very sensitive to the strength of symptom propagation.

Conclusions

Overall, the preferred intervention type depended on the combination of the strength of symptom propagation and uptake. Given the importance of determining robust public health responses, we highlight the need to gather further data on symptom propagation, with our modelling framework acting as a template for future analysis.
Mitochondrial genome fragmentation is correlated with increased rates of molecular evolution
Authors: Najer Tomáš , Doña Jorge , Buček Aleš , Sweet Andrew D. , Sychra Oldřich , Johnson Kevin P.
Published: May 2024

While mitochondrial genome content and organization is quite diverse across all Eukaryotes, most bilaterian animal mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) exhibit highly conserved gene content and organisation, with genes typically encoded on a single circular chromosome. However, many species of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) are among the notable exceptions, having mitogenomes fragmented into multiple circular chromosomes. To better understand the process of mitogenome fragmentation, we conducted a large-scale genomic study of a major group of lice, Amblycera, with extensive taxon sampling. Analyses of the evolution of mitogenome structure across a phylogenomic tree of 90 samples from 53 genera revealed evidence for multiple independent origins of mitogenome fragmentation, some inferred to have occurred less than five million years ago. We leveraged these many independent origins of fragmentation to compare the rates of DNA substitution and gene rearrangement, specifically contrasting branches with fragmented and non-fragmented mitogenomes. We found that lineages with fragmented mitochondrial genomes had significantly higher rates of mitochondrial sequence evolution. In addition, lineages with fragmented mitochondrial genomes were more likely to have mitogenome gene rearrangements than those with single-chromosome mitochondrial genomes. By combining phylogenomics and mitochondrial genomics we provide a detailed portrait of mitogenome evolution across this group of insects with a remarkably unstable mitogenome structure, identifying processes of molecular evolution that are correlated with mitogenome fragmentation.
Incidence of influenza virus-associated Severe Acute Respiratory Infections in three districts in 2018 at Gharbia governorate, Egypt
Authors: Hassan Hossam , Kandeel Amr , Fahim Manal , ElSood Hanaa Abu , Elghazaly Shereen , Kamel Reham , El Shourbagy Sahar , Afifi Salma , Fattah Mohamed Abdel , Choi Miyoung , Lee Sang Gyu , Rajaguru Vasuki , Han Whiejong
Published: May 2024

Aims

Influenza remains a contributor to substantial global morbidity and mortality. There is very limited data on disease burden in Egypt. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of influenza-associated Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in three districts in Gharbia governorate in 2018.

Methods

This study Followed the World Health Organization (WHO) manual for estimating disease burden associated with seasonal influenza. The hospital admission database was screened for SARI patients in three districts at Gharbia governorate in 2018. A hospital admission survey (HAS) was used to define the catchment population. The incidence rate estimation was computed as the number of influenza-positive SARI cases per 100,000 population.

Results

A total of 180 SARI cases were identified in the catchment area. The median age was 23 years [IQR: 2–53], and 45% were males. Out of the total SARI cases, 33.3% influenza was confirmed by the laboratory test of RP-PCR. Influenza A(H3N2) virus predominated representing 55.0% of patients, thanA(H1N1) 26.7% and Flu-B virus 18.3%. Influenza prevailed in winter and spring; no deaths from influenza were reported. The annual incidence of influenza-associated SARIs found higher in <2 years (282 /100,000) and ≥65 years patients (215/100,000) at significant level p<0.001.

Conclusion

The WHO Manual for estimating disease burden associated with seasonal influenza was successfully operationalized in the three districts of Gharbia governorate. It can be used in other districts. A considerable burden was associated with influenza viruses requiring hospitalization, especially among the older adult group.
Development and evaluation of a multi-target droplet digital PCR assay for highly sensitive and specific detection of Yersinia pestis
Authors: Zhao Yanting , Yan Ziheng , Song Kai , Li Yanbing , Shen Leiming , Cui Yiming , Du Zongmin , Yang Ruifu , Song Yajun , Jing Lan , Zhao Yong
Published: May 2024

Background

Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a zoonotic disease that poses considerable threats to human health. Nucleic acid tests are crucial for plague surveillance and the rapid detection of Y. pestis. However, inhibitors in complex samples such as soil and animal tissues often hamper nucleic acid detection, leading to a reduced rate of identifying low concentrations of Y. pestis. To address this challenge, we developed a sensitive and specific droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay for detecting Y. pestis DNA from soil and animal tissue samples.

Methods

Three genes (ypo2088, caf1, and pla) from Y. pestis were used to develop a multi-target ddPCR assay. The limits of detection (LoD), reproducibility, and specificity were assessed for bacterial genomic DNA samples. The ability of the assay to detect low concentrations of Y. pestis DNA from simulated soil and mouse liver tissue samples was respectively evaluated and compared with that of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR).

Results

The results showed that the ddPCR LoDs ranged from 6.2 to 15.4 copies/reaction for the target genes, with good reproducibility and high specificity for Y. pestis. By testing 130 soil and mouse liver tissue samples spiked with Y. pestis, the ddPCR assay exhibited a better sensitivity than that of the qPCR assay used in the study, with LoDs of 102 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mg soil and 103 CFU/20 mg liver. Moreover, the assay presented good quantitative linearity (R2 = 0.99) for Y. pestis at 103–106 CFU/sample for soil and liver samples.

Conclusion

The ddPCR assay presented good performance for detecting Y. pestis DNA from soil and mouse tissue samples, showing great potential for improving the detection rate of low concentrations of Y. pestis in plague surveillance and facilitating the early diagnosis of plague cases.
Effectiveness of an eHealth intervention for reducing psychological distress and increasing COVID-19 knowledge and protective behaviors among racialized sexual and gender minority adults: A quasi-experimental study (#SafeHandsSafeHearts)
Authors: Newman Peter A. , Chakrapani Venkatesan , Massaquoi Notisha , Williams Charmaine C. , Tharao Wangari , Tepjan Suchon , Roungprakhon Surachet , Forbes Joelleann , Sebastian Sarah , Akkakanjanasupar Pakorn , Aden Muna
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Sexual and gender minority and racialized populations experienced heightened vulnerability during the Covid-19 pandemic. Marginalization due to structural homophobia, transphobia and racism, and resulting adverse social determinants of health that contribute to health disparities among these populations, were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and public health measures to control it. We developed and tested a tailored online intervention (#SafeHandsSafeHearts) to support racialized lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other persons outside of heteronormative and cisgender identities (LGBTQ+) in Toronto, Canada during the pandemic.

Methods

We used a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-session, peer-delivered eHealth intervention in reducing psychological distress and increasing Covid-19 knowledge and protective behaviors. Individuals ≥18-years-old, resident in Toronto, and self-identified as sexual or gender minority were recruited online. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, and Covid-19 knowledge and protective behaviors were assessed at baseline, 2-weeks postintervention, and 2-months follow-up. We used generalized estimating equations and zero-truncated Poisson models to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on the four primary outcomes.

Results

From March to November 2021, 202 participants (median age, 27 years [Interquartile range: 23–32]) were enrolled in #SafeHandsSafeHearts. Over half (54.5%, n = 110) identified as cisgender lesbian or bisexual women or women who have sex with women, 26.2% (n = 53) cisgender gay or bisexual men or men who have sex with men, and 19.3% (n = 39) transgender or nonbinary individuals. The majority (75.7%, n = 143) were Black and other racialized individuals. The intervention led to statistically significant reductions in the prevalence of clinically significant depressive (25.4% reduction, p < .01) and anxiety symptoms (16.6% reduction, p < .05), and increases in Covid-19 protective behaviors (4.9% increase, p < .05), from baseline to postintervention.

Conclusion

We demonstrated the effectiveness of a brief, peer-delivered eHealth intervention for racialized LGBTQ+ communities in reducing psychological distress and increasing protective behaviors amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Implementation through community-based organizations by trained peer counselors supports feasibility, acceptability, and the importance of engaging racialized LGBTQ+ communities in pandemic response preparedness. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT04870723.
Screening for Hypertension in adolescents living with HIV: Protocol for a cluster randomized trial to improve guideline adherence
Authors: Adu-Gyamfi Raphael , Enos Juliana , Yeboah Kwame , Shabanova Veronika , Hawley Nicola , Alangea Ogum Deda , Agyei Nkansah Adwoa , Paintsil Elijah , Torpey Kwasi
Published: May 2024

Background

Although AIDS-related deaths have reduced with increased access to antiretroviral care, cardiovascular disease-related morbidities among persons living with HIV are rising. Contributing to this is the higher incidence of Hypertension among Persons Living with HIV. The duration of exposure to the virus and antiretroviral drugs plays a vital role in the pathogenesis, putting perinatally infected children and adolescents at higher risk than behaviorally-infected ones, supporting the calls for increased surveillance of Hypertension among them. Despite the availability of guidelines to support this surveillance, the blood pressure (BP) of adolescents living with HIV (ADLHIV) is not checked during clinical visits. This study aims to assess the effect of a theory-based intervention on healthcare workers’ adherence to the guidelines for hypertension screening among adolescents.

Methods

A multi-facility cluster-randomized study will be conducted. The clusters will be 20 antiretroviral therapy sites in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana with the highest adolescent caseload. Data will be extracted from the folders of adolescents (10–17 years) who received care in these facilities six months before the study. The ART staff of intervention facilities will receive a multicomponent theory of planned behaviour-based intervention. This will include orientation on hypertension risk among ADLHIV, provision of job aids and pediatric sphygmomanometers. Six months after the intervention, the outcome measure will be the change from baseline in the proportion of ADLHIV whose BP was checked during clinical visits. The calculated sample size is 400 folders.

Implications of findings

This study will generate evidence on the effectiveness of a multicomponent theory-based intervention for improving the implementation of clinical practice guidelines.

Trial registration

PACTR202205641023383.