bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theoretical investigations of weakly- and strongly-coupled multi-core fibers for the applications of optical submarine communications under power and fiber count limits
Authors: Sun Lin , Zhang Junwei , Zhou Gai , Chen Bin , Liu Gordon Ning , Cai Yi , Li Zhaohui , Lu Chao , Shen Gangxiang
Published: January 2023

The practical cable design for optical submarine communications has a limited fiber pair count due to the mechanical considerations of cable weight and size. Consequently, multi-core fibers (MCFs) could exhibit higher capacity than conventional single-mode fibers (SMFs) thanks to space division multiplexing (SDM). That is because the power supply to a submarine cable is fed by the voltage difference between shores. Under the power-limited condition, SDM improves the cable capacity by using more paths which outperforms the SMF link whose capacity approximately complies with a logarithmic relationship to optical power. At the same time, fiber nonlinearity can be alleviated by the reduced power density of transmitted light in MCFs, due to the increased spatial diversity and mode coupling among coupled cores. In this work, we theoretically investigate the potentials of MCFs including weakly-coupled multicore fiber (WC-MCF) and strongly-coupled multicore fiber (SC-MCF) as the propagation media for submarine communications across the Atlantic and the Pacific. To fairly compare the performances of SMFs- and MCFs-based submarine cables, the Gaussian noise (GN) model for SDM links is employed to optimize the systematic settings including spatial multiplicity and single span length. Then, we develop an SDM and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) fiber transmission model based on coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations (CNSE) to investigate the optical filed coupling effect in MCFs-based cables. The developed transmission model has been self-examined by measuring the inter-core crosstalk (IC-XT) and spatial mode dispersion (SMD), referring to the set values. As indicated by the theoretical analysis, the WC-MCFs cable exhibits a larger capacity than the SMFs cable, when the fiber pair count is limited below 32. Moreover, the SC-MCFs cable outperforms the WC-MCFs cable thanks to the reduced fiber nonlinearity due to the random mode coupling and the assistance of multiple-input and multiple-output digital signal processing (MIMO-DSP). At last, the marginal influences of IC-XT, SMD, and insertion loss of Fan-in and Fan-out couplers are also analyzed for the MCFs cable.
Transverse energy flow in an optical Skyrmionic Hopfion
Authors: Droop Ramon , Ehrmanntraut Daniel , Denz Cornelia
Published: January 2023

The energy flow of light represents a natural way of investigating complex light fields with respect to their applicability. With the generation of a three-dimensional Skyrmionic Hopfion structure in light, which is a topological 3D field configuration with particle-like nature, we paved the way to employ optical, topological constructs. In this work, we present an analysis of the transverse energy flow in the optical Skyrmionic Hopfion, showing the transfer of the topological properties to the mechanical attributes such as the optical angular momentum (OAM). Our findings thus prepare topological structures to be applied in optical traps and data storage or communication.
Polaritonic coherent perfect absorption based on self-hybridization of a quasi-bound state in the continuum and exciton
Authors: Gu Xin , Liu Xing , Yan Xiao-Fei , Du Wen-Juan , Lin Qi , Wang Ling-Ling , Liu Gui-Dong
Published: January 2023

Enhancement of light-matter interactions is of great importance for many nanophotonic devices, and one way to achieve it is to feed energy perfectly to the strongly coupled system. Here, we propose gap-perturbed dimerized gratings based on bulk WS2 for flexible control of the strong coupling or self-hybridization of a quasi-bound state in the continuum (quasi-BIC) and exciton. The simulation results show that when a gap perturbation is introduced into the system resulting in the Brillouin zone folding, BIC transforms into quasi-BIC whose quality factor (Q-factor) is related to the value of gap perturbation. The strong coupling results in the anti-crossover behavior of the absorption spectra, and thus a Rabi splitting energy of 0.235 eV is obtained. With the assistance of temporal coupled-mode theory, the conditions for the strong critical coupling are obtained, and finally successful achievement of polaritonic coherent perfect absorption in the proposed system. This work could provide ideas for enhancing light-matter interactions and strong theoretical support for all-optical tuning and modulation.
Trapped mode control in metasurfaces composed of particles with the form birefringence property
Authors: Kupriianov Anton S. , Fesenko Volodymyr I. , Evlyukhin Andrey B. , Han Wei , Tuz Vladimir R.
Published: January 2023

Progress in developing advanced photonic devices relies on introducing new materials, discovered physical principles, and optimal designs when constructing their components. Optical systems operating on the principles of excitation of extremely high-quality factor trapped modes (also known as the bound states in the continuum, BICs) are of great interest since they allow the implementation of laser and sensor devices with outstanding characteristics. In this paper, we discuss how one can utilize the anisotropic properties of novel materials (transition metal dichalcogenides, TMDs), particularly, the bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), to realize the excitation of trapped modes in dielectric metasurfaces. The bulk MoS2 is a thin-film structure in which the light wave behaves the same way as that in the uniaxial anisotropic material with the form birefringence property. Our metasurface is composed of an array of disk-shaped nanoparticles (resonators) made of the MoS2 material under the assumption that the anisotropy axis of MoS2 can be tilted to the rotation axis of the disks. We perform a detailed analysis of eigenwaves and scattering properties of such anisotropic resonators as well as the spectral features of the metasurface revealing dependence of the excitation conditions of the trapped mode on the anisotropy axis orientation of the MoS2 material used.
Third-order optical nonlinearity and passively Q-switching operation with BiOCl nanosheets at 1.3 µm
Authors: Zhang Cong , Chu Hongwei , Pan Zhongben , Pan Han , Zhao Shengzhi , Li Dechun
Published: January 2023

In this contribution, we measured the third-order nonlinear optical response of bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) nanosheets with the open-aperture (OA) and the closed-aperture (CA) Z-scan techniques with a variable excitation intensity at 1.34 µm. The effective nonlinear absorption coefficient βeff and the nonlinear refractive index n2 of the prepared BiOCl nanosheets with abundant oxygen vacancies were obtained under the excitation intensity. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility |χ(3)| was 1.64 × 10−9 esu. The nonlinear optical features of BiOCl enabled it as a superb saturable absorber for pulse laser generation. As a consequence, we demonstrated the first passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser with the BiOCl saturable absorber, producing a shortest pulse duration of 543 ns and a highest repetition rate of 227 kHz, leading to a maximum pulse energy of 74 nJ. Our findings show that BiOCl nanosheets with oxygen vacancies have large nonlinear optical sensitivities and can be exploited to generate optical pulses.
Feature issue introduction: ultrafast optical imaging
Authors: Wong Kenneth K. Y. , Wei Xiaoming , Ji Na , Polli Dario , Vakoc Benjamin J.
Published: January 2023

This feature issue of Optics Express collects 20 articles that report the most recent progress of ultrafast optical imaging. This review provides a summary of these articles that cover the spectrum of ultrafast optical imaging, from new technologies to applications.
Enhanced performance of 275-nm AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet LEDs via internal-roughed sapphire and SiO2-antireflection film
Authors: Qian Yinzuo , Liao Zhefu , Lv Zhenxing , Qi Shengli , Zhou Shengjun
Published: January 2023

The internal-roughed sapphire in a 275-nm AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) LED is fabricated using a laser stealth dicing technique to improve the high-angle extraction. Furthermore, the low-angle extraction is enhanced by depositing a SiO2-antireflection film on the internal-roughed sapphire surface. Compared with conventional DUV LEDs with a light output power (LOP) of 33.05 mW at 350 mA, the LOP of DUV LEDs with internal-roughed sapphire and SiO2-antireflection film increases by 20.85% to 39.94 mW. In addition, combined with finite-difference time-domain simulations, the effect of internal-roughed sapphire on the transmission and light extraction efficiency (LEE) of the DUV LEDs is revealed. The combination of the internal-roughed sapphire substrate and SiO2-antireflection film improves the LEEs of transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarized light by 1.6% and 108%, respectively. These results offer the potential for large-scale, low-cost industrial production of high-efficiency DUV LEDs.
Virtual-carrier-assisted 12 Gb/s 64QAM millimeter-wave signal transmission at 30 GHz using a 4-bit digital-to-analog converter
Authors: Huang Chuanming , Jin Hugui , Cheng Mengfan , Yang Qi , Tang Ming , Liu Deming , Deng Lei
Published: January 2023

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a radio-frequency digital resolution enhancer (RF-DRE) to mitigate the quantization noise of the RF signal induced by the low-resolution digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in the virtual-carrier-assisted millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal transmission system. By introducing a bandpass filter (BPF) as the reference for the RF-DRE algorithm, we can design the quantization noise and shape its spectrum inversely to the bandpass filter. By these means, the quantization noise in the target RF frequency range can be effectively mitigated. In the simulation, the bit error rate (BER) of a 4-bit DAC-quantized 16 Gb/s 256QAM signal at 30 GHz is improved from 3.36e−2 to 7.43e−3 by using the RF-DRE. In our experiment, 30 GHz virtual-carrier-assisted mm-wave transmission of 12 Gb/s 64QAM signals over 25 km of standard signal mode fiber (SSMF) is realized. By using the RF-DRE, the BER of a 4-bit DAC-quantized signal can be improved from 6.88e−3 to 1.49e−3, and a 5-bit DAC exhibits a similar performance to an 8-bit DAC without the RF-DRE. Therefore, low-resolution and low-cost DACs can be used for mm-wave signal generation with the help of the proposed RF-DRE.
Fzr regulates silk gland growth by promoting endoreplication and protein synthesis in the silkworm
Authors: Qian Wenliang , Li Hao , Zhang Xing , Tang Yaohao , Yuan Dongqin , Huang Zhu , Cheng Daojun
Published: January 2023

Silkworm silk gland cells undergo endoreplicating cycle and rapid growth during the larval period, and synthesize massive silk proteins for silk production. In this study, we demonstrated that a binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 approach-mediated Fzr mutation in silkworm posterior silk gland (PSG) cells caused an arrest of silk gland growth and a decrease in silk production. Mechanistically, PSG-specific Fzr mutation blocked endoreplication progression by inducing an expression dysregulation of several cyclin proteins and DNA replication-related regulators. Moreover, based on label-free quantitative proteome analysis, we showed in PSG cells that Fzr mutation-induced decrease in the levels of cyclin proteins and silk proteins was likely due to an inhibition of the ribosome biogenesis pathway associated with mRNA translation, and/or an enhance of the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway. Rbin-1 inhibitor-mediated blocking of ribosomal biogenesis pathway decreased DNA replication in PSG cells and silk production. Altogether, our results reveal that Fzr positively regulates PSG growth and silk production in silkworm by promoting endoreplication and protein synthesis in PSG cells.
Striving towards true equity in global health: A checklist for bilateral research partnerships
Authors: Hodson Daniel Z. , Etoundi Yannick Mbarga , Parikh Sunil , Boum Yap
Published: January 2023

Interest in “global health” among schools of medicine, public health, and other health disciplines in high-income countries (HIC) continues to rise. Persistent power imbalances, racism, and maintenance of colonialism/neocolonialism plague global health efforts, including global health scholarship. Scholarly projects conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) by trainees at these schools in HIC often exacerbate these problems. Drawing on published literature and shared experiences, we review key inequalities within each phase of research, from design through implementation and analysis/dissemination, and make concrete and practical recommendations to improve equity at each stage. Key problems facing global health scholarship include HIC-centric nature of global health organizations, paucity of funding directly available for LMIC investigators and trainees, misplaced emphasis on HIC selected issues rather than local solutions to local problems, the dominance of English language in the scientific literature, and exploitation of LMIC team members. Four key principles lie at the foundation of all our recommendations: 1) seek locally derived and relevant solutions to global health issues, 2) create paired collaborations between HIC and LMIC institutions at all levels of training, 3) provide funding for both HIC and LMIC team members, 4) assign clear roles and responsibilities to value, leverage, and share the strengths of all team members. When funding for global health research is predicated upon more ethical and equitable collaborations, the nature of global health collaborations will evolve to be more ethical and equitable. Therefore, we propose the Douala Equity Checklist as a 20-item tool HIC and LMIC institutions can use throughout the conduct of global health projects to ensure more equitable collaborations.
Energy consumption prediction using the GRU-MMattention-LightGBM model with features of Prophet decomposition
Authors: Liang Shaokun , Deng Tao , Huang Anna , Liu Ningxian , Jiang Xuchu
Published: January 2023

The prediction of energy consumption is of great significance to the stability of the regional energy supply. In previous research on energy consumption forecasting, researchers have constantly proposed improved neural network prediction models or improved machine learning models to predict time series data. Combining the well-performing machine learning model and neural network model in energy consumption prediction, we propose a hybrid model architecture of GRU-MMattention-LightGBM with feature selection based on Prophet decomposition. During the prediction process, first, the prophet features are extracted from the original time series. We select the best LightGBM model in the training set and save the best parameters. Then, the Prophet feature is input to GRU-MMattention for training. Finally, MLP is used to learn the final prediction weight between LightGBM and GRU-MMattention. After the prediction weights are learned, the final prediction result is determined. The innovation of this paper lies in that we propose a structure to learn the internal correlation between features based on Prophet feature extraction combined with the gating and attention mechanism. The structure also has the characteristics of a strong anti-noise ability of the LightGBM method, which can reduce the impact of the energy consumption mutation point on the overall prediction effect of the model. In addition, we propose a simple method to select the hyperparameters of the time window length using ACF and PACF diagrams. The MAPE of the GRU-MMattention-LightGBM model is 1.69%, and the relative error is 8.66% less than that of the GRU structure and 2.02% less than that of the LightGBM prediction. Compared with a single method, the prediction accuracy and stability of this hybrid architecture are significantly improved.
A first molecular characterization of the scorpion telson microbiota of Hadrurus arizonensis and Smeringurus mesaensis
Authors: Shimwell Christopher , Atkinson Lauren , Graham Matthew R. , Murdoch Barbara
Published: January 2023

Scorpions represent an ancient lineage of arachnids that have radiated across the globe and are incredibly resilient—since some thrive in harsh environments and can exist on minimal and intermittent feedings. Given the emerging importance of microbiomes to an organism’s health, it is intriguing to suggest that the long-term success of the scorpion bauplan may be linked to the microbiome. Little is known about scorpion microbiomes, and what is known, concentrates on the gut. The microbiome is not limited to the gut, rather it can be found within tissues, fluids and on external surfaces. We tested whether the scorpion telson, the venom-producing organ, of two species, Smeringurus mesaensis and Hadrurus arizonensis, contain bacteria. We isolated telson DNA from each species, amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and identified the collection of bacteria present within each scorpion species. Our results show for the first time that telsons of non-buthid scorpion species do indeed contain bacteria. Interestingly, each scorpion species has a phylogenetically unique telson microbiome including Mollicutes symbionts. This study may change how we view scorpion biology and their venoms.
The PTP1B selective inhibitor MSI-1436 mitigates Tunicamycin-induced ER stress in human hepatocarcinoma cell line through XBP1 splicing modulation
Authors: Bourebaba Lynda , Komakula Sai Santosh Babu , Weiss Christine , Adrar Nabil , Marycz Krzysztof
Published: January 2023

Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B is considered as a key metabolic enzyme that has been reported to be associated with insulin resistance onset, and underlying cellular metabolic malfunctions, including ER stress and mitochondrial failure. In this study, effects of selective PTP1B inhibition using MSI-1436 on cellular apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress have been assessed using an in vitro model of Tunicamycin induced ER stress in HepG2 cell line. Inhibition of PTP1B using MSI-1436 significantly increased cell viability and reduced the number of apoptotic cells as well as the expression of key apoptosis initiators and effectors. MSI-1436 further mitigated ER stress, by downregulating the expression of IRE1, ATF6 and PERK transcripts, all being key ER stress sensors. Interestingly, MSI-1436 inhibited the XBP1 splicing, and thus its UPR-associated transcriptional activity. PTP1B inhibition further enabled to restore proper mitochondrial biogenesis, by improving transmembrane potential, and diminishing intracellular ROS while restoring of endogenous antioxidant enzymes genes expression. PTP1B inhibition using MSI-1436 could improve cellular apoptosis and metabolic integrity through the mitigation of ER and mitochondrial stress signalling pathways, and excessive ROS accumulation. This strategy may be useful for the treatment of metabolic disorders including IR, NAFLD and diabetes.
Early intervention with ColdZyme mouth spray after self-diagnosis of common cold: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Authors: Lindberg B. Fredrik , Nelson Ida , Ranstam Jonas , Riker Donald K.
Published: January 2023

Background

Previous clinical and in vitro investigations have supported the efficacy of a glycerol throat spray containing cold-adapted cod trypsin (ColdZyme) against respiratory viruses causing the common cold bycreating a protective mucosal barrier shown to deactivate common cold virus in vitro and decrease pharyngeal rhinovirus load.

Methods and findings

This was a double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study conducted at 10 German sites to evaluate the efficacy of the medical device ColdZyme, a glycerol mouth spray containing cold-adapted cod trypsin for a naturally occurring common cold versus placebo spray. Adults experiencing a minimum of three common colds during the previous year, but otherwise healthy, were enrolled to begin treatment with the mouth spray or placebo six times daily at first sign of a common cold. Jackson’s symptom scale and the 9-item Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21 (WURSS-21) quality of life (QoL) domain and a sore throat scale were recorded daily by subjects, as well as any use of allowed rescue treatment.

Between January and April 2019, 701 subjects were enrolled and randomly assigned to the ColdZyme group (n = 351) or the placebo group (n = 350). Of the 701 subjects, 438 (62.5%) subjects developed symptoms typical of common cold, and all 438 started study treatment (n = 220 in the ColdZyme group and n = 218 in the placebo group). The demographic profile of the treatment groups were comparable with 68.1% female and almost all subjects being Caucasian (98.4%). The age ranged between 18 and 70 years with a mean age of 41.3 (±14.4) years.

There were no differences between the groups in primary and major secondary endpoints, however, the assessment using the WURSS-21 QoL domain and Jackson score suggests a slightly faster recovery with ColdZyme as symptoms and complaints affecting the quality of life were shortened by about 1 day. The beneficial effect of ColdZyme was particularly noticeable on the fifth day of the common cold. A positive difference between treatment groups was also seen for the subjects’ assessments of global efficacy of the investigational product A robust safety profile for ColdZyme was demonstrated throughout the study.

Conclusion

The safety and tolerability of ColdZyme have been confirmed in a large study population and further establishes evidence of a faster recovery from common cold symptoms. Early self-diagnosis and early use of ColdZyme mouth spray is a safe alternative for treatment of naturally occurring colds.
A novel adaptive PD-type iterative learning control of the PMSM servo system with the friction uncertainty in low speeds
Authors: Riaz Saleem , Qi Rong , Tutsoy Onder , Iqbal Jamshed
Published: January 2023

High precision demands in a large number of emerging robotic applications strengthened the role of the modern control laws in the position control of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) servo system. This paper proposes a learning-based adaptive control approach to improve the PMSM position tracking in the presence of the friction uncertainty. In contrast to most of the reported works considering the servos operating at high speeds, this paper focuses on low speeds in which the friction stemmed deteriorations become more obvious. In this paper firstly, a servo model involving the Stribeck friction dynamics is formulated, and the unknown friction parameters are identified by a genetic algorithm from the offline data. Then, a feedforward controller is designed to inject the friction information into the loop and eliminate it before causing performance degradations. Since the friction is a kind of disturbance and leads to uncertainties having time-varying characters, an Adaptive Proportional Derivative (APD) type Iterative Learning Controller (ILC) named as the APD-ILC is designed to mitigate the friction effects. Finally, the proposed control approach is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment and it is compared with the conventional Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller, Proportional ILC (P-ILC), and Proportional Derivative ILC (PD-ILC) algorithms. The results confirm that the proposed APD-ILC significantly lessens the effects of the friction and thus noticeably improves the control performance in the low speeds of the PMSM.
Effects of specialist care lower limb orthoses on personal goal attainment and walking ability in adults with neuromuscular disorders
Authors: van Duijnhoven Elza , Koopman Fieke S. , Ploeger Hilde E. , Nollet Frans , Brehm Merel-Anne
Published: January 2023

Background

Lower limb orthoses intend to improve walking in adults with neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Yet, reported group effects of lower limb orthoses on treatment outcomes have generally been small and heterogeneous. We propose that guideline-based orthotic care within a multidisciplinary expert setting may improve treatment outcomes.

Aim

To examine the effectiveness of specialist care orthoses compared to usual care orthoses on personal goal attainment and walking ability.

Design

Cohort study.

Population

Adults with NMD who experienced walking problems due to calf and/or quadriceps muscle weakness and were provided with a specialist care lower limb orthosis between October 2011 and January 2021.

Methods

Three months after provision, the specialist care orthosis was compared to the usual care orthosis worn at baseline in terms of personal goal attainment (Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)), comfortable walking speed (m/s), net energy cost (J/kg/m) (both assessed during a 6-minute walk test), perceived walking ability and satisfaction.

Results

Sixty-four adults with NMD were eligible for analysis. The specialist care orthoses comprised 19 dorsiflexion-restricting ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), 22 stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) and 23 locked KAFOs. Overall, 61% of subjects showed a clinically relevant improvement in GAS score. Perceived safety, stability, intensity, fear of falling and satisfaction while walking all improved (p≤0.002), and subjects were satisfied with their specialist care orthosis and the services provided. Although no effects on walking speed or net energy cost were found in combined orthosis groups, specialist care AFOs significantly reduced net energy cost (by 9.5%) compared to usual care orthoses (from mean (SD) 3.81 (0.97) to 3.45 (0.80) J/kg/m, p = 0.004).

Conclusion

Guideline-based orthotic care within a multidisciplinary expertise setting could improve treatment outcomes in adults with NMD compared to usual orthotic care by improvements in goal attainment and walking ability. A randomized controlled trial is now warranted to confirm these results.
The application of machine learning to predict high-cost patients: A performance-comparison of different models using healthcare claims data
Authors: Langenberger Benedikt , Schulte Timo , Groene Oliver
Published: January 2023

Our aim was to predict future high-cost patients with machine learning using healthcare claims data. We applied a random forest (RF), a gradient boosting machine (GBM), an artificial neural network (ANN) and a logistic regression (LR) to predict high-cost patients in the following year. Therefore, we exploited routinely collected sickness funds claims and cost data of the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Various specifications of each algorithm were trained and cross-validated on training data (n = 20,984) with claims and cost data from 2016 and outcomes from 2017. The best performing specifications of each algorithm were selected based on validation dataset performance. For performance comparison, selected models were applied to unforeseen data with features of the year 2017 and outcomes of the year 2018 (n = 21,146). The RF was the best performing algorithm measured by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) with a value of 0.883 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.872–0.893) on test data, followed by the GBM (AUC = 0.878; 95% CI: 0.867–0.889). The ANN (AUC = 0.846; 95% CI: 0.834–0.857) and LR (AUC = 0.839; 95% CI: 0.826–0.852) were significantly outperformed by the GBM and the RF. All ML algorithms and the LR performed ´good´ (i.e. 0.9 > AUC ≥ 0.8). We were able to develop machine learning models that predict high-cost patients with ‘good’ performance facilitating routinely collected sickness fund claims and cost data. We found that tree-based models performed best and outperformed the ANN and LR.
Association of plasma acylcarnitines and amino acids with hypertension: A nationwide metabolomics study
Authors: Arjmand Babak , Dehghanbanadaki Hojat , Yoosefi Moein , Rezaei Negar , Mohammadi Fateh Sahar , Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi Robabeh , Najjar Niloufar , Hosseinkhani Shaghayegh , Tayanloo-beik Akram , Adibi Hossein , Farzadfar Farshad , Larijani Bagher , Razi Farideh
Published: January 2023

Background

Identification of metabolomics profile in subjects with different blood pressure, including normal blood pressure, elevated blood pressure, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension, would be a promising strategy to understand the pathogenesis of hypertension. Thus, we conducted this study to investigate the association of plasma acylcarnitines and amino acids with hypertension in a large Iranian population.

Methods

1200 randomly selected subjects from the national survey on the Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases in Iran (STEPs 2016) were divided into four groups based on the ACC/AHA hypertension criteria: normal blood pressure (n = 293), elevated blood pressure (n = 135), stage 1 hypertension (n = 325), and stage 2 hypertension (n = 447). Plasma concentrations of 30 acylcarnitines and 20 amino acids were measured using a targeted approach with flow-injection tandem mass spectrometry. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the association between metabolites level and the risk of hypertension. Age, sex, BMI, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, use of oral glucose-lowering drugs, statins, and antihypertensive drugs were adjusted in regression analysis.

Results

Of 50 metabolites, 34 were associated with an increased likelihood of stage 2 hypertension and 5 with a decreased likelihood of stage 2 hypertension. After full adjustment for potential confounders, 5 metabolites were still significant risk markers for stage 2 hypertension including C0 (OR = 0.75; 95%CI: 0.63, 0.90), C12 (OR = 1.18; 95%CI: 1.00, 1.40), C14:1 (OR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.01, 1.42), C14:2 (OR = 1.19; 95%CI: 1.01, 1.41), and glycine (OR = 0.81; 95%CI: 0.68, 0.96). An index that included glycine and serine also showed significant predictive value for stage 2 hypertension after full adjustment (OR = 0.86; 95%CI: 0.75, 0.98).

Conclusions

Five metabolites were identified as potentially valuable predictors of stage 2 hypertension.
On the data privacy practices of Android OEMs
Authors: Liu Haoyu , Patras Paul , Leith Douglas J.
Published: January 2023

In this paper we present the first in-depth measurement study looking at the data privacy practices of the proprietary variants of the Android OS produced by Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and Realme. We address two questions: how are identifiers used in network connections and what types of data are transmitted. To answer these, we decrypt and decode the network traffic transmitted by a range of Android handsets. We find that all of the OEMs make undue use of long-lived hardware identifiers such as the hardware serial number, handset IMEI and so fail to follow best privacy practice. Hardware identifiers are also linked to the handset user’s real identity when they sign in to an OEM account on the handset. All of the OEMs collect the list of apps installed in a handset. This is a privacy concern since the list of installed apps can be used to profile user traits and preferences. All of the OEMs collect analytics/telemetry data, raising obvious privacy concerns.
The Targeted Maximum Likelihood estimation to estimate the causal effects of the previous tuberculosis treatment in Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Sudan
Authors: Elduma Adel Hussein , Holakouie-Naieni Kourosh , Almasi-Hashiani Amir , Rahimi Foroushani Abbas , Mustafa Hamdan Ali Hamdan , Adam Muatsim Ahmed Mohammed , Elsony Asma , Ali Mansournia Mohammad
Published: January 2023

Introduction

This study used Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TMLE) as a double robust method to estimate the causal effect of previous tuberculosis treatment history on the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). TMLE is a method to estimate the marginal statistical parameters in case-control study design. The aim of this study was to estimate the causal effect of the previous tuberculosis treatment on the occurrence of MDR-TB using TMLE in Sudan.

Method

A case-control study design combined with TMLE was used to estimate parameters. Cases were MDR-TB patients and controls were and patients who cured from tuberculosis. The history of previous TB treatment was considered the main exposure, and MDR-TB as an outcome. A designed questionnaire was used to collect a set of covariates including age, time to reach a health facility, number of times stopping treatment, gender, education level, and contact with MDR-TB cases. TMLE method was used to estimate the causal association of parameters. Statistical analysis was carried out with ltmle package in R-software. Result presented in graph and tables.

Results

A total number of 430 cases and 860 controls were included in this study. The estimated risk difference of the previous tuberculosis treatment was (0.189, 95% CI; 0.161, 0.218) with SE 0.014, and p-value (<0.001). In addition, the estimated risk ratio was (16.1, 95% CI; 12.932, 20.001) with SE = 0.014 and p-value (<0.001).

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that previous tuberculosis treatment history was determine as a risk factor for MDR-TB in Sudan. Also, TMLE method can be used to estimate the risk difference and the risk ratio in a case-control study design.
Tefillin use induces preconditioning associated changes in heart rate variability
Authors: Koch Sheryl E. , Martin Elyse , Verma Amitesh , Adjei Stacey , Rubinstein Jack
Published: January 2023

Short bouts of occlusion of blood flow can induce a preconditioning response that reduces subsequent damage from longer periods of ischemia. It has been shown that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) can be elicited remotely (RIPC) through limitation of blood flow and as recently described via only pain sensation. Non-obstructive banding (NOB) through the donning of tefillin (a box with sacred texts attached to a leather strap that is traditionally bound to the non-dominant arm of Jewish adults during morning prayers) has been shown to elicit an RIPC response at least partially through pain sensation. This study evaluated the effects of NOB on heart rate variability (HRV) dependent factors that are known to be affected by various RIPC stimuli. We recruited 30 healthy subjects and subjected them to NOB versus control and found various HRV markers associated with RIPC to be changed in the NOB group. This finding provides further evidence that tefillin, likely through NOB induced RIPC changes, may still be a viable clinical pathway to prevent and decrease the morbidity associated with ischemic events.
How dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons deal with tooth extraction without a valid clinical indication
Authors: Broers Dyonne Liesbeth Maria , Dubois Leander , de Lange Jan , Welie Jos Victor Marie , Brands Wolter Gerrit , Lagas Maria Barbara Diana , Bruers Jan Joseph Mathieu , de Jongh Ad
Published: January 2023

Objectives

This study pertains to a secondary data analysis aimed at determining differences between oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFSs) and dentists handling dental extractions without an evident clinical indication.

Study design

A survey of 18 questions was conducted among 256 OMFSs in the Netherlands and a random sample of 800 dentists Respondents could answer the questions in writing or online. The data was collected in the period from November 2019 to January 2020, during which two reminders were sent. Analysis of the data took place via descriptive statistics and Chi Square test.

Results

The response rate was 28.1% (n = 72) for OMFSs and 30.3% (n = 242) for dentists. In the past three years, 81.9% (n = 59) of the OMFSs and 68.0% (n = 164) of the dentists received a request for extraction without a clinical indication. The most common reasons were financial and severe dental fear (OMFSs: 64.9 and 50.9% vs dentists: 77.4 and 36.5%). Dentists were significantly more likely (75.6%, n = 114) than OMFS (60.7%, n = 34) to comply with their last extraction request without a clinical indication. Almost none of them regretted the extraction afterwards. As for the request itself, it was found that 17.5% (n = 10) of the OMFSs and 12.5% (n = 20) of the dentists did not check for patients’ mental competency (p = 0.352).

Conclusions

Given that most of the interviewed dental professionals complied with non-dental extraction requests when such extractions are ethically and legally precarious, recommendations for handling such requests are greatly needed.
Parental marital conflict and internet gaming disorder among Chinese adolescents: The multiple mediating roles of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship
Authors: Wang Pinyi , Gan Xiong , Li Hao , Jin Xin
Published: January 2023

A considerable amount of evidence suggests that parental marital conflict is an important factor in adolescents’ internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD among Chinese adolescents, and whether this relationship is mediated by deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. There were 698 Chinese adolescents that took part in the study (51.58% male; Mage = 13.52). They completed self-report questionnaires regarding perception of parental marital conflict, deviant peer affiliation, teacher-student relationship and IGD. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the relationship between parental marital conflict and adolescents’ IGD, as well as the mediating roles of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between parental marital conflict, deviant peer affiliation, and IGD, as well as a negative correlation between them and teacher-student relationship. The results of the SEM showed that parental marital conflict not only predicts adolescent IGD directly, but also through the mediation effects of deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship. Additionally, deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship not only play an independent but also a sequential mediating effect in the relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD. The relationship between parental marital conflict and IGD is mediated by deviant peer affiliation and teacher-student relationship, which has potential prevention and intervention value for adolescent IGD.
Automated grading of chest x-ray images for viral pneumonia with convolutional neural networks ensemble and region of interest localization
Authors: Khan Asad , Akram Muhammad Usman , Nazir Sajid
Published: January 2023

Following its initial identification on December 31, 2019, COVID-19 quickly spread around the world as a pandemic claiming more than six million lives. An early diagnosis with appropriate intervention can help prevent deaths and serious illness as the distinguishing symptoms that set COVID-19 apart from pneumonia and influenza frequently don’t show up until after the patient has already suffered significant damage. A chest X-ray (CXR), one of many imaging modalities that are useful for detection and one of the most used, offers a non-invasive method of detection. The CXR image analysis can also reveal additional disorders, such as pneumonia, which show up as anomalies in the lungs. Thus these CXRs can be used for automated grading aiding the doctors in making a better diagnosis. In order to classify a CXR image into the Negative for Pneumonia, Typical, Indeterminate, and Atypical, we used the publicly available CXR image competition dataset SIIM-FISABIO-RSNA COVID-19 from Kaggle. The suggested architecture employed an ensemble of EfficientNetv2-L for classification, which was trained via transfer learning from the initialised weights of ImageNet21K on various subsets of data (Code for the proposed methodology is available at: https://github.com/asadkhan1221/siim-covid19.git). To identify and localise opacities, an ensemble of YOLO was combined using Weighted Boxes Fusion (WBF). Significant generalisability gains were made possible by the suggested technique’s addition of classification auxiliary heads to the CNN backbone. The suggested method improved further by utilising test time augmentation for both classifiers and localizers. The results for Mean Average Precision score show that the proposed deep learning model achieves 0.617 and 0.609 on public and private sets respectively and these are comparable to other techniques for the Kaggle dataset.
Feasibility of a silicone vascular phantom replicating real arterial contrast filling dynamics on cerebral angiography: An in-vitro pilot study
Authors: Lee Ki Baek , Sheen Jae Jon , Yoon Jong-Tae , Kim Mi Hyeon , Maeng Jun Young , Hwang Sun Moon , Choi Joon Ho , Lee Deok Hee
Published: January 2023

Some cerebral arterial silicone phantoms have been used in preclinical evaluations. However, typical silicone-based phantoms are limited in their capacity to reproduce real contrast filling dynamics of the human cerebral artery. This study aimed to develop a cerebral arterial silicone phantom to analyze the feasibility of real contrast filling dynamics. The fluid circulation phantom system consisted of a cerebral arterial silicone phantom without or with additional devices, a pump, an injection system, a pressure-monitoring system, a constant-temperature bath, and a venous drainage container. Vascular resistance was reproduced with a plastic cistern only or a plastic cistern filled with a sponge pad. Three phantom groups were constructed as follows: a) the cerebral arterial silicone phantom used as the control group (type A), b) phantom with the incorporated plastic cistern (type B), and c) phantom with the incorporated plastic cistern filled with a sponge pad (type C). The contrast concentration–time curve patterns of the three groups obtained from digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were compared. Consequently, the DSA pattern of the type C phantom was the most similar to that obtained from the control group as the reference data, which showed the broadest full-width-at-half-maximum and the area under the curve values and the highest maximum contrast concentration. In conclusion, we could emulate the arterial contrast filling dynamics of clinical cerebral angiography by applying a small cistern filled with a sponge pad at the drainage side of the phantom.
Metabolic and proteomic indications of diabetes progression in human aqueous humor
Authors: Fortenbach Christopher R. , Skeie Jessica M. , Sevcik Kristina M. , Johnson A. Tim , Oetting Thomas A. , Haugsdal Jaclyn M. , Sales Christopher S. , Nishimura Darryl Y. , Taylor Eric B. , Schmidt Gregory A. , Greiner Mark A.
Published: January 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a multiorgan systemic disease impacting numerous ocular structures that results in significant ocular morbidity and often results in more frequent corneal and glaucoma surgeries for affected individuals. We hypothesize that the systemic metabolic and proteomic derangement observed in the progression of diabetes influences the composition of the aqueous humor (AH), which ultimately impacts the anterior segment health of the eye. To identify changes associated with diabetes progression, we mapped the metabolite profile and proteome of AH samples from patients with varying severities of type II diabetes (T2DM). Patients were classified as nondiabetic (ND or control), non-insulin-dependent diabetic without advanced features of disease (NAD-ni), insulin-dependent diabetic without advanced features (NAD-i), or diabetic with advanced features (AD). AH samples collected from the anterior chamber during elective ophthalmic surgery were evaluated for metabolite and protein expression changes associated with diabetic severity via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. Metabolic and proteomic pathway analyses were conducted utilizing MetaboAnalyst 4.0 and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. A total of 14 control, 12 NAD-ni, 4 NAD-I, and 14 AD samples were included for analysis. Elevated levels of several branched amino acids (e.g., valine, leucine, isoleucine), and lipid metabolites (e.g., palmitate) were found only with increasing diabetic severity (i.e., the AD group). Similar proteomic trends were noted in amino acid and fatty acid metabolism and the unfolded protein/stress response. These results represent the first report of both metabolomic and proteomic evaluation of aqueous humor. Diabetes results in metabolic and proteomic perturbations detectable in the AH, and unique changes become manifest as T2DM severity worsens. Changes in AH composition may serve as an indicator of disease severity, risk assessment of anterior segment cells and structures, and potential future therapies.
Technique of flat-mount immunostaining for mapping the olfactory epithelium and counting the olfactory sensory neurons
Authors: Gavid Marie , Coulomb Louise , Thomas Justin , Aouimeur Inès , Verhoeven Paul , Mentek Marielle , Dumollard Jean-Marc , Forest Fabien , Prades Jean-Michel , Thuret Gilles , Gain Philippe , He Zhiguo
Published: January 2023

The pathophysiology underlying olfactory dysfunction is still poorly understood, and more efficient biomolecular tools are necessary to explore this aspect. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on cross sections is one of the major tools to study the olfactory epithelium (OE), but does not allow reliable counting of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) or cartography of the OE. In this study, we want to present an easy immunostaining technique to compensate for these defects of IHC. Using the rat model, we first validated and pre-screened the key OSN markers by IHC on cross sections of the OE. Tuj-1, OMP, DCX, PGP9.5, and N-cadherin were selected for immunostaining on flat-mounted OE because of their staining of OSN dendrites. A simple technique for immunostaining on flat-mounted septal OE was developed: fixation of the isolated septum mucosa in 0.5% paraformaldehyde (PFA) preceded by pretreatment of the rat head in 1% PFA for 1 hour. This technique allowed us to correctly reveal the olfactory areas using all the 5 selected markers on septum mucosa. By combining the mature OSN marker (OMP) and an immature OSN marker (Tuj-1), we quantified the mature (OMP+, Tuj-1-), immature (OMP-, Tuj-1+), transitory (OMP+, Tuj-1+) and total OSN density on septal OE. They were respectively 42080 ± 11820, 49384 ± 7134, 14448 ± 5865 and 105912 ± 13899 cells per mm2 (mean ± SD). Finally, the same immunostaining technique described above was performed with Tuj-1 for OE cartography on ethmoid turbinates without flat-mount.
‘The first to report wins’: The McDonaldization of digital journalism in Turkey
Authors: Çifçi Muhammet Emin , Ayhan Bünyamin
Published: January 2023

Ritzer’s McDonaldization theory is based on the idea that the business model of the McDonald’s has exceeded the context of restaurants and reached almost all aspects of social life. The presence of McDonaldization is still felt in many different business lines around the world. In this study, it is aimed to discuss whether the traces of McDonaldization are seen in digital journalism in Turkey. Within the scope of the study, which is exploratory rather than generalizing, semi-structured interviews were conducted with news editors from Turkey’s top three most visited news websites, according to SimilarWeb’s November 2019 data. The data obtained were subjected to thematic analysis. Accordingly, in digital journalism in Turkey, there are traces of efficiency, calculability, predictability, control and irrationality of rationality which constitute the dimensions of McDonaldization. It has been emphasized that the McDonaldization theory has the potential to explain the problems of digital journalism in Turkey, such as the decrease in the quality of news, the standardization of news websites and the alienation of news editors from their own products.
Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds, Graeme Thomson (2022)
Authors: Loydell Rupert
Published: January 2023

Review of: Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds, Graeme Thomson (2022)

London: Constable, 360 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47213-400-4, h/bk, £20.00
Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars, Nick Duerden (2022)
Authors: Loydell Rupert
Published: January 2023

Review of: Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars, Nick Duerden (2022)

London: Headline, 384 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47227-777-0, h/bk, £20.00