bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An augmented reality learning system for Japanese compound verbs: study of learning performance and cognitive load
Authors: Geng Xuewang , Yamada Masanori
Published: October 2020

To address the difficulties related to acquiring Japanese compound verbs, which lack the clarity of verb combinations and the opacity of compound verb meanings, we designed and developed an augmented reality (AR) learning system based on image schema and AR animations. We investigated the effects of the AR-based language learning system developed in this study on the learning performance and cognitive load of an AR learning system and paper-based image schema materials. This study also examined the correlation between learning performance and cognitive load. Learners of these two learning methods had significantly improved performance on post-tests. Especially, regarding the retention of knowledge, the AR learning system was more effective. However, there was no significant difference in the perceived cognitive loads between the two learning methods. It is also found that the learning performance of the two learning methods was related to the perceived different types of cognitive load.
Sporting participation following the operative management of chondral defects of the knee at mid-term follow up: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Robinson P. G. , Williamson T. , Murray I. R. , Al-Hourani K. , White T. O.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the reparticipation in sport at mid-term follow up in athletes who underwent biologic treatment of chondral defects in the knee and compare the rates amongst different biologic procedures.

Methods

A search of PubMed/Medline and Embase was performed in May 2020 in keeping with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The criteria for inclusion were observational, published research articles studying the outcomes and rates of participation in sport following biologic treatments of the knee with a minimum mean/median follow up of 5 years. Interventions included microfracture, osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT), autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI), osteochondral allograft, or platelet rich plasma (PRP) and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). A random effects model of head-to-head evidence was used to determine rates of sporting participation following each intervention.

Results

There were twenty-nine studies which met the inclusion criteria with a total of 1276 patients (67% male, 33% female). The mean age was 32.8 years (13–69, SD 5.7) and the mean follow up was 89 months (SD 42.4). The number of studies reporting OAT was 8 (27.6%), ACI was 6 (20.7%), MACI was 7 (24.1%), microfracture was 5 (17.2%), osteochondral allograft was 4 (13.8%), and one study (3.4%) reported on PRP and PBSC. The overall return to any level of sport was 80%, with 58.6% returning to preinjury levels. PRP and PBSC (100%) and OAT (84.4%) had the highest rates of sporting participation, followed by allograft (83.9%) and ACI (80.7%). The lowest rates of participation were seen following MACI (74%) and microfracture (64.2%).

Conclusions

High rates of re-participation in sport are sustained for at least 5 years following biologic intervention for chondral injuries in the knee. Where possible, OAT should be considered as the treatment of choice when prolonged participation in sport is a priority for patients. However, MACI may achieve the highest probability of returning to the same pre-injury sporting level.

Level of evidence

IV
Cortical thickness of the tibial diaphysis reveals age- and sex-related characteristics between non-obese healthy young and elderly subjects depending on the tibial regions
Authors: Maeda Keisuke , Mochizuki Tomoharu , Kobayashi Koichi , Tanifuji Osamu , Someya Keiichiro , Hokari Sho , Katsumi Ryota , Morise Yusuke , Koga Hiroshi , Sakamoto Makoto , Koga Yoshio , Kawashima Hiroyuki
Published: October 2020

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the age- and sex-related characteristics in cortical thickness of the tibial diaphysis between non-obese healthy young and elderly subjects as reference data.

Methods

The study investigated 31 young subjects (12 men and 19 women; mean age, 25 ± 8 years) and 54 elderly subjects (29 men and 25 women; mean age, 70 ± 6 years). Three-dimensional estimated cortical thickness of the tibial diaphysis was automatically calculated for 5000–9000 measurement points using the high-resolution cortical thickness measurement from clinical computed tomography data. In 12 assessment regions created by combining three heights (proximal, central, and distal diaphysis) and four areas of the axial plane at 90° (medial, anterior, lateral, and posterior areas) in the tibial coordinate system, the standardized thickness was assessed using the tibial length.

Results

As structural characteristics, there were no differences in the medial and lateral thicknesses, while the anterior thickness was greater than the posterior thickness in all groups. The sex-related difference was not shown. As an age-related difference, elderly subjects showed greater or lesser cortical thickness than the young subjects, depending on the regions of the tibia.

Conclusions

Cortical thickness was different depending on sex, age, and regions in the tibia. The results of this study are of clinical relevance as reference points to clarify the causes of various pathological conditions for diseases.

Level of evidence

Level 3.
Advances on inorganic scintillator-based optic fiber dosimeters
Authors: Ding Liang , Wu Qiong , Wang Qun , Li Yamei , Perks Richard M. , Zhao Liang
Published: October 2020

This article presents a new perspective on the development of inorganic scintillator-based fiber dosimeters (IOSFDs) for medical radiotherapy dosimetry (RTD) focusing on real-time in vivo dosimetry. The scintillator-based optical fiber dosimeters (SFD) are compact, free of electromagnetic interference, radiation-resistant, and robust. They have shown great potential for real-time in vivo RTD. Compared with organic scintillators (OSs), inorganic scintillators (IOSs) have larger X-ray absorption and higher light output. Variable IOSs with maximum emission peaks in the red part of the spectrum offer convenient stem effect removal. This article outlines the main advantages and disadvantages of utilizing IOSs for SFD fabrication. IOSFDs with different configurations are presented, and their use for dosimetry in X-ray RT, brachytherapy (BT), proton therapy (PT), and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is reviewed. Challenges including the percentage depth dose (PDD) deviation from the standard ion chamber (IC) measurement, the angular dependence, and the Cherenkov effect are discussed in detail; methods to overcome these problems are also presented.
A long-term survivor of clear cell sarcoma-like tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with liver metastasis: a case report
Authors: Okada Takuhisa , Hirano Yasumitsu , Ishikawa Shintaro , Kondo Hiroka , Ishii Toshimasa , Yamaguchi Shigeki
Published: October 2020

Background

Clear cell sarcoma-like tumor of the gastrointestinal tract (CCSLTGT) is extremely rare. It is a mesenchymal neoplasm that usually forms in the small intestine of adolescents and young adults, is prone to local recurrence and metastasis, and has a high mortality rate. We report a patient with CCSLTGT with lymph node- and liver metastases, who continues to survive 6 years after initial surgical resection.

Case presentation

A 38-year-old woman presented with lightheadedness. Laboratory analysis revealed anemia (hemoglobin, 6.7 g/dL), and enhanced computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a mass in the small intestine, about 6 cm in diameter, with swelling of 2 regional lymph nodes. Double-balloon small intestine endoscopic examination revealed a tumor accompanied by an ulcer; the biopsy findings suggested a primary cancer of the small intestine. She was admitted, and we then performed a laparotomy for partial resection of the small intestine with lymph node dissection. Pathologic examination revealed CCSLTGT with regional lymph node metastases. About 3 years later, follow-up CT revealed a single liver metastasis. Consequently, she underwent a laparoscopic partial liver resection. Histopathologic examination confirmed that the liver metastasis was consistent with CCSLTGT. It has now been 3 years without a recurrence.

Conclusion

Repeated radical surgical resection with close follow-up may be the only way to achieve long-term survival in patients with CCLSTGT.
Delayed postoperative bleeding following lobectomy caused by the sharp tip of a suture: a case report
Authors: Kawamura Tomoyuki , Suzuki Hisashi , Kiyoshima Moriyuki
Published: October 2020

Background

Postoperative bleeding is a rare but serious complication occasionally caused by hard surgical materials, such as staples. Postoperative hemorrhage caused by sutures is very rare.

Case presentation

A 75-year-old man with lung cancer underwent right lower lobectomy. Eleven days after surgery, he developed a haemothorax. Emergency thoracotomy revealed arterial bleeding from a pinhole injury in the parietal pleura caused by a monofilament non-absorbable suture tip used during the initial surgery.

Conclusions

Postoperative bleeding is a serious complication, and as sutures are often used in surgery, it is important to be cautious while using this material.
Kidney failure after lung transplantation in systemic scleroderma: a case report with literature review
Authors: Ishide Takashi , Nishi Hiroshi , Ambe Hiroko , Honda Kenjiro , Nakamura Motonobu , Sato Jiro , Yamamoto Kota , Sato Masaaki , Nangaku Masaomi
Published: October 2020

Background

Systemic scleroderma (SSc) involves multiple organs including the skin, the lung, the kidney, and the esophagus. Nowadays, patient life prognosis has substantially improved due to more appropriate management of lung complications, including lung transplantation. However, the extension of their survival may increase SSc patients with chronic kidney diseases and requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT).

Case presentation

A 51-year-old female with SSc who underwent unilateral deceased-donor lung transplantation was referred because of progressive renal dysfunction. Despite no episodes of scleroderma renal crisis, her renal function gradually deteriorated for 2 years with her serum creatinine level increasing from 0.5 mg/dL at transplantation to 4.3 mg/dL. Although we reinforced antihypertensive treatment and reduced calcineurin inhibitor dose, she thereafter developed symptomatic uremia. Due to impaired manual dexterity with contracture of the interphalangeal joints, no caregivers at home, and kidney transplantation donor unavailability, maintenance hemodialysis was chosen as RRT modality. Further, due to the narrowing of superficial vessels in the sclerotic forearm skin and post-transplant immunocompromised status, the native left brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula was created. Post-operative course was uneventful while any sign of cutaneous infection and pulmonary hypertension was closely monitored. Our literature review also indicates several difficulties with initiating and maintaining RRT in patients with SSc although case reports of kidney failure after lung transplanation in SSc were not accumulated.

Conclusions

With respect to initiating RRT for post-lung transplant patients with SSc, the clinical course of our case exemplifies recent complex trends of renal management. The optimal modality with secured initiation of RRT should be carefully determined based on the severity and risk for the cardiopulmonary, peripheral vascular, cutaneous, and systemic or local infectious complications.
The elastic properties and anisotropy of artificial compacted clay samples
Authors: Gong Fei , Di Bangrang , Zeng Lianbo , Wei Jianxin , Cheng Jiwei , Gao Liangliang
Published: October 2020

Clay minerals are a major component of hydrocarbon reservoir rocks, and they are known to play important roles in the physical and elastic properties of rocks. However, it is difficult to directly measure these properties of single-crystal clays due to their small particle size. Therefore, we have constructed three sets of artificial clay samples with different compaction stresses to investigate the effect of the compaction stress and clay mineralogy on their elastic properties and anisotropy. All of the dry samples are measured by the pulse-transmission method. The results indicate that the compaction stress and clay mineralogy have a significant influence on the physical and elastic properties of the clay samples. The microstructures of clay samples indicate that the clay platelets are aligned almost perpendicularly to the direction of compaction stress, and the ultrasonic velocity analysis validates the assumption of transverse isotropy of our clay samples. The velocities increase with the compaction stress, especially at low stress, which corresponds to the rapid porosity reduction at low stress levels. Velocity anisotropy parameters increase with increasing of compaction stress due to the increase of texture sharpness for clay minerals during the compaction process. The elastic moduli of the clay samples display a significant stress sensitivity and a strong directional dependence, with the Young’s moduli increasing and the Poisson’s ratios decreasing with the compaction stress. A simple theoretical template is used to quantify the orientation distribution functions (ODFs) of clay platelets, and the generalized Legendre coefficients of ODF increase with the increase of compaction stress, especially at low stress. Further, the compressional-wave (P-wave) and shear-wave anisotropy increase with the ODF coefficients [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], especially P-wave anisotropy.
Least-squares inversion-based elastic reverse time migration with PP- and PS-angle-domain common-imaging gathers
Authors: Gu Bingluo , Huang Jianping , Han Jianguang , Ren Zhiming , Li Zhenchun
Published: October 2020

Elastic angle-domain common-imaging gathers (ADCIGs) extracted from elastic reverse time migration (ERTM) play a pivotal part in elastic migration velocity analysis, elastic amplitude variation with angle, and attribute interpretation. In practice, however, elastic ADCIGs often suffer from unbalanced amplitude behavior, poor resolution, and low-wavenumber artifacts because of insufficient velocity information, limited recording aperture, uneven illumination, and other inaccuracies of the migration operator. We have developed a new method to improve the quality of elastic ADCIGs extracted from ERTM by posing ERTM imaging as an inverse problem whose misfit function measures the difference between simulated and observed data. The misfit function can be minimized by updating elastic offset-domain common-imaging gathers (ODCIGs) using an optimization method. Based on the transformation between ADCIGs and ODCIGs, the forward operator generates multicomponent seismic data from elastic ODCIGs by applying a scattering condition, and the adjoint operator generates elastic ODCIGs from ERTM using a subsurface space-shift imaging condition. Compared with elastic ODCIGs extracted from ERTM, our method effectively improves the focusing of elastic ODCIGs to produce elastic ADCIGs with higher resolution, fewer artifacts, and improved amplitude coherency across different reflection angles. Several synthetic examples were used to validate the effectiveness of the method.
Features of the Transit of Power in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia in the Context of Emerging Political Institutions
Authors: Pritchin S.
Published: October 2020

Kyrgyzstan and Georgia are two states of the post-Soviet space where political processes take place in atypical scenarios for the region. In both countries, since independence in 1991, the change and transit of power has occurred more often than in their neighbors, and under different scenarios. Both republics are recognized as leaders in the post-Soviet region for liberalization and democratization, both are de-jure parliamentary republics, while Kyrgyzstan is the only parliamentary republic in Central Asia. At the same time, the peculiarity of the transit of power in the republics is the fact that after the change of power each time passed into the hands of either the opposition, or covertly or clearly conflicting with the government counter-elite. The article provides a comparative analysis of the historical, ideological, and geographical features of the formation of socio-political models of societies in countries that could be the causes of the phenomenon of cardinal change of power in any transit scenario.
Political accents of modern interactions religious and secular in society
Authors: Filina Nina
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this work is to study the modern interactions of religious and secular societies, they are simultaneously considered through organizational, legal and political points of view. By the method, the author chose an analytical review of the regulatory framework, foreign and domestic publications on the interaction of religious and secular in society. The work is based on a secondary analysis of data from socio-political surveys of leading research centers - the VTsIOM, the analytical center of Yuri Levada and the Europe Social Survey. Since today the issue of national security, the fight against religious extremism and terrorism, the prevention of conflicts on a religious basis, the harmonization of interfaith relations, the author's study is relevant. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by a comprehensive review of the legislative basis of freedom of conscience in Russia and abroad, as well as a political and organizational analysis of cases and content. Such an analysis suggests that the system of international law and the legislation of the Russian Federation, State-confessional policy, has made it possible to include religious organizations not only in the social sphere, but also in the system of public administration, in the political process. An analysis of cases, content and practices allows us to conclude that representatives of the religious and secular parts of society do not always have the same opportunities, rights, freedoms in the conduct of their activities. Unbelievers or representatives of other small (non-traditional) faiths may be an acceptable side.
Mothers’ Preventive Health Care Practices and Children’s Survival in Burkina Faso: Findings from Repeated Cross-sectional Household Surveys
Authors: Hermann Badolo , Sathiya Susuman Appunni , Aristide Romaric Bado , Mwinonè Hervé Hien
Published: October 2020

The significant reduction in the level of child mortality in both developed and developing countries over recent decades has led to an improvement in children’s health. The implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the health programs needed to reduce child mortality require determination and an understanding of the factors responsible for this reduction. This study investigated factors that have contributed to the recent improvement in the survival of children under five, focusing on the contribution of preventive health care in improving children’s survival rates in Burkina Faso.

The data used come from baseline and end-line surveys designed to evaluate the impact of performance-based financing (PBF) on health programs in Burkina Faso. Using time-series for health districts and child-level logistic regression models, we estimated the effect of preventive health care, as summarized by the changes in the composite coverage index (CCI), on under-five child survival of temporal trends and covariates at the household, maternal, and child levels.

At the health district level, a unit increase in standardized CCI was associated with an improvement in under-five child survival after adjustment for survey period effects. The linear regression analysis showed that a standardized unit increase in CCI was associated with an increase in the percentage of children under five who survive. At the child level, the logistic regression showed that a skilled attendant at birth (SBA), wealth index, and mother’s parity were associated with under-five children’s survival, after adjustment for the survey period effects and a set of household, maternal, and child-level covariates.

Preventive health care is important in improving under-five children’s survival, whereas the effects of economic growth in Burkina Faso remain weak and inconsistent. Improved coverage of preventive health care interventions are likely to contribute to further reductions in under-five mortality in Burkina Faso.
Selecting the Best Alternative Based on Its Quantile
Authors: Batur Demet , Choobineh F. Fred
Published: October 2020

A value-at-risk, or quantile, is widely used as an appropriate investment selection measure for risk-conscious decision makers. We present two quantile-based sequential procedures—with and without consideration of equivalency between alternatives—for selecting the best alternative from a set of simulated alternatives. These procedures asymptotically guarantee a user-defined target probability of correct selection within a prespecified indifference zone. Experimental results demonstrate the trade-off between the indifference-zone size and the number of simulation iterations needed to render a correct selection while satisfying a desired probability of correct selection.
Management Science: The Legacy of the Past and Challenge of the Future
Authors: Hopp Wallace J. , Simchi-Levi David
Published: October 2020

This paper uses the 65th anniversary of Management Science as an opportunity to examine how well the journal has performed against its primary goal to promote development and encourage application of a science of management. We also highlight recent trends that are impacting this mission and discuss how recent initiatives address these issues.
No fio da navalha: a questão do tráfico internacional de escravos no Conselho de Estado
Authors: Ferreira Ricardo Bruno Da Silva
Published: October 2020

Este artigo enfoca na análise acerca do papel desempenhado pelo Conselho de Estado de D. Pedro II no combate ao tráfico internacional de escravos. Até meados da década de 1850, o tráfico de escravos se apresentava como um problema de difícil resolução para as elites brasileiras por uma série de fatores: as constantes ameaças do governo inglês, a importância da mão de obra escrava na estrutura econômica do país e a força política dos senhores de escravos. A Inglaterra fazia valer a sua condição econômica e militar de potência global para impor ao Brasil o fim do comércio internacional de escravos. Por conta das pressões internacionais sofridas pelo Brasil, a continuidade do tráfico se tornou motivo de preocupação das elites nacionais. O tema provocou um amplo debate nas sessões do Conselho Pleno. A postura intervencionista inglesa foi duramente criticada pelos conselheiros por violar a soberania nacional. A partir da lei Eusébio de Queiróz, o Conselho de Estado adquiriu uma nova atribuição não prevista na Constituição: julgar e punir, em segunda instância, os envolvidos no tráfico de escravos. Para garantir a efetiva punição dos traficantes e apaziguar a pressão internacional sofrida pelo país, a entidade tentou atrair para a sua alçada os processos relativos ao tráfico. A punição aos envolvidos nesta modalidade de comércio não constituía tarefa fácil devido à cumplicidade e à conivência das autoridades locais. O presente texto constitui um recorte de pesquisa da tese do autor sobre o papel do Conselho de Estado no que tange à escravidão. No âmbito teórico, o autor procura realizar uma interface entre o campo da História e das Ciências Sociais, particularmente, da Ciência Política. Este trabalho se utiliza de um amplo acervo bibliográfico, além de uma série de fontes primárias, em especial, as Atas do Conselho de Estado.
Academic surgery in the UK and the Surgical Research Society 50 years ago
Authors: Ellis Harold
Published: October 2020

Fifty years ago, in 1970, academic surgical units had finally been established throughout the universities in the UK. Such departments had been created in the Scottish university cities in the 19th century; some medical schools in London had resisted this custom, but by now these bastions of the old system had surrendered!
The small matter of fraud
Authors: Bernstein Adam
Published: October 2020

Fraud is a risk for any organisation, and those in the care sector are no exception. Adam Bernstein outlines the extent of the problem and provides guidance on prevention from leading experts
Activities for resident wellbeing
Authors: Hong Chia Swee
Published: October 2020

Keeping residents active is critical to overall health, especially in times where their freedom of movement might be restricted. Chia Swee Hong provides the fourth instalment of his series on resident engagement
Impressions and affective practice: bringing unity to Bourdieu’s habitus
Authors: Ivana Greti-Iulia
Published: October 2020

Despite the key commonalities between the affective and the practical turns, affect is still an underexplored aspect in practice theory. Proposing an analytical distinction between the sociological and the ontological levels of analysis, this article looks into schemes of appraisal as they appear in Bourdieusian practice theory, and highlights how beneath the unity of social conditioning, habitus creates fragmentation between embodied and cognitive meaning. Additionally, it provides a limited and often foggy account of emotions and affectivity. To overcome these challenges, it is argued that practice theory needs to rely on a conceptualisation of subjectivity, which allows for a more holistic and affective meaning making. Doing so draws on Wetherell’s affective practice and Ahmed’s Hume-inspired concept of impression, but also on a variant of practice which works with empirical rather than epistemic individuals. A theory of practice infused with affect overcomes not only the mind-body dualism, but also contributes to reducing the tension between structural and agentic poles.
Resolution enhancement and realistic speckle recovery with generative adversarial modeling of micro-optical coherence tomography
Authors: Liang Kaicheng , Liu Xinyu , Chen Si , Xie Jun , Qing Lee Wei , Liu Linbo , Kuan Lee Hwee
Published: October 2020

A resolution enhancement technique for optical coherence tomography (OCT), based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), was developed and investigated. GANs have been previously used for resolution enhancement of photography and optical microscopy images. We have adapted and improved this technique for OCT image generation. Conditional GANs (cGANs) were trained on a novel set of ultrahigh resolution spectral domain OCT volumes, termed micro-OCT, as the high-resolution ground truth (∼1 μm isotropic resolution). The ground truth was paired with a low-resolution image obtained by synthetically degrading resolution 4x in one of (1-D) or both axial and lateral axes (2-D). Cross-sectional image (B-scan) volumes obtained from in vivo imaging of human labial (lip) tissue and mouse skin were used in separate feasibility experiments. Accuracy of resolution enhancement compared to ground truth was quantified with human perceptual accuracy tests performed by an OCT expert. The GAN loss in the optimization objective, noise injection in both the generator and discriminator models, and multi-scale discrimination were found to be important for achieving realistic speckle appearance in the generated OCT images. The utility of high-resolution speckle recovery was illustrated by an example of micro-OCT imaging of blood vessels in lip tissue. Qualitative examples applying the models to image data from outside of the training data distribution, namely human retina and mouse bladder, were also demonstrated, suggesting potential for cross-domain transferability. This preliminary study suggests that deep learning generative models trained on OCT images from high-performance prototype systems may have potential in enhancing lower resolution data from mainstream/commercial systems, thereby bringing cutting-edge technology to the masses at low cost.
Compact ring resonator enhanced silicon metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector in SiN-on-SOI platform
Authors: Chatterjee Avijit , Yadav Saumitra , Kumar Sikdar Sujit , Kumar Selvaraja Shankar
Published: October 2020

We present a compact on-chip resonator enhanced silicon metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector in 850 nm wavelength band for communication and lab-on-chip bio-sensing applications. We report the highest responsivity of 0.81 A/W for a 5 µm long device. High responsivity is achieved by integrating the detector in a silicon nitride ring resonator. The resonance offers 100X responsivity improvement over a single-pass photodetector due to cavity enhancement. We also present a detailed study of the high-speed response of the cavity and single-pass detector. We report an electro-optic bandwidth of 7.5 GHz measured using a femtosecond optical excitation. To the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time silicon nitride resonator integrated Si-MSM detector in SiN-SOI platform.
Color lens-free imaging using multi-wavelength illumination based phase retrieval
Authors: Mariën Jasper , Stahl Richard , Lambrechts Andy , van Hoof Chris , Yurt Abdulkadir
Published: October 2020

Accurate image reconstruction in color lens-free imaging has proven challenging. The color image reconstruction of a sample is impacted not only by how strongly the illumination intensity is absorbed at a given spectral range, but also by the lack of phase information recorded on the image sensor. We present a compact and cost-effective approach of addressing the need for phase retrieval to enable robust color image reconstruction in lens-free imaging. The amplitude images obtained at transparent wavelength bands are used to estimate the phase in highly absorbed wavelength bands. The accurate phase information, obtained through our iterative algorithm, removes the color artefacts due to twin-image noise in the reconstructed image and improves image reconstruction quality to allow accurate color reconstruction. This could enable the technique to be applied for imaging of stained pathology slides, an important tool in medical diagnostics.
Ultrahigh-Q AlGaAs-on-insulator microresonators for integrated nonlinear photonics
Authors: Xie Weiqiang , Chang Lin , Shu Haowen , Norman Justin C. , Peters Jon D. , Wang Xingjun , Bowers John E.
Published: October 2020

Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) and related III-V semiconductors have excellent optoelectronic properties. They also possess strong material nonlinearity as well as high refractive indices. In view of these properties, AlGaAs is a promising candidate for integrated photonics, including both linear and nonlinear devices, passive and active devices, and associated applications. Low propagation loss is essential for integrated photonics, particularly in nonlinear applications. However, achieving low-loss and high-confinement AlGaAs photonic integrated circuits poses a challenge. Here we show an effective reduction of surface-roughness-induced scattering loss in fully etched high-confinement AlGaAs-on-insulator nanowaveguides by using a heterogeneous wafer-bonding approach and optimizing fabrication techniques. We demonstrate ultrahigh-quality AlGaAs microring resonators and realize quality factors up to 3.52 × 106 and finesses as high as 1.4 × 104. We also show ultra-efficient frequency comb generations in those resonators and achieve record-low threshold powers on the order of ∼20 µW and ∼120 µW for the resonators with 1 THz and 90 GHz free-spectral ranges, respectively. Our result paves the way for the implementation of AlGaAs as a novel integrated material platform specifically for nonlinear photonics and opens a new window for chip-based efficiency-demanding practical applications.
Non-classicality of optical fields as observed in photocount and photon-number distributions
Authors: Peřina Jan , Michálek Václav , Haderka Ondřej
Published: October 2020

Non-classicality criteria for optical fields based on the probabilities of photocount and photon-number distributions are derived. Relations among the criteria obtained by the applied methods are revealed. Redundant criteria are identified. The performance of the fundamental criteria is tested on a set of potentially sub-Poissonian fields generated by photon-number-resolved post-selection from a mesoscopic twin beam. The corresponding non-classicality depths are determined to quantitatively compare the used criteria.
Generation of NLFM microwave waveforms based on controlled period-one dynamics of semiconductor lasers
Authors: Zhou Pei , Zhang Renheng , Li Kunxi , Jiang Zhidong , Mu Penghua , Bao Hualong , Li Nianqiang
Published: October 2020

We propose an approach to generating nonlinear frequency-modulated (NLFM) microwave waveforms, which is based on controlled period-one (P1) dynamics of an optically injected semiconductor laser (OISL). When the optical injection is modulated, the OISL, which originally operates at a P1 oscillation state, acts as a microwave voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). In the proposed system, the microwave frequency output depends closely on the optical injection strength controlled by the modulation voltage input, while the electrical modulation signal required to generate a desired NLFM microwave waveform can be calculated on the basis of the “voltage-to-frequency” transfer function of the established VCO system. Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that both single-chirp and dual-chirp NLFM microwave waveforms can be readily generated with a bandwidth up to 9 GHz. Considering peak-to-sidelobe ratio (PSLR) of the compressed pulses, the NLFM signals generated by the VCO exhibit a practical improvement of ∼13 dB when compared with LFM signals with the same bandwidth, and the tunability of the generated NLFM signals is also experimentally demonstrated.
Mid-infrared frequency doubling using strip-loaded silicon nitride on epitaxial barium titanate thin film waveguides
Authors: Zhou Junchao , Liu Mingzhao , Lu Ming , Lin Pao Tai
Published: October 2020

Broadband mid-infrared (mid-IR) frequency doubling was demonstrated using nonlinear barium titanate (BTO) thin films. The device has a strip-loaded waveguide structure consisting of top silicon nitride (SiN) strips and an underneath BTO guiding layer. The epitaxial BTO was deposited on a strontium titanate (STO) substrate by pulsed-laser deposition. Through a SiN grating coupler, the pumping mid-IR light at wavelength

λ
=

3.30

−

3.45

µ

m

was coupled into the nonlinear BTO layer, where the spectrum of the near-infrared (NIR) second-harmonic generation was characterized. The developed BTO waveguides provide a platform for mid-IR nonlinear integrated photonics and on-chip quantum optics.
Homenagem póstuma ao Professor José Cavalcante de Souza
Authors: Benoit Alcides Hector Rodriguez
Published: October 2020

Homenagem póstuma ao Professor José Cavalcante de Souza.
Fisher-foragers Amidst the Reeds: Loptuq Perception of Waterscapes in the Lower Tarim Area
Authors: Svanberg Ingvar , Ståhlberg Sabira
Published: October 2020

Toponyms and hydronyms encode important information about human perceptions of the environment in a specific context. This article discusses the Loptuq, a group of Turkic-speakers, who until the 1950s lived as fishers-foragers at the Lower Tarim River, Eastern Turkestan (contemporary Xinjiang, China), and their use of common reed (Phragmites australis) as an example for the close connection between language, culture, social relations, economic activities, and human perceptions about the surrounding environment. Operating in lakes and swamps for their economic activities (fishing, hunting, foraging, and occasional transport), exploring and observing vegetation and animal life, the Loptuq developed and transmitted information through naming their habitat. Today both their habitat and the earlier knowledge have disappeared, but the perceptions and uses of resources can at least partly be reconstructed through foreign explorers’ narratives and field notes.
A külföldi cserehallgatók egyetemi támogatásának lehetőségei az oktatásturizmus és a nemzetköziesedés tükrében = University support for exchange students – in the context of educational tourism and internationalization
Authors: Bifkovics Bettina , Malota Erzsébet , Mucsi Attila
Published: October 2020

Kutatásunk célja annak a kérdésnek a vizsgálata, hogy a felsőoktatási intézmények hogyan, mi módon segíthetik a csereprogramok keretében hozzájuk érkező külföldi hallgatókat. Áttekintjük a nemzetköziesedés témáját a felsőoktatásra vonatkoztatva, miközben ismertetjük különböző országok egyetemeinek nemzetköziesedési modelljeit. Tartalomelemzés és mélyinterjúk segítségével bemutatjuk a csereprogramokban részt vevő hallgatók támogatásának lehetséges területeit, példákat és jó gyakorlatokat felvonultatva e területeket illetően. Kutatásunkban egy hazai és kilenc külföldi egyetem honlapját térképeztük fel 26 szempont alapján. Emellett a téma átfogóbb vizsgálatához mélyinterjút készítettünk egy hazai felsőoktatási intézmény Erasmus program koordinátorával és egy egyetemi diákszervezet (ESN) vezetőjével.
A falusi gasztrofesztiválok iránti kereslet és kínálat vizsgálata dél-alföldi példák alapján = Case studies on demand and supply analysis of rural gastronomic festivals in Hungary’s Southern Great Plain
Authors: Tóth Bettina , Hegedűs Gábor , Pusztai Bertalan
Published: October 2020

A gasztrofesztiválok jelentősége világszerte és Magyarországon is növekszik. Település- és turizmusfejlesztési szerepük ellenére tudományos vizsgálatuk kevésbé elterjedt, ami a falusi gasztrofesztiválokra különösen jellemző. Kutatásunkban a Dél-Alföld tervezési-statisztikai régióban vizsgáljuk a gasztrofesztiválok jellemzőit, az ilyen fesztiválok iránti keresletet és ezek kínálatát esettanulmányi megközelítésben. A különböző stakeholderek (szervezők, helyi látogatók és turisták) turisztikai keresletet és kínálatot alakító szerepét és hatását kvalitatív módszerrel kutatjuk. Az eredmények azt mutatják, hogy a fesztiválok nagy kínálata és célcsoportjaik változó igényei hatására a szervezők megújítási válsággal néznek szembe. Emiatt indokolt a közösség nagyobb arányú bevonása a stratégiai tervezésbe, ami nélkül a falusi gasztrofesztiválok megrendezése várhatóan konfliktusokba fog ütközni.
Position and Speed Control of 2 DOF Industrial Robotic Arm using Robust Controllers
Authors: Jibril Mustefa , Tadese Messay , Degefa Reta
Published: October 2020

In this paper, a 2 DOF industrial robotic arm is designed and simulated for elbow and wrist angle and velocity performance improvement using robust control method. Mixed H2/H infinity synthesis with regional pole placement and H2 optimal controllers are used to improve the system output. The open loop response of the robot arm shows that the elbow and wrist angles and velocities need some improvement. Comparison of the proposed controllers for an impulse and step input signals have been done and a promising results have been obtained.
Barriers to early mobilisation within Musculoskeletal and Colorectal Enhanced Recovery
Authors: Jones Emma , Wainwright Thomas , Davies Sarah , Porter Paul , Francis Nader
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols emphasise the importance of early mobilisation after surgery. When applied in combination with pre operative and intra-operative ERAS elements early mobilisation is known to improve clinical and patient reported outcome. However, although early mobilisation is a well established element of ERAS its implementation can be hampered by clinical, organisational and emotive factors. The aim of this research is to survey staff opinion on the implementation process and challenges to early mobilisation across Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Colorectal (CR) wards at Yeovil Hospital.

Methods

MSK and CR staff (nursing, health care assistant and therapy) were issued with paper surveys addressing: i) timing of mobilisation, ii) competency to mobilise day one post operative patients and iii) barriers in July 2013. Qualitative data was subjected top thematic analysis and shared and disparate views were considered across the two data sets. Themes were cross checked by SD.

Results

32 staff completed the survey; 17 MSK and 15 CR of a cohort of 40.

CR staff reported unanimously that mobilising patients before breakfast could impact on length of stay while 53% of MSK staff believed that the timing of first mobilisation does not alter it, with 35% stipulating this should occur after breakfast. All staff felt competent and identified no training issues. The most common barriers identified were; staff availability (88% of MSK) and low blood pressure (60% of CR and MSK). Other factors included nausea, pain and anaesthetic/analgesia type especially after knee surgery (figure 1). MSK staff reported that organisational multi-disciplinary changes should be implemented to overcome barriers (fig 2). MSK staff emphasise the role of the therapists to drive mobilisation while CR staff emphasised the role of nurses.

Discussion

Differences between MSK and CR staff opinion on the timing of mobilisation and barriers to mobilisation could be underpinned by: staffing patterns, beliefs, ERAS tradition, clinical reasoning and interdisciplinary working. This survey has demonstrated that greater knowledge exchange between specialities could be important.

Further analysis is required to evaluate whether the timing of first mobilisation improves outcomes.

Conclusion

There is a difference in culture between Musculoskeletal and Colorectal staff in the timing of early mobilisation, and a divided opinion on whether this impacts LOS. Multiple challenges to early mobilisation can be overcome by a multi-disciplinary approach across specialities.
Simplified climate modelling to size economic boundaries
Authors: Anderl Thomas
Published: October 2020

Pencil-and-paper climate modelling is extracted from the comprehensive previous research on the inherently complex natural processes. A major goal is to mediate between general scientific knowledge and the wide-spread scepticism by identifying the driving forces, seeking simple descriptions, uncovering reproducibility, and thus contributing to transparency. The results of the shortcut model are in outstanding agreement with earlier measurement data and simulation studies. Two observations are fundamentally novel requiring scrutinization by the natural sciences community: (1) near-proportionality of atmospheric infrared absorption to particle densities and (2), temperature impact from human energy consumption. Independently, the presented framework allows for straightforward climate projections and risk assessment. As result, future economic growth is demanded to zero, even in a renewables (Green Growth) world.
Analysis of the Contributions and Proposals for Improvement of a Municipal Higher Education Institution Under the Prism of Different Stakeholders
Authors: Franzoso Ridley Gomes , De Araujo Fernando Oliveira , Abreu Chrystyane Gerth Silveira
Published: October 2020

Goals: The research aimed to identify the main benefits of a municipal institution of higher education (HEI) from the point of view of the most distinct groups of interest, such as city hall, companies, teachers, students and those responsible., characterizing the main key actors/ interlocutors and analyzing their perceptions regarding the role of this HEI in the development of the Region. Considering this relevant input, the study systematizes a set of actions capable of improving the various socioeconomic benefits of the institution..

Design / Methodology / Approach: Interviews were conducted with City representatives, teachers, students, community members, and local companies, in order to verify their comments and views in relation to the IES studied.

Results:  The results of the investigation and surveys were supporting in a large extent the opinion of the stakeholders participating in this studied, which recognized the relevance of the Municipal IES for this region.

Limitations of the investigation:  The study is limited to a single Higher education Institution located on the northern coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having not been done comparisons with other similar entities.

Practical implications:  Presents a special contribution of this Institution to the feasibility and democratization of access to public, free, high quality education at night hours.

Originality / Value:  This is a peculiar case, since this IES is budgeted by the Municipality, being after regular working hours (at night), and offered free of charge.
Genetic studies of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] response to seed storage stress factors
Authors: OKUNLOLA Gbemisola Oluseun , IDEHEN Emmanuel , ADETUMBI Johnson Adedayo , ALAKE Christopher , AKINYOSOYE Solomon Tayo , AMUSA Oluwafemi Daniel
Published: October 2020

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] responded differently to storage stress factors. This research work aimed at assessing genetic potentials of fifteen soybean varieties to storage stress via accelerated aging technique and grouping them based on their levels of tolerance to storage stress using simple sequence repeat (SSR). Tolerance of the seed of 15 soybean varieties to storage stress was assessed by subjecting them to accelerated aging for 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours at 42 °C temperature and 100 % relative humidity (RH), after which their quality was assessed to determine their tolerance to storage stress. Same varieties were also stored for 6 months under ambient environment at 65 ± 5 % R.H and 25 ± 2 °C and they were genotyped with 19 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The varieties were grouped on the basis of their levels of tolerance to storage stress. The principal components analysis (PCA) showed that germination rate index (GRI) and germination index (GI) were the major indices responsible for the significant variation in the seedling vigor characters. TGX1835-10E and TGX1448-2E were identified as varieties with good storage ability and therefore recommended for storage improvement in soybean breeding programs. Six SSR markers (Satt 565, Satt 175, Satt 281, Satt 600, Satt 160 and Satt 281) were identified as candidate markers for detection of alleles for tolerance to storage stress.
From plant biomass to biofuels and bio-based chemicals with microbial cell factories
Authors: VODOVNIK Maša , ZLATNAR Matevž
Published: October 2020

Global energy demands and global warming represent key challenges of the future of human society. Continous renewable energy supply is key for sustainable economy development. Waste plant biomass represent abundant source of renewable energy that can be transformed to biofuels and other value-added products, which is currently limited due to the lack of cost-effective biocatalysts. The bottleneck of this process is the degradation of structural polysaccharides of plant cell walls to soluble compounds that can be fermented to solvents or transformed to biogas via methanogenesis and can be used as biofuels or chemical raw materials. In order to replace traditional physical and chemical methods of lignocellulose pretreatment with more environmentally friendly biological approaches, native microbial enzyme systems are increasingly being explored as potential biocatalysts that could be used in these processes. Microbial enzymes are useful either as catalysts in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses or as components incorporated in engineered microbes for consolidated bioprocessing of lignocelluloses. The unprecedented development of tools for genetic and metabolic engineering for a wide range of microorganisms enabled significant progress in the development of microbial cell factories optimized for the producton of biofuels. One of the most promising strategies aimed towards this goal, i.e. systematic design and heterologous expression of »designer cellulosomes« in industrial solventogenic strains is adressed in detail.