bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of ultrasound in evaluating salivary glands swellings
Authors: El-Rasheedy Abd El-latif Ibrahim , Abdalla Alaa Mohamed Abdel Rasoul , Hassanein Shaimaa Abdel-hamid , Hafez Tarek Abdel Rahman Abdel , Aboel-naga Heba Abdel-rehem
Published: October 2021

Background

Viral infection is the most common cause of salivary gland swelling as mumps which mainly affects the parotid glands. Sialolithiasis is another cause of obstruction of the salivary duct. A tumor is another cause of swelling. Around 70% of salivary gland tumors arise from the parotid glands. Benign lesions represent 57% of these tumors. Three to 5% of all tumors affecting the head and neck are represented in the salivary gland. Ultrasonography is considered a basic diagnostic tool in all salivary gland swellings. Our study is to evaluate the role of ultrasound in the evaluation of salivary glands swellings in comparison with a computed tomography scan.

Results

A total of 80 patients aged more than 1 year old with swellings affecting the salivary glands were collected from the out-patient clinic during the period from February 2020 to February 2021. All patients underwent ultrasonography and computed tomography examination of the neck. All submandibular gland lesions presented with sialolithiasis (40 cases) (100%), and 20 cases (50%) of parotid gland swellings presented as inflammation without stone (16 cases (40%) of acute inflammation and 4 cases (10%) with recurrent inflammation), while 4 patients only presented as sialolithiasis. Neoplastic lesions were diagnosed in 16 cases of the parotid gland group. Stones less than 3 mm were detected only by computed tomography in 5 patients (12.5%) of the submandibular group. Twenty-eight cases (70%) with stones ranged in size between 3 and 6 mm. Only 11 cases (27.5%) with stones ranged in size more than 6 mm. Of the 16 parotid swellings diagnosed with neoplastic lesions, 14 parotid cases (87%) showed well-defined margins by computed tomography and ultrasonography.

Conclusions

Sonography is the basic diagnostic tool in salivary glands swellings. Ultrasonography should be the initial imaging modality. Only in special cases, such as stones that could not be detected by ultrasonography or a neoplastic lesion in a deep location, or bone infiltration, computed tomography neck should be performed.
Comparative study between the effect of neural versus intra-articular dextrose prolotherapy on pain and disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Sallam Rehab A. , Abdelkhabir Aya A. , Shabana Adel A.
Published: October 2021

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease which presents with joint pain and stiffness and reduced mobility. Knee OA is the commonest cause of disability in adults. Dextrose prolotherapy is a new option used to treat mild-to-moderate knee OA. Neural prolotherapy (NPT) is multiple small injections under the skin targeting painful areas with natural substances. The aim of work was to evaluate and compare neural prolotherapy versus intra-articular dextrose prolotherapy effect on relieving pain and improving disability of knee OA.

Results

VAS and WOMAC scores improved significantly immediately and at 3 and at 6 months, respectively, in group I compared with group II (P < 0.001). The decrease in VAS scores and all the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores in group I along the follow-up period in comparison with the baseline scores was statistically significant (P < 0.001). In group II, only WOMAC pain and stiffness scores improved significantly. ROM showed insignificant increase in both groups at 3 and 6 months assessment. On follow-up, range of motion increased in both groups and reached significance in group I (P = .002).

Conclusion

Dextrose prolotherapy both intra-articular and periarticular (neural) is a very effective and cheap therapy for knee OA with good patient selection. Neural prolotherapy significantly relieves pain and improves function in patients with knee osteoarthritis when compared with intra-articular prolotherapy thus avoiding hazards of intra-articular knee injections.
Born-Infeld generalization: Axion and Kalb-Ramond from dynamical torsion fields
Authors: Cirilo-Lombardo Diego Julio
Published: October 2021

We show that in theories of gravitation based on affine geometries the torsion field, that takes a dynamical character, not only the chiral magnetic effect (CME) intervenes in the wash up of the chiral anomaly but also the chiral vortical effect (CVE) and the coupled chiral effect (CCE) coming from the hypermagnetic field interaction with the primordial plasma are crucial in a realistic physical scenario, as in the case of the early universe. We also show that the equation governing the wash up takes the form given in this paper, supplemented with the dynamical equation for the torsion vector

containing the helicities and other axial couplings. The role played by the neutrinos in the interaction with the axion field in this theoretical framework is briefly discussed.
Three-dimensional optical manipulation of trapped light-absorbing particles based on a hollow beam
Authors: Zhang Wending , Cheng Xuemei , Wang Xing , Niu Chen , Chen Haowei , Bai Jintao
Published: October 2021

We report a method for optical trapping and three-dimensional manipulation of light-absorbing particles in air based on a hollow beam. The particles can be stably trapped for hours in the focused hollow beam with either horizontal or vertical trapping configuration. Particle revolution in the lateral plane (x-y plane) is achieved by employing a wedge prism to deviate and rotate the optical traps. And the particle movement along the laser propagating direction (z-direction) is realized by changing the size of the hollow trapping beam. The mechanism of particle trapping and manipulation in air is analyzed based on the characteristics of photophoretic force. As high trapping power is avoided, this method is meaningful for the particles of low damage threshold and provides a useful tool for in situ analysis of the single aerosol particle in a non-destructive and non-contact manner.
Oxygen Saturation and Postoperative Mortality in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated by Endovascular Thrombectomy
Authors: Farag Ehab , Liang Chen , Mascha Edward J. , Toth Gabor , Argalious Maged , Manlapaz Mariel , Gomes Joao , Ebrahim Zeyd , Hussain Muhammad Shazam
Published: October 2021

BACKGROUND:

Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) and general anesthesia (GA) with endotracheal intubation are the 2 most used techniques for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) undergoing endovascular thrombectomy. We aimed to test the hypothesis that increased arterial oxygen concentration during reperfusion period is a mechanism underlying the association between use of GA (versus MAC) and increased risk of in-hospital mortality.

METHODS:

In this retrospective cohort study, data were collected at the Cleveland Clinic between 2013 and 2018. To assess the potential mediation effect of time-weighted average oxygen saturation (Spo
2) in first postoperative 48 hours between the association between GA versus MAC and in-hospital mortality, we assessed the association between anesthesia type and post-operative Spo
2 tertiles (exposure–mediator relationship) through a cumulative logistic regression model and assessed the association between Spo
2 and in-hospital mortality (mediator–outcome relationship) using logistic regression models. Confounding factors were adjusted for using propensity score methods. Both significant exposure–mediator and significant mediator–outcome relationships are needed to suggest potential mediation effect.

RESULTS:

Among 358 patients included in the study, 104 (29%) patients received GA and 254 (71%) received MAC, with respective hospital mortality rate of 19% and 5% (unadjusted P value <.001). GA patients were 1.6 (1.2, 2.1) (P < .001) times more likely to have a higher Spo
2 tertile as compared to MAC patients. Patients with higher Spo
2 tertile had 3.8 (2.1, 6.9) times higher odds of mortality than patients with middle Spo
2 tertile, while patients in the lower Spo
2 tertile did not have significant higher odds compared to the middle tertile odds ratio (OR) (1.8 [0.9, 3.4]; overall P < .001). The significant exposure–mediator and mediator–outcome relationships suggest that Spo
2 may be a mediator of the relationship between anesthetic method and mortality. However, the estimated direct effect of GA versus MAC on mortality (ie, after adjusting for Spo
2; OR [95% confidence interval {CI}] of 2.1 [0.9–4.9]) was close to the estimated association ignoring Spo
2 (OR [95% CI] of 2.2 [1.0–5.1]), neither statistically significant, suggesting that Spo
2 had at most a modest mediator role.

CONCLUSIONS:

GA was associated with a higher Spo
2 compared to MAC among those treated by endovascular thrombectomy for AIS. Spo
2 values that were higher than the middle tertile were associated with higher odds of mortality. However, GA was not significantly associated with higher odds of death. Spo
2 at most constituted a modest mediator role in explaining the relationship between GA versus MAC and mortality.
Control of Chemical Structure and Lithium-ion Conductivity of Amorphous Lithium Phosphate Thin Film Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition
Authors: Yamamoto Takayuki , Takeuchi Ayumi , Ohnishi Junji , Yasuno Satoshi , Motoyama Munekazu , Iriyama Yasutoshi
Published: October 2021

Effects of target-substrate (TS) distance during pulsed laser deposition process on the chemical structure and lithium-ion conductivity of amorphous lithium phosphate (LPO) thin films are investigated. The shorter TS distance results in lower Li concentration, longer phosphate chain, and higher ionic conductivity. The ionic conductivity of 2.7 × 10−7 S/cm is obtained at 25 °C in the LPO thin film with short TS distance.
Imaging findings in a patient with suspected vaccine induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia
Authors: Kadam Nikhil , Ramavathu Kumar VM , Kamath Namita , Min Kaung Kyaw
Published: October 2021

Covid-19 vaccine was developed in response to the SARS Cov2 pandemic. Despite the effectiveness of the vaccine, various complications have been reported after vaccination.

We present the case of a 55-year-old patient with post-vaccination complication. The patient was vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCov-19 Vaccine and 2 weeks later presented with headache, confusion and abdominal pain for 1 week duration. Clinical examination demonstrated reduced Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), reduced muscle power bilaterally and dysphasia. Blood test showed thrombocytopenia, high titres of D-Dimer and mildly raised INR.

The CT scan of the head showed a fairly large left temporoparietal intracranial hemorrhage with midline shift and subsequent CT venogram demonstratedthrombosis of the left transverse and sigmoid dural venous sinuses. CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed thrombosis of the portal and hepatic veins and multiple infarcts of the liver, left kidney and lingular segment of the partially imaged lungs (Figure 2).

Patient tested positive for antibodies directed against platelet factor-4 and was treated for vaccine induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia. Treatment included Intravenous immunoglobulin, Fresh Frozen Plasma, non-heparin based anticoagulant and required care in tertiary center.

Incidence of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia is unknown and strongly mimics autoimmune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia with typical clinical features of thrombocytopenia and thrombosis. Of the reported cases, the common imaging finding is thrombosis in various sites such as cerebral venous thrombosis, portal vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and ischemic stroke.
LOS TENIENTES DE JUSTICIA Y SU PARTICIPACIÓN EN EL REPARTIMIENTO DE MERCANCÍA EN LA NUEVA ESPAÑA EN LA SEGUNDA MITAD DEL SIGLO XVIII.
Authors: Alonso Núñez María Carmen
Published: October 2021

En este artículo se examina la participación de los tenientes de alcalde mayor y subdelegado en el repartimiento forzoso de mercancía en Nueva España durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII. Los objetivos son analizar las funciones del teniente en dos vertientes: como agentes comerciales y justicias, así como el uso de la coerción institucionalizada y las estrategias implementadas para la distribución y cobro del repartimiento.
EL REPARTIMIENTO DE MERCANCÍAS Y LOS SUBDELEGADOS EN EL ALTO PERÚ. LA DENUNCIA EN 1785 DEL SUBDELEGADO DE CARANGAS, JUAN DIONISIO MARÍN.
Authors: Gavira Márquez María Concepción
Published: October 2021

Este artículo pretende abordar el repartimiento o reparto de mercancías en la región andina, antes y después de la prohibición de este comercio a partir de la aplicación del Régimen de Intendencias. En el virreinato del Río de la Plata, como consecuencia de las sublevaciones de 1780 se suprimió el reparto de mercancías y se aplicó en 1782 el Régimen de Intendencias donde el subdelegado, sustituto del detestado corregidor, tenía la prohibición de realizar esta actividad comercial. Sin embargo, se encuentran muchas evidencias de que los subdelegados continuaron estas prácticas comerciales coactivas, las cuales a veces se permitieron con la justificación del poco aprovechamiento económico que tenían las nuevas autoridades locales. Vamos a estudiar la denuncia interpuesta por los azogueros al subdelegado de Carangas por reparto de mercancías y la defensa de la población indígena en apoyo al subdelegado Marín. Analizaremos las relaciones dentro del partido de Carangas para entender los posicionamientos de los diferentes actores sociales en este proceso.
LOS SUBDELEGADOS EN LOS PUEBLOS DE INDIOS DE YUCATÁN Y EL REPARTIMIENTO DE MERCANCÍAS.
Authors: Machuca Gallegos Laura
Published: October 2021

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la práctica del repartimiento de mercancías en la intendencia de Yucatán. Un proceso iniciado en 1795 por el Cabildo de Campeche muestra varias caras de este sistema comercial después de su prohibición. No continuó con la misma intensidad que antes y cada subdelegado lo adaptó según sus posibilidades, la prioridad fue obtener mejor mano de obra que productos para las haciendas y ranchos que se estaban expandiendo en la región.
ESTADOS UNIDOS Y LAS CAÍDAS DE JUAN MANUEL DE ROSAS (1852) Y ANTONIO LÓPEZ DE SANTA ANNA (1855)
Authors: Dupré Hodge Eduardo
Published: October 2021

Este trabajo analiza las percepciones de los plenipotenciarios de Estados Unidos sobre los caudillos que marcaron el siglo XIX argentino y mexicano respectivamente: el estanciero bonaerense Juan Manuel de Rosas y el perenne general Santa Anna. Los informes diplomáticos permiten sostener dos hipótesis: i) que dichos regímenes eran incompatibles con los intereses estadounidenses en la región; ii) había disposición para propiciar o colaborar con sus caídas.
ALEJANDRO O'REILLY Y EL INGENIERO BELTRÁN BEAUMONT EN SANTIAGO DE CUBA: CAUSAS Y PRINCIPIOS DE UN PROYECTO DE FORTIFICACIÓN FRUSTRADO (1764-1766)
Authors: López Hernández Ignacio J.
Published: October 2021

El final de la guerra de los Siete Años tuvo un impacto decisivo en la configuración defensiva de la América española del último tercio del siglo XVIII. En este contexto, este trabajo pretende definir de qué modo se introdujo este nuevo paradigma de la fortificación en el caso de Santiago de Cuba a partir de la documentación de un proyecto inédito del ingeniero Beltrán Beaumont y del mariscal de campo Alejandro O'Reilly. Su análisis permitirá concretar las causas de su fracaso en factores tanto personales como técnicos y estratégicos.
Análisis acústico en el diagnóstico del deterioro cognitivo: revisión sistemática de la literatura, 2008-2020
Authors: Rodriguez Fandiño Camilo , Salazar Montes Ana Maria
Published: October 2021

Introducción: investigaciones recientes han descrito que en la adultez mayor pueden presentarse cambios en la producción del tono y timbre de la voz. Dichos cambios pueden ser indicadores de alteraciones cognitivas tempranas, incluso en estadios preclínicos del deterioro cognitivo. El propósito de este estudio fue identificar en la literatura hallazgos relevantes sobre el análisis acústico en personas mayores con deterioro cognitivo. Materiales y métodos: se llevó a cabo un estudio de revisión sistemática de la literatura, en el que se consultaron las siguientes bases de datos: PlosOne, Science Direct, PubMed/PMC y Google Scholar. Se utilizaron metabuscadores como: acoustic analysis, Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, prosody, voice analysis y voice production; además, se incluyeron artículos empíricos que describieran un análisis acústico en población adulta mayor con deterioro cognitivo. La evaluación fue realizada de manera independiente por dos evaluadores, quienes determinaron el riesgo de sesgo en la revisión. Se encontraron 59 artículos relacionados con el tema, de los cuales solo 25 cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Resultados: los artículos revisados identificaron cambios en la prosodia lingüística y paralingüística, el timbre y la tonalidad de la voz, asociados con el deterioro cognitivo del adulto mayor. Conclusión: los protocolos de estudio en el análisis acústico podrían ser una buena herramienta para el apoyo en el diagnóstico clínico diferencial del deterioro cognitivo en la vejez y una buena oportunidad para la identificación de riesgo en etapas preclínicas de las demencias.
Show Me the Money: The Economic Impact of Membership-Based Free Shipping Programs on E-Tailers
Authors: Fang Zhen , Ho Yi-Chun (Chad) , Tan Xue (Jane) , Tan Yong
Published: October 2021

This research examines the economic impact of membership-based free-shipping (MFS) programs when introduced as an augmentation to widely accepted contingent free-shipping (CFS) policies. Under CFS, consumers waive the shipping surcharge if the order exceeds a certain threshold, whereas under MFS, consumers pay an upfront fee and enjoy the free-shipping perk throughout the membership period. We develop a stylized model that considers consumer heterogeneity in two dimensions: (1) disutility from acquiring an auxiliary product—a product that consumers would not otherwise purchase—to qualify for CFS; and (2) shopping frequency over a given period. Our analysis suggests that the introduction of MFS allows the e-tailer to segment the market further, which could lead to a higher product price. When the disutility from acquiring an auxiliary product is moderate, the e-tailer should charge a high membership fee to target only frequent shoppers who forgo CFS. However, the e-tailer should lower the fee to lure also (1) frequent shoppers who would otherwise take CFS, when the disutility is high; or (2) infrequent shoppers who would otherwise forgo CFS, when the disutility is low. In all cases, although the collected fee revenue can never compensate for the cost arising from offering the free-shipping perk, the loss can be recouped as a desirable outcome of a more segmented market. Our research generates insights into the optimal design of e-tailers’ shipping policies, shedding light on the practical challenges that confront e-tailers.
The effects of different types of written corrective feedback on students’ texting mistakes
Authors: Berkant Hasan Güner , Derer Nuriye Batmaz , Derer Ozgur Kursad
Published: October 2021

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of different types of written corrective feedback on students' texting mistakes in English lessons. In the study, a mixed model including quantitative and qualitative methods was engaged. Two-factor ANOVA was used for mixed measurements to test the significance of the difference between the error numbers of the three types of feedback except direct feedback. The qualitative data of the study were collected by examining the texts and the interviews about the effect of the four feedbacks were made with the students. Content analysis and descriptive analysis were performed. At the end of the study, in the quantitative findings obtained, the most effective type of feedback is the underlined feedback. As for the qualitative findings obtained from the students' opinions, the feedback type in which the error is coded and the information is given is the most effective type.
ALENDRONIC ACID
Authors: Rees Sharon
Published: October 2021

In this column, Sharon Rees aims to refresh knowledge and interest in some of the commonly used drugs in a series of tweets. This month she is talking about #alendronic
Mode analyzer for known optical vortices from a spatial light modulator with collinear holography
Authors: Wang Chen , Ren Yuan , Liu Tong , Liu Zhengliang , Qiu Song , Ding You , Zhao Jie , Li Ruijian
Published: October 2021

The optical vortex has already found lots of applications in various domains. Among such applications, the precise and quantitative mode analysis of optical vortices is of great significance. In this work, we experimentally validate a simple method to analyze the mode of an already known optical field with collinear holography based on the phase-shifting technology. Further, we propose a ring interference strategy to improve the accuracy of mode analysis. In the proof-of-concept experiment, the complex amplitude is characterized, and the mode purity is well analyzed. This method has excellent accuracy and rapidity, which can be implemented in micro-manipulation, optical communication, and rotation speed measurement based on the rotating Doppler effect.
Blind modulation format identification based on improved PSO clustering in a 2D Stokes plane
Authors: Zhao Ruqing , Sun Weibin , Xu Hengying , Bai Chenglin , Tang Xue , Wang Zhiguo , Yang Lishan , Cao Lingguo , Bi Yanfeng , Yu Xinkuo , Fang Wenjing , Li Baokun , Zhou Tanglei , Ge Peiyun
Published: October 2021

Blind modulation format identification (MFI) is indispensable for correct signal demodulation and optical performance monitoring in future elastic optical networks (EON). Existing MFI schemes based on a clustering algorithm in Stokes space have gained good performance, while only limited types of modulation formats could be correctly identified, and the complexities are relatively high. In this work, we have proposed an MFI scheme with a low computational complexity, which combines an improved particle swarm optimization (I-PSO) clustering algorithm with a 2D Stokes plane. The main idea of I-PSO is to add a new field of view on each particle and limit each particle to only communicate with its neighbor particles, so as to realize the correct judgment of the number of multiple clusters (local extrema) on the density images of the

s
2

−

s
3

plane. The effectiveness has been verified by 28 GBaud polarization division multiplexing (PDM)-BPSK/PDM-QPSK/PDM-8QAM/PDM-16QAM/PDM-32QAM/PDM-64QAM simulation EON systems and 28 GBaud PDM-QPSK/PDM-8QAM/PDM-16QAM/PDM-32QAM proof-of-concept transmission experiments. The results show that, using this MFI scheme, the minimum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) values to achieve 100% MFI success rate are all equal to or lower than those of the corresponding 7% forward error correction (FEC) thresholds. At the same time, the MFI scheme also obtains good tolerance to residual chromatic dispersion and differential group delay. Besides that, the proposed scheme achieves 100% MFI success rate within a maximum launch power range of

−

2

∼
+

6

dBm. More importantly, its computational complexity can be denoted as

O

(
N
)

.
Visually guided chick ocular length and structural thickness variations assessed by swept-source optical coherence tomography
Authors: Yan Feng , Wang Chen , Wilson Jayla A. , O’Connell Michael , Ton Sam , Davidson Noah , Sibichan Mourren , Chambers Kari , Ahmed Ahmed , Summers Jody , Tang Qinggong
Published: October 2021

Chicks are an excellent model for studying myopia. To study the change of the ocular structures in chicks, ultrasound is mostly used. However, it suffers from limited spatial resolution. In this study, we investigated the axial length (AL) and the thickness of different ocular structures in chicks’ eye undergoing visually induced changes using a swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system in vivo. Two groups of chicks wore a translucent plastic goggle (n = 6) over the right eye to induce form-deprivation myopia. Following 12 days of form deprivation, goggles were removed in one group of chicks (n = 3), and they were allowed to experience 5 days of unrestricted vision (recovery). Goggles remained in place for a total of 17 days for the remaining 3 chicks. A separate group of 3 chicks were untreated and served as normal control. Ocular dimensions were measured in control, myopic, and recovered eyes using an SS-OCT system. We found myopic chick eyes had significantly thicker AL, lens thickness (LT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and vitreous chamber depth (VCD), but significantly thinner retina thickness (RT) and choroid thickness (ChT) compared to the control eyes. Following 5 days of recovery, the cornea thickness (CT), retina pigment epithelium thickness (RPET), and ChT were significantly thicker, while the ACD and LT became significantly thinner compared to that of myopic eyes. SS-OCT can serve as a promising tool to provide measurements of the entire ocular structures, for evaluating the change of thickness and depth of different ocular structures in chicks in vivo. The change of AL in the myopic and recovered chick eyes can be attributed to the thickness alterations of different ocular structures. Altogether, this work demonstrated the feasibility of SS-OCT in chick myopic research and exhibited new insights into the changes of ocular structures in chicks experiencing myopia after unrestricted vision recovery.
Quantitative compressive optical coherence elastography using structural OCT imaging and optical palpation to measure soft contact lens mechanical properties
Authors: Quince Zachery , Alonso-Caneiro David , Read Scott A. , Collins Michael J.
Published: October 2021

In this study, the principle of ‘optical palpation’ was applied to a compression optical coherence elastography (OCE) method using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Optical palpation utilizes a compliant transparent material of known mechanical properties, which acts as a stress sensor, in order to derive the mechanical properties of a sample material under examination. This technique was applied to determine the mechanical properties of soft contact lenses, with one lens being used as the compliant stress sensor and the other as the sample under investigation to extract the mechanical properties. This compliant stress sensor allowed for the stress of the compression to be measured without the use of a force sensor. The strain of the materials was measured through an automatic boundary segmentation that tracks the material thickness (of the sensor and the sample) during compression through sequential structural OCT images. A total of five contact lens combinations were tested, using three separate commercially available contact lenses with unique mechanical properties. Various combinations of contact lens materials were used to further validate the technique. The Young’s modulus derived from this method was compared to nominal manufacturer’s values. Both accuracy and repeatability were assessed, with highly accurate measurements obtained, with a percentage difference between the nominal and experimentally derived Young’s modulus being less than 6% for all the tested combinations as well as providing a Young’s modulus that was not statistically significant different (p > 0.01) to the nominal value. The results demonstrate the potential of optical palpation in OCE to accurately measure the mechanical properties of a material without the use of sophisticated electronics to capture the stress of the sample. These findings have potential to be translated into a method for tissue mechanical testing with ex vivo and in vivo clinical applications.
Angular distribution of luminescence dissymmetry observed from a random laser built upon the exocuticle of the scarab beetle Chrysina gloriosa
Authors: Lee Seungsu , Kim Hansol , Jeong Yoonchan
Published: October 2021

We investigate the angular distribution of luminescence dissymmetry of random lasing in the mixture of rhodamine 6G and titanium dioxide nanoparticles upon a biocompatible natural material substrate, i.e., the elytron of the scarab beetle Chrysina gloriosa. We look into both green and gold-colored areas of the elytron that exhibit distinctly different circular dichroism properties. The fabricated sample asymmetrically emits both left- and right-handed circularly polarized light at 570 nm when pumped at 532 nm, depending on the direction of emission and the angle of the pump incidence. We characterize the light via measuring the angular distribution of its luminescence dissymmetry factor (

g

lum

), which reaches an unusually high maximal value of 0.90 or −0.50 at some specific angle depending on the handedness of its polarization. This random laser source can be used in numerous potential optoelectronic applications which require light emission of distributed luminescence dissymmetry or of high luminescence dissymmetry.
Holographic pancake optics for thin and lightweight optical see-through augmented reality
Authors: Cakmakci Ozan , Qin Yi , Bosel Peter , Wetzstein Gordon
Published: October 2021

Holographic pancake optics have been designed and fabricated in eyewear display optics literature dating back to 1985, however, a see-through pancake optic solution has not been demonstrated to date. The key contribution here is the first full-color volume holographic pancake optic in an optical see-through configuration for applications in mobile augmented reality. Specifically, the full-color volume holographic pancake is combined with a flat lightguide in order to achieve the optical see-through property. The fabricated hardware optics has a measured field of view of 29 degrees (horizontal) by 12 degrees (vertical) and a measured large eyebox that allows a ±10 mm horizontal motion and ∼±3 mm vertical motion for a 4 mm diameter pupil. The measured modulation transfer function (average orientation) is 10% contrast at 10 lp/deg. Three holograms were characterized with respect to their diffraction efficiency, angular bandwidth, focal length, haze, and thickness parameters. The phase function in the reflection mode hologram implements a spherical mirror that has a relatively simple recording geometry.
Parity-time symmetric tunable OEO based on dual-wavelength and cascaded PS-FBGs in a single-loop
Authors: Liu Pengcheng , Xie Zhanwu , Lin Dongdong , Lu Mengjia , Cheng Wei , Hu Guohua , Yun Binfeng , Cui Yiping
Published: October 2021

The ability to achieve low phase noise single-mode oscillation within an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is of fundamental importance. In the frequency-tunable OEO, the wide microwave photonic filter (MPF) bandwidth is detrimental to select single-mode among the large number of cavity modes, thus leading to low signal quality and spectral purity. Stable single–mode oscillation can be achieved in a large time delay OEO system by harnessing the mechanism from parity-time (PT) symmetry. Here, a PT-symmetric tunable OEO based on dual-wavelength and cascaded phase-shifted fiber gratings (PS-FBGs) in a single-loop is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Combining the merits of wide frequency tuning of PS-FBG-based MPF and single mode selection completed by the PT-symmetric architecture of the OEO, where the gain and loss modes carried by dual-wavelengths to form two mutually coupled resonators in a single-loop, signals range from 1 GHz to 22 GHz with the low phase noise distributed in −122∼ −130 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset frequency are obtained in the experiment.
Grey-box modeling and hypothesis testing of functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based cerebrovascular reactivity to anodal high-definition tDCS in healthy humans
Authors: Arora Yashika , Walia Pushpinder , Hayashibe Mitsuhiro , Muthalib Makii , Chowdhury Shubhajit Roy , Perrey Stephane , Dutta Anirban
Published: October 2021

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to evoke hemodynamics response; however, the mechanisms have not been investigated systematically using systems biology approaches. Our study presents a grey-box linear model that was developed from a physiologically detailed multi-compartmental neurovascular unit model consisting of the vascular smooth muscle, perivascular space, synaptic space, and astrocyte glial cell. Then, model linearization was performed on the physiologically detailed nonlinear model to find appropriate complexity (Akaike information criterion) to fit functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) based measure of blood volume changes, called cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), to high-definition (HD) tDCS. The grey-box linear model was applied on the fNIRS-based CVR during the first 150 seconds of anodal HD-tDCS in eleven healthy humans. The grey-box linear models for each of the four nested pathways starting from tDCS scalp current density that perturbed synaptic potassium released from active neurons for Pathway 1, astrocytic transmembrane current for Pathway 2, perivascular potassium concentration for Pathway 3, and voltage-gated ion channel current on the smooth muscle cell for Pathway 4 were fitted to the total hemoglobin concentration (tHb) changes from optodes in the vicinity of 4x1 HD-tDCS electrodes as well as on the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. We found that the tDCS perturbation Pathway 3 presented the least mean square error (MSE, median <2.5%) and the lowest Akaike information criterion (AIC, median -1.726) from the individual grey-box linear model fitting at the targeted-region. Then, minimal realization transfer function with reduced-order approximations of the grey-box model pathways was fitted to the ensemble average tHb time series. Again, Pathway 3 with nine poles and two zeros (all free parameters), provided the best Goodness of Fit of 0.0078 for Chi-Square difference test of nested pathways. Therefore, our study provided a systems biology approach to investigate the initial transient hemodynamic response to tDCS based on fNIRS tHb data. Future studies need to investigate the steady-state responses, including steady-state oscillations found to be driven by calcium dynamics, where transcranial alternating current stimulation may provide frequency-dependent physiological entrainment for system identification. We postulate that such a mechanistic understanding from system identification of the hemodynamics response to transcranial electrical stimulation can facilitate adequate delivery of the current density to the neurovascular tissue under simultaneous portable imaging in various cerebrovascular diseases.
Integrated phosphorus nutrient sources improve wheat yield and phosphorus use efficiency under sub humid conditions
Authors: Mubeen Khuram , Wasaya Allah , Rehman Haseeb ur , Yasir Tauqeer Ahmad , Farooq Omer , Imran Muhammad , Ikram Rao Muhammad , Nazeer Rabiah , Zahoor Faisal , Yonas Muhammad Waqas , Aziz Mudassir , Habib-ur-Rahman Muhammad , Ahmad Matlob , Alam Mahmood , Ali Muqarrab , Ali Mazhar , Khaliq Abdul , Ishtiaq Muhammad , Waqas Muhammad Mohsin
Published: October 2021

Majority of Pakistani soils are deficient in phosphorus. Phosphorus is usually applied in form of synthetic fertilizer. However integrated use of P from synthetic and organic sources can be more profitable and beneficial on sustainable basis. Field trials were conducted at research farm University of Poonch, Rawalakot, AJK, Pakistan for two consecutive years to check the comparative effects of synthetic fertilizer and organic manures applied alone and in combinations on the phosphorus use efficiency (PUE), wheat yield and yield components. Shafaq-06 cultivar of wheat was used as test cultivar. Ten treatments were included: (I) Control (P0) without application of fertilizer; (II) SSP @ 60 kg/ha (P60SSP); (III) SSP @ 90 kg/ha (P90SSP); (IV) SSP @ 120 kg/ha (P120SSP); (V) PM @60 kg/ha (P60PM); (VI) PM @90 kg/ha (P90PM); (VII) PM @120 kg/ha (P120PM); (VIII) SSP @30 kg/ha + PM @30 kg/ha (P30SSP+30PM); (IX) SSP @45 kg/ha + PM @45 kg/ha (P45SSP+45PM); (X) SSP @60 kg/ha + PM @60 kg/ha (P60SSP+60PM) which were laid out under the Randomized Complete Block Design. Significantly higher values for yield of grain (2397 kg/ha) was recorded with PM + SSP @ 60 kg P2O5ha-1each. Likewise, FPUE, PIR of wheat and AFPUE was quite higher with combined use of PM and SSP i.e. P60SSP+60PMtreatment. Additionally, increase in PUE, wheat yield and yield components associated with combined treated plot would help to minimize the use of high cost synthetic mineral fertilizers and represents an environmentally and agronomically sound management strategy.
Louisiana Medicaid access for treatment and care for hepatitis C virus (LA-MATCH) project: A cross-sectional study protocol
Authors: Afaneh Hasheemah , Straif-Bourgeois Susanne , Oral Evrim , Wennerstrom Ashley , Sugarman Olivia , Robinson William T. , Whittington Angel , Trapido Edward
Published: October 2021

Introduction

This article presents the Louisiana Hepatitis C Elimination Program’s evaluation protocol underway at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center–New Orleans. With the availability of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, the elimination of Hepatitis C (HCV) has become a possibility. The HCV Elimination Program was initiated by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) Office of Public Health (OPH), LDH Bureau of Health Services Financing (Medicaid), and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC) to provide HCV treatment through an innovative pricing arrangement with Asegua Therapeutics, whereby a fixed cost is set for a supply of treatment over five years.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study design will be used. Data will be gathered from two sources: 1) an online survey administered via REDCap to a sample of Medicaid members who are receiving HCV treatment, and 2) a de-identified data set that includes both Medicaid claims data and OPH surveillance data procured via a Data Use Agreement between LSUHSC-NO and Louisiana Medicaid.

Discussion

The evaluation will contribute to an understanding of the scope and reach of this innovative treatment model, and as a result, an understanding of areas for improvement. Further, this evaluation may provide insight for other states considering similar contracting mechanisms and programs.
Barriers and strategies for cervical cancer screening: What do female university students know and want?
Authors: Shin Hye Young , Song Soo Yeon , Jun Jae Kwan , Kim Ka Young , Kang Purum
Published: October 2021

Objective

This study aimed to identify the distinct barriers and knowledge level of cervical cancer screening among female university students and establish intervention strategies to overcome these barriers.

Methods

This study used a mixed-methods design with 26 female university students aged 20–29 years. We first conducted a quantitative online survey for the same study participants, divided them into three groups, and conducted focus group interviews (FGIs). Group A: participants who had sexual experience and had undergone cervical cancer screening; Group B: participants who had sexual experience and had not undergone cervical cancer screening; Group C: participants who did not have sexual experience and had not undergone cervical cancer screening.

Results

The participants’ ages were 21.92 ± 1.26 years. The knowledge levels for cervical cancer and screening were low to moderate. The four main themes that emerged as barriers to cervical cancer screening through the FGIs were: 1) socio-cultural barrier: conservative social perception of unmarried women’s sexual life, 2) knowledge barrier: lack of knowledge and information, 3) psychological barrier: discomfort, and 4) practical barrier: time-consuming. The three themes identified for strategies were: 1) socio-cultural intervention: changing social perceptions and ensuring confidentiality, 2) educational intervention: improvement of knowledge and accessibility, and 3) alternative screening intervention: comfortable screening methods.

Conclusions

While university students’ sexual experience rapidly increased, the socio-cultural perceptions of sexual health remained closed, and they had a reasonably low level of knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Therefore, various strategies sensitive to female university students’ culture should be implemented to increase the knowledge level, and social efforts should be made to change the socio-cultural perception of unmarried young women’s sexual health.
Relationship between employees’ career maturity and career planning of edge computing and cloud collaboration from the perspective of organizational behavior
Authors: Zhang Rui , Song Yue
Published: October 2021

A new IoT (Internet of Things) analysis platform is designed based on edge computing and cloud collaboration from the perspective of organizational behavior, to fundamentally understand the relationship between enterprise career maturity and career planning, and meet the actual needs of enterprises. The performance of the proposed model is further determined according to the characteristic of the edge near data sources, with the help of factor analysis, and through the study and analysis of relevant enterprise data. The model is finally used to analyze the relationship between enterprise career maturity and career planning through simulation experiments. The research results prove that career maturity positively affects career planning, and vocational delay of gratification plays a mediating role in career maturity and career planning. Besides, the content of career choice in career maturity is influenced by mental acuity, result acuity and loyalty. The experimental results indicate that when the load at both ends of the edge and cloud exceeds 80%, the edge delay of the IoT analysis platform based on edge computing and cloud collaboration is 10s faster than that of other models. Meanwhile, the system slowdown is reduced by 36% while the stability is increased when the IoT analysis platform analyzes data. The results of the edge-cloud collaboration scheduling scheme are similar to all scheduling to the edge end, which saves 19% of the time compared with cloud computing to the cloud end. In Optical Character Recognition and Aeneas, compared with the single edge-cloud coordination mode, the model with the Nesterov Accelerated Gradient algorithm achieves the optimal performance. Specifically, the communication delay is reduced by about 25% on average, and the communication time decreased by 61% compared with cloud computing to the edge end. This work has significant reference value for analyzing the relationship between enterprise psychology, behavior, and career planning.
COVID-19 in corrections: Quarantine of incarcerated people
Authors: Maner Morgan , LeMasters Katherine , Lao Jennifer , Cowell Mariah , Nowotny Kathryn , Cloud David , Brinkley-Rubinstein Lauren
Published: October 2021

Carceral settings in the United States have been the source of many single site COVID-19 outbreaks. Quarantine is a strategy used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in correctional settings, and specific quarantine practices differ state to state. To better understand how states are using quarantine in prisons, we reviewed each state’s definition of quarantine and compared each state’s definition to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) definition and recommendations for quarantine in jails and prisons. Most prison systems, 45 of 53, define quarantine, but definitions vary widely. No state published definitions of quarantine that align with all CDC recommendations, and only 9 states provide quarantine data. In these states, the highest recorded quarantine rate occurred in Ohio in May 2020 at 843 per 1,000. It is necessary for prison systems to standardize their definitions of quarantine and to utilize quarantine practices in accordance with CDC recommendations. In addition, data transparency is needed to better understand the use of quarantine and its effectiveness at mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks in carceral settings.
Evaluation of albumin use in a community hospital setting: A retrospective study looking at appropriate use and prescribing patterns
Authors: Coyle Timothy , John Samuel M.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Albumin has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical practice for a wide variety of indications. The purpose of this medication use evaluation is to quantify the use of albumin in the community hospital setting based on indication and prescribing department.

Methods

This study is a retrospective, single-center, chart review over a 6-month period of 186 patients aged 18 and older who were treated with IV human albumin 5% or 25% at a single 202-bed community hospital setting from February 1, 2020, to August 1, 2020. A chart review was completed for each patient and the data collected included date of albumin administration, the ordering provider, the specialty of the provider, the indication for albumin as stated in the order, patient notes, crystalloid therapy use prior to albumin, albumin strength, the presence of acute or chronic renal, hepatic or respiratory disorders, and lab values denoting renal and hepatic function. Appropriate albumin use was determined utilizing criteria which included FDA labeled indications, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, and existing literature.

Results

A total of 186 patients received albumin 5% or 25% IV solution at least once during the study period. The study population was 52.2% female, and the average age was 68 years. Of the patients selected for the study, 23 (11.6%) had chronic hepatic disease, and 37 (18.7%) had chronic renal disease. The top indications for which albumin was administered were sepsis or septic shock (25.3%), hypotension or hypovolemia (19.4%), intra-dialytic hypotension (13.4%), fluid support in surgery (10.8%), and nephrosis or nephropathy (10.8%). The departments with highest albumin use during this study period were critical care (41%), nephrology (28%), and surgery (17%). Overall, albumin was used for an appropriate indication in 126 out of 186 patients (67.7%).

Conclusion

We found that albumin was most utilized for sepsis and septic shock, hypovolemia and hypotension, and intradialytic hypotension in our community hospital setting and it was most frequently ordered by critical care, nephrology, and surgical departments. Further research could determine if this trend is seen in other community hospital settings.
Electromagnetic energy (670 nm) stimulates vasodilation through activation of the large conductance potassium channel (BKCa)
Authors: Gebremendhin Debebe , Lindemer Brian , Weihrauch Dorothee , Harder David R. , Lohr Nicole L.
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a highly morbid condition in which impaired blood flow to the limbs leads to pain and tissue loss. Previously we identified 670 nm electromagnetic energy (R/NIR) to increase nitric oxide levels in cells and tissue. NO elicits relaxation of smooth muscle (SMC) by stimulating potassium efflux and membrane hyperpolarization. The actions of energy on ion channel activity have yet to be explored. Here we hypothesized R/NIR stimulates vasodilation through activation of potassium channels in SMC.

Methods

Femoral arteries or facial arteries from C57Bl/6 and Slo1-/- mice were isolated, pressurized to 60 mmHg, pre-constricted with U46619, and irradiated twice with energy R/NIR (10 mW/cm2 for 5 min) with a 10 min dark period between irradiations. Single-channel K+ currents were recorded at room temperature from cell-attached and excised inside-out membrane patches of freshly isolated mouse femoral arterial muscle cells using the patch-clamp technique.

Results

R/NIR stimulated vasodilation requires functional activation of the large conductance potassium channels. There is a voltage dependent outward current in SMC with light stimulation, which is due to increases in the open state probability of channel opening. R/NIR modulation of channel opening is eliminated pharmacologically (paxilline) and genetically (BKca α subunit knockout). There is no direct action of light to modulate channel activity as excised patches did not increase the open state probability of channel opening.

Conclusion

R/NIR vasodilation requires indirect activation of the BKca channel.