bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is there a role for botulinum toxin A in the emergency setting for delayed abdominal wall closure in the management of the open abdomen? A systematic review
Authors: Luton OW , Mortimer M , Hopkins L , Robinson DBT , Egeler C , Smart NJ , Harries R
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Emergency laparotomy for either trauma or non-trauma indications is common and management is varied. Use of the open abdomen technique allowing for planned re-look is an option; however, performing delayed definitive fascial closure (DFC) following this can be a challenge. The use of botulinum toxin-A (BTX) infiltration into the lateral abdominal wall has been well documented within the elective setting; its use within the emergency setting is undecided. This systematic review assesses the efficacy and safety of BTX injection into the lateral abdominal wall muscles in the emergency setting. The primary outcome is DFC rate.

Methods

Systematic review was performed according to the PROSPERO registered protocol (CRD42020205130). Papers were dual screened for eligibility, and included if they met pre-stated criteria where the primary outcome was DFC. Articles reporting fewer than five cases were excluded. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Joanna Brigg’s appraisal tools.

Findings

Fourteen studies were screened for eligibility, twelve full texts were reviewed and two studies were included. Both studies showed evidence of bias due to confounding factors and lack of reporting. Both studies suggested significantly higher rates of DFC than reported in the literature against standard technique (90.7% vs 66%); however, these data are difficult to interpret due to strict study inclusion criteria or lack of a control population.

Conclusion

The use of BTX is deemed safe and its effects in the emergency situation may have great potential. Unfortunately, to date, there is insufficient evidence to facilitate opinion.
Laser derusting on low carbon steel surface based on coordinated application of machine vision and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Authors: Zha Rongwei , Bai Yang , Yu Lidong , Li Ben , Zhou Jingfeng
Published: February 2022

Online monitoring and closed-loop control are essential to accurately remove the rust layer and effectively avoid damage to the substrate. A collaborative utilization of machine vision and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to monitor and control the laser derusting process on Q235B steel is reported. The optimum overlap ratio of 50% is obtained by using machine vision. Monitoring derusting with different thicknesses relies on the Pearson correlation coefficient of the LIBS spectrum between the rust layer and substrate. By developing a collaborative monitoring and control system on LabVIEW, the functions of date acquisition, coordinate transformation, and data calculation are realized to automatically control the laser derusting process on rusty steel in a large area. The cooperation of two methods can achieve high-quality laser derusting with a derusting degree of 99.1%, roughness of 1.45 µm, and extremely low oxygen content on the surface, which verifies the accuracy and practicability of the developed monitoring system. Moreover, the potentiodynamic polarization curves demonstrate that the performance of the corrosion resistance of the Q235B steel is effectively improved after laser derusting.
Comprehensive theoretical analysis of the period chirp in laser interference lithography
Authors: Bienert Florian , Graf Thomas , Ahmed Marwan Abdou
Published: February 2022

We present a theoretical investigation on laser interference
lithography used for the exposure of linear gratings. The focus is on
the geometry of the arising interference lines on the substrate, in
particular on their period and orientation, depending on the
illumination geometry as determined by the setup. The common approach
with point sources emitting spherical wavefronts is considered for the
illumination. Three different cases are discussed, namely the
interference between two point sources with either two convex, two
concave or mixed, i.e., convex and concave wavefronts. General
equations focusing mainly on the calculation of the period and the
orientation of the grating lines are derived for each of the three
exposure cases considering arbitrarily positioned point sources and
arbitrarily shaped substrates. Additionally, the interference of
symmetrically positioned point sources illuminating plane substrates
is investigated, as these boundary conditions significantly simplify
the derived equations.
Wavefront engineered light needle microscopy for axially resolved rapid volumetric imaging
Authors: Kozawa Yuichi , Nakamura Tomoya , Uesugi Yuuki , Sato Shunichi
Published: February 2022

Increasing the acquisition speed of three-dimensional volumetric images is important—particularly in biological imaging—to unveil the structural dynamics and functionalities of specimens in detail. In conventional laser scanning fluorescence microscopy, volumetric images are constructed from optical sectioning images sequentially acquired by changing the observation plane, limiting the acquisition speed. Here, we present a novel method to realize volumetric imaging from two-dimensional raster scanning of a light needle spot without sectioning, even in the traditional framework of laser scanning microscopy. Information from multiple axial planes is simultaneously captured using wavefront engineering for fluorescence signals, allowing us to readily survey the entire depth range while maintaining spatial resolution. This technique is applied to real-time and video-rate three-dimensional tracking of micrometer-sized particles, as well as the prompt visualization of thick fixed biological specimens, offering substantially faster volumetric imaging.
Design and analysis of a metatronic balanced amplifier using epsilon-near-zero metamaterials and photonic crystals
Authors: Allahpour Fadafan Ali , Abdipour Abdolali , Askarpour Amir Nader
Published: February 2022

We introduce an amplifier design based on epsilon-near-zero
metamaterials and photonic crystals (PCs) suitable for the optical
communication wavelength of 1.55 µm. The active part of the amplifier
consists of a gain medium sandwiched between gyroelectric layers made
of metamaterials to provide the required nonreciprocity. The resulting
gyroelectric layers have a permittivity close to zero, and to steer
light into them, a substrate should be selected whose permittivity is
defined based on dispersion equations. The active parts are embedded
in a PC, providing impenetrable walls in the working wavelength. In
addition, the PC can be used to finely tune the design and optimize
amplifier parameters. The final metatronic amplifier has good
characteristics and an adequate bandwidth for optical communication
applications. Finally, a balanced amplifier based on the metatronic
amplifier and a PC-based coupler is designed to show the capabilities
of a metatronic circuit embedded further in PCs.
Multiband infrared emissions limited in the grazing angle from metal-dielectric-metal metamaterials
Authors: Benlyas Rihab , Shimizu Makoto , Otomo Keiya , Liu Zhen , Yugami Hiroo
Published: February 2022

Thermal radiation management remains a challenge because of the incoherent and isotropic nature of electromagnetic waves. In this study, a multiband and angular-selective infrared emitter, consisting of a simple one-dimensional (1D) metal-dielectric-metal metamaterial, is demonstrated. Although this structure has been well known as spectrally selective emitters, we analytically reveal that when the dielectric layer thickness is much smaller than the wavelength of interest (< 1/10), directive emission at nearly equal to the grazing angles (> 80°) can be obtained at multiple resonant wavelengths. As the absorption peaks can be entirely characterized by geometrical parameters, this angular selective technology offers flexible control of thermal radiation and can be adjusted to specific applications.
Low-threshold random lasers enhanced by titanium nitride nanoparticles suspended randomly in gain solutions
Authors: Wan Yuan , Wang Hongzhen , Li Hongwen , Ye Ruiqi , Zhang Xinyu , Lyu Jing , Cai Yangjian
Published: February 2022

In this article, we report a low-threshold random laser enhanced by TiN nanoparticles (NPs) suspended randomly in gain solutions. Results show that the random laser with TiN NPs has a lower threshold than the random laser with TiO2 NPs and the underlying mechanisms are discussed in detail. The localized surface plasmon resonance of individual TiN NPs increases the pump efficiency and strengthens the fluorescence amplification efficiency of the DCM. The multiple scattering of integral TiN NPs extends the dwelling time of light in random systems, which provides more possibilities for the light amplification in the gain medium. Then, the random laser threshold as a function of the number density of TiN NPs is studied. Results show that the optimum number density of TiN NPs for the lowest-threshold random lasers is about 1.468 × 1012ml−1. When we substitute the ethanol solution with the nematic liquid crystal (NLC), the random laser threshold can be further decreased to 5.11 µJ/pulse, which is about 7.7 times lower than that of DCM dye solution with TiN NPs under the same conditions. These findings provide a cost-effective strategy for the realization of low-threshold random lasers with high-quality.
Polarization-insensitive coupled optoelectronic oscillator with low spurious tones and phase noise
Authors: Liu Anni , Li Xiaoqiong , Huo Shasha , Zhang Tian , Dai Jian , Xu Kun
Published: February 2022

A coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO) based on σ-shaped fiber ring structure and intra-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The σ-shaped fiber ring structure is skillfully utilized in COEO to eliminate the harmful influence of polarization disturbance. The SOA is embedded for super-mode suppression due to the fast gain saturation effect. The eximious phase noise performance of COEO could be maintained by operating the SOA at the unitary gain regime. The stable operation of COEO is guaranteed by the immunity to polarization fluctuation and the greatly suppressed spurious-mode competition. As a result, a 10-GHz signal is generated featuring high spectral purity and ultra-low spurious tones as soon as the system is power-on, and can hold steady even if the polarization changes dramatically. The single sideband phase noise of the proposed COEO is about -133 dBc/Hz at 10-kHz offset frequency, and the spurious suppression ratio reaches more than 95 dB, which is 60-dB superior than the conventional COEO.
Optical coherence elastography to evaluate depth-resolved elasticity of tissue
Authors: Yang Chenming , Xiang Zhen , Li Zhongliang , Nan Nan , Wang Xiangzhao
Published: February 2022

Skin-elasticity measurements can assist in the clinical diagnosis of skin diseases, which has important clinical significance. Accurately determining the depth-resolved elasticity of superficial biological tissue is an important research direction. This paper presents an optical coherence elastography technique that combines surface acoustic waves and shear waves to obtain the elasticity of multilayer tissue. First, the phase velocity of the high-frequency surface acoustic wave is calculated at the surface of the sample to obtain the Young's modulus of the top layer. Then, the shear wave velocities in the other layers are calculated to obtain their respective Young's moduli. In the bilayer phantom experiment, the maximum error in the elastic estimation of each layer was 2.2%. The results show that the proposed method can accurately evaluate the depth-resolved elasticity of layered tissue-mimicking phantoms, which can potentially expand the clinical applications of elastic wave elastography.
Incident-angle-insensitive toroidal metamaterial
Authors: Li Jie , Shao Jian , Li Xin , Shi Zheng , Wang Yongjin
Published: February 2022

The incident-angle-insensitive toroidal dipole resonance on an asymmetric double-disk metamaterial is investigated in the near infrared band. Numerical results show that when the incident angle of excitation light varies from 0° to 90°, our metastructure not only always maintains stable toroidal dipole resonance characteristics, but also presents an excellent local field confinement. Under normal incidence, the polarization angle accessible to a dominant toroidal dipole resonance can be expanded to 70° in spite of the weakened electric field amplitude probed in the gap-layer. Moreover, the dependent relationships of toroidal dipole resonance on the radial asymmetry Δr and gap distance are also explored. The local electric field amplitude can also reach a maximum by structural optimization. The works enrich the research of toroidal moment and provide more application potentials in optical devices.
Magnetically controllable holographic encryption based on a magneto-optical metasurface
Authors: Bi Yu , Huang Lingling , Zhao Ruizhe , Zhou Hongqiang , Zhang Weiwei , Zhu Shuangqi , Ullah Naqeeb , Li Xiaowei , Wang Yongtian
Published: February 2022

As a flexible and compact nanophotonic device, the metasurface exhibits excellent potential in holographic display and optical information encryption. However, most metasurfaces are passive devices due to the limitations of fixed material properties and structural components. Magneto-optical metasurface is a hybrid device that integrates tunable functional material with elaborately designed nanostructures. It can realize dynamic modulation of the properties of light since the permittivity tensor for the magneto-optical material can be changed by applying an external magnetic field. Here, we propose a tunable metasurface composing metallic nanohole arrays with a bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet interleave layer and a metallic film underlayer placed on a glass substrate. The magneto-optical metasurface can achieve dynamic switchable holographic display in different polarization channels via magnetic field control based on the optical rotation of magnetic material and the complex amplitude modulation of the elaborately designed nanoholes. This feature provides a novel approach for the construction of an active tunable metasurface, which can improve the information storage capacity and security of the device. This concept is expected to be applied to various dynamic modulation fields, such as magnetically tunable lens, beam shaping, and optical information encryption.
High speed time-of-flight displacement measurement based on dual-comb electronically controlled optical sampling
Authors: Shi Yiyi , Hu Dingtong , Xue Rui , Wu Ziling , Dong Jiaqi , Tian Haochen , Wang Chunze , Wang Jiaqi , Hu Minglie , Song Youjian
Published: February 2022

We demonstrate a direct time-of-flight approach that utilizes dual-comb electronically controlled optical sampling (ECOPS) to measure small displacements. ECOPS is enabled by electrically controlling the repetition rate of one laser via an intracavity electric-optical modulator (EOM). The acquisition rate is set by the EOM modulation frequency, which is much higher than commonly used asynchronous optical sampling (ASOPS). In a proof-of-principle experiment, an 80-kHz acquisition rate is obtained with a pair of ∼105 MHz repetition rate Er-fiber lasers. At an average time of 30 ms, a measurement precision evaluated with Allan deviation reaches 26.1 nm for a 40-µm static displacement. In a dynamic measurement, a 500-Hz sinusoidal vibration with 15 µm amplitude has also been identified. The high-precision and high-speed displacement measurement technique can be potentially used in 3D surface profilometry of microelectronic step-structures and real-time monitoring of high frequency mechanical vibrations, etc.
3D k-space reflectance fluorescence tomography via deep learning
Authors: Nizam Navid Ibtehaj , Ochoa Marien , Smith Jason T. , Intes Xavier
Published: February 2022

We report on the potential to perform image reconstruction in 3D k-space reflectance fluorescence tomography (FT) using deep learning (DL). Herein, we adopt a modified AUTOMAP architecture and develop a training methodology that leverages an open-source Monte-Carlo-based simulator to generate a large dataset. Using an enhanced EMNIST (EEMNIST) dataset as an embedded contrast function allows us to train the network efficiently. The optical strategy utilizes k-space illumination in a reflectance configuration to probe tissue in the mesoscopic regime with high sensitivity and resolution. The proposed DL model training and validation is performed with both in silico data and a phantom experiment. Overall, our results indicate that the approach can correctly reconstruct both single and multiple fluorescent embedding(s) in a 3D volume. Furthermore, the presented technique is shown to outperform the traditional approaches [least-squares (LSQ) and total-variation minimization (TVAL)], especially at higher depths. We, therefore, expect the proposed computational technique to have future implications in preclinical studies.
Meta-coupler arrays linking propagating waves and photonic topological modes on a chip
Authors: Hao Weiming , Wang Jian , Chen Lin
Published: February 2022

Photonic topological modes (PTMs) have attracted increasing attention due to their robust optical performance, which provides a defect-tolerant strategy for chip-integrated photonic systems. The current coupling schemes rely on bulky structures that severely limit their potential applications in high-density optical integration. Here, plasmonic metasurfaces loaded on topological waveguide arrays are explored to generate PTMs. The normally incident circularly polarized beam can be coupled into the topological interface or edge modes after carefully optimizing the metasurfaces. The result provides a compact and flexible method for PTMs generation on a chip, suggesting a promising avenue toward the application of topological photonic devices.
Dynamic Fizeau interferometer with assistant defocused source
Authors: Duan Mingliang , Li Jianxin , Zong Yi , Yu Caiyun
Published: February 2022

We report and demonstrate a dynamic Fizeau interferometer (DFI) capable of high-precision measurements under severe vibration. The method involves two interferometric passes: a null-interference pass (NP) and a circular carrier-frequency pass (CP). The NP adopts an on-axis Fizeau design, preserving the common path of the reference and test beams. The CP uses an assistant defocused source to generate circular fringe patterns, assisting the NP in phase extraction and sign correction. The feasibility and performance of the proposed method are demonstrated experimentally. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proposal of a general asynchronous phase-shifting DFI that can not only demodulate null-fringe patterns and correct phase-sign ambiguity but can also maintain the common-path advantages of the Fizeau interferometer.
Design and demonstration of an efficient pump rejection filter for silicon photonic applications
Authors: Goswami Arnab , Krishna Das Bijoy
Published: February 2022

Photon pair generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing in silicon waveguides/microring resonators integrated with a high extinction pump rejection filter is very much in demand for futuristic large-scale integrated quantum photonics circuits. Ideally, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) can be designed to offer desired pump rejection. However, fabricated DBRs suffer degradation in pump extinction due to roughness-induced unwanted scattering waves in the forward direction around the Bragg wavelength. It is therefore inferred that the roughness-induced forward scattering can be reduced significantly by integrating a DBR structure in one of the sidewalls (instead of two sidewalls) of a multimode rib waveguide (instead of a single mode strip waveguide). Therefore, we studied a single-stage DBR filter with this design which exhibits a significantly higher stop band extinction (∼63 dB), in comparison with that of earlier reported results (<50 dB). To validate the pump rejection efficiency of such fabricated devices in quantum photonic applications, we have carried out on-chip stimulated four-wave mixing experiments and shown that the pump laser within the rejection band could be attenuated to the level of idler power.
Further evidence for the capacity of mirror self-recognition in cleaner fish and the significance of ecologically relevant marks
Authors: Kohda Masanori , Sogawa Shumpei , Jordan Alex L. , Kubo Naoki , Awata Satoshi , Satoh Shun , Kobayashi Taiga , Fujita Akane , Bshary Redouan
Published: February 2022

An animal that tries to remove a mark from its body that is only visible when looking into a mirror displays the capacity for mirror self-recognition (MSR), which has been interpreted as evidence for self-awareness. Conservative interpretations of existing data conclude that convincing evidence for MSR is currently restricted to great apes. Here, we address proposed shortcomings of a previous study on MSR in the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, by varying preexposure to mirrors and by marking individuals with different colors. We found that (1) 14/14 new individuals scraped their throat when a brown mark had been provisioned, but only in the presence of a mirror; (2) blue and green color marks did not elicit scraping; (3) intentionally injecting the mark deeper beneath the skin reliably elicited spontaneous scraping in the absence of a mirror; (4) mirror-naive individuals injected with a brown mark scraped their throat with lower probability and/or lower frequency compared to mirror-experienced individuals; (5) in contrast to the mirror images, seeing another fish with the same marking did not induce throat scraping; and (6) moving the mirror to another location did not elicit renewed aggression in mirror-experienced individuals. Taken together, these results increase our confidence that cleaner fish indeed pass the mark test, although only if it is presented in ecologically relevant contexts. Therefore, we reiterate the conclusion of the previous study that either self-awareness in animals or the validity of the mirror test needs to be revised.
Analysing pneumococcal invasiveness using Bayesian models of pathogen progression rates
Authors: Løchen Alessandra , Truscott James E. , Croucher Nicholas J.
Published: February 2022

The disease burden attributable to opportunistic pathogens depends on their prevalence in asymptomatic colonisation and the rate at which they progress to cause symptomatic disease. Increases in infections caused by commensals can result from the emergence of “hyperinvasive” strains. Such pathogens can be identified through quantifying progression rates using matched samples of typed microbes from disease cases and healthy carriers. This study describes Bayesian models for analysing such datasets, implemented in an RStan package (https://github.com/nickjcroucher/progressionEstimation). The models converged on stable fits that accurately reproduced observations from meta-analyses of Streptococcus pneumoniae datasets. The estimates of invasiveness, the progression rate from carriage to invasive disease, in cases per carrier per year correlated strongly with the dimensionless values from meta-analysis of odds ratios when sample sizes were large. At smaller sample sizes, the Bayesian models produced more informative estimates. This identified historically rare but high-risk S. pneumoniae serotypes that could be problematic following vaccine-associated disruption of the bacterial population. The package allows for hypothesis testing through model comparisons with Bayes factors. Application to datasets in which strain and serotype information were available for S. pneumoniae found significant evidence for within-strain and within-serotype variation in invasiveness. The heterogeneous geographical distribution of these genotypes is therefore likely to contribute to differences in the impact of vaccination in between locations. Hence genomic surveillance of opportunistic pathogens is crucial for quantifying the effectiveness of public health interventions, and enabling ongoing meta-analyses that can identify new, highly invasive variants.
Computational exploration of treadmilling and protrusion growth observed in fire ant rafts
Authors: Wagner Robert J. , Vernerey Franck J.
Published: February 2022

Collective living systems regularly achieve cooperative emergent functions that individual organisms could not accomplish alone. The rafts of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are often studied in this context for their ability to create aggregated structures comprised entirely of their own bodies, including tether-like protrusions that facilitate exploration of and escape from flooded environments. While similar protrusions are observed in cytoskeletons and cellular aggregates, they are generally dependent on morphogens or external gradients leaving the isolated role of local interactions poorly understood. Here we demonstrate through an ant-inspired, agent-based numerical model how protrusions in ant rafts may emerge spontaneously due to local interactions. The model is comprised of a condensed structural network of agents that represents the monolayer of interconnected worker ants, which floats on the water and gives ant rafts their form. Experimentally, this layer perpetually contracts, which we capture through the pairwise contraction of all neighboring structural agents at a strain rate ofd˙. On top of the structural layer, we model a dispersed, on-lattice layer of motile agents that represents free ants, which walk on top of the floating network. Experimentally, these self-propelled free ants walk with some mean persistence length and speed that we capture through an ant-inspired phenomenological model. Local interactions occur between neighboring free ants within some radius of detection,R, and the persistence length of freely active agents is tuned through a noise parameter,ηas introduced by the Vicsek model. BothRandηwhere fixed to match the experimental trajectories of free ants. Treadmilling of the raft occurs as agents transition between the structural and free layers in accordance with experimental observations. Ultimately, we demonstrate how phases of exploratory protrusion growth may be induced by increased ant activity as characterized by a dimensionless parameter,A. These results provide an example in which functional morphogenesis of a living system may emerge purely from local interactions at the constituent length scale, thereby providing a source of inspiration for the development of decentralized, autonomous active matter and swarm robotics.
High-frequency oscillations and sequence generation in two-population models of hippocampal region CA1
Authors: Braun Wilhelm , Memmesheimer Raoul-Martin
Published: February 2022

Hippocampal sharp wave/ripple oscillations are a prominent pattern of collective activity, which consists of a strong overall increase of activity with superimposed (140 − 200 Hz) ripple oscillations. Despite its prominence and its experimentally demonstrated importance for memory consolidation, the mechanisms underlying its generation are to date not understood. Several models assume that recurrent networks of inhibitory cells alone can explain the generation and main characteristics of the ripple oscillations. Recent experiments, however, indicate that in addition to inhibitory basket cells, the pattern requiresin vivothe activity of the local population of excitatory pyramidal cells. Here, we study a model for networks in the hippocampal region CA1 incorporating such a local excitatory population of pyramidal neurons. We start by investigating its ability to generate ripple oscillations using extensive simulations. Using biologically plausible parameters, we find that short pulses of external excitation triggering excitatory cell spiking are required for sharp/wave ripple generation with oscillation patterns similar toin vivoobservations. Our model has plausible values for single neuron, synapse and connectivity parameters, random connectivity and no strong feedforward drive to the inhibitory population. Specifically, whereas temporally broad excitation can lead to high-frequency oscillations in the ripple range, sparse pyramidal cell activity is only obtained with pulse-like external CA3 excitation. Further simulations indicate that such short pulses could originate from dendritic spikes in the apical or basal dendrites of CA1 pyramidal cells, which are triggered by coincident spike arrivals from hippocampal region CA3. Finally we show that replay of sequences by pyramidal neurons and ripple oscillations can arise intrinsically in CA1 due to structured connectivity that gives rise to alternating excitatory pulse and inhibitory gap coding; the latter denotes phases of silence in specific basket cell groups, which induce selective disinhibition of groups of pyramidal neurons. This general mechanism for sequence generation leads to sparse pyramidal cell and dense basket cell spiking, does not rely on synfire chain-like feedforward excitation and may be relevant for other brain regions as well.
Unifying cardiovascular modelling with deep reinforcement learning for uncertainty aware control of sepsis treatment
Authors: Nanayakkara Thesath , Clermont Gilles , Langmead Christopher James , Swigon David
Published: February 2022

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening inflammatory response to infection or severe tissue damage. It has a highly variable clinical course, requiring constant monitoring of the patient’s state to guide the management of intravenous fluids and vasopressors, among other interventions. Despite decades of research, there’s still debate among experts on optimal treatment. Here, we combine for the first time, distributional deep reinforcement learning with mechanistic physiological models to find personalized sepsis treatment strategies. Our method handles partial observability by leveraging known cardiovascular physiology, introducing a novel physiology-driven recurrent autoencoder, and quantifies the uncertainty of its own results. Moreover, we introduce a framework for uncertainty-aware decision support with humans in the loop. We show that our method learns physiologically explainable, robust policies, that are consistent with clinical knowledge. Further our method consistently identifies high-risk states that lead to death, which couldpotentiallybenefit from more frequent vasopressor administration, providing valuable guidance for future research.
Changes in household food and drink purchases following restrictions on the advertisement of high fat, salt, and sugar products across the Transport for London network: A controlled interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Yau Amy , Berger Nicolas , Law Cherry , Cornelsen Laura , Greener Robert , Adams Jean , Boyland Emma J. , Burgoine Thomas , de Vocht Frank , Egan Matt , Er Vanessa , Lake Amelia A. , Lock Karen , Mytton Oliver , Petticrew Mark , Thompson Claire , White Martin , Cummins Steven
Published: February 2022

Background

Restricting the advertisement of products with high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) content has been recommended as a policy tool to improve diet and tackle obesity, but the impact on HFSS purchasing is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of HFSS advertising restrictions, implemented across the London (UK) transport network in February 2019, on HFSS purchases.

Methods and findings

Over 5 million take-home food and drink purchases were recorded by 1,970 households (London [intervention], n = 977; North of England [control], n = 993) randomly selected from the Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods panel. The intervention and control samples were similar in household characteristics but had small differences in main food shopper sex, socioeconomic position, and body mass index. Using a controlled interrupted time series design, we estimated average weekly household purchases of energy and nutrients from HFSS products in the post-intervention period (44 weeks) compared to a counterfactual constructed from the control and pre-intervention (36 weeks) series. Energy purchased from HFSS products was 6.7% (1,001.0 kcal, 95% CI 456.0 to 1,546.0) lower among intervention households compared to the counterfactual. Relative reductions in purchases of fat (57.9 g, 95% CI 22.1 to 93.7), saturated fat (26.4 g, 95% CI 12.4 to 40.4), and sugar (80.7 g, 95% CI 41.4 to 120.1) from HFSS products were also observed. Energy from chocolate and confectionery purchases was 19.4% (317.9 kcal, 95% CI 200.0 to 435.8) lower among intervention households than for the counterfactual, with corresponding relative reductions in fat (13.1 g, 95% CI 7.5 to 18.8), saturated fat (8.7 g, 95% CI 5.7 to 11.7), sugar (41.4 g, 95% CI 27.4 to 55.4), and salt (0.2 g, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.2) purchased from chocolate and confectionery. Relative reductions are in the context of secular increases in HFSS purchases in both the intervention and control areas, so the policy was associated with attenuated growth of HFSS purchases rather than absolute reduction in HFSS purchases. Study limitations include the lack of out-of-home purchases in our analyses and not being able to assess the sustainability of observed changes beyond 44 weeks.

Conclusions

This study finds an association between the implementation of restrictions on outdoor HFSS advertising and relative reductions in energy, sugar, and fat purchased from HFSS products. These findings provide support for policies that restrict HFSS advertising as a tool to reduce purchases of HFSS products.
Relationships between physical function, body composition and metabolic health in Pacific Island youth
Authors: Rush Elaine C. , Coppinger Tara , Jalili-Moghaddam Shabnam , Tautolo El-Shadan , Plank Lindsay D.
Published: February 2022

The Pacific Islands Families (PIF) study is a birth cohort study designed to increase knowledge about the growth and development of Pacific children living in Auckland, New Zealand. Adolescence is a critical time of growth and development, yet the roles of physical function and body composition in metabolic health at this life stage are not clear. We aimed to investigate associations between measures of physical function (the 6-minute-walk-test (6MWT)), heart rate changes before and after the 6MWT, handgrip strength, body composition including appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and biomarkers of metabolic health from a fasting blood sample.A total of 200 youth (98 girls, 102 boys) aged 14–15 years, from the birth-cohort of children in the Pacific Islands families study were measured. In girls, the proportion of ASMM was lower and fat higher than in boys. Controlling for age, a 1% increase in ASMM predicted a longer walk distance (+6.3, 95%CI 2.2, 10.4 m in girls; +7.1, 95%CI 4.4, 9.1 m in boys) and lower heart rate following the 6MWT. ASMM and fat mass were independently predictive of maximal handgrip strength which was increased by 1.4 (1.0,1.8) kg in girls and 1.7 (1.3, 2.0) kg in boys for each kg increase in ASMM and reduced by 0.23 (0.08, 0.38) kg in girls and 0.26 (0.14, 0.37) kg in boys for each kg increase in fat mass. Lower total cholesterol and LDL were associated with an increase in distance walked in boys only. For each year of age, distance walked was reduced by 34 (15, 53) m in girls and 59 (36,84) m in boys. These findings should be explored further in the context of other influences such as food security, opportunities for physical activity and cultural expectations.
Novel high-quality and reality biomaterial as a kidney surgery simulation model
Authors: Kubo Taro , Takayama Tatsuya , Fujisaki Akira , Nakamura Shigeru , Teratani Takumi , Sata Naohiro , Kitayama Joji , Nakai Hideo , Iwami Daiki , Fujimura Tetsuya
Published: February 2022

Surgical training using live animals such as pigs is one of the best ways of achieving skilled techniques and fostering confidence in preclinical medical students and surgeon trainees. However, due to animal welfare ethics, laboratory animals’ usage for training should be kept to a minimum. We have developed a novel kidney organ model utilizing a simple procedure in which the kidney is first refluxed with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) solution for 1 hour in its bath, followed by permeation for 23 hours, with a subsequent freshwater refluxed for 48 hours in the washing step. Surgical simulation of the prepared kidney model (NVP-fixed kidney) was compared with three types of other basic known simulation models (fresh kidney, freeze-thaw kidney, and FA-fixed kidney) by various evaluations. We found the NVP-fixed kidney to mimicked fresh kidney function the most, pertaining to the hardness, and strength of the renal parenchyma. Moreover, the NVP-fixed kidney demonstrated successful blood-like fluids perfusion and electrocautery. Further, we confirmed that surgical training could be performed under conditions closer to actual clinical practice. Our findings suggest that our model does not only contribute to improving surgical skills but also inspires the utilization of otherwise, discarded inedible livestock organs as models for surgical training.
Topical analysis of migration coverage during lockdown in India by mainstream print media
Authors: Agarwal Swati , Sarkar Sayantani
Published: February 2022

Implementing countrywide lockdown measures in India, from March 2020 to May 2020 was a major step to deal with the COVID -19 pandemic crisis. The decision of country lockdown adversely affected the urban migrant population, and a large section of them was compelled to move out of the urban areas to their native places. The reverse migration garnered widespread media attention and coverage in electronic as well as print media. The present study focuses on the coverage of the issue by print media using descriptive natural language text mining. The study uses topic modelling, clustering, and sentiment analysis to examine the articles on migration issues during the lockdown period published in two leading English newspapers in India- The Times of India and The Hindu. The sentiment analysis results indicate that the majority of articles have neutral sentiment while very few articles show high negative or positive polarity. Descriptive topic modelling results show that transport, food security, special services, and employment with migration and migrants are the majorly covered topics after employing Bag of Words and TF-IDF models. Clustering is performed to group the article titles based on similar traits using agglomerative hierarchical clustering.
How social distancing, mobility, and preventive policies affect COVID-19 outcomes: Big data-driven evidence from the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) megaregion
Authors: Mahmoudi Jina , Xiong Chenfeng
Published: February 2022

Many factors play a role in outcomes of an emerging highly contagious disease such as COVID-19. Identification and better understanding of these factors are critical in planning and implementation of effective response strategies during such public health crises. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of factors related to social distancing, human mobility, enforcement strategies, hospital capacity, and testing capacity on COVID-19 outcomes within counties located in District of Columbia as well as the states of Maryland and Virginia. Longitudinal data have been used in the analysis to model county-level COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. These data include big location-based service data, which were collected from anonymized mobile devices and characterize various social distancing and human mobility measures within the study area during the pandemic. The results provide empirical evidence that lower rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality are linked with increased levels of social distancing and reduced levels of travel—particularly by public transit modes. Other preventive strategies and polices also prove to be influential in COVID-19 outcomes. Most notably, lower COVID-19 infection and mortality rates are linked with stricter enforcement policies and more severe penalties for violating stay-at-home orders. Further, policies that allow gradual relaxation of social distancing measures and travel restrictions as well as those requiring usage of a face mask are related to lower rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Additionally, increased access to ventilators and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, which represent hospital capacity, are linked with lower COVID-19 mortality rates. On the other hand, gaps in testing capacity are related to higher rates of COVID-19 infection. The results also provide empirical evidence for reports suggesting that certain minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neck circumference as a screening measure for identifying NAFLD among a group of academic employees in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Suwimol Sapwarobol , Pisit Tangkijvanich , Anchalee Avihingsanon , Narisorn Kongruttanachok , Jureeporn Jantarapakde , Wiroj Jiamjarasrangsi
Published: February 2022

Neck circumference (NC) reflects the fat deposition in upper body and has potential to be used as a predictor of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Our objectives were to examine the association of NC with NAFLD prevalence, and to determine the optimal cut-off of NC in identifying the presence of NAFLD among the employees of an academic institution in Bangkok, Thailand. In this cross-sectional study, 635 employees of an academic institution underwent anthropometric measurement and transient elastography following an overnight fast. NAFLD was defined as a CAP value >238 dB.m-1. The NAFLD prevalence in men and women were 66.17% and 46.22%, respectively. The mean NCs for men and women with NAFLD were higher (38.53±0.31 cm and 35.83±0.48 cm, respectively) than those without NAFLD (33.58±0.24 and 31.098±0.14 cm, respectively) (p<0.001). Metabolic markers including age, weight, BMI, NC, WC, WHR, FBS, triglycerides were significantly higher, HDL was significantly lower among participants with NAFLD compared to those without NAFLD (p<0.05). NC was independently associated with NAFLD among women with OR (95%CI) of 1.17 (1.05, 1.32). The optimal cut-offs of NC to predict NAFLD were 37.07 cm (sensitivity: 70.50%; specificity: 68.90%) and 32.07 cm (sensitivity: 70.70%; specificity: 62.10%), respectively for men and women. NC significantly correlated with NAFLD in women. The optimal cut-off points of 32 cm and 37 cm for men and women, which similar to Chinese populations. Therefore, it can be used as a cost-effective tool to predict NAFLD.

Trial Registration: Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20210329006)
Is radiographic lumbar spinal stenosis associated with the quality of life?: The Wakayama Spine Study
Authors: Arita Satoshi , Ishimoto Yuyu , Hashizume Hiroshi , Nagata Keiji , Muraki Shigeyuki , Oka Hiroyuki , Takami Masanari , Tsutsui Shunji , Iwasaki Hiroshi , Yukawa Yasutsugu , Akune Toru , Kawaguchi Hiroshi , Tanaka Sakae , Nakamura Kozo , Yoshida Munehito , Yoshimura Noriko , Yamada Hiroshi ,   Consortium
Published: February 2022

Objectives

This prospective study aimed to determine the association between radiographic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and the quality of life (QOL) in the general Japanese population.

Methods

The severity of radiographic LSS was qualitatively graded on axial magnetic resonance images as follows: no stenosis, mild stenosis with ≤1/3 narrowing, moderate stenosis with a narrowing between 1/3 and 2/3, and severe stenosis with > 2/3 narrowing. Patients less than 40 years of age and those who had undergone previous lumbar spine surgery were excluded from the study. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), which includes 10 sections, was used to assess the QOL. One-way analysis of variance was performed to determine the statistical relationship between radiographic LSS and ODI. Further, logistic regression analysis adjusted for gender, age, and body mass index was performed to detect the relationship.

Results

Complete data were available for 907 patients (300 men and 607 women; mean age, 67.3±12.4 years). The prevalence of severe, moderate, and non-mild/non-radiographic were 30%, 48%, and 22%, respectively. In addition, the mean values of ODI in each group were 12.9%, 13.1%, and 11.7%, respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in logistic analysis (P = 0.55). In addition, no significant differences in any section of the ODI were observed among the groups. However, severe radiographic LSS was associated with low back pain in the "severe" group as determined by logistic analysis adjusted for gender, age, and body mass index (odds ratio: 1.53, confidence interval: 1.13–2.07) compared with the non-severe group.

Conclusion

In this general population study, severe radiographic LSS was associated with low back pain (LBP), but did not affect ODI.
Dynamics of severe accidents in the oil & gas energy sector derived from the authoritative ENergy-related severe accident database
Authors: Mignan Arnaud , Spada Matteo , Burgherr Peter , Wang Ziqi , Sornette Didier
Published: February 2022

Organized into a global network of critical infrastructures, the oil & gas industry remains to this day the main energy contributor to the world’s economy. Severe accidents occasionally occur resulting in fatalities and disruption. We build an oil & gas accident graph based on more than a thousand severe accidents for the period 1970–2016 recorded for refineries, tankers, and gas networks in the authoritative ENergy-related Severe Accident Database (ENSAD). We explore the distribution of potential chains-of-events leading to severe accidents by combining graph theory, Markov analysis and catastrophe dynamics. Using centrality measures, we first verify that human error is consistently the main source of accidents and that explosion, fire, toxic release, and element rupture are the principal sinks, but also the main catalysts for accident amplification. Second, we quantify the space of possible chains-of-events using the concept of fundamental matrix and rank them by defining a likelihood-based importance measure γ. We find that chains of up to five events can play a significant role in severe accidents, consisting of feedback loops of the aforementioned events but also of secondary events not directly identifiable from graph topology and yet participating in the most likely chains-of-events.
Incidence and risk factors of glaucoma after surgery for congenital cataract diagnosed under one year of age: Protocol for Korean Nationwide Epidemiological Study for Childhood Glaucoma (KoNEC)
Authors: Choe Sooyeon , Ha Ahnul , Baek Sung Uk , Kim Jin-Soo , Kim Young Kook
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Congenital cataract (CC) can cause childhood visual impairment, even after CC surgery, due to subsequent occurrence of glaucoma. The post-CC-surgery glaucoma study results vary, due largely to the lack of a sufficient number of population-based cohort studies. This study herein proposed aims to assess the incidence and risk factors of post-CC-surgery glaucoma in a nationwide cohort. The clinico-demographic factors associated with outcomes of post-CC-surgery glaucoma will be investigated as well.

Materials and methods

This population-based, nested case-control study is planned as part of the Korean Nationwide Epidemiological Study for Childhood Glaucoma (KoNEC). Data for a nationwide retrospective cohort representative of the years 2008 to 2018 will be extracted from the National Institutes of Health database, which includes demographic information, diagnoses and medical visits as well as procedures, records of prescriptions, and comorbidities. Among the patients whose first CC diagnosis was made before age 1, only those who underwent surgery for CC will be included in the study. The rate of occurrence of post-CC-surgery glaucoma will be determined based on a Poisson distribution. Also, for cumulative incidence plotting, the Kaplan-Meier method will be used. To identify risk factors for occurrence and poor outcomes of post-CC-surgery glaucoma, we will perform a multivariable regression analysis of matched samples. The detailed patterns of post-CC-surgery glaucoma management will be studied as well.

OSF registration number

DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/AWTEC.