bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to clean and handle optics
Authors: Waterman Dwayne
Published: February 2023

The proper care and handling of optical systems and elements in important to successful performance of optics.
Effect on tissue ablation of dynamic changes in infrared absorption
Authors: Walsh Joseph T.
Published: February 2023

Infrared laser ablation of tissue has long been based upon absorption of the incident radiation by water.
Laser cooling with Raman transitions
Authors: Davidson Nir , Lee Heun-Jin , Kasevich Mark , Chu Steven
Published: February 2023

Sequences of stimulated Raman pulses and optical pumping pulses have been previously used to cool atoms to temperatures below the single photon recoil temperature kbTrec = ℏk2/2m, (m the atomic mass, k the propagation vector of the cooling light) in one-dimension.1
Frequency tuning and stabilization of a KTP optical parametric oscillator
Authors: Lee D. , Wong N. C. , Brothers L. R.
Published: February 2023

We report on the frequency tuning and stabilization of a cw type-II phase-matched KTP optical parametric oscillator (OPO).
Evaluation of an external-cavity diode laser as an injection seed source
Authors: Koch Grady J. , Papen George C.
Published: February 2023

Remote sensing techniques such as differential absorption lidar (DIAL) and resonance fluorescence lidar require laser sources of high power, narrow linewidth, high spectral stability, and good beam quality.
Nonimaging illumination devices tailored to the desired irradiance
Authors: Ries Harald
Published: February 2023

In geometrical optics a light ray can be characterized by a point in 4-dimensional phase space. All radiation from a source occupies a contiguous region of phase space.
Corrections to classical radiometry
Authors: Littlejohn Robert G. , Winston Roland
Published: February 2023

The laws of classical radiometry (the conservation of brightness along rays, etc.) can be derived as an approximation based on a statistical treatment of Maxwell’s equations.1-4
Time-resolved study of shock waves and cavitation generated by picosecond laser pulses in water and tissue
Authors: Hu Xin-Hua , Turi L. , Jfuhasz T.
Published: February 2023

Optical break-down induced by ultrashort laser pulses finds its wide applications in ophthalmologic surgery.
Beyond photoelectron spectroscopy: what new things can be learned with pulsed-field ionization and coherent XUV radiation?
Authors: Hepburn John W.
Published: February 2023

Although there has been a tremendous growth in research using pulsed field ionization to record ultra-high resolution threshold photoelectron spectra of molecules, most work has concentrated on the lowest ionization thresholds in small molecules.
Generalized asymptotic approach to Gaussian pulse propagation in a linear, causally dispersive dielectric
Authors: Balictsis Constantinos M. , Oughstun Kurt E.
Published: February 2023

Both the classical nonuniform and uniform asymptotic methods have recently been employed to accurately describe the propagation of an input ultrashort, Gaussian-modulated harmonic wave in a linear, causally dispersive dielectric, as described by the single-resonance Lorentz model.
Amplification characteristics of femtosecond optical pulses in short, Er3+-doped phosphate fibers
Authors: Nishi Toshihiro , Naganuma Kazunori , Sakai Yoshihisa , Asobe Masao , Sudo Shoichi
Published: February 2023

When ultrashort pulses of below a few hundred femtoseconds are transmitted through an optical fibers, they are greatly affected by the dispersion and the length of that fibers.
Dispersion compensation with phase-sensitive amplifiers
Authors: Kumar Prem , Li Ruo-Ding , Kath William L. , Kutz J. Nathan
Published: February 2023

An important limitation to bit-rate-distance product achievable in a fiber-optic communication link arises because of the group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in the fiber.
Amplification and compression of subpicosecona high-energy pulses in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers
Authors: Galvanauskas Almantas , Blixt Peter , Tellefsen Jens A.
Published: February 2023

Due to their high gain, saturation-power, and saturation-energy, erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) seems to be particularly attractive for amplifying weak ultrashort pulses from diode or fiber lasers.
Customizing laser cavities with diffractive-optical elements
Authors: Leger James R.
Published: February 2023

Most laser cavities produce modes with non-ideal profiles.
Unusual binary-optics telescope design
Authors: Shafer David R.
Published: February 2023

A conventional two mirror telescope with the Cassegrain type of configuration is quite limited in the field of view it can cover with good image quality.
Advances in femtosecond pulse generation through the use of solid-state lasers
Authors: Murnane M. M. , Kapteyn H. C. , Zhou J. , Huang C. P. , Garvey D. , Asaki M. T.
Published: February 2023

In the past two years, advances in all-solid-state laser technology have made possible the generation of ultrashort pulses of unprecedented duration directly from a laser.1-5
Nonlinear effects in intracavity dispersion measurements
Authors: Knox W. H. , Gordon J. P.
Published: February 2023

A number of techniques have been developed for measurement of dispersion in optical components which are commonly used in femtosecond optics [1-3].
Microscopic theory of semiconductor microcavity lasers
Authors: Jahnke F. , Koch S. W. , Wright E. M.
Published: February 2023

A quantum mechanical theory for the coupled photon-carrier system in semiconductor microcavity lasers is presented.
High-power solid-state lasers in rod and slab geometries that make use of unstable resonators with variable-reflectivity mirrors
Authors: Hodgson Norman , Bostanjoglo Georg , Weber Horst
Published: February 2023

Three ceramic pump cavities (6x3/8" Nd:YAG rods) were used to investigate the performance of different VRM unstable resonator schemes with one, two and three rods inside the resonators.
Method for constructing a nonnegative interconnection-weight matrix of an inter-pattern–association (IPA) model associative memory
Authors: Yu Francis T. S. , Uang C. M. , Lu G. W.
Published: February 2023

One of the obstacles for optical neural implementations is the problem of having the positive and the negative interconnection weight.
Model for optimizing DCT-based image compression
Authors: Watson Andrew B.
Published: February 2023

The Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) underlies several image compression standards (JPEG, MPEG, H.261).
JTC based on an optical memory disk
Authors: Liao J. , Lu Z. , Hu J. , Weng Z.
Published: February 2023

Because of huge capacity of the storage data, optical disk has been suggested to be used in the optical information processing [1].
Visual memory: a review and attempted synthesis
Authors: Pelli Denis G. , Farell Bart
Published: February 2023

Summary not available.
Practiced and unpracticed search for alphanumeric and geometric stimuli
Authors: Nowlis Geoffrey H. , Chapman Robert M.
Published: February 2023

Chapman et al.1 showed an early Event-Related Potential component (C110, peak latency 110 msec) during an information-processing task made up of alphanumeric and geometric stimuli.
Lightness, transparency, and midlevel vision
Authors: Adelson Edward H.
Published: February 2023

Most approaches to understanding lightness perception are quite limited, being based on 2-D filtering operations along with some integration operations.
Raman spectroscopy of acoustically levitated millimeter-size o-terphenyl crystals during thermal processing
Authors: Biswas A.
Published: February 2023

Millimeter-size o-terphenyl crystals are acoustically levitated at room temperature in a variable temperature enclosure.
Picosecond optical breakdown accompanied by supercontinuum generation in CO2 gas
Authors: Ilkov F. A. , François V. , Ilkova L. Sh. , Chin S. L.
Published: February 2023

We report optical breakdown (OB) threshold power (POB) under different focusing conditions of 1 ps, 593nm laser pulses in various pressures of CO2 gas.
Measurement of the 1S-2S two-photon Rabi frequency
Authors: Li Xingfu , Fry Edward S.
Published: February 2023

Three photon ionization enhanced by two photon resonance of the metastable 2S state of hydrogen atoms is studied with a pulsed laser at 243nm.
Helicity dependence of optically encoded second-harmonic generation in glasses
Authors: Driscoll T. J. , MacDonald R. L. , Lawandy N. M.
Published: February 2023

Since the discovery of quasi-phasematched frequency doubling by an optical fiber the theory explaining the optically induced symmetry breaking remains incomplete.
Time-resolved field induced SHG in PLZT thin films
Authors: Bao Cailong , Diels Jean-Claude
Published: February 2023

The behavior of the PLZT (28/0/100) thin films is investigated with ultrashort optical pulsed YAG-lasers operated at 1.06 μm.
Stress-induced changes in the modes of weakly guiding InGaAsP optical waveguides
Authors: Daly Michael G. , Bruce Douglas M. , Jessop Paul E. , Cassidy Daniel T. , Yevick David O.
Published: February 2023

In waveguide devices with weak lateral confinement, stresses induced by contact metallization can cause severe distortion of the fundamental waveguide mode.
Photowritten gratings in ion-exchanged glass waveguides
Authors: Winick Kim A. , Roman Jose E.
Published: February 2023

In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of a glass waveguide beam deflector.
New scheme for mode-locking with a nonlinear étalon mirror
Authors: Sarukura Nobuhiko , Segawa Yusaburo
Published: February 2023

In this presentation, we will describe the design of a saturable-transmission mirror (STM) and a new scheme of mode-locking using this mirror.
Solitonic mode locking using twin-core fiber
Authors: Essiambre René-Jean , Vallée Réal
Published: February 2023

Generation of ultrashort pulses in fiber lasers has attracted considerable attention1’2 as a potential source for optical communications.
Prospects for visible-emitting rare-earth- doped waveguide lasers
Authors: Sanford N. A.
Published: February 2023

(Summary not available.)
New tunable erbium-doped all-fiber laser with a fiber-ring filter
Authors: Zhang Jianluo , Lit John W. Y.
Published: February 2023

Various designs of Er3+-doped fiber (EDF) ring lasers have been recently reported.1,5
Mode locking with nonlinear polarization evolution in a biréfringent fiber laser
Authors: Walton Donnell , Winful Herbert G.
Published: February 2023

Hofer et al. introduced a passively mode locked fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization evolution.
Emission spectroscopy during plasma-assisted deposition of thin films in relation to their optical properties
Authors: Guenther Karl H. , Han Xiaofeng , Qian Shunning , Raneru Shankar , Kimble Thomas C. , Zarrabian Sohrab
Published: February 2023

We have been using emission spectroscopy for some time to investigate the plasma conditions (abundance of excited and ionized atoms and molecules) during reactive low voltage ion plating of refractory oxides.
Sensitivity of reflection, transmission, and ellipsometric measurements to dispersion, inhomogeneity, and surface roughness
Authors: Edgerton R. F.
Published: February 2023

A comprehensive model describing many of the features observed in real TiO2 films was used to compute spectroscopic polarimetry data.
Designing binary optical elements for arbitrary interconnection holograms
Authors: Kazlas Peter T.
Published: February 2023

Binary optical elements present a viable solution to several interconnection problems, including beam steering, shaping, splitting, and combining.
Creating an optical xyz coordinate system by using bidirectional blazing from a symmetric triangular-groove grating in a conical diffraction mount
Authors: Azzam R. M. A. , Forgala G. W.
Published: February 2023

In conventional beam splitters, that use light reflection and refraction at a plane boundary with or without thin films, the incident, reflected, and transmitted beams all lie in one plane.
Multiple-objects recognition by using chirp- encoded nonlinear joint-transform correlators
Authors: Tang Qing , Javidi Bahram
Published: February 2023

We investigate the performance of a chirp-encoded joint-transform correlator1 in the presence of multiple input objects.
Characterization of double-ion-exchanged waveguides in glass
Authors: Auger Pierre L. , Najafi S. Iraj
Published: February 2023

A detailed study of double ion exchange process in BK7 glass is performed. Slab waveguides are made by a first potassium ion exchange followed by a second silver ion exchange. Assuming a surface waveguide, the inverse WKB method is used to find the index profile.
Cutting of sapphire, quartz, and glass by a passively-mode-locked pulsed Nd:YAG laser
Authors: Chudinov A. N. , Strigin M. B.
Published: February 2023

We were able to form a channel of microcracks in the transparent dielectric using the passively mode-locked pulsed wave of Nd:YAG radiation. The channel of microcracks started on the back side of a planar specimen; then it grew from pulse to pulse in the direction inside and ended on the face side.
X-ray-pulse and subpicosecond-laser-pulse mixing
Authors: Kalman P.
Published: February 2023

The effect of intense lasers on x-ray absorption1 and inelastic x-ray scattering2 processes was recently investigated. The results obtained are used to show how the mixing of the two types of radiation can be applied for measuring x-ray pulse lengths and for constructing swept gain x-ray amplifiers. This work was supported by the Hungarian National Research Fund (OTKA) through Grant No. T4459.
Delay-induced self-switching phenomena in a coupled optical bistable system: information structure and dimension change
Authors: Chern Jyh-Long
Published: February 2023

Since time delays are inevitable in real systems, it is important to clarify the roles played by time delays in dynamics. We apply information theory and dimension analysis to analyze the chaotic self-switching time series resulting from a symmetry-recovering crisis in a coupled optical bistable system.1 Information flows embedding in complex time series are determined. Information transport shows novel structure for the time series with the characteristics of memory loss and recovery. Delay-induced effects on mutual information are investigated. High mutual information region within chaotic “sea”, which usually results in a pretty low mutual information, has been found. Unlike previous work on Mackey-Glass equation,2 our result suggests that more time delays are not necessarily increasing the dimension of attractor. Mutual information between individual outputs of the attractor with a smaller dimension can have either higher or lower mutual information. This work is supported by the National Science Council, ROC.
Optical digital image halftoning
Authors: Shoop Barry L.
Published: February 2023

Previously, we have presented a new method of optical analog-to-digital conversion based on oversampling and error diffusion coding techniques and demonstrated a firstorder error diffusion modulator using multiple quantum well modulators.1 In this paper, we extend this idea to multidimensional error diffusion coding and, specifically, optical digital image halftoning. Although error diffusion coding can be shown to provide an optimum solution to this problem subject to a fidelity criterion, electronic realizations suffer from implementation constraints. In an electronic realization, the algorithm raster scans the image, and for each pixel, a binary quantization decision is made based on the intensity of the individual pixel and the weighted error from pixels in the diffusion region. As a result, the diffusion filter is necessarily causal resulting in undesirable visual artifacts, and substantial memory storage is required. By using an optical implementation of this algorithm, each pixel quantization decision can be computed in parallel and therefore the diffusion filter need not be causal. Visual artifacts resulting from the causality of the diffusion filter can therefore be reduced. Also, the inherent parallelism associated with optical processing can reduce the computational requirements while decreasing the total convergence time of the halftoning process.
Introduction to optical-computer graphics
Authors: Karasik Y. B.
Published: February 2023

Computer scientists have paid much attention to developing graphic algorithms for the display devices of conventional electronic computers. However, optical computers have their own graphical devices - spatial light modulators and holographic displays which until today have not attracted the attention of workers in computer science mainly because are unknown to these new devices.
Predicting the visibility of exit signs through smoke
Authors: De Cusatis Carolyn J. Sher , Raffucci Jose , Boyce Peter
Published: February 2023

Smoke falls into the broad optical category of aerosols, along with other aerosols such as snow and rain. The visibility through an aerosol has been extensively studied, since interpreting satellite and aerial reconnaissance photographs through weather has defense applications.1–4 Aerosols attenuate and scatter light propogating through them, making images both dim and blurry.
Self-Fourier functions and fractional Fourier transforms
Authors: Mendlovic David , Ozaktas Haldun M. , Lohmann Adolf W.
Published: February 2023

The Fourier transform is perhaps the most important analytical tool in wave optics. Hence Fourier-related concepts are likely to have an important on optics. We will likely recall two novel concepts and then show how they are interrelated. A self-Fourier function (SFF) [1,2] is a function whose Fourier transform is identical to itself. Another issue that has been recently investigated is the fractional Fourier transform. Two distinct definitions of the fractional Fourier transform have been given. In the first one [1], the fractional Fourier transform was defined physically, based on propagation in quadratic graded index (GRIN) media. The second definition [2] is based on Wigner distribution functions (WDF). Here the fractional Fourier transform is calculated by finding the WDF of the input image, rotating it by an angle α = aπ/2, and performing the inverse Wigner transform.
Starting a laser company in today's environment
Authors: Olson Ron
Published: February 2023

Mr. Olson will describe his experience of forming a company based on a technology developed in a national laboratory. He will also cover all aspects of starting a laser company in today’s environment.
Modulated cross-phase-modulation spectra
Authors: Wang Q. Z. , Liu Q. D. , Liu Disa , Ho P. P. , Alfano R. R.
Published: February 2023

When a weak probe and a strong pump pulses propagate together in a material, coupled interactions occur through the third order nonlinearity. This process leads to the self-phase-modulation (SPM) and cross-phase-modulation (XPM). The spectral shift of XPM can be controlled by adjusting the time delay between the pump and probe pulses.1 When the pump and probe totally overlap, the probe pulse has a frequency broadening similar to that of the pump pulse. When the probe pulse overlaps with the leading edge of the pump pulse, the phase of the probe pulse is modulated by the index change caused by the leading edge of the pump pulse and its frequency is red-shifted. When the probe pulse overlaps with the trailing edge of the probe pulse, the phase of the probe pulse is modulated by the index change caused by the trailing edge of the pump pulse and its frequency is blue-shifted.
Experimental test of number-phase uncertainty relations
Authors: Beck M. , Smithey D. T. , Cooper J. , Raymer M. G.
Published: February 2023

The uncertainty principle applied to electromagnetic fields implies that the field phase and photon number cannot simultaneously have arbitrarily narrow distributions. Here we describe an experiment which determines, for the first time, the variances of phase and photon number for a field containing small numbers of photons. The measurements allow a test of the uncertainty relation for the phase and photon number of a mode of the electromagnetic field when the field mode is in a very weak coherent state. The phase of the field is described by the Pegg-Barnett phase operator formalism. [1] The measurements are accomplished by experimentally determining the quantum state of the field by using optical homodyne tomography. [2] This method of state characterization requires that an ensemble of many measurements be performed. [3] In this case, the relevant interpretation of the uncertainty relation is that the state of the field does not have well defined phase and photon number.
Searching for new tunable IR lasers by using spectroscopy of tetravalent chromium in different hosts
Authors: Bass M. , Chai B. H. T. , Deka C. , Munin E. , Richardson K. , Villaverde A. B. , Zhang X. X.
Published: February 2023

The spectroscopy and lasing properties of several Cr4+ doped crystals and glasses are presented. Included is a discussion of the intensity dependence of the broad band, Cr4+ absorption.
Generalization of learned Fourier-based phase-diversity wavefront sensing
Authors: Zhou Zhisheng , Fu Qiang , Zhang Jingang , Nie Yunfeng
Published: February 2023

Proper initialization of the nonlinear optimization is important to avoid local minima in phase diversity wavefront sensing (PDWS). An effective neural network based on low-frequency coefficients in the Fourier domain has proved effective to determine a better estimate of the unknown aberrations. However, the network relies significantly on the training settings, such as imaging object and optical system parameters, resulting in a weak generalization ability. Here we propose a generalized Fourier-based PDWS method by combining an object-independent network with a system-independent image processing procedure. We demonstrate that a network trained with a specific setting can be applied to any image regardless of the actual settings. Experimental results show that a network trained with one setting can be applied to images with four other settings. For 1000 aberrations with RMS wavefront errors bounded within [0.2 λ, 0.4 λ], the mean RMS residual errors are 0.032 λ, 0.039 λ, 0.035 λ, and 0.037 λ, respectively, and 98.9% of the RMS residual errors are less than 0.05 λ.
Semi-analytical technique for the design of disordered coatings with tailored optical properties
Authors: Rishi Mishra Bhrigu , Jo Varghese Nithin , Sasihithlu Karthik
Published: February 2023

Disordered media coatings are finding increasing use in applications such as day-time radiative cooling paints and solar thermal absorber plate coatings which require tailored optical properties over a broad spectrum ranging from visible to far-IR wavelengths. Both monodisperse and polydisperse configurations with thickness of coatings up to 500 µm are currently being explored for use in these applications. In such cases it becomes increasingly important to explore utility of analytical and semi-analytical methods for design of such coatings to help reduce the computational cost and time for design. While well-known analytical methods such as Kubelka-Munk and four-flux theory have previously been used for analysis of disordered coatings, analysis of their utility has so far in literature been restricted to either solar spectrum or IR but not simultaneously over the combined spectrum as required for the above applications. In this work, we have analysed the applicability of these two analytical methods for such coatings over the entire wavelength range from visible to IR, and based on observed deviation from exact numerical simulation we propose a semi-analytical technique to aid in the design of these coatings with significant computational cost savings.
Photorefractive flexoelectric liquid crystal mixtures and their application to laser ultrasonics
Authors: Sasaki Takeo , Yagami Takaaki , Takashi Toshinobu , Suzuki Kaita , Ikeda Gouta , Ishii Yukihiro , Le Khoa Van , Naka Yumiko
Published: February 2023

A photorefractive effect of mixtures of flexoelectric liquid-crystal (flex LC) was investigated and applied to laser ultrasonics. Mixtures of flex LC, composed of smectic-C liquid crystals, photoconductive chiral compounds, and a sensitizer, are demonstrated to exhibit a large photorefractive effect. The experiments of a two-beam mixing with a photorefractive flexoelectric liquid crystal (PR-flex LC) show that a gain coefficient was measured as 1400 cm–1 and a response time was 960 microseconds, both with an applied electric field of 2.0 V/µm. The large gain and fast response are advantageous for remote ultrasound detection by using two-beam mixing with PR-flex LC. This remote sensing method can be used to probe the internal structure of an object or to measure the thickness of a plate object. The experimental results of acoustic time-of-flight in an aluminum (Al) plate are presented by using an adaptive two-beam interferometer with a PR-flex LC. A 3-D surface topology is shown by using laser ultrasonics with 2-D scanning of a test Al plate. With a fast response time in PR-flex LC, the system is not affected by vibrations in an industrial environment.
Snapshot super-resolution indirect time-of-flight camera using a grating-based subpixel encoder and depth-regularizing compressive reconstruction
Authors: Kawachi Hodaka , Nakamura Tomoya , Iwata Kazuya , Makihara Yasushi , Yagi Yasushi
Published: February 2023

An indirect time-of-flight (iToF) camera is an inexpensive depth-map measurement device with a large pixel count; however, spatial resolution is generally lower than that of ordinary image sensors due to the more complicated sensor design for time-resolved measurement. To solve this problem, we apply the snapshot digital super-resolution method to an iToF camera employing compressive sensing and point-spread-function (PSF) engineering. For PSF engineering, we also propose the attachment of a diffraction grating onto a lens as an optical subpixel encoder. Furthermore, exploiting this iToF camera scheme, we also propose compressive reconstruction processing that regularizes a depth map directly. We quantitatively investigated the effectiveness of our method through simulations and verified it by optical experiments with a prototype.
Genes encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and glutathione S-transferases associated with herbicide resistance evolved before the origin of land plants
Authors: Casey Alexandra , Dolan Liam
Published: February 2023

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenases and glutathione S-transferases (GST) are enzymes that catalyse chemical modifications of a range of organic compounds. Herbicide resistance has been associated with higher levels of CYP and GST gene expression in some herbicide-resistant weed populations compared to sensitive populations of the same species. By comparing the protein sequences of 9 representative species of the Archaeplastida–the lineage which includes red algae, glaucophyte algae, chlorophyte algae, and streptophytes–and generating phylogenetic trees, we identified the CYP and GST proteins that existed in the common ancestor of the Archaeplastida. All CYP clans and all but one land plant GST classes present in land plants evolved before the divergence of streptophyte algae and land plants from their last common ancestor. We also demonstrate that there are more genes encoding CYP and GST proteins in land plants than in algae. The larger numbers of genes among land plants largely results from gene duplications in CYP clans 71, 72, and 85 and in the GST phi and tau classes [1,2]. Enzymes that either metabolise herbicides or confer herbicide resistance belong to CYP clans 71 and 72 and the GST phi and tau classes. Most CYP proteins that have been shown to confer herbicide resistance are members of the CYP81 family from clan 71. These results demonstrate that the clan and class diversity in extant plant CYP and GST proteins had evolved before the divergence of land plants and streptophyte algae from a last common ancestor estimated to be between 515 and 474 million years ago. Then, early in embryophyte evolution during the Palaeozoic, gene duplication in four of the twelve CYP clans, and in two of the fourteen GST classes, led to the large numbers of CYP and GST proteins found in extant land plants. It is among the genes of CYP clans 71 and 72 and GST classes phi and tau that alleles conferring herbicide resistance evolved in the last fifty years.
Counting young birds: A simple tool for the determination of avian population parameters
Authors: Oldekop Werner , Oldekop Gerd , Vahldiek Kai , Klawonn Frank , Rinas Ursula
Published: February 2023

Population parameters are usually determined from mark-recapture experiments requiring laborious field work. Here, we present a model-based approach that can be applied for the determination of avian population parameters such as average individual life expectancy, average age in the population, and generation length from age-differentiated bird counts. Moreover, the method presented can also create age-specific results from lifetime averages using a deterministic exponential function for the calculation of parameters of interest such as age-dependent mortality and age distribution in the population. The major prerequisites for application of this method are that young and adult birds are easily distinguishable in the field as well as the existence of sufficiently large data sets for error minimization. Large data sets are nowadays often available through the existence of so-called “citizen science” databases. Examples for the determination of population parameters are given for long-living migratory birds which travel as families in large groups such as the Common Crane and the Whooper Swan. Other examples include long-living partially migratory birds staying together in large flocks which do not travel as families such as the Black-headed Gull, and also short-living songbirds where at least from one sex young and adult birds are easily differentiable such as the male Black Redstart.
Development and validity evidence for the intraprofessional conflict exercise: An assessment tool to support collaboration
Authors: Bajwa Nadia M. , Sader Julia , Kim Sara , Park Yoon Soo , Nendaz Mathieu R. , Bochatay Naïke
Published: February 2023

Background

Effective collaboration is the foundation for delivering safe, high quality patient care. Health sciences curricula often include interprofessional collaboration training but may neglect conflicts that occur within a profession (intraprofessional). We describe the development of and validity evidence for an assessment of intraprofessional conflict management.

Methods and findings

We designed a 22-item assessment, the Intraprofessional Conflict Exercise, to evaluate skills in managing intraprofessional conflicts based on a literature review of conflict management. Using Messick’s validity framework, we collected evidence for content, response process, and internal structure during a simulated intraprofessional conflict from 2018 to 2019. We performed descriptive statistics, inter-rater reliability, Cronbach’s alpha, generalizability theory, and factor analysis to gather validity evidence. Two trained faculty examiners rated 82 trainees resulting in 164 observations. Inter-rater reliability was fair, weighted kappa of 0.33 (SE = 0.03). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87. The generalizability study showed differentiation among trainees (19.7% person variance) and was highly reliable, G-coefficient 0.88, Phi-coefficient 0.88. The decision study predicted that using one rater would have high reliability, G-coefficient 0.80. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated three factors: communication skills, recognition of limits, and demonstration of respect for others. Based on qualitative observations, we found all items to be applicable, highly relevant, and helpful in identifying how trainees managed intraprofessional conflict.

Conclusions

The Intraprofessional Conflict Exercise provides a useful and reliable way to evaluate intraprofessional conflict management skills. It provides meaningful and actionable feedback to trainees and may help health educators in preparing trainees to manage intraprofessional conflict.
Can routine data be used to estimate the mental health service use of children and young people living on Gypsy and Traveller sites in Wales? A feasibility study
Authors: Rees Sarah , Fry Richard , Davies Jason , John Ann , Condon Louise
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Gypsies and Travellers have poorer physical and mental health than the general population, but little is known about mental health service use by Gypsy and Traveller children and young people. Finding this group in routine electronic health data is challenging, due to limited recording of ethnicity. We assessed the feasibility of using geographical markers combined with linked routine datasets to estimate the mental health service use of children and young people living on Traveller sites.

Methods

Welsh Government supplied a list of Traveller site postcodes included in Caravan Counts between 2012 and 2020. Using spatial filtering with data from the Adolescent Mental Health Data Platform (ADP) at Swansea University’s SAIL Databank, we created a cohort of Traveller site residents aged 11–25 years old, 2010–2019. ADP algorithms were used to describe health service use, and to estimate incidence and prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) and self-harm.

Results

Our study found a subgroup of young Gypsies and Travellers (n = 802). We found no significant differences between our cohort and the general population for rates of CMD or self-harm. The rate of non-attendance for psychiatric outpatient follow-up appointments was significantly higher in our cohort. Rates were higher (but not statistically significant) among Gypsies and Travellers for measures suggesting less well-managed care, including emergency department attendance and prescribed CMD medication without follow-up. The small size of the cohort resulted in imprecise estimates with wide confidence intervals, compared with those for the general population.

Conclusions

Gypsies and Travellers are under-represented in routine health datasets, even using geographical markers, which find only those resident in authorised traveller sites. Routine data is increasingly relied upon for needs assessment and service planning, which has policy and practice implications for this underserved group. To address health inequalities effort is required to ensure that health datasets accurately capture ethnicity.
Face touch monitoring using an instrumented wristband using dynamic time warping and k-nearest neighbours
Authors: Fathian Ramin , Phan Steven , Ho Chester , Rouhani Hossein
Published: February 2023

One of the main factors in controlling infectious diseases such as COVID-19 is to prevent touching preoral and prenasal regions. Face touching is a habitual behaviour that occurs frequently. Studies showed that people touch their faces 23 times per hour on average. A contaminated hand could transmit the infection to the body by a facial touch. Since controlling this spontaneous habit is not easy, this study aimed to develop and validate a technology to detect and monitor face touch using dynamic time warping (DTW) and KNN (k-nearest neighbours) based on a wrist-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) in a controlled environment and natural environment trials. For this purpose, eleven volunteers were recruited and their hand motions were recorded in controlled and natural environment trials using a wrist-mounted IMU. Then the sensitivity, precision, and accuracy of our developed technology in detecting the face touch were evaluated. It was observed that the sensitivity, precision, and accuracy of the DTW-KNN classifier were 91%, 97%, and 85% in controlled environment trials and 79%, 92%, and 79% in natural environment trials (daily life). In conclusion, a wrist-mounted IMU, widely available in smartwatches, could detect the face touch with high sensitivity, precision, and accuracy and can be used as an ambulatory system to detect and monitor face touching as a high-risk habit in daily life.
Impacts of medical and non-medical cannabis on the health of older adults: Findings from a scoping review of the literature
Authors: Wolfe Dianna , Corace Kim , Butler Claire , Rice Danielle , Skidmore Becky , Patel Yashila , Thayaparan Premika , Michaud Alan , Hamel Candyce , Smith Andra , Garber Gary , Porath Amy , Conn David , Willows Melanie , Abramovici Hanan , Thavorn Kednapa , Kanji Salmaan , Hutton Brian
Published: February 2023

Background

Cannabis legalization has enabled increased consumption in older adults. Age-related mental, physical, and physiological changes may lead to differences in effects of cannabis in older adults compared to younger individuals.

Objective

To perform a scoping review to map the evidence regarding the health effects of cannabis use for medical and non-medical purposes in older adults.

Methods

Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library) were searched for systematic reviews (SRs), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized/observational studies (NRSs) assessing the health effects and associations of cannabis use (medical or non-medical) in adults ≥ 50 years of age. Included studies met age-related inclusion criteria or involved a priori identified health conditions common among older adults. Records were screened using a liberal accelerated approach and data charting was performed independently by two reviewers. Descriptive summaries, structured tables, effect direction plots and bubble plots were used to synthesize study findings.

Findings

From 31,393 citations, 133 publications describing 134 unique studies (26 SRs, 36 RCTs, 72 NRSs) were included. Medical cannabis had inconsistent therapeutic effects in specific patient conditions (e.g., end-stage cancer, dementia), with a number of studies suggesting possible benefits while others found no benefit. For medical cannabis, harmful associations outnumbered beneficial, and RCTs reported more negative effects than NRSs. Cannabis use was associated with greater frequencies of depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, substance use and problematic substance use, accidents/injuries, and acute healthcare use. Studies often were small, did not consistently assess harms, and did not adjust for confounding.

Discussion

The effects of medical cannabis are inconsistent within specific patient conditions. For older adults, generally, the available evidence suggests cannabis use may be associated with greater frequencies of mental health issues, substance use, and acute healthcare use, and the benefit-to-risk ratio is unclear. Studies with a balanced assessment of benefits and harms may guide appropriate public health messaging to balance the marketing pressures of cannabis to older adults.
Asthma and its relationship with anthropometric markers among adults
Authors: Alwadeai Khalid S. , Alhammad Saad A.
Published: February 2023

Background

Many studies have examined the association between anthropometric indicators and the likelihood of developing asthma. However, no study has yet examined the link between asthma and anthropometric markers of risk. This study addresses this gap in the literature by evaluating the relationship between asthma, smoking, and anthropometric measurements such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) among individuals residing in the United States.

Methods

This cross-sectional study conducted a secondary analysis of the 2011–2014 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using data from 2,257 participants aged 25–74. We classified the participants into four groups based on self-reported smoking and asthma status: nonsmokers with no asthma, asthma alone, smokers only, and smokers with asthma. The outcomes of interest were BMI, WC, HC, and WHR scores in the latter three groups compared to the nonsmokers with no asthma group.

Results

Linear regression analysis showed that those with asthma alone and smokers with asthma were significantly more likely to have a BMI, WC, or HC score of 1 or higher than people without asthma and smokers only.

Conclusion

A higher score on the anthropometric parameters was substantially related to participants who had only asthma and those who had both asthma and smoking.
Eye and head movements while encoding and recognizing panoramic scenes in virtual reality
Authors: Bischof Walter F. , Anderson Nicola C. , Kingstone Alan
Published: February 2023

One approach to studying the recognition of scenes and objects relies on the comparison of eye movement patterns during encoding and recognition. Past studies typically analyzed the perception of flat stimuli of limited extent presented on a computer monitor that did not require head movements. In contrast, participants in the present study saw omnidirectional panoramic scenes through an immersive 3D virtual reality viewer, and they could move their head freely to inspect different parts of the visual scenes. This allowed us to examine how unconstrained observers use their head and eyes to encode and recognize visual scenes. By studying head and eye movement within a fully immersive environment, and applying cross-recurrence analysis, we found that eye movements are strongly influenced by the content of the visual environment, as are head movements—though to a much lesser degree. Moreover, we found that the head and eyes are linked, with the head supporting, and by and large mirroring the movements of the eyes, consistent with the notion that the head operates to support the acquisition of visual information by the eyes.
Broad protective vaccination against systemic Escherichia coli with autotransporter antigens
Authors: Xing Yikun , Clark Justin R. , Chang James D. , Chirman Dylan M. , Green Sabrina , Zulk Jacob J. , Jelinski Joseph , Patras Kathryn A. , Maresso Anthony W.
Published: February 2023

Extraintestinal pathogenicEscherichia coli(ExPEC) is the leading cause of adult life-threatening sepsis and urinary tract infections (UTI). The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) ExPEC strains result in a considerable amount of treatment failure and hospitalization costs, and contribute to the spread of drug resistance amongst the human microbiome. Thus, an effective vaccine against ExPEC would reduce morbidity and mortality and possibly decrease carriage in healthy or diseased populations. A comparative genomic analysis demonstrated a gene encoding an invasin-like protein, termedsinH, annotated as an autotransporter protein, shows high prevalence in various invasive ExPEC phylogroups, especially those associated with systemic bacteremia and UTI. Here, we evaluated the protective efficacy and immunogenicity of a recombinant SinH-based vaccine consisting of either domain-3 or domains-1,2, and 3 of the putative extracellular region of surface-localized SinH. Immunization of a murine host with SinH-based antigens elicited significant protection against various strains of the pandemic ExPEC sequence type 131 (ST131) as well as multiple sequence types in two distinct models of infection (colonization and bacteremia). SinH immunization also provided significant protection against ExPEC colonization in the bladder in an acute UTI model. Immunized cohorts produced significantly higher levels of vaccine-specific serum IgG and urinary IgG and IgA, findings consistent with mucosal protection. Collectively, these results demonstrate that autotransporter antigens such as SinH may constitute promising ExPEC phylogroup-specific and sequence-type effective vaccine targets that reduceE.colicolonization and virulence.
Prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in broilers in North Lebanon
Authors: Awada Rana , Ghssein Ghassan , El Roz Ali , Farhat Mona , Nehme Nada , Hassan Hussein F.
Published: February 2023

Background and Aim: Great attention has been given recently to the prevalence of different Campylobacter spp. in poultry since the latter are considered the major contributing reservoir of human campylobacteriosis. In Lebanon, the occurrence of campylobacteriosis in humans is high. The aim of our first-of-its-kind study in the country was to estimate the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in broilers from a convenient sample of farms in North Lebanon.

Materials and Methods: One hundred twenty-five fecal samples were collected from 25 broiler farms, which were selected, examined, and classified according to their biosecurity level and rearing system. All samples were subjected to qualitative microbiological culture testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect Campylobacter spp.

Results: Despite the reported use of antibiotics, cell culture and PCR were positive for 44% and 88%, respectively. This implies that this bacterium is resistant to antibiotics used on the farms. Furthermore, Campylobacter infection rate was higher in open (92%) than in closed (85%) system farms. All farms with poor biosecurity measures, and 82% of farms with good biosecurity measures had Campylobacter infections, and the difference was significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our results show that campylobacteriosis was found prevalent among broilers in North Lebanon, making them potential carriers of Campylobacter spp. Future studies should include antibiotic susceptibility testing to check the susceptibility pattern of isolates.
A Study on the Housing Information Support for Disaster Management
Authors:   Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Praxis, Cho Hyun Ju , Lee Sang Un
Published: February 2023

This study focuses on strengthening citizens’ capacity as disaster management agents and on facilitating the provision of housing information by finding ways to prepare for disasters by analyzing the case of housing information centers in Japan. The results are as follows. 1) The victims of the disaster asked for counseling and information about restoration of house and life. The housing information centers installed in Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto as housing information support platforms were able to respond quickly. 2) The housing information centers confirmed that it was necessary to expand the counseling system available in case of disaster as a forum for counseling, education, and networking. In addition, it was necessary to educate on the importance of self-help, form networks between citizens, businesses, and organizations, and establish a company selection system. 3) Housing information centers provide a counseling and information service for disaster prevention education and disaster damage prevention. In an emergency, the housing information center serves as a window for counseling and information provision regarding the housing stability and reconstruction of victims.
Effect of Organizational Traits and Result-Orientation on Safety Culture in Seoul Firefighting Organization
Authors:   Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Praxis, Kim Ja Young , Choi Hee Cheon
Published: February 2023

Until now, the studies about firefighters' accident cases have focused mostly on accident itself not on organizational culture. Because firefighters' accidents often caused by pursuing excessive operational performance, it is necessary to check the relation between result orientation and safety culture. The study’s independent variables are institution, accident experience, external expectation, communication, and risk acceptance. Parameter variable is result orientation and dependent variable is safety culture. The result with SPSS regression and AMOS structural equation model have shown that institution(-), accident experience(+), external expectation(+), communication(-), and risk acceptance(+) have significant impact on result orientation. Institution(+) and communication(+) have significant effects on safety culture. The result orientation has negative impact on the safety culture. The effect of accident experience on result orientation has the opposite results with the hypothesis, which requires further studies. Strategies for improving safety culture should be approached by both organizational and individual dimension.