bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
QPOLE: A Quick, Simple, and Cheap Alternative for POLE Sequencing in Endometrial Cancer by Multiplex Genotyping Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Van den Heerik Anne Sophie V.M. , Ter Haar Natalja T. , Vermij Lisa , Jobsen Jan J. , Brinkhuis Mariel , Roothaan Suzan M. , Leon-Castillo Alicia , Ortoft Gitte , Hogdall Estrid , Hogdall Claus , Van Wezel Tom , Lutgens Ludy C.H.W. , Haverkort Marie A.D. , Khattra Jas , McAlpine Jessica N. , Creutzberg Carien L. , Smit Vincent T.H.B.M. , Gilks C. Blake , Horeweg Nanda , Bosse Tjalling
Published: May 2023

PURPOSE

Detection of 11 pathogenic variants in the POLE gene in endometrial cancer (EC) is critically important to identify women with a good prognosis and reduce overtreatment. Currently, POLE status is determined by DNA sequencing, which can be expensive, relatively time-consuming, and unavailable in hospitals without specialized equipment and personnel. This may hamper the implementation of POLE-testing in clinical practice. To overcome this, we developed and validated a rapid, low-cost POLE hotspot test by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay, QPOLE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Primer and fluorescence-labeled 5′-nuclease probe sequences of the 11 established pathogenic POLE mutations were designed. Three assays, QPOLE-frequent for the most common mutations and QPOLE-rare-1 and QPOLE-rare-2 for the rare variants, were developed and optimized using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. The simplicity of the design enables POLE status assessment within 4-6 hours after DNA isolation. An interlaboratory external validation study was performed to determine the practical feasibility of this assay.

RESULTS

Cutoffs for POLE wild-type, POLE-mutant, equivocal, and failed results were predefined on the basis of a subset of POLE mutants and POLE wild-types for the internal and external validation. For equivocal cases, additional DNA sequencing is recommended. Performance in 282 EC cases, of which 99 were POLE-mutated, demonstrated an overall accuracy of 98.6% (95% CI, 97.2 to 99.9), a sensitivity of 95.2% (95% CI, 90.7 to 99.8), and a specificity of 100%. After DNA sequencing of 8.8% equivocal cases, the final sensitivity and specificity were 96.0% (95% CI, 92.1 to 99.8) and 100%. External validation confirmed feasibility and accuracy.

CONCLUSION

QPOLE is a qPCR assay that is a quick, simple, and reliable alternative for DNA sequencing. QPOLE detects all pathogenic variants in the exonuclease domain of the POLE gene. QPOLE will make low-cost POLE-testing available for all women with EC around the globe.
Taxis of cargo-carrying microswimmers in traveling activity waves(a)
Authors: Muzzeddu Pietro Luigi , Roldán Édgar , Gambassi Andrea , Sharma Abhinav
Published: May 2023

Many fascinating properties of biological active matter crucially depend on the capacity of constituting entities to perform directed motion,e.g., molecular motors transporting vesicles inside cells or bacteria searching for food. While much effort has been devoted to mimicking biological functions in synthetic systems, such as transporting a cargo to a targeted zone, theoretical studies have primarily focused on single active particles subject to various spatial and temporal stimuli. Here we study the behavior of a self-propelled particle carrying a passive cargo in a travelling activity wave and show that this active-passive dimer displays a rich, emergent tactic behavior. For cargoes with low mobility, the dimer always drifts in the direction of the wave propagation. For highly mobile cargoes, instead, the dimer can also drift against the traveling wave. The transition between these two tactic behaviors is controlled by the ratio between the frictions of the cargo and the microswimmer. In slow activity waves the dimer can perform anactive surfingof the wave maxima, with an average drift velocity equal to the wave speed. These analytical predictions, which we confirm by numerical simulations, might be useful for the future efficient design of bio-hybrid microswimmers.
Regulation of Alternative Splicing by Steroid Hormones
Authors: Le Billan Florian , Umogbai Gloria , Cummins Carolyn L
Published: May 2023

Steroid hormone signaling pathways are critical for organismal development and act through binding to nuclear receptors (NRs) driving transcriptional regulation. In this review, we summarize evidence for another—underrated—mechanism of action for steroid hormones: their ability to modulate the alternative splicing of pre–messenger RNA. Thirty years ago, pioneering studies used in vitro transfection of plasmids expressing alternative exons under the control of hormone-responsive promoters in cell lines. These studies demonstrated that steroid hormones binding to their NRs affected both gene transcription and alternative splicing outcomes. The advent of exon arrays and next-generation sequencing has allowed researchers to observe the effect of steroid hormones at the whole-transcriptome level. These studies demonstrate that steroid hormones regulate alternative splicing in a time-, gene-, and tissue-specific manner. We provide examples of the mechanisms by which steroid hormones regulate alternative splicing including 1) recruitment of dual-function proteins that behave as coregulators and splicing factors, 2) transcriptional regulation of splicing factor levels, 3) the alternative splicing of splicing factors or transcription factors that feed-forward regulate steroid hormone signaling, and 4) regulation of elongation rate. Experiments performed in vivo and in cancer cell lines highlight that steroid hormone–mediated alternative splicing occurs both in physiological and pathophysiologic states. Studying the effect of steroid hormones on alternative splicing is a fruitful avenue for research that should be exploited to discover new targets for therapeutic intervention.
Evaluation of Medical Confidentiality Breaches on Twitter Among Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Health Care Workers
Authors: Pineau Iris , Pineau Marc , Selim Jean , Compère Vincent , Besnier Emmanuel , Zoé Demailly , Popoff Benjamin , Clavier Thomas
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND:

With the generalization of social network use by health care workers, we observe the emergence of breaches in medical confidentiality. Our objective was to determine, among anesthesiology and intensive care health care workers, the rate of medical confidentiality breaches among professional tweets.

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective analysis of public Twitter data available through the official Twitter application program interface. The profiles of anesthesiology and intensive care professionals were identified thanks to keywords in their biography. All the tweets with a photograph and all the text-only tweets containing at least one specific keyword related to anesthesiology or intensive care were extracted. We selected only the tweets with a health care–related character. Then, we analyzed 10% of the tweets with a photograph and 10% of the text-only tweets extracted and noted those presenting a breach of medical confidentiality.

RESULTS:

After a first screening of 12,705 accounts, we manually analyzed 431 tweets with photograph(s) and 9000 text-only tweets from 1831 accounts. We found 44 (10.2%) breaches of medical confidentiality among the photographs and 76 (0.8%) among text-only tweets. These 120 problematic tweets came from 96 profiles (96/1831; 5.2%); 3.7% of North American profiles breached medical confidentiality versus 6.3% of profiles from other areas; P = .03. When comparing the distribution of the number of followers and tweets, accounts with breach of medical confidentiality tweets had more tweets and followers than profiles without (both P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS:

We found a significant proportion of tweets with breach of medical confidentiality among anesthesiology and intensive care professionals accounts.
“A Clean Conscience behind the Dark Bars”
Authors: Altınay Rüstem Ertuğ
Published: May 2023

The iconification of political prisoners enhances their visibility, credibility, and power. Nevertheless, iconification may also reduce, reimagine, or otherwise distort the biographies and experiences of political prisoners. Moreover, iconicity’s blurring of prisoners’ views and activities may result in the recirculation of their stories in the service of political projects that do not fully align with their own. The incarceration of the Islamist icon Şule Yüksel Şenler (1938–2019) in 1971 presents an excellent vantage point from which to analyze these dynamics and how gender informs them in fundamental ways. The diverse media representations of Şule Yüksel Şenler demonstrate how historical tropes became entangled with critical references to the law, religion, and the discourses of freedom and democracy in the iconification of an Islamist political prisoner in Cold War Turkey. Şenler’s legacy and the recent references to her story show how the tendency of iconification to occlude or distort prisoners’ ideological investments and activities may in fact enhance their ability to integrate into new political projects. This case study of a right-wing political prisoner exposes how the histories of political incarceration, combined with the discourses of injustice and victimization, may also be used to legitimize authoritarian political regimes and new incarcerations.
MVPA and Motor Proficiency between Children with ADHD and Typical Development: Associations with Sleep Quality
Authors: LIANG XIAO , QIU HUI , TSAI CHIA-LIANG , LI CHUNXIAO , SIT CINDY H. P.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study examined the associations of motor proficiency with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep quality in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and children with typical development (TD).

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 88 medical-naive children with ADHD age 6–12 yr (mean (SD) age, 8.43 (1.38) yr; 81.8% boys) and 40 age-matched children with TD (mean (SD) age, 8.46 (1.44) yr; 60% boys). MVPA was recorded by a wGT3X-BT accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Motor proficiency was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development—Third Edition. Sleep quality was assessed using a self-report questionnaire.

Results

Children with ADHD spent significantly less time in MVPA daily, displayed less proficiency in locomotor and ball skills, and reported poorer sleep quality (e.g., longer sleep latency, less sleep duration, and lower sleep efficiency) than children with TD. MVPA guideline attainment and sleep duration significantly predicted locomotor skills development; in turn, locomotor skills predicted MVPA guideline attainment. MVPA and ball skills increased by age in children with ADHD.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the importance of promoting MVPA, motor proficiency, and sleep duration in children with ADHD and TD since childhood.
Expression of MAP2, GFAP, and calcium in CA3 area of a modified organotypic hippocampal slice culture treated with kainic acid
Authors: Husna Machlusil , Handono Kusworini , Sujuti Hidayat , Aulanni'am Aulanni'am , Rukmigarsari Ettie
Published: May 2023

Background: Neurodegeneration due to neurotoxicity is one of the phenomena in temporal lobe epilepsy. Experimentally, hippocampal excitotoxicity process can occur due to kainic acid exposure, especially in the CA3 area. Neuronal death, astrocyte reactivity and increased calcium also occur in hippocampal excitotoxicity, but few studies have investigated immediate effect after kainic acid exposure. The organotypic hippocampal slice culture (OHSC) is a useful model for studying the neurodegeneration process, but there are still many protocol differences. In this study, minor modifications were made in the OHSC protocol. 

Methods: OHSC was obtained from two healthy wild type Wistar rats aged P10. Healthy culture slices were obtained and lasted up to 10 days in vitro (DIV 10). Bath application of kainic acid for 48 hours in DIV 10 followed by observation of its initial effects on neurons, astrocytes, and calcium via the expression of MAP2, GFAP, and intracellular calcium, subsequently.

Results: After 48 h of kainic acid administration, there was a significant increase in intracellular calcium (p = 0.006 < α), accompanied by a significant decrease in MAP2 (p = 0.003 < α ) and GFAP (p = 0.010 < α) expression.

Conclusion: These findings suggest early neuronal and astrocyte damage at the initial onset of hippocampal injury. This implies that astrocyte damage occurs early before an increase in GFAP that characterizes reactive astrogliosis found in other studies. Damage to neurons and astrocytes may be associated with increased intracellular calcium. It is necessary to develop further research regarding expression of calcium, MAP2, and GFAP at a spatial time after exposure to kainic acid and strategies to reduce damage caused by excitotoxicity.
An examination of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021: prospects, challenges, and the way forward
Authors: Borha David Oladeji Ehijie , Olujobi Olusola Joshua
Published: May 2023

Background: The study examines the gaps in the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that could hinder the effective application of the Act in attaining its objectives. The repealed Petroleum Act of 1969 became obsolete and largely incapable of meeting the emerging global best practices in the industry due to inadequate sanctions, failure to address the aspirations of the people of the oil-bearing states, among others. Hence, the need for the PIA of 2021 to overhaul the industry to meet global standards though some controversial provisions that pose challenges to its proper implementation.

Methods: The study examines the PIA to identify its prospects, challenges, and the way forward. The methodology the study utilises is doctrinal research with reports from existing literature and tertiary data sources such as newspapers, the Internet, and websites. Pertinent data collected from these sources were theoretically analysed and argued with current literature on the subject.

Results: The finding is that the PIA does not make adequate provisions for the energy transition in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris agreement; the PIA was provided for weak institutions, which translates to weak implementation and enforcement of the law which further widening the gap between the law and reality.

Conclusions: The study concluded that, although the Act delivered the much-needed stability in the petroleum industry in Nigeria, there is a need for an overhaul of the Act to further protect the interest of host communities and allow for co-ownership of petroleum resources by the state government.
Understanding influences on mental health among over 70-year-olds in Kenya using a life course theory
Authors: Lusambili Adelaide M , Nyakundi Robert , Ngaruiya Christine , Muchanga Kizito L , Ochieng Ahaya L , Vusolo Laurie M , Guni Newton Joseph
Published: May 2023

World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2050 “older adults” (OAs)—denoting those over 70 years old in this article—will constitute 21% of the global population, with over half living in low or middle-income countries (LMICs). Old age is associated with increased multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) such as cancer, hypertension, arthritis, diabetes and mental health. According to WHO, 20% of older adults in Africa are affected by mental health – and dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases are likely to increase, adding expenditure on public services. Knowledge and understanding of OAs experiences and histories and how they contribute to mental health are critical to informing measures and strategies to safeguard older adults. Like many sub-Saharan African (SSA), these experiences have not been documented in Kenya. In this article, we use a life course theory (LCT) to reflect on the intersection between historical and current environmental and socioeconomic factors and their effects on the mental health of OAs. We hope to enrich future researchers by providing core yet overlooked historicities to guide research and policies in an understudied population in sub-Saharan Africa. We conclude with policy and research recommendations on ageing and health.
Association of COVID-19 symptoms and functional status of the COVID-19 survivors in a tertiary health care center in a developing country
Authors: Islam Mohammad Tariqul , Mahjabin Afsana , Islam Md Mahbubul , Tasnim Anika , Khan Fahmida Afroz , Khan Iffat Islam , Alim Abdul , Khasru Moshiur Rahman , Uddin Taslim
Published: May 2023

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people globally, causing widespread illness and functional limitations.

Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between COVID-19 symptoms and the functional status of COVID-19 survivors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in Bangladesh. A total of 244 COVID-19 survivors were enrolled in the study, and their symptoms and functional status were assessed using standardized questionnaires. The post-COVID-19 functional status scale (PCFS) was used to assess the entire range of functional outcomes.

Results: Among the participants 57.4% were male and 42.6% were female. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 44.6 ±14.7 years where 37.7% were from the 20-35 years age group. The mean duration of suffering from COVID-19 was 15.9 ±6.1 days where 61.5 % of the patients had a duration of suffering of 11-20 days. Out of the 244 patients, 40 patients had no functional limitation (grade 0 functional status in the PCFS scale) while 100 had negligible functional limitation and 14 had severe functional limitation. We found patients who were suffering from multi-symptoms were statistically significant with PCFS scale grade 4, whereas grade 1 was found to be statistically significant with only respiratory distress. There was a significant association between the duration of COVID-19 symptoms and post-COVID-19 functional status for patients who experienced symptoms for 14 days or more (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Considering the negative impact of COVID-19 symptoms on functional status, comprehensive care and support are required for COVID-19 survivors.
Sufizm w polityce, polityka w sufizmie: Turcja w latach 1958-2001
Authors: Karbowska Agata Maria
Published: May 2023

The publication Sufism in Politics, Politics in Sufism. Turkey in the Years 1958-2001 concerns a complex phenomenon of the influence of Sufism on the modern politics, mentality and social life of the Turkish people, taking into account the influence of politics on this phenomenon. The modern Turkish politics depends on many factors – the influence of Muslim environments constitute one of them; the role of politicians from the Naqshbandi brotherhood is still very significant. This movement was favourable to assimilation of Islam with some elements of secularism, developed dynamic interactions in the society and generated new solutions. The Muslim folk religiousness, still insufficiently studied and combined with a specific traditional worldview, constitutes one of the most important variations of the Turkish political Islam.
Is Your Machine Better Than You? You May Never Know
Authors: de Véricourt Francis , Gurkan Huseyin
Published: May 2023

Artificial intelligence systems are increasingly demonstrating their capacity to make better predictions than human experts. Yet recent studies suggest that professionals sometimes doubt the quality of these systems and overrule machine-based prescriptions. This paper explores the extent to which a decision maker (DM) supervising a machine to make high-stakes decisions can properly assess whether the machine produces better recommendations. To that end, we study a setup in which a machine performs repeated decision tasks (e.g., whether to perform a biopsy) under the DM’s supervision. Because stakes are high, the DM primarily focuses on making the best choice for the task at hand. Nonetheless, as the DM observes the correctness of the machine’s prescriptions across tasks, the DM updates the DM’s belief about the machine. However, the DM is subject to a so-called verification bias such that the DM verifies the machine’s correctness and updates the DM’s belief accordingly only if the DM ultimately decides to act on the task. In this setup, we characterize the evolution of the DM’s belief and overruling decisions over time. We identify situations under which the DM hesitates forever whether the machine is better; that is, the DM never fully ignores but regularly overrules it. Moreover, the DM sometimes wrongly believes with positive probability that the machine is better. We fully characterize the conditions under which these learning failures occur and explore how mistrusting the machine affects them. These findings provide a novel explanation for human–machine complementarity and suggest guidelines on the decision to fully adopt or reject a machine.

This paper was accepted by Elena Katok, special issue on the human–algorithm connection.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4791 .
Professionalism of Learners in the Higher Education Arena
Authors: Stonehouse David
Published: May 2023

For most trainee nursing associates on an apprenticeship route, being already employed within primary and secondary care requires a level of professionalism within their clinical areas. Issues around professionalism are dealt with through their clinical managers and, in extreme circumstances, the human resources department. However, when these same employees become learners within a university environment, the same professionalism required within the clinical arena is now equally required within the classroom, both physical and virtual. This article will discuss and highlight what is expected of learners when enrolled on a programme of study.
Application of Soy Flour Modified Resins to Hot and Cold Pressed Veneer*
Authors: Asafu-Adjaye Osei , Alawode Abiodun , Via Brian , Banerjee Sujit
Published: May 2023

Soy flour can be substituted in polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (pMDI) resin for bonding plywood. Resin bleed-through is avoided by prepressing at 95°C. The boards have greater wet and dry strength than do those prepared from melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin. Soy flour can also be substituted in emulsion polymer isocyanates for cold-press applications. The soy increases dry strength but keeps the wet strength unchanged. The optimal level of soy flour substitution is about 20 percent in all cases as determined by infrared spectroscopy.
A RUA É UMA FESTA: CAPOEIRA E TERRITORIALIDADES NEGRAS NAS FESTIVIDADES EM FEIRA DE SANTANA (1970- 1985)
Authors: Almeida Oliveira Denise , Castro Júnior Luís Vitor
Published: May 2023

Este artigo apresenta e analisa as práticas corporais dos capoeiristas nas ruas de Feira de Santana, entre as décadas de 1970 e 1980, como um espaço festivo, usufruído por diversas manifestações culturais negras, sobretudo a capoeira. As rodas de capoeira aconteciam tanto de maneira “espontânea”, através do ajuntamento de capoeiristas que se encontravam nas ruas, como também havia a contratação de grupos culturais por parte da Secretaria de Turismo (SETUR), como o Grupo Folclórico Angoleiros de Feira, liderado pelo Mestre Muritiba. Para tanto, intercruzamos as fontes oral, fotográfica e o jornal Feira do Norte. Por intermédio da História Oral, revelaram-se as narrativas dos Mestres de Capoeira em suas participações nos eventos festivos. Além disso, o uso da imagem fotográfica permitiu ampliar os horizontes da capoeira enredada e trançada às outras práticas culturaisafrodiaspóricas. No texto, a rua é compreendida como um território de interlocução, de irradiação e sedução da cultura negra. Ela é o lugar de enunciação das práticas culturais, como também um espaço de disputa, visibilidade e continuidade das práticas da capoeira.
ORGANIZAÇÃO DO TRABALHO PEDAGÓGICO DOS PROFESSORES DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA: UM OLHAR PELOS CAMINHOS PERCORRIDOS EM UMA ESCOLA PÚBLICA ESTADUAL DE FEIRA DE SANTANA - BAHIA
Authors: Miranda Cardoso Coutinho Taís , Alves Nogueira Souza Suzana
Published: May 2023

Este estudo trata-se de uma investigação acerca da organização do trabalho pedagógico dos professores de Educação Física na realidade escolar. Tem como objetivo geral analisar como ocorre o processo de organização do trabalho pedagógico dos professores de Educação Física de uma escola pública estadual de Feira de Santana – Bahia. Este trabalho caracteriza-se como uma pesquisa de campo, de caráter exploratório e de abordagem qualitativa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de observação sistemática, entrevista semiestruturada, análise documental e diário de bordo; e analisados através da análise de conteúdo de Bardin. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma escola estadual do município de Feira de Santana – BA. Os participantes da pesquisa foram os 3 (três) professores de Educação Física e 1 (uma) coordenadora pedagógica. Ficou evidenciado que a organização do trabalho pedagógico dos professores de Educação Física está deturpada e as categorias do mesmo estão dissociadas de suas funções. Os professores participantes da pesquisa, embora comprometidos com a ação docente, apresentam fragilidade na organização do trabalho pedagógico. Dessa forma, torna-se necessária a análise de como está ocorrendo a formação de  professores de Educação Física e, além disso, a necessidade de os docentes continuarem aprofundando seus estudos.
All-optical half-adder in a linear three-core fiber device
Authors: Martins F. L. B. , Rodrigues J. P. T. , Nascimento J. C.
Published: May 2023

The half-adder is one of the most useful combinational logic functions
for data processing. Many research papers in the literature propose
nonlinear all-optical half-adders. Few studies propose linear
all-optical devices, and those that do usually employ microstructured
2D photonic crystals. This work presents the numerical acquisition of
an all-optical half-adder using a linear three-core fiber device. The
device presents high performance and acceptable values of fabrication
and modulation tolerance. It can be made using any fiber technology
and propagated by pulses of any wavelength. Depending on the type of
fiber used, the precision needed to fabricate the device’s smallest
structures can range from 20 nm to 90 nm. This result is
evidence of the possibility of obtaining nonlinear logical processing
using only fiber design.
Separation of coherent and incoherent light using image plane vortex phase masks
Authors: Watnik Abbie T. , Divitt Shawn , Hart Matthew
Published: May 2023

We consider the application of a modified optical vortex coronagraph as a transmissometer. We find, through theory and simulation, that the rejection of scattered light benefits from increasing the charge number of the vortex masks in the image plane, and that a combination of a vortex mask and binary pinhole can outperform the pinhole alone.
Quantitative analysis of the wave polarization effect on electron capture in a laser acceleration channel
Authors: Akou H.
Published: May 2023

The main purpose of this paper is to explore thoroughly the polarization effect in the capture and acceleration scenario (CAS) scheme using Jones vectors, as well as to conduct a quantitative study of the characteristics of electron beams interacting with EM fields with any polarization states. The simulation provides a circulating hollow electron beam suitable for high-energy particle physics experiments. In this paper, by properly injecting low-energy free electrons into the acceleration channel of a laser pulse in optimal polarization state with an intensity of a0≡eE0/m0cω0=15, a satisfactory result was achieved compared to other works that used extra-high intensity laser pulses (a0≃100). It was observed that the characteristics of the output beam for circular polarization, compared to other polarizations, have more advantages, such as showing less energy spread and spatial divergence, although the mean energy in this case is lower than in other polarizations. Moreover, for a circularly polarized (CP) field, the total fraction of CAS electrons can reach over 98% of the incident electrons. These features demonstrate that the circular polarization in the CAS scheme provides greater acceleration efficiency.
Enhanced efficiency of launching hyperbolic phonon polaritons in stacked α-MoO3 flakes
Authors: Wang Kun , Long Hua , Deng Nan , Yuan Meng , Wang Bing , Wang Kai , Lu Peixiang
Published: May 2023

In this work, we reported a systemic study on the enhanced efficiency of launching hyperbolic phonon polaritons (PhPs) in stacked α-phase molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3) flakes. By using the infrared photo-induced force microscopy (PiFM), real-space near-field images (PiFM images) of mechanically exfoliated α-MoO3 thin flakes were recorded within three different Reststrahlen bands (RBs). As referred with PiFM fringes of the single flake, PiFM fringes of the stacked α-MoO3 sample within the RB 2 and RB 3 are greatly improved with the enhancement factor (EF) up to 170%. By performing numerical simulations, it reveals that the general improvement in near-field PiFM fringes arises from the existence of a nanoscale thin dielectric spacer in the middle part between two stacked α-MoO3 flakes. The nanogap acts as a nanoresonator for prompting the near-field coupling of hyperbolic PhPs supported by each flake in the stacked sample, contributing to the increase of polaritonic fields, and verifying the experimental observations Our findings could offer fundamental physical investigations into the effective excitation of PhPs and will be helpful for developing functional nanophotonic devices and circuits.
Sensing of triglyceride concentration in blood solution using photoacoustic microscopy
Authors: Wan Nan , Li Zhe , Seong Myeongsu , Zhang Ke , Niu Wei , Wu Rong , Chen Sung-Liang
Published: May 2023

The level of triglyceride (TG) in blood is essential to human health, and hypertriglyceridemia (TG level > 150 mg/dL) would lead to cardiovascular disease and acute pancreatitis that threaten human life. Routine methods for measuring the TG level in blood depend on a lipid panel blood test, which is invasive and not convenient. Here, we use photoacoustic (PA) microscopy to test the PA amplitude of blood solutions (based on hemoglobin powder as well as flowing sheep blood) with different TG concentrations. Interestingly, we observe that the PA amplitude increases with increasing TG concentration in blood solutions, which is attributed to the increase of the Grüneisen coefficient. The preliminary in vitro study shows that the PA methodology is able to detect the TG level down to 450 mg/dL. This finding provides an opportunity for using photoacoustics to noninvasively diagnose hypertriglyceridemia.
Canonical Response Parameterization: Quantifying the structure of responses to single-pulse intracranial electrical brain stimulation
Authors: Miller Kai J. , Müller Klaus-Robert , Valencia Gabriela Ojeda , Huang Harvey , Gregg Nicholas M. , Worrell Gregory A. , Hermes Dora
Published: May 2023

Single-pulse electrical stimulation in the nervous system, often called cortico-cortical evoked potential (CCEP) measurement, is an important technique to understand how brain regions interact with one another. Voltages are measured from implanted electrodes in one brain area while stimulating another with brief current impulses separated by several seconds. Historically, researchers have tried to understand the significance of evoked voltage polyphasic deflections by visual inspection, but no general-purpose tool has emerged to understand their shapes or describe them mathematically. We describe and illustrate a new technique to parameterize brain stimulation data, where voltage response traces are projected into one another using a semi-normalized dot product. The length of timepoints from stimulation included in the dot product is varied to obtain a temporal profile of structural significance, and the peak of the profile uniquely identifies the duration of the response. Using linear kernel PCA, a canonical response shape is obtained over this duration, and then single-trial traces are parameterized as a projection of this canonical shape with a residual term. Such parameterization allows for dissimilar trace shapes from different brain areas to be directly compared by quantifying cross-projection magnitudes, response duration, canonical shape projection amplitudes, signal-to-noise ratios, explained variance, and statistical significance. Artifactual trials are automatically identified by outliers in sub-distributions of cross-projection magnitude, and rejected. This technique, which we call “Canonical Response Parameterization” (CRP) dramatically simplifies the study of CCEP shapes, and may also be applied in a wide range of other settings involving event-triggered data.
The proportion of resistant hosts in mixtures should be biased towards the resistance with the lowest breaking cost
Authors: Clin Pauline , Grognard Frédéric , Andrivon Didier , Mailleret Ludovic , Hamelin Frédéric M.
Published: May 2023

Current agricultural practices facilitate emergence and spread of plant diseases through the wide use of monocultures. Host mixtures are a promising alternative for sustainable plant disease control. Their effectiveness can be partly explained by priming-induced cross-protection among plants. Priming occurs when plants are challenged with non-infective pathogen genotypes, resulting in increased resistance to subsequent infections by infective pathogen genotypes. We developed an epidemiological model to explore how mixing two distinct resistant varieties can reduce disease prevalence. We considered a pathogen population composed of three genotypes infecting either one or both varieties. We found that host mixtures should not contain an equal proportion of resistant plants, but a biased ratio (e.g. 80 : 20) to minimize disease prevalence. Counter-intuitively, the optimal ratio of resistant varieties should contain a lower proportion of the costliest resistance for the pathogen to break. This benefit is amplified by priming. This strategy also prevents the invasion of pathogens breaking all resistances.
Design of an adaptable intrafascicular electrode (AIR) for selective nerve stimulation by model-based optimization
Authors: Ciotti Federico , Cimolato Andrea , Valle Giacomo , Raspopovic Stanisa
Published: May 2023

Peripheral nerve stimulation is being investigated as a therapeutic tool in several clinical scenarios. However, the adopted devices have restricted ability to obtain desired outcomes with tolerable off-target effects. Recent promising solutions are not yet employed in clinical practice due to complex required surgeries, lack of long-term stability, and implant invasiveness. Here, we aimed to design a neural interface to address these issues, specifically dimensioned for pudendal and sacral nerves to potentially target sexual, bladder, or bowel dysfunctions. We designed the adaptable intrafascicular radial electrode (AIR) through realistic computational models. They account for detailed human anatomy, inhomogeneous anisotropic conductance, following the trajectories of axons along curving and branching fascicles, and detailed biophysics of axons. The model was validated against available experimental data. Thanks to computationally efficient geometry-based selectivity estimations we informed the electrode design, optimizing its dimensions to obtain the highest selectivity while maintaining low invasiveness. We then compared the AIR with state-of-the-art electrodes, namely InterStim leads, multipolar cuffs and transversal intrafascicular multichannel electrodes (TIME). AIR, comprising a flexible substrate, surface active sites, and radially inserted intrafascicular needles, is designed to be implanted in a few standard steps, potentially enabling fast implants. It holds potential for repeatable stimulation outcomes thanks to its radial structural symmetry. When compared in-silico, AIR consistently outperformed cuff electrodes and InterStim leads in terms of recruitment threshold and stimulation selectivity. AIR performed similarly or better than a TIME, with quantified less invasiveness. Finally, we showed how AIR can adapt to different nerve sizes and varying shapes while maintaining high selectivity. The AIR electrode shows the potential to fill a clinical need for an effective peripheral nerve interface. Its high predicted performance in all the identified requirements was enabled by a model-based approach, readily applicable for the optimization of electrode parameters in any peripheral nerve stimulation scenario.
Estimation and linkage between behavioral problems and social emotional competence among Pakistani young school children
Authors: Najmussaqib Arooj , Mushtaq Asia
Published: May 2023

Behavioral problems are commonly occurring concerns in school children and if left unidentified can result in worse outcomes in any society. The research aims to explore the prevalence of behavioral problems and its association with social emotional competence in young school children from a community sample of Islamabad, Pakistan. The cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2021 in four public primary schools in Islamabad, Pakistan. Two stage cluster sampling was used to select study sites. The sample comprised 426 school children (males = 182, females = 195) aged 4–8 years (Mean age = 6.5, SD = 1.09), from three different grades kindergarten, 1, and 2, respectively. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Social Emotional Development Assessment (SEDA) were used to screen behavioral problems and social emotional competences of children. Data were analyzed using Stata 17. Prevalence for overall behavioral problems accounted for 65.4% (4–6 years) and 36.2% (6–8 years) in the abnormal (borderline and clinical) ranges of total problems. Social emotional competence scores were found significantly negatively associated with behavioral problems of children. The high prevalence necessitates the provision of mental health care to school-aged children. The findings should be taken as a call to Pakistan’s policymakers, clinicians, and researchers to develop proper screening and management protocols for early intervention.
Do environmental, social, and governance scores improve green innovation? Empirical evidence from Chinese-listed companies
Authors: Zhang Chunlian , Chen Danni
Published: May 2023

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) has become a buzzword in investment circles as ecological damage and climate warming occur. ESG assessment is one of the important institutions of the green financial system, which plays a significant part in boosting corporate green development. We use the number of green patent applications and green patent citations to measure corporate green innovation and analyze the micro-green effects of the ESG score system using the panel fixed effects models, which means that we explore the impact of the ESG scores on corporate green innovation performance, the specific mechanism of this effect, and the asymmetry of this impact under different moderation effects by using Chinese listed A-shares in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2010–2019 as our research sample. We find that ESG positively affects corporate green innovation; the higher the ESG evaluation, the more it improves firms’ green innovation performance. The promotion effect is reflected quantitatively and qualitatively and remains valid after several robustness tests. In addition, the contribution of ESG to corporate green innovation is achieved through two main paths improving corporate investment efficiency and government-enterprise relations. Corporate black attributes inhibit the contribution of ESG to green innovation, while green attributes strengthen the contribution of ESG to green innovation performance. Our study demonstrates the importance of corporate participation in environmental, social, and governance practices for corporate green innovation, which is beneficial for achieving win-win environmental, social, and economic results. Furthermore, our research completes the research on the effects of corporate green performance and green finance. It can provide empirical references for promoting corporate green development and improving the ESG evaluation system.
Regional disparities in Dementia-free Life Expectancy in Japan: An ecological study, using the Japanese long-term care insurance claims database
Authors: Yoshikawa Mikako , Goto Etsu , Shin Jung-ho , Imanaka Yuichi
Published: May 2023

Background

The number of people with dementia increases in an aging society; therefore, promoting policies for dementia throughout the community is crucial to creating a dementia-friendly society. Understanding the status of older adults with dementia in each region of Japan will be a helpful indicator. We calculated Dementia-free Life Expectancy and aimed to examine regional disparities and their associated factors.

Methods

We calculated Dementia-free Life Expectancy and Life Expectancy with Dementia for each secondary medical area in Japan based on the Degree of Independence in Daily Living for the Demented Elderly, using data extracted from the Japanese long-term care insurance claims database. We then conducted a partial least squares regression analysis, the objective variables being Dementia-free Life Expectancy and Life Expectancy with Dementia for both sexes at age 65, and explanatory regional-level variables included demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare resources variables.

Results

The mean estimated regional-level Dementia-free Life Expectancy at age 65 was 17.33 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.27–17.38) for males and 20.05 years (95% CI 19.99–20.11) for females. Three latent components identified by partial least squares regression analysis represented urbanicity, socioeconomic conditions, and health services-related factors of the secondary medical areas. The second component explained the most variation in Dementia-free Life Expectancy of the three, indicating that higher socioeconomic status was associated with longer Dementia-free Life Expectancy.

Conclusions

There were regional disparities in secondary medical area level Dementia-free Life Expectancy. Our results suggest that socioeconomic conditions are more related to Dementia-free Life Expectancy than urbanicity and health services-related factors.
Impact of beliefs on perception of newborn illness, caregiver behaviors, and care-seeking practices in Zambia’s Southern province
Authors: Sivalogan Kasthuri , Banda Bowen , Wagner John , Biemba Godfrey , Gagne Natalie , Grogan Caroline , Hamomba Fern , Herlihy Julie M. , Mabeta Catherine , Shankoti Peggy , Simamvwa Grace , Sooli Bernadine , Yeboah-Antwi Kojo , Hamer Davidson H. , Semrau Katherine E. A.
Published: May 2023

Despite reductions in the number of under-five deaths since the release of the Sustainable Development Goals, the proportion of neonatal deaths among all under-five deaths has remained high. Neonatal health is linked to newborn care practices which are tied to distinct cultural perceptions of health and illness. We assessed how community beliefs in Zambia’s Southern Province influence newborn care behaviors, perception of illness, and care-seeking practices, using qualitative data collected between February and April 2010. A total of 339 women participated in 36 focus group discussions (FGDs), with 9 FGDs conducted in each of the four study districts. In addition, 42 in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with various key informants, with 11 IDIs conducted in Choma, 11 IDIs in Monze, 10 IDIs in Livingstone, and 10 IDIs in Mazabuka. The FGDs and IDIs indicate that beliefs among the Tonga people regarding postnatal illness prevention and management influence perceptions of newborn illness and care-seeking practices. Care seeking behaviors including when, why, and where parents seek newborn care are intimately tied to perception of disease among the Tonga people. These beliefs may stem from both indigenous and Western perspectives in Zambia’s Southern Province. Findings are consistent with other analyses from Southern Province that highlighted the benefit of integrating local practices with Western biomedical care. Health systems models, led by policy makers and program designers, could aim to find synergies between community practices and formal health systems to support positive behavior change and satisfy multiple stakeholders.
Knowledge, attitude, and perceptions about polycystic ovarian syndrome, and its determinants among Pakistani undergraduate students
Authors: Rizvi Mehwish , Islam Md. Ashraful , Aftab Muhammad Tariq , Naqvi Atta Abbas , Jahangir Amnah , Ishaqui Azfar Athar , Iqbal Muhammad Zahid , Iqbal Muhammad Shahid
Published: May 2023

Objective

The aim of the study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude, perception, and assess the determinants of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) among undergraduate students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among female undergraduate students in Pakistan using a survey. The questionnaire was formulated in English language by a review of literature and expert consensus. The sampling approach was convenient, and survey was available as electronic as well as hardcopy. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v23. Descriptive statistics namely mean (x¯), standard deviation (SD), or median (x¯) and interquartile range (IQR) were used dependent upon data distribution. In addition, range (R) was also utilized to express the results. The logistic and linear regression analyses were also conducted. Study received ethical clearance from ethics committees.

Results

A total of 646 responses were analyzed. The average PCOS knowledge score was 11.58 ± 4.99 (overall), 12.02 ± 4.73 (medical students), 9.36 ± 5.65 (non-medical students) (α = 0.861). 68.6% participants did not feel embarrassed while discussing PCOS in the society, but 67.3% never discussed it with a doctor. Lack of self-knowledge (31.6%) and shyness/reluctance (21.4%) were identified as barriers by most students. Further, obesity, irregular menstrual periods, family history, hirsutism and contraceptive use were observed to be determinants for having PCOS (AOR > 2, p<0.05). The disease knowledge score was higher for participants studying in medical college (β = 0.184), having menstrual periods < 5 days (β = 0.125), and with a family history (β = 0.121) (p<0.05).

Conclusion

The disease knowledge among undergraduates was inadequate. However, there is greater acknowledgement of PCOS as a problem for Pakistani women and barriers have been identified in the study. Conducting awareness campaigns within academic institutions which include promoting disease education, arranging talks, distributing merchandise with disease awareness signage, would greatly help in raising awareness of the disease and lowering stigma and hesitancy.