bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in the utilisation of acute hospital care in Ireland during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
Authors: Marron Louise , Burke Sara , Kavanagh Paul
Published: October 2022

Background: Reduced and delayed presentations for non-COVID-19 illness during the COVID-19 pandemic have implications for population health and health systems. The aim of this study is to quantify and characterise changes in acute hospital healthcare utilisation in Ireland during the first wave of COVID-19 to inform healthcare system planning and recovery.

Methods: A retrospective, population-based, observational study was conducted using two national datasets, Patient Experience Time (PET) and Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE). The study period was 6th January to 5th July 2020.

Results: Comparison between time periods pre- and post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic within 2020 showed there were 81,712 fewer Emergency Department (ED) presentations (-18.8%), 19,692 fewer admissions from ED (-17.4%) and 210,357 fewer non-COVID-19 hospital admissions (-35.0%) than expected based on pre-COVID-19 activity. Reductions were greatest at the peak of population-level restrictions, at extremes of age and for elective admissions. In the period immediately following the first wave, acute hospital healthcare utilisation remained below pre-COVID-19 levels, however, there were increases in emergency alcohol-related admissions (Rate Ratio 1.22, 95% CI 1.03, 1.43, p-value 0.016), admissions with self-harm (Rate Ratio 1.39, 95% CI 1.01, 1.91, p-value 0.043) and mental health admissions (Rate Ratio 1.28, 95% CI 1.03, 1.60, p-value 0.028).

Discussion: While public health implications of delayed and lost care will only become fully apparent over time, recovery planning must begin immediately. In the short-term, backlogs in care need to be managed and population health impacts of COVID-19 and associated restrictions, particularly in relation to mental health and alcohol, need to be addressed through strong public health and health system responses. In the long-term, COVID-19 highlights health system weakness and is an opportunity to progress health system reform to deliver a universal, high-quality, sustainable and resilient health system, capable of meeting population health needs and responding to future pandemics.
Wearable devices for remote monitoring of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Vietnam
Authors: Chau Nguyen Van Vinh , Trung Truong Ngoc , Khanh Phan Nguyen Quoc Khanh , Nhat Phung Tran Huy , Van Hoang Minh Tu , Hai Ho Bich , Thuy Duong Bich , Tung Nguyen Le Nhu , Khoa Dao Bach , Vien Tran Thi Dong , Hao Nguyen Van , Oanh Pham Kieu Ngyuyet , Khoa Tran Dang , Phong Nguyen Thanh , Nguyen Nguyen Thanh , Huynh Julie , Walker Timothy M , Van Nuil Jennifer , An Luu Phuoc , McKnight Jacob , Toan Le Mau , Tan Le Van , Dung Nguyen Thanh , Truong Nguyen Thanh , Thwaites C Louise ,   OUCRU COVID Research Group
Published: October 2022

Patients with severe COVID-19 disease require monitoring with pulse oximetry as a minimal requirement. In many low- and middle- income countries, this has been challenging due to lack of staff and equipment. Wearable pulse oximeters potentially offer an attractive means to address this need, due to their low cost, battery operability and capacity for remote monitoring.  Between July and October 2021, Ho Chi Minh City experienced its first major wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to an unprecedented demand for monitoring in hospitalized patients. We assess the feasibility of a continuous remote monitoring system for patients with COVID-19 under these circumstances as we implemented 2 different systems using wearable pulse oximeter devices in a stepwise manner across 4 departments.
Non-surgical treatment options for the neck and décolletage
Authors: Charlson Paul
Published: October 2022

Often, the neck and décolletage are forgotten treatment areas, as most people concentrate on the face's appearance. Photodamage is the primary cause of ageing, leading to loss of skin elasticity and dyschromia. Fat loss and redistribution also occurs, which leads to the familiar pattern of ageing. Treatment of the neck and décolletage differ, as the later has minimal fat to act as a buttress for deeper treatments. Effective intervention relies on a good history, examination, management of expectations and sensible treatment choice. The options are extensive, and it is usually a combination of treatments that provide the best outcomes.
A practical guide to adverse incident reporting
Authors: King Martyn , King Sharon
Published: October 2022

Dr Martyn King and Sharon King explore raising concerns and issues to protect patients and ensure that public safety is not compromised
The benefits of Facebook groups for aesthetic clinics
Authors: O'Neill Rick
Published: October 2022

Rick O'Neill explains the benefits of Facebook groups for growing an aesthetic practice
Novel dual synergistic sealing ring design for a high-pressure pump – Part I
Authors: Zhang Hehui , Deng Chang , Chang Chunping , You Haolin
Published: October 2022

As simple, small, low-friction and low-cost sealing elements, O-rings are widely used in various types of pumps. When a pump's inner pressure increases, the risk of O-ring failure rises concurrently. The numerical calculations discussed in this article have been done to analyse the mode and root cause of the failure of an O-ring that is installed in a high-lift pump. A novel dual-sealing ring design is also described. The first part of this article, which appears here, mainly describes the computational approach and failure cause analysis based on numerical results. The second instalment will be published in Sealing Technology, Issue 8, Volume 2022.
Methodology to Study Teacher Agency: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Deschênes Michelle , Parent Séverine
Published: October 2022

Teacher agency is a set of actions that a teacher takes beyond what is generally expected of them. The concept merits examination, as agency can bolster teachers’ ability to set and achieve professional development goals. To better understand how to study, and use, this relatively new concept in the academic literature, a systematic review of 164 publications written by researchers from 41 countries was conducted in order to document the research approaches used to study teacher agency, the participants whose agency was documented in a school setting, the methodology used and the type of analysis performed. The study found that teacher agency has been documented qualitatively in the form of case studies comprising interviews of a small number of individuals, with no consensus in terms of interview protocol. In most cases, the results are analyzed using emergent coding. The way that agency is documented varies but is most often underpinned by an ecological approach.
Age and gender demographic and statistical analysis in oral squamous cell carcinoma in Eastern India
Authors:   Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology and Department of Medical Research, IMS and SUM Hospital, SOA deemed to be University, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India., Bhuyan Ruchi , Bhuyan Sanat Kumar ,   Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, IDS, SOA deemed to be University, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India., Panda Nihar Ranjan ,   School of Applied Sciences, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Jatni, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India., Mohanty Jatindra ,   School of Applied Sciences, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Jatni, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Published: October 2022

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) continues to dominate all the oral cancer cases with premalignant disorders, which can also be predictable at the pre-clinical phase of malignancy. Chewing behaviors such as betel quid, areca nut& tobacco are all major risk factors. The majority of OSCC patients present with advanced disease and a poor prognosis. Despite the high prevalence of this cancer, there is a scarcity of rigorous data from Eastern India on its relationship with known risk factors. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the features at specific ages and gender that could play a major role in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and methods: Demographics and habitual behavior were both subjected to expressive analysis. In patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, categorical and continuous variables regarding gender were scrutinized. Results: Age with gender cross tabs results reflects the maximum patients 245 (57.24%) were female at the age of 45-64, followed by the same age group male 480 (51.39%). The highest 654 cancer sites were found in the buccal mucosal region, and we found the total number of 349 (53.36%) were in the same age group between 45-64 years. Precisely we got the age mean±SD of 61±9 male and 64±12 female OSSC patients with statistical significance of <0.001 respectively. Conclusion: Finally, the majority of OSCC cases in our area of eastern India were female patients who had been using gudhakhu for a long time and it was found correlating with site of OSCC in female.
Potential toxicity of wild Ipomoea ingested by schoolchildren in remote Northeastern Thailand
Authors:   Toxicology Center, National Institute of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand., Parnmen Sittiporn , Nooron Nattakarn ,   Toxicology Center, National Institute of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand., Sikaphan Sujitra ,   Toxicology Center, National Institute of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand., Pringsulaka Onanong ,   Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand., Rangsiruji Achariya ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Published: October 2022

Background: Natural plant toxins can cause food poisoning upon intentional or unintentional consumption of wild plants. Some toxic wild plants can be mistaken for edible species because of their morphological resemblance. This study examined a poisoning case report of schoolchildren who consumed a steamed tuberous root of wild Ipomoea, misidentified as I. mauritiana, and experienced gastrointestinal toxicity. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the tuberous root of wild Ipomoea using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as a DNA barcode and characterize compounds obtained using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Materials and methods: DNA was extracted from fresh and cooked samples of the storage root. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the entire ITS region were performed. FastTree and maximum likelihood analyses were used to obtain phylogenetic trees of the Ipomoea species. Root extracts were prepared for GC-MS analysis, and potentially harmful phytochemicals responsible for poisonous plant exposure were predicted based on a well-established plant toxin database. Results: ITS phylogeny showed a close relationship between wild toxic Ipomoea and edible I. mauritiana. The chemometric profile obtained from GC-MS analysis of the root extracts revealed the presence of 31 phytochemicals. Among them, two putatively toxic compounds identified were β-amyrin and coumarin. Conclusion: Misidentification of the wild poisonous plant reported herein resulted in toxic plant ingestion. Although most poisonous plant exposures are not life threatening, measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the general public.
Effect of Thai medicinal plants Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. Carthamus tinctorius L. and Streblus asper Lour. on neurite outgrowth activity in Neuro-2A cells
Authors:   Ph.D. Program in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand., Rakkhitawatthana Varaporn , Sillapachaiyaporn Chanin ,   Ph.D. Program in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand., Nilkhet Sunita ,   Ph.D. Program in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand., Brimson James ,   Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-Ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand., Tencomnao Tewin ,   Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-Ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Published: October 2022

Background: Neurite outgrowth is an important process in neural reorganization and repair after neuronal injury. Neurite outgrowth is one of the important mechanisms to maintain normal physiological neuronal function. Neurite stimulation may help to prevent or rehabilitate brain regions in neurodegenerative disease. Objectives: The aim of this study was to screen selected ethnopharmacological herbs for stimulatory effects on neurite outgrowth and to test for any cytotoxicity and phytochemical properties. Materials and methods: The herbal extracts derived from Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. leaves, Carthamus tinctorius L. flower, and Streblus asper Lour. bark was tested for neurite outgrowth stimulation/potentiation and cytotoxic and phytochemical properties. Results: The extract of Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers at concentrations of 50 and 500 µg/mL could significantly stimulate potentiation of neurite outgrowth in Neuro-2a cells whereas other extracts could not. We found that treatment of the cells with a concentration up to 500 µg/mL of the Carthamus tinctorius L. extract showed no cytotoxicity. Conclusion: The neurite potentiation effect might be due to other chemical constituents rather than phytochemical properties, especially total flavonoid, and phenolic contents, and antioxidant activity of the Carthamus tinctorius L. extract. The result showed that Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers extract could be a good candidate for use as a drug protecting against neuronal damage and neurodegenerative disease since it provides low cytotoxicity and neurogenic enhancement.
Suramin enhances chondrogenic properties by regulating the p67phox/PI3K/AKT/SOX9 signalling pathway
Authors: Liu Zi-Miao , Shen Po-Chih , Lu Cheng-Chang , Chou Shih-Hsiang , Tien Yin-Chun
Published: October 2022

Aims

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a promising treatment for articular cartilage degeneration and injury; however, it requires a large number of human hyaline chondrocytes, which often undergo dedifferentiation during in vitro expansion. This study aimed to investigate the effect of suramin on chondrocyte differentiation and its underlying mechanism.

Methods

Porcine chondrocytes were treated with vehicle or various doses of suramin. The expression of collagen, type II, alpha 1 (COL2A1), aggrecan (ACAN); COL1A1; COL10A1; SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9); nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX); interleukin (IL)-1β; tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα); IL-8; and matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP-13) in chondrocytes at both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels was determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. In addition, the supplementation of suramin to redifferentiation medium for the culture of expanded chondrocytes in 3D pellets was evaluated. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen production were evaluated by biochemical analyses and immunofluorescence, as well as by immunohistochemistry. The expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NOX activity were assessed by luciferase reporter gene assay, immunofluorescence analysis, and flow cytometry. Mutagenesis analysis, Alcian blue staining, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and western blot assay were used to determine whether p67phox was involved in suramin-enhanced chondrocyte phenotype maintenance.

Results

Suramin enhanced the COL2A1 and ACAN expression and lowered COL1A1 synthesis. Also, in 3D pellet culture GAG and COL2A1 production was significantly higher in pellets consisting of chondrocytes expanded with suramin compared to controls. Surprisingly, suramin also increased ROS generation, which is largely caused by enhanced NOX (p67phox) activity and membrane translocation. Overexpression of p67phox but not p67phoxAD (deleting amino acid (a.a) 199 to 212) mutant, which does not support ROS production in chondrocytes, significantly enhanced chondrocyte phenotype maintenance, SOX9 expression, and AKT (S473) phosphorylation. Knockdown of p67phox with its specific short hairpin (sh) RNA (shRNA) abolished the suramin-induced effects. Moreover, when these cells were treated with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) inhibitor LY294002 or shRNA of AKT1, p67phox-induced COL2A1 and ACAN expression was significantly inhibited.

Conclusion

Suramin could redifferentiate dedifferentiated chondrocytes dependent on p67phox activation, which is mediated by the PI3K/AKT/SOX9 signalling pathway. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2022;11(10):723–738.
Classifying Early Blight and Late Blight of Potato Based on Convolution Neural Network
Authors: Qi Haixia , Lin Zhenxin , Zhu Yifeng , Hao Jianjun , Lan Yubin
Published: October 2022

Highlights

A convolution neural network (CNN) model, called M_Net, was designed to recognize early blight and late blight in potato.

Our model achieves the highest accuracy with low computation requirements compare with other popular deep neural networks.

Hyperparameters tuning is performed to optimize accuracy, generalization, and computation requirements for potato disease classification.

Experimental results show that the combination of multiple datasets improves the generalization of the model.

Abstract.Early and late blight are two of the most common potato diseases. Intelligent tools for automatically detecting these two diseases can benefit farmers and agricultural extension officers. However, it remains a challenge to use traditional image processing methods to recognize these diseases. Convolution neural network (CNN) is an advanced methodology in computer vision, which shows great promise in image classification. This article explores CNN models to classify potato early blight and late blight based on leaf images. This research task has three challenges: lack of adequate datasets, noise in existing data, and the construction of a model that handles variability in image backgrounds. This research designs a CNN model M_Net based on MobileNetV1 network and uses different dataset sources in the construction of a CNN model with a strong generalization ability to identify disease leaves and healthy leaves. Furthermore, this article adds a new dataset to the field by supplying the model with potato leaf images. The results show that the CNN model achieves the highest accuracy with low calculation cost compared to some classical models and the final model has a strong generalization capacity. Keywords: Accuracy, CNN, Early blight, Generalization ability, Late blight.
Sub-mm resolution tomographic imaging in turbid media by an ultra-high density multichannel approach
Authors: Zhang Ning , Zhang Quan , Nurmikko Arto
Published: October 2022

We demonstrate an ultra-high-density source-detector (SD) diffuse optical tomography system scalable to thousands of combinatorial SD pairs per cm3 of total voxel volume. We demonstrate the imaging of dynamic targets (including phantom arteries) with 100 um resolution at over 10 Hz frame rate within turbid media (> 60 MFP). Further, as a step toward a wearable mobile imager, we introduce monolithic mm-size dense semiconductor laser array chips as sources for potential unobtrusive epidermal tomographic use.
100G fine-granularity flexible-rate passive optical networks based on discrete multi-tone with PAPR optimization
Authors: Zhou Ji , He Jiale , Lu Xiaofeng , Wang Guanyu , Bo Yu , Liu Gengchen , Huang Yuanda , Li Liangchuan , Yang Chengkun , Wang Haide , Mo Wenxuan , Liu Weiping , Yu Changyuan , Li Zhaohui
Published: October 2022

To meet rapidly growing customer-traffic demands, passive optical networks (PONs) have been widely applied in optical access networks. However, one common imperfection of the commercially deployed PON is that the maximum rate is limited by the optical power budget of the worst-case optical network unit (ONU). If the current infrastructure is to continue into the future 100 Gb/s PON, the optical power budget of the worst-case ONU probably cannot meet the requirement for the 100 Gb/s data transmission. In this paper, we propose a new 100 Gb/s fine-granularity flexible-rate (FGFR) PON based on discrete multi-tone (DMT) with peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) optimization. The FGFR DMT-PON frame integrates the DMT subframe with time-division multiple access to achieve higher overall throughput. Each ONU is able to achieve the maximum data rate depending on its optical power budget. A high PAPR is a big obstacle to the practical applications of the DMT in the PON. We use the joint clipping operation and clipping-noise-cancellation algorithm to mitigate the high PAPR for the DMT signal. The experimental results show that the FGFR DMT-PON can achieve a wide-range data-rate adjustment from 25 to 100 Gb/s with a potential granularity of 50 Mb/s under the optical power budget from 36 to 26 dB.
Tunable topological edge and corner states in an all-dielectric photonic crystal
Authors: Zhao Yulin , Liang Feng , Han Jianfei , Wang Xiangru , Zhao Deshuang , Wang Bing-Zhong
Published: October 2022

Topological photonics has become a new and fascinating area in recent years, which enables electromagnetic waves to propagate with negligible backscattering and excellent robustness even when encountering sharp corners or defects. But the flexible tunability of edge and corner states is challenging once the topological photonic crystals (PhCs) have been fabricated. In this paper, we propose a new all-dielectric PhC with C3 symmetry constructed by hexagonal array of petal-like aperture embedded in silicon background. The proposed configuration has much wider energy gap than its triangular counterpart, and hence is suitable for wideband and high-capacity applications. When the apertures are filled with liquid crystals (LCs), the topologically-protected edge and corner states can be regulated through changing the refractive index of the LCs under different bias voltages. Moreover, the robustness of topological protection of edge and corner states is further demonstrated. This is the first demonstration of LC based tunable valley higher-order photonic topological insulator. The tunability of the proposed topological PhCs may be beneficial for development of tunable optical waveguides, reconfigurable topological microcavities, and other intelligent topological optical/terahertz devices.
Photonically-driven Schottky diode based 0.3 THz heterodyne receiver
Authors: Belio-Apaolaza Iñigo , Seddon James , Moro-Melgar Diego , Indiran Hanu Priya , Graham Chris , Balakier Katarzyna , Cojocari Oleg , Renaud Cyril C.
Published: October 2022

Photonics-based technologies are key players in a number of emerging applications in the terahertz (THz) field. These solutions exploit the well-known advantages of optical devices, such as ultra-wide tuneability and direct integration with fiber networks. However, THz receivers are mainly implemented by fully electronic solutions, where Schottky barrier diodes (SBD) are the preferred option as detectors and mixers due to their excellent response within the THz range at room temperature, and technological maturity. Here, we demonstrate an SBD-based subharmonic mixer (SHM) at 300 GHz pumped with a photonic local oscillator. The Schottky mixer is a prototype designed and manufactured by ACST GmbH, operating at 270-320 GHz. The local oscillator is generated by photomixing on a high-frequency and high-power uni-travelling-carrier photodiode (UTC-PD), providing enough power to saturate conversion loss. Minimum single-side-band conversion loss of 14.4 dB and a peak dynamic range of 130 dB have been measured. Finally, as a proof of concept we realize an all-photonics-based 5 Gbps wireless bridge, utilizing the optically-pumped SBD mixer. With this work, we prove the feasibility of high-performance hybrid Schottky-photonic THz receivers, incorporating the best of both worlds.
Large-scale flexible-resonators with temperature insensitivity employing superoleophobic substrates
Authors: Rong Jiamin , Chi Hao , Jia Tao , Li Jianglong , Xing Tong , Yue Jun , Xing Enbo , Sun Fangyuan , Tang Jun , Liu Jun
Published: October 2022

Whispering gallery mode polymer resonators are becoming competitive with devices made of other materials, however, the inherent thermal sensitivity of the materials and the small size limit their applications, such as high-precision optical gyroscope. Here, a method is proposed for fabricating large-scale NOA65 resonators with quality factors greater than 105 on a chip employing superoleophobic. The sandwich structure as the core layer of resonator is used to present the flexible remodeling characteristics, the surface roughness remains below 1 nm when the diameter changes by more than 25%. Importantly, theoretical and experimental results show that under the tuning action of external pressure, the equivalent thermal expansion coefficient of the resonator gradually approaches the glass sheet on both sides with the variation of 2 × 10−4 /°C∼0.9 × 10−4 /°C, and the corresponding temperature response range of 0.12 nm/°C∼−0.056 nm/°C shows the promise of temperature insensitivity resonators on a chip.
Adaptive liquid lens with a tunable field of view
Authors: Tian Jian-Qing , Zhao Zhao-Zhao , Li Lei
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we demonstrate an adaptive liquid lens with a tunable field of view (FOV). The proposed liquid lens consists of an actuator and a lens chamber, the annular sheet is just placed on the liquid-liquid (L-L) interface in order to change the curvature and steer the tilt angle of the interface. Different from the conventional FOV adjustable lens combined with a liquid lens and a liquid prism, the proposed lens requires only one L-L interface to achieve the focal length change and FOV deflection. Moreover, the proposed lens reduces aberrations while maintaining high resolution. The experiments show that the optical power range is −27 m−1 to 30 m−1. It can realize the FOV deflection while tuning the focal length, with an angular resolution of 37"05. The proposed lens can be applied to telescopic system and microscopic system.
Steerable photonic jet for super-resolution microscopy
Authors: Karamehmedović Mirza , Scheel Kenneth , Listov-Saabye Pedersen Frederik , Villegas Arturo , Hansen Poul-Erik
Published: October 2022

A promising technique in optical super-resolution microscopy is the illumination of the sample by a highly localized beam, a photonic jet (also called photonic nanojet). We propose a method of computation of incident field amplitude and phase profiles that produce photonic jets at desired locations in the near field after interaction with a fixed micro-scale dielectric lens. We also describe a practical way of obtaining the incident field profiles using spatial light modulators. We expect our photonic jet design method to work for a wide range of lens shapes, and we demonstrate its application numerically using two-dimensional micro-lenses of circular and square cross-sections. We furthermore offer a theoretical analysis of the resolution of photonic jet design, predicting among other that a larger lens can produce a narrower photonic jet. Finally, we give both theoretical and numerical evidence that the waist width of the achieved designed jets is increasing linearly and slowly over a large interval of radial distances. With uniform plane wave illumination, the circular two-dimensional micro-lens produces a similar-sized jet at a fixed radial distance, while the square lens does not form a jet at all. We expect our steerable optical photonic jet probe to enable highly localized adaptive real-time measurements and drive advances in super-resolution optical microscopy and scatterometry, as well as fluorescence and Raman microscopy. Our relatively weak peak jet intensity allows application in biology and health sciences, which require high resolution imaging without damaging the sample bio-molecules.
Decaying and revival dynamics of molecules revealed by attosecond wave-mixing spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Xi , Cao Wei , Mi Kang , Zhang Yu , Zhang Qingbin , Lu Peixiang
Published: October 2022

We theoretically investigate the decaying dynamics in model molecules by using attosecond wave-mixing spectroscopy. We find that transient wave-mixing signal in molecular systems can be used to measure the lifetimes of vibrational states with attosecond time resolution. Typically, there are many vibrational states in the molecular system, and the molecular wave-mixing signal with a specific energy at a specific emitting angle is contributed by many possible wave-mixing pathways. In addition, the vibrational revival phenomenon in the previous ion detection experiments has also been observed in this all-optical approach. This work provides a new, to the best of our knowledge, route for the decaying dynamics detection and wave packet control of molecular systems.
Ultra-broadband and high-efficiency planar chiral metamaterial
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Liu Qingquan , Maroof Zubaria , Ji Ruonan , Wang Shaowei
Published: October 2022

To date, the helix-like assemblies are known for delivering the most broadband chiroptic response; however, as their dimensions shrink to the nanoscale, it becomes increasingly difficult to realize three-dimensional (3D) building blocks and accurate alignments. In addition, a continuous optical channel requirement hinders the downsizing for integrated photonics. Here, we introduce an alternative approach based on two assembled layers of dielectric–metal nanowires to demonstrate that chiroptic effects similar to helix-like metamaterials can be realized with an ultracompact planar structure by creating dissymmetry using orientation and making use of interference phenomena. We constructed two polarization filters for the near-(NIR) and the mid-infrared (MIR) spectrums that exhibit a broadband (0.835−2.11 µm and 3.84−10.64 µm) chiroptic response with maximum transmission and circular dichroism (CD) of approximately 0.965 and extinction ratio > 600. The structure is easy to fabricate, independent of alignments, and scalable from the visible to MIR range for applications including imaging, medical diagnostics, polarization conversion, and optical communication.
Spatiotemporal doubly periodic waves in a phase-mismatched second-harmonic generation
Authors: Deng Zhixiang , Zhang Jin , Fan Dianyuan , Zhang Lifu
Published: October 2022

In this Letter, we present an analytical and numerical investigation to characterize the formation of quadratic doubly periodic waves originating from coherent modulation instability in a dispersive quadratic medium in the regime of cascading second-harmonic generation. To the best of our knowledge, such an endeavor has not been undertaken before, despite the growing relevance of doubly periodic solutions as the precursor of highly localized wave structures. Unlike the case with cubic nonlinearity, the periodicity of quadratic nonlinear waves can also be controlled by the wave-vector mismatch in addition to the initial input condition. Our results may impact widely on the formation, excitation, and control of extreme rogue waves and the description of modulation instability in a quadratic optical medium.
Topological rainbow trapping based on non-Hermitian twisted piecing photonic crystals
Authors: Zhao Wen , Zheng Yanji , Lu Cuicui
Published: October 2022

Topological rainbow trapping, which can separate and trap different frequencies of topological states into different positions, plays a key role in topological photonic devices. However, few schemes have been proposed to realize topological rainbow trapping effects in lossy photonic crystal systems, which has restricted their practical applications, since loss is ubiquitous in nanophotonic devices. Here, we propose a method to realize a topological rainbow based on non-Hermitian twisted piecing photonic crystals. Different frequencies of topological photonic states are separated and trapped in different positions without overlap in the lossy photonic crystals. Moreover, the frequencies of interface states can be modulated by loss, and a topological rainbow can also be achieved in both TE and TM modes. This work brings an effective method to realize robust nanophotonic multiwavelength devices in non-Hermitian systems.
Large-scale photonic natural language processing
Authors: M. Valensise Carlo , Grecco Ivana , Pierangeli Davide , Conti Claudio
Published: October 2022

Modern machine-learning applications require huge artificial networks demanding computational power and memory. Light-based platforms promise ultrafast and energy-efficient hardware, which may help realize next-generation data processing devices. However, current photonic networks are limited by the number of input-output nodes that can be processed in a single shot. This restricted network capacity prevents their application to relevant large-scale problems such as natural language processing. Here, we realize a photonic processor for supervised learning with a capacity exceeding

1.5
×

10

10

optical nodes, more than one order of magnitude larger than any previous implementation, which enables photonic large-scale text encoding and classification. By exploiting the full three-dimensional structure of the optical field propagating in free space, we overcome the interpolation threshold and reach the over-parameterized region of machine learning, a condition that allows high-performance sentiment analysis with a minimal fraction of training points. Our results provide a novel solution to scale up light-driven computing and open the route to photonic natural language processing.
Phosphorylation of MSI-1 is implicated in the regulation of associative memory in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Mastrandreas Pavlina , Boglari Csaba , Arnold Andreas , Peter Fabian , de Quervain Dominique J.-F. , Papassotiropoulos Andreas , Stetak Attila
Published: October 2022

The Musashi family of RNA-binding proteins controls several biological processes including stem cell maintenance, cell division and neural function. Previously, we demonstrated that theC.elegansMusashi ortholog,msi-1, regulates forgetting via translational repression of the Arp2/3 actin-branching complex. However, the mechanisms controlling MSI-1 activity during the regulation of forgetting are currently unknown. Here we investigated the effects of protein phosphorylation on MSI-1 activity. We showed that MSI-1 function is likely controlled by alterations of its activity rather than its expression levels. Furthermore, we found that MSI-1 is phosphorylated and using mass spectrometry we identified MSI-1 phosphorylation at three residues (T18, S19 and S34). CRISPR-based manipulations of MSI-1 phosphorylation sites revealed that phosphorylation is necessary for MSI-1 function in both short- and long-term aversive olfactory associative memory. Thus, our study provides insight into the mechanisms regulating memory-related MSI-1 activity and may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Arboviruses as an unappreciated cause of non-malarial acute febrile illness in the Dschang Health District of western Cameroon
Authors: Ali Innocent M. , Tchuenkam Valery P. K. , Colton Mia , Stittleburg Victoria , Mitchell Cedar , Gaither Claudia , Thwai Kyaw , Espinoza Daniel O. , Zhu Yerun , Jamal Haaris , Key Autum , Juliano Jonathan J. , Christopher Tume B. , Piantadosi Anne , Waggoner Jesse J. , Collins Matthew H.
Published: October 2022

Acute febrile illness is a common problem managed by clinicians and health systems globally, particularly in the Tropics. In many regions, malaria is a leading and potentially deadly cause of fever; however, myriad alternative etiologies exist. Identifying the cause of fever allows optimal management, but this depends on many factors including thorough knowledge of circulating infections. Arboviruses such as dengue (DENV) cause fever and may be underdiagnosed in sub-Saharan Africa where malaria is a major focus. We examined cases of fever in western Cameroon that tested negative for malaria and found 13.5% (13/96) were due to DENV, with 75% (9/12) of these being DENV serotype 2 infections. Two complete DENV2 genomes were obtained and clustered closely to recent isolates from Senegal and Burkina Faso. The seroprevalence of DENV in this region was 24.8% (96/387). Neutralizing antibodies to DENV2 were detected in all (15/15) seropositive samples tested. Chikungunya (CHIKV) is an arthritogenic alphavirus that is transmitted byAedesmosquitoes, the same principal vector as DENV. The seroprevalence for CHIKV was 15.7% (67/427); however, CHIKV did not cause a single case of fever in the 96 subjects tested. Of note, being seropositive for one arbovirus was associated with being seropositive for the other (Χ2= 16.8, p<0.001). Taken together, these data indicate thatAedes-transmitted arboviruses are endemic in western Cameroon and are likely a common but underappreciated cause of febrile illness. This work supports the need for additional study of arboviruses in sub-Saharan Africa and efforts to improve diagnostic capacity, surveillance systems, and arbovirus prevention strategies.
Mitochondrial fitness and cancer risk
Authors: Kossenkov Andrew V. , Milcarek Andrew , Notta Faiyaz , Jang Gun-Ho , Wilson Julie M. , Gallinger Steven , Zhou Daniel Cui , Ding Li , Ghosh Jagadish C. , Perego Michela , Morotti Annamaria , Locatelli Marco , Robert Marie E. , Vaira Valentina , Altieri Dario C.
Published: October 2022

Changes in metabolism are a hallmark of cancer, but molecular signatures of altered bioenergetics to aid in clinical decision-making do not currently exist. We recently identified a group of human tumors with constitutively reduced expression of the mitochondrial structural protein, Mic60, also called mitofilin or inner membrane mitochondrial protein (IMMT). These Mic60-low tumors exhibit severe loss of mitochondrial fitness, paradoxically accompanied by increased metastatic propensity and upregulation of a unique transcriptome of Interferon (IFN) signaling and Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP). Here, we show that an optimized, 11-gene signature of Mic60-low tumors is differentially expressed in multiple malignancies, compared to normal tissues, and correlates with poor patient outcome. When analyzed in three independent patient cohorts of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the Mic60-low gene signature was associated with aggressive disease variants, local inflammation, FOLFIRINOX failure and shortened survival, independently of age, gender, or stage. Therefore, the 11-gene Mic60-low signature may provide an easily accessible molecular tool to stratify patient risk in PDAC and potentially other malignancies.
Pneumococcal carriage in adults aged 50 years and older in outpatient health care facility during pandemic COVID-19 in Novi Sad, Serbia
Authors: Petrović Vladimir , Ristić Mioljub , Milosavljević Biljana , Djilas Milan , Marković Miloš
Published: October 2022

Background

Data related to carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) and antimicrobial resistance patterns in middle-aged and older adults are limited. We assessed the carriage of Spn, and its antibiotic resistance patterns, among participants ≥50 years of age living in the city of Novi Sad during the second year of COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Analysis of prospectively collected data among participants with or without symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection who visited their elected physicians in the Primary Health Care Centre of Novi Sad (outpatient facility) was conducted from May 18, 2021 to December 7, 2021. Both nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) samples from each participant were collected.

Results

A total of 1042 samples from 521 study subjects (1 NP and 1 OP sample from each person) were collected. Sixteen samples from the same number of persons (3.1%, 95% confidence interval: 1.76%-4.94%) were culture positive for the presence of Spn. Overall, the median age of study participants was 71 years (range, 50–93 years; 90th percentile, 77 years), and most (197/521, 37.8%) of them were 70–79 years of age. A majority of the study subjects were: females (324/521; 62.2%), sampled during May and June 2021 (376/521, 72.2%), those who did not have contact with children aged 0–10 years in the family (403/521; 77.4%), without smokers in the household (443/521; 85.0%), and those who did not receive vaccine against Spn (519/521; 99.6%). Out of 16 Spn positive samples, for six participants, Spn carriage serotypes were obtained and there were four vaccine (6A, 11A, 15B, and 18C) serotypes, and two (6C and 35F) non-vaccine serotypes. Remaining 10 (62.50%) samples were non-typeable isolates of pneumococci. Among four vaccine serotypes, two (6A and 18C) were represented in PCV13, and 18C along with the other two (11A and 15B) in PPSV23 vaccine. The highest level of resistance of Spn isolates was observed for erythromycin, (10 or 62.50%), and tetracycline, (7 or 43.75%), one isolate showed resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, while none of them were resistant to ceftriaxone, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and levofloxacin. There were three multi-drug resistant isolates; one was identified as 6C (non-vaccine serotype), and two other were non-typeable isolates of Spn.

Conclusions

In this first study conducted in Serbia on Spn carriage in adults ≥50 years of age, we found low prevalence of Spn carriage and identified 6 serotypes of Spn, four of which were represented in vaccines. These results may support future Spn colonization studies among middle-aged and older adults.
Protein C activity as a potential prognostic factor for nursing home-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Oi Issei , Ito Isao , Tanabe Naoya , Konishi Satoshi , Hamao Nobuyoshi , Shirata Masahiro , Imai Seiichiro , Yasutomo Yoshiro , Kadowaki Seizo , Matsumoto Hisako , Hidaka Yu , Morita Satoshi , Hirai Toyohiro
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Despite the poor prognosis for nursing home acquired pneumonia (NHAP), a useful prognostic factor is lacking. We evaluated protein C (PC) activity as a predictor of in-hospital death in patients with NHAP and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods

This prospective, observational study included all patients hospitalized with pneumonia between July 2007 and December 2012 in a single hospital. We measured PC activity at admission and investigated whether it was different between survivors and non-survivors. We also examined whether PC activity < 55% was a predictor for in-hospital death of pneumonia by logistic regression analysis with CURB-65 items (confusion, blood urea >20 mg/dL, respiratory rate >30/min, and blood pressure <90/60 mmHg, age >65). When it was a useful prognostic factor for pneumonia, we combined PC activity with the existing prognostic scores, the pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65, and analyzed its additional effect by comparing the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of the modified and original scores.

Results

Participants comprised 75 NHAP and 315 CAP patients. PC activity was lower among non-survivors than among survivors in NHAP and all-pneumonia (CAP+NHAP). PC activity <55% was a useful prognostic predictor for NHAP (Odds ratio 7.39 (95% CI; 1.59–34.38), and when PSI or CURB-65 was combined with PC activity, the AUC improved (from 0.712 to 0.820 for PSI, and 0.657 to 0.734 for CURB-65).

Conclusions

PC activity was useful for predicting in-hospital death of pneumonia, especially in NHAP, and became more useful when combined with the PSI or CURB-65.
Yield of soybean genotypes identified through GGE biplot and path analysis
Authors: Silva Welder José dos Santos , Alcântara Neto Francisco de , Al-Qahtani Wahidah H. , Okla Mohammad K. , Al-Hashimi Abdulrahman , Vieira Paulo Fernando de Melo Jorge , Gravina Geraldo de Amaral , Zuffo Alan Mario , Dutra Alexson Filgueiras , Carvalho Leonardo Castelo Branco , Sousa Ricardo Silva de , Pereira Arthur Prudêncio de Araujo , Leite Wallace de Sousa , Silva Júnior Gabriel Barbosa da , Silva Adriana Conceição da , Leite Marcos Renan Lima , Lustosa Sobrinho Renato , AbdElgawad Hamada
Published: October 2022

Genotype × environment (G×E) interaction is an important source of variation in soybean yield, which can significantly influence selection in breeding programs. This study aimed to select superior soybean genotypes for performance and yield stability, from data from multi-environment trials (METs), through GGE biplot analysis that combines the main effects of the genotype (G) plus the genotype-by-environment (G×E) interaction. As well as, through path analysis, determine the direct and indirect influences of yield components on soybean grain yield, as a genotype selection strategy. Eight soybean genotypes from the breeding program of Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) were evaluated in field trials using a randomized block experimental design, in an 8 x 8 factorial scheme with four replications in eight different environments of the Cerrado of Northeastern Brazil during two crop seasons. Phenotypic performance data were measured for the number of days to flowering (NDF), height of first pod insertion (HPI), final plant height (FPH), number of days to maturity (NDM), mass of 100 grains (M100) and grain yield (GY). The results revealed that the variance due to genotype, environment, and G×E interaction was highly significant (P < 0.001) for all traits. The ST820RR, BRS 333RR, BRS SambaíbaRR, M9144RR and M9056RR genotypes exhibited the greatest GY stability in the environments studied. However, only the BRS 333RR genotype, followed by the M9144RR, was able to combine good productive performance with high yield stability. The study also revealed that the HPI and the NDM are traits that should be prioritized in the selection of soybean genotypes due to the direct and indirect effects on the GY.