bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-resolution nonlinear laser spectroscopy and its applications using rare-earth-doped crystals
Authors: Mitsunaga Masaharu , Wild Urs P. , Altner Stefan , Sasaki Hiroko , Karaki Koichi
Published: February 2023

Due to their ultralong dephasing times, rare-earth-ion-doped crystals can be a powerful tool for investigating small interactions undergoing in the crystal. Furthermore, narrow spectral holes along with persistent lifetimes make them an ideal candidate of high-density optical data storage. We present some recent topics in this area.
Site-Selective Excitation Spectroscopy of Dye-doped Inorganic Amorphous Hosts Prepared by Sol-Gel Method
Authors: Ichino Y. , Kanematsu Y. , Kushida T.
Published: February 2023

Dye-doped inorganic glasses prepared by a sol-gel method have received much interest during the last decade, especially for the application of optical media such as solid-state dye lasers and high-density optical memories.1-3 In order to obtain a preferable combination of host matrices and guest molecules for optical applications, it is important to know precisely about the electron-phonon interaction of the host-guest system. So far, we have experimentally determined the Debye-Waller factor, the site energy distribution function, and the density of states of low-frequency host vibrational modes weighted by the electron-phonon coupling strength in porphyrindoped polymers using a resonance fluorescence technique.4,5 In this study, sol-gel inorganic matrices, SiO2 and SiO2-TiO2, are examined using a similar method by employing a cationic laser dye, oxazine 4 perchlorate(ox4), as the optical center.
Multi-timescale stochastic theory of time-resolved hole-burning in low-temperature ion-doped crystals. Application to laser-dependent dephasing and spectral diffusion in ruby
Authors: Kilin S.Ya. , Nizovtsev A.P. , Onishchenko N.S.
Published: February 2023

Recent experiments on time-resolved hole-burning (TRHB) [1-3] and nonexponential photon-echo decays [4,5] in low-temperature ion-doped crystals have demonstrated the multi-timescale dynamics of host nuclei whose spin flips provide the main source of stochastic fluctuations Ut of an impurity ion transition frequency
ωab(ωabt=ωab+Ut) leading to optical dephasing and spectral diffusion. Such complicated spin dynamics results from the existence around the impurity ion of the "frozen core" of nuclear spins with their flip rates to be greatly slowed compared to the unperturbed bulk spins.
Glass Transition of Zn-substituted Myoglobin Probed by Absorption and Site-Selective Fluorescence Spectroscopies
Authors: Ahn Jeung Sun , Kitagawa Teizo , Kanematsu Yasuo , Nishikawa Yoshito , Kushida Takashi
Published: February 2023

It is believed that a protein molecule has a large number of conformational substates because of its complexity and flexibility [1]. Proteins in different substates have the same coarse structure and almost the same energy. Microscopically, however, they have slightly different structures and accordingly slightly different energies. At physiological temperatures, a protein molecule fluctuates among many substates, and it is said to be fluid-like. At sufficiently low temperatures, on the other hand, each protein molecule freezes in some substates, and it becomes glass-like. Such a liquid-glass transition behavior is expected to appear in the temperature dependence of optical spectra of proteins. From the analysis of the optical absorption spectrum, we have already shown that deoxymyoglobin exhibits glass-like behavior below about 250 K [2]. In this paper, we describe the temperature dependence of the absorption spectra of Zn-substituted myoglobin (ZnMb) in the temperature range between 4 and 300 K. By analyzing the data on the basis of the result of the site-selective fluorescence spectroscopy, we show that ZnMb undergoes a liquid-glass transition around 180 K.
The photoproduct of Photon-gated spectral hole burning observation in two donor-acceptor electron transfer systems
Authors: Pan Yongle , Zhao Youyuan , Yin Yu , Chen Lingbin , Wang Ruisheng , Li Fuming
Published: February 2023

The recently growing interest in photon-gated persistent spectral hole burning(PHB) spectroscopy is due partly to the possibilities of nondestructive reading[1] and extremely high sensitivity in the detection of subtle perturbations under external fields[2]. The mechanisms of reported photon-gated PHB systems have two-step photoionization[3], two-step photo-decom position[4], two-color sensitization reaction via triplet-triplet energy transfer[5] and photon induced donor-acceptor electron transfer) DA-ET) reactions[1]. The triplet bottleneck effect[6] may be overcome by using photon-gated PHB to produce detectable holes after a short irradiation time, the successful observations of PHB on a nanosecond time scale in several photon-gated DA-ET system [1,7] demonstrated more applicability in ultrahigh density optical storage, considering both the per formance of these reported systems and the variety of DA combinations, further efforts to find systems with optimum storage properties and to make the PHB mechanism clearer should be very rewarding.
Photon-Gated Spectral Hole-Burning in a Polymer Doped with a Mixture of Several Zn-Benzoporphyrin Derivatives
Authors: Luo B. , Galaup J.P.
Published: February 2023

Photochemical spectral hole-burning (PSHB) has attracted particular attention in the past decade because of its potential for frequency domain optical storage. In order to apply PSHB to a practical optical memory, the material should have high burning temperature, high thermal stability, erasability and high frequency multiplexing. Two ways are possible to increase the storage density: one is to narrow the homogeneous line width, the other is to broaden the inhomogeneous line width. In previous works, the larger inhomogeneous line width (greater than 1,000 cm–1) has been reached in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) doped with two kinds of Zn-benzoporphyrin derivatives with roughly the same hole-burning efficiencies [1]. In this paper, the authors investigate systematically the optical properties of Zn-benzoporphyrin derivatives, their hole-burning mechanisms, thermal stability and electron-phonon coupling in cellulose acetate (CA) and in PMMA matrices. The choice of CA was motivated mainly by the fact this polymer allows to prepare samples with excellent optical quality.
Universal Feature of Weighted Density of States of Vibrational Modes in Dye-doped Polymers
Authors: Kanematsu Y. , Enomoto M. , Nishikawa Y. , Kushida T. , Ahn J.S.
Published: February 2023

The phonon sideband observed in site-selected spectra for impurity centers in amorphous solids reflects density of states (DOS) of host modes. The low-frequency modes of amorphous solids have attracted much interest because of their peculiar character. Excitation of such modes results in the excess heat capacity compared with Debye solids at low temperatures around 10K. The excess contribution of DOS in amorphous solids has been also observed in the inelastic neutron scattering spectra in the corresponding energy region.
Selective Laser Excitation and Inhomogeneous Spectral Line Broadening of Nd3+ Ions in Disordered CaF2-YF3 Crystals
Authors: Basiev T.T. , Karasik A. Ya. , Shubochkin R.L.
Published: February 2023

The method of selective laser excitation (SLE) of active ions in strongly disordered media allows one to receive important information, in particular, about the structure of inhomogeneously broadened bands of absorption and fluorescence and about schemes of Stark splitting of the levels during consecutive excitations of different optical centers [1], Glasses of different compositions are the most popular disordered media due to easy method of fabrication of the samples. However, disordered crystals, which occupy intermediate position between glasses and ordered crystals, are also of a considerable interest as objects of investigation due to unique combination of their properties.
Photoinduced Alignment Behaviors of a Nematic Liquid Crystal on Azobenzene Langmuir-Blodgett Monolayers
Authors: Seki Takahiro , Tamaki Takashi , Fukuda Ryo-ichi , Yokoi Makoto , Hiramatsu Hideo
Published: February 2023

Trans/cis photoisomerization of azobenzene (Az) molecular films on the substrate is capable of inducing homeotropic/planar alignment changes of nematic liquid crystals (LCs). These photofunctional surfaces are called "command surfaces." (Fig.1)1 The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique provides importance information on the design of the surface layer. The LB film preparation condition should influence, to a large extent, the aligning behavior of the nematic LC as formerly proposed by Hiltrop and Stegemeyer.2 The present work is undertaken to elucidate the relationship between the conditions of the LB film conditions and the LC aligning behaviors. For Az LB film preparation, two sets of amphiphilic Az side chain polymers are employed, the backbone being (i) poly(vinyl alcohol) and (ii) poly(ethyleneimine). Polymeric materials are required to obtain highly photoreactive Az LB films. Single monolayers are prepared as the Az LB films throughout the investigation to avoid complexity of the film structure.
Photochromic Reactions of Diarylethene Derivatives in Polymer Matrices
Authors: Tsujioka Tsuyoshi , Tatezono Fumio , Harada Toshio , Kuroki Kazuhiko , Irie Masahiro
Published: February 2023

One of the candidates for photon-mode optical recording is photochromic materials. Although much efforts have been so far made in this area, the photochromic materials still await practical application. The limitation is due to lack of materials for the memory media. Recently a new type of photochromic compounds, diarylethene derivatives, was disclosed to have excellent properties for memory media.1-3) In this report we examined the photochromic behavior of diarylethene derivatives in polymer matrices.
Synthesis and Spectroscopy of TPP Derivative-Doped Silica Gels by Sol-Gel Process
Authors: Kamitani K. , Uo M. , Inoue H. , Makishima A. , Suzuki T. , Horie K.
Published: February 2023

We have reported the incorporation of the photochemical hole-burning (PHB) dyes to the silica gels and the observation of spectral holes [1-3]. The porphyrins are well-known PHB dyes. However, in acidic solutions, many porphyrins change their forms into dication which is inactive in PHB [4]. So we have developed two-step sol-gel processes from the hydrolysis of TMOS with NaOH, and successfully incorporated free-base TPPS, a kind of porphyrin, in the silica gels [5].
Long-Lived Photon Echo in Van-Vleck Paramagnetics: Physics and Optical Storage
Authors: Samartsev Vitali V.
Published: February 2023

The results of the own experimental and theoretical investigations of the long-lived photon echo (LPE) are reported. The special type of the resonant media, named as Van-Vleck paramagnetics (for example, LaF3:Pr3+), is used in our experiments. The physical mechanisms of LPE-forming are studied in these experiments. The various problems of the optical storage, using LPE, are discussed.
Instabilities in Long External Cavity Semiconductor Lasers Due to Resonant Self-Pulsing
Authors: Phelan P. , O’Gorman J. , McInerney J. , Heffernan D.
Published: February 2023

We report observation of instabilities in long external cavities containing self-pulsing laser diodes. The frequency of the self-pulsations locks to successive harmonics of the external cavity as the drive current is increased, and the light-current curve displays kinks at the transition points. The laser is unstable when biased at currents corresponding to these kinks. Qualitatively similar behavior has been observed in other laser types and a variety of cavity geometries.
Interlayer-Directionally Grating-Coupled III-V ARROW Structures for Integrated Opto-electronics
Authors: Koch T. L. , Burkhardt E. G. , Storz F. G. , Bridges T. J. , Sizer T. , Tsang W. T. , Koren U. , Corvini P. J.
Published: February 2023

Here we report the first demonstration of interlayer vertical directional grating-coupling in III-V planar waveguides. This is achieved in a new geometry based on Anti-Resonant Reflecting Optical Waveguides (ARROWs) suitable for III-V integrated optics. This is also the first report of ARROWS in III-V materials, and we present experimental verification of a number of the key features which can be expiated for device applications.
High Power 0.83µm Angle Stripe Superluminescent Diode
Authors: Niesen J. , Payton P. H. , Morrison C. B. , Zinkiewicz L. M.
Published: February 2023

Misaligning the waveguide structure of the twin channel laser (1) with respect to the wafer cleavage plane can create a condition that Fresnel reflection from the cleave will not be captured by the lateral waveguide (Figure 1). Most of the light reflected from the cleaved facet is thus refracted out from the waveguide and only single-pass gain is allowed.
A Simplified Thermal Model For Calculating The Maximum CW Output Power From A Stripe Geometry InGaAsP/InP Laser.
Authors: Arvind M. , Hsing H. , Figueroa L.
Published: February 2023

One of the most important aspects of semiconductor laser design is the ability to calculate the maximum CW output power which is limited by either thermal considerations, or local heating at the facets in the active region. Such calculations are needed in the design of high power GaAs/GaAlAs and InGaasP/InP lasers, which are useful as light sources in printers, optical communication systems and optical memory systems. The importance of thermal considerations is highlighted as a result of the increase in laser threshold current density, and the decrease in laser efficiency (due to increase in nonradiative auger recombination) at high temperatures.
Universal Relationship between Resonant Frequency and Damping Rate of 1.3µm InGaAsP Semiconductor Lasers
Authors: Olshansky R. , Hill P. , Lanzisera V. , Powazinik W.
Published: February 2023

The dynamic characteristics of InGaAsP semiconductor lasers is a subject of great interest not only for the purposes of understanding the very high speed operation of lasers, but also for understanding AM and FM modulation characteristics, laser intensity noise, laser linewidth, laser chirping and all other dynamic and noise related characteristics. Although much work has been done on understanding the dependence of the laser resonant frequency f on device geometry and bias power1, relatively little analysis has been made of the other key dynamic parameter, the damping rate.
Wide-Bandwidth and High-Power 1.3 µm InGaAsP Buried Crescent Lasers with Semi-Insulating Fe-doped InP Current Blocking Layers
Authors: Zah C. E. , Osinski J. S. , Menocal S. G. , Tabatabaie N. , Lee T. P. , Dentai A. G. , Burrus C. A.
Published: February 2023

By the use of Fe-doped InP layer as the only current blocking layer, 8.3 GHz bandwidth and 30 mw/facet output has been achieved on 1.3µm buried cresent lasers.
InGaAsP/InP planar buried heterostructure laser with semi-insulating InP current blocking layers grown by MOCVD
Authors: Wakao K. , Nakai K. , Sanada T. , Kuno M. , Yamakoshi S.
Published: February 2023

InGaAsP/InP buried heterostructure (BH) lasers with semi-insulating InP current blocking layers have been extensively studied as ultra-high speed light sources because of their small parasitic capacitance. So far they have been demonstrated using vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) [1-5] and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) epitaxy [6,7]. However, a completely planar structure, which offers many advantages such as high performance lasing characteristics, high yield and easy of integration, was not realized in the BH lasers regrown by MOCVD because of the difficulty of selective embedding epitaxial growth. In this paper, we report InGaAsP/InP planar BH lasers with semiinsulating InP blocking layers grown by MOCVD. A planar structure is realized by developing the selective embedding growth in MOCVD. Low threshold current of 17 mA and high frequency response up to 10 GHz is achieved with the BH lasers.
150 mW Quasi-CW Fundamental-Mode Operation From Modified Twin-Channel Laser
Authors: Morrison C. B. , Zinkiewicz L. M. , Burghard A. , Botez D.
Published: February 2023

The twin-channel laser (TCL)(1) consists of two (substrate) channels separated by a shallow mesa, with current confinement provided by back-biased pn junctions on both sides of the structure. Due to enhanced gain above the mesa, the symmetric mode is favored to lase(1~4). Thus stable fundamentalmode operation to powers around 100 mW has been achieved(5). However, above ~100 mW the beam shifts and broadens as a result of spatial hole burning. Here we present a modified TCL device, which, while preserving symmetric-mode lasing, operates in a significantly stabler and narrower beam than the TCL device.
The Growth of GaAs on Si Substrates by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition
Authors: Dupuis Russell D.
Published: February 2023

There is increasing interest in the heteroepitaxial growth of III-V compound semiconductors on Si substrates for electronic and optoelectronic applications. This interest is based upon several potential benefits that such materials would offer e.g.: 1) Si substrates are larger, stronger, and cheaper than GaAs substrates, and as a result, GaAs integrated circuit technology would benefit greatly from a GaAs/Si heteroepitaxial materials technology; 2) the field of integrated optoelectronics for information processing would also benefit in a similar way, with the added advantage that Si integrated circuits could be simply connected to optical functions with high density optical circuits grown directly on a Si substrate containing VLSI electronic circuits; 3) wafer-scale VLSI integration of Si electronic circuits requires that individual electronic functional blocks be interconnected with high-speed low-power-dissipation elements-integrated III-V compound semiconductor lasers, waveguides and detectors could potentially provide such interconnects.
High Power Single Quantum Well Lasers Grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition
Authors: Hill D. S. , Wagner D. K. , Waters R. G. , Tihanyi P. L. , Roza A. J. , Vollmer B. J. , Bystrom K. J. , Guido T. S.
Published: February 2023

Graded index separate confinement heterostructure single quantum well (GRINSCH-SQW ) lasers have been shown to offer a number of significant advantages over conventional double heterostructure lasers for high power applications.1,2 The low loss of the passive waveguide regions leads to very high external differential quantum efficiencies (ηd). This coupled with the high modal gain inherent in these structures results in low threshold current densities (Jth). Moreover, the characteristic temperature (To) of threshold current (Ith) tends to increase with cavity length while the threshold current itself increases only slowly, making junction-side up operation to high CW powers possible under a wide range of conditions.3,4 This paper explores the benefits of six GRINSCH-SQW variations and reports the optimized structure from this survey as measured from over 400 devices tested in recent months.
Aging Characteristics of Graded-Index Quantum Well Lasers Operated Junction-Up
Authors: Waters R. G. , Bertaska R. K. , Schultz S. J.
Published: February 2023

Semiconductor quantum well lasers have attracted much interest of late due to their unique properties1−3 and early reliability results have been encouraging.4−6 We present life-test data on broad-area, oxide-defined graded-index quantum well (GRIN-QW) AlGaAs lasers operating cw and mounted in the junction-up configuration.
Using pose estimation to identify regions and points on natural history specimens
Authors: He Yichen , Cooney Christopher R. , Maddock Steve , Thomas Gavin H.
Published: February 2023

A key challenge in mobilising growing numbers of digitised biological specimens for scientific research is finding high-throughput methods to extract phenotypic measurements on these datasets. In this paper, we test a pose estimation approach based on Deep Learning capable of accurately placing point labels to identify key locations on specimen images. We then apply the approach to two distinct challenges that each requires identification of key features in a 2D image: (i) identifying body region-specific plumage colouration on avian specimens and (ii) measuring morphometric shape variation in Littorina snail shells. For the avian dataset, 95% of images are correctly labelled and colour measurements derived from these predicted points are highly correlated with human-based measurements. For the Littorina dataset, more than 95% of landmarks were accurately placed relative to expert-labelled landmarks and predicted landmarks reliably captured shape variation between two distinct shell ecotypes (‘crab’ vs ‘wave’). Overall, our study shows that pose estimation based on Deep Learning can generate high-quality and high-throughput point-based measurements for digitised image-based biodiversity datasets and could mark a step change in the mobilisation of such data. We also provide general guidelines for using pose estimation methods on large-scale biological datasets.
Mortality among persons receiving tuberculosis treatment in Itezhi-Tezhi District of Zambia: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chaaba Eutra , Bwembya Josphat , Nyambe Eness , Kumar Ramya , Thior Ibou , Seraphine Kaminsa , Chongwe Gershom , Makwambeni Vimbai , Musonda Victoria , Kasese-Chanda Pauline , Mwinga Alwyn
Published: February 2023

Itezhi-Tezhi District in southern Zambia has been reporting tuberculosis (TB) mortality rates that are fourfold higher than the national average of six percent. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to establish the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with mortality among persons under treatment for TB in Itezhi-Tezhi District, as well as the likely causes and time to death. We reviewed medical records for persons with TB registered in 19 public health facilities in Itezhi-Tezhi District between January 2015 and December 2018. Of the 506 persons with TB registered in the study period, 426 were included in the analysis. Of these, 71 (16.7%) died before completing treatment. The overall mortality rate was 31.8 per 1,000 person-months of observation. Most of the deaths (53 [74.7%]) occurred in the first month of treatment (median: 16 days; interquartile range: 5–52 days). In a multivariate Cox regression model, type of TB was found to be an independent predictor of mortality while on TB treatment. The risk of dying was more than twice higher for persons with clinically diagnosed PTB compared to those with bacteriologically confirmed PTB (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4–3.6). In a sub-analysis of persons with clinically diagnosed PTB, persons with TB who were on a community-based DOT plan were more than twice more likely to die compared to those on facility-based DOT plan (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.1–4.8). Common likely causes of death were pulmonary TB disease (66.0%), anemia (12.8%), cardiac failure (4.3%), pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (4.3%), and gastroenteritis (4.2%). These findings show that most deaths occurred during the first month of treatment. Clinical evaluation at initiation of anti-TB treatment and during follow-up care, especially in persons with clinically diagnosed PTB, should include screening and treatment of other conditions.
Ethnic disparities in medication adherence? A systematic review examining the association between ethnicity and antidiabetic medication adherence
Authors: Asiri Rayah , Todd Adam , Robinson-Barella Anna , Husband Andy
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Adherence to prescribed medication is an essential component of diabetes management to obtain optimal outcomes. Understanding the relationship between medication adherence and ethnicity is key to optimising treatment for all people with different chronic illnesses, including those with diabetes. The aim of this review is to examine whether the adherence to antidiabetic medications differed by ethnicity among people with diabetes.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted of studies reporting adherence to antidiabetic medication amongst people from different ethnic groups. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from their inception to June 2022 for quantitative studies with a specific focus on studies assessing adherence to antidiabetic medications (PROSPERO: CRD42021278392). The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist and a second checklist designed for studies using retrospective databases were used to assess study quality. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the results based on the medication adherence measures.

Results

Of 17,410 citations screened, 41 studies that included observational retrospective database research and cross-sectional studies were selected, each of which involved diverse ethnic groups from different settings. This review identified a difference in the adherence to antidiabetic medications by ethnicity in 38 studies, despite adjustment for several confounding variables that may otherwise explain these differences.

Conclusion

This review revealed that adherence to antidiabetic medication differed by ethnicity. Further research is needed to explore the ethnicity-related factors that may provide an explanation for these disparities.
Risk of stillbirth in singleton fetuses with advancing gestational age at term: A 10-year experience of late third trimester prenatal screenings of 50,000 deliveries in a referral center in northern Italy
Authors: D’Ambrosi Francesco , Ruggiero Marta , Cesano Nicola , Di Maso Matteo , Cetera Giulia Emily , Tassis Beatrice , Carbone Ilma Floriana , Ferrazzi Enrico
Published: February 2023

Background

The risk of intrauterine death (IUD) at term varies from less than one to up to three cases per 1,000 ongoing pregnancies. The cause of death is often largely undefined. Protocols and criteria to prevent and define the rates and causes of stillbirth are the subjects of important scientific and clinical debates. We examined the gestational age and rate of stillbirth at term in a 10-year period at our maternity hub to evaluate the possible favorable impact of a surveillance protocol on maternal and fetal well-being and growth.

Methods and findings

Our cohort included all women with singleton pregnancies resulting in early term to late term birth at our maternity hub between 2010 and 2020, with the exclusion of fetal anomalies. As per our protocol for monitoring term pregnancies, all women underwent near term to early term maternal and fetal well-being and growth surveillance. If risk factors were identified, outpatient monitoring was initiated and early- or full-term induction was indicated. Labor was induced at late term (41+0–41+4 weeks of gestation), if it did not occur spontaneously. We retrospectively collected, verified, and analyzed all cases of stillbirth at term. The incidence of stillbirth at each week of gestation, was calculated by dividing the number of stillbirths observed that week by the number of women with ongoing pregnancies in that same week. The overall rate of stillbirth per 1000 was also calculated for the entire cohort. Fetal and maternal variables were analyzed to assess the possible causes of death.

Results

A total of 57,561 women were included in our study, of which 28 cases of stillbirth (overall rate, 0.48 per 1000 ongoing pregnancies; 95% CI: 0.30–0.70) were identified. The incidence of stillbirth in the ongoing pregnancies measured at 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 weeks of gestation was 0.16, 0.30, 0.11, 0.29, and 0.0 per 1000, respectively. Only three cases occurred after 40+0 weeks of gestation. Six patients had an undetected small for gestational age fetus. The identified causes included placental conditions (n = 8), umbilical cord conditions (n = 7), and chorioamnionitis (n = 4). Furthermore, the cases of stillbirth included one undetected fetal abnormality (n = 1). The cause of fetal death remained unknown in eight cases.

Conclusions

In a referral center with an active universal screening protocol for maternal and fetal prenatal surveillance at near and early term, the rate of stillbirth was 0.48 per 1000 in singleton pregnancies at term in a large, unselected population. The highest incidence of stillbirth was observed at 38 weeks of gestation. The vast majority of stillbirth cases occurred before 39 weeks of gestation and 6 of 28 cases were SGA, and the median percentile of the remaining case was the 35th.
Health-related quality of life of the adult COVID-19 patients following one-month illness experience since diagnosis: Findings of a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Ziaul , Riaz Baizid Khoorshid , Efa Syeda Sumaiya , Farjana Sharmin , Mahmood Fahad
Published: February 2023

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stances an incredible impact on the quality of life and denigrates the physical and mental health of the patients. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of COVID-19 patients. We conducted this study at the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) of Bangladesh for the period of June to November 2020. All the COVID-19 patients diagnosed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay in July 2020 formed the sampling frame. The study enrolled 1204 adult (aged >18 years) COVID-19 patients who completed a one-month duration of illness after being RT-PCR positive. The patients were interviewed with the CDC HRQOL-14 questionnaire to assess HRQOL. Data were collected by telephone interview on the 31st day of being diagnosed and by reviewing medical records using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist. Around two-thirds (72.3%) of the COVID-19 patients were males and a half (50.2%) were urban residents. In 29.8% of patients, the general health condition was not good. The mean (±SD) duration of physical illness and mental illness was 9.83(±7.09) and 7.97(±8.12) days, respectively. Most of the patients (87.0%) required help with personal care, and 47.8% required assistance with routine needs. The mean duration of ‘healthy days’ and ‘feeling very healthy’ was significantly lower in patients with increasing age, symptoms, and comorbidity. The mean duration of ‘usual activity limitation’, ‘health-related limited activity’, ‘feeling pain/worried’, and ‘not getting enough rest’ were significantly higher among patients’ having symptoms and comorbidity. ‘Not so good’ health condition was significantly higher in females (OR = 1.565, CI = 1.01–2.42) and those having a symptom (OR = 32.871, CI = 8.06–134.0) of COVID-19 and comorbidity (OR = 1.700, CI = 1.26–2.29). Mental distress was significantly higher among females (OR = 1.593, CI = 1.03–2.46) and those having a symptom (OR = 4.887, CI = 2.58–9.24). Special attention should be given to COVID-19 patients having symptoms and comorbidity to restore their general health, quality of life, and daily activities.
Diagnostic significance of microRNAs in sepsis
Authors: Zheng Xiaolan , Zhang Yue , Lin Sha , Li Yifei , Hua Yimin , Zhou Kaiyu
Published: February 2023

Background

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that induce tens of million death each year, yet early diagnosis remains a formidable challenge. Many studies have focused on the diagnostic accuracy of microRNAs (miRNAs) for sepsis in recent years, particularly miR-155-5p, miR-21, miR-223-3p, miR-146a, and miR-125a. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to explore if miRNAs may be used as a biomarker for sepsis detection.

Methods

We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure through May 12, 2022. This meta-analysis was conducted using Meta-disc 1.4 and STATA 15.1 in a fixed/random-effect model.

Results

The analysis included a total of 50 relevant studies. The overall performance of total miRNAs detection was: pooled sensitivity, 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 0.77); pooled specificity, 0.77 (95%CI, 0.75 to 0.78); and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curves value (SROC), 0.86. The subgroup analysis suggested that detection in miR-155-5p group had the highest area under the curve (AUC) of SROC among all miRNAs: pooled sensitivity, 0.71 (95%CI, 0.67 to 0.75); pooled specificity, 0.82 (95%CI, 0.76 to 0.86); and SROC, 0.85. MiR-21, miR-223-3p, miR-146a, and miR-125a had SROC values of 0.67, 0.78, 0.69, and 0.74, respectively. The specimen type was found to be a source of heterogeneity in the meta-regression study. The SROC of serum was higher than that of plasma (0.87 and 0.83, respectively).

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis revealed that miRNAs, specifically miR-155-5p, could be useful biomarkers for detecting sepsis. A clinical serum specimen is also indicated for diagnostic purposes.
Male involvement enhances the uptake of early infant diagnosis of HIV services in Thyolo, Malawi: A non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study
Authors: Window Miriam , Nyondo-Mipando Alinane Linda , Kalanga Noel
Published: February 2023

Background

Poor retention of HIV-exposed infants (HEIs) in the Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) programme remains a significant challenge and impedes progress towards the elimination of Mother to Child Transmission (eMTCT). Suboptimal involvement of a father in his child’s participation in the EID of HIV services is one of the reasons for delayed initiation and poor retention in EID. This study compared the uptake of EID of HIV services at 6weeks from 6 months pre and post-implementation of the Partner invitation card and Attending to couples first (PA) strategy for male involvement (MI) at Bvumbwe Health Centre in Thyolo, Malawi.

Methods

We conducted a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study from September 2018 to August 2019 and enrolled 204 HIV positive women with HIV exposed infants who delivered at Bvumbwe health facility. 110 women were in the period before MI in EID of HIV services from September 2018 to February 2019 whereas 94 of them were in the period of MI in EID of HIV services from March to August 2019 receiving PA strategy for MI. Using descriptive and inferential analysis we compared the two groups of women. As age, parity and education levels of women were not associated with the uptake of EID, we proceeded to calculate unadjusted odds ratio.

Results

We observed an increase in the proportion of women that took up EID of HIV services such that 64/94 (68.1%) came for EID of HIV services at 6weeks from 44/110 (40%) in the period before MI. The uptake of EID of HIV services had an odds ratio of 3.2(95%CI: 1.8–5.7) P = 0.001) compared to the uptake of EID of HIV services before MI OR of 0.6(95%CI: 0.46–0.98) P = 0.037). Age, parity, and education levels of women were statistically insignificant.

Conclusion

The uptake of EID of HIV services at 6 weeks increased during the implementation of MI compared to the period before. Age, parity, and education levels of women were not associated with the EID uptake of HIV services at 6 weeks. Further studies on male involvement and uptake of EID should continue to be carried out to contribute to understanding of how high levels of EID uptake of HIV services can be achieved.
Impacts of COVID-19 on US agri-food supply chain businesses: Regional survey results
Authors: Peterson Hikaru Hanawa , DiGiacomo Gigi , Court Christa D. , Miller Michelle , Oliveira Gustavo , Stevens Andrew W. , Zhang Li , Baker Lauri M. , Nowak Joseph , Orlando Eyrika , Saha Bijeta Bijen
Published: February 2023

Visible disruptions of appropriate food distribution for end consumers during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted calls for an urgent, renewed look at how the U.S. agri-food system is impacted by and responds to pandemics, natural disasters, and human-made crises. Previous studies suggest the COVID-19 pandemic yielded uneven impacts across agri-food supply chain segments and regions. For a rigorously comparable assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on agri-food businesses, a survey was administered from February to April 2021 to five segments of the agri-food supply chain in three study regions (California, Florida, and the two-state region of Minnesota-Wisconsin). Results (N = 870) measuring the self-reported changes in quarterly business revenue in 2020 compared to businesses’ typical experience pre-COVID-19 suggest significant differences across supply chain segments and regions. In the Minnesota-Wisconsin region, restaurants took the largest hit and the upstream supply chains were relatively unaffected. In California, however, the negative impacts were felt throughout the supply chain. Two factors likely contributed to regional differences: (1) regional disparities in pandemic evolution and governance and (2) structural differences in regional agri-food systems. Regionalized and localized planning and the development of best-practices will be necessary for the U.S. agri-food system to enhance preparedness for and resilience to future pandemics, natural disasters, and human-made crises.
Telemonitoring for perioperative care of outpatient bariatric surgery: Preference-based randomized clinical trial
Authors: van Ede E. S. , Scheerhoorn J. , Buise M. P. , Bouwman R. A. , Nienhuijs S. W.
Published: February 2023

Importance

Implementation of bariatric surgery on an outpatient basis is hampered by concerns about timely detection of postoperative complications. Telemonitoring could enhance detection and support transition to an outpatient recovery pathway.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate non-inferiority and feasibility of an outpatient recovery pathway after bariatric surgery, supported by remote monitoring compared to standard care.

Design

Preference-based non-inferiority randomized trial.

Setting

Center for obesity and metabolic surgery, Catharina hospital Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Participants

Adult patients scheduled for primary gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy.

Interventions

Same-day discharge with one week ongoing Remote Monitoring (RM) of vital parameters or Standard Care (SC) with discharge on postoperative day one.

Main outcomes

Primary outcome was a thirty-day composite Textbook Outcome score encompassing mortality, mild and severe complications, readmission and prolonged length-of-stay. Non-inferiority of same-day discharge and remote monitoring was accepted below the selected margin of 7% upper limit of confidence interval. Secondary outcomes included admission duration, post-discharge opioid use and patients’ satisfaction.

Results

Textbook Outcome was achieved in 94% (n = 102) in RM versus 98% (n = 100) in SC (RR 2.9; 95% CI, 0.60–14.23, p = 0.22). The non-inferiority margin was exceeded which is a statistically inconclusive result. Both Textbook Outcome measures were above Dutch average (5% RM and 9% SC). Same-day discharge reduced hospitalization days by 61% (p<0.001) and by 58% with re-admission days included (p<0.001). Post-discharge opioid use and satisfaction scores were equal (p = 0.82 and p = 0.86).

Conclusion

In conclusion, outpatient bariatric surgery supported with telemonitoring is clinically comparable to standard overnight bariatrics in terms of textbook-outcome. Both approaches reached primary endpoint results above Dutch average. However, statistically the outpatient surgery protocol was neither inferior, nor non-inferior to the standard pathway. Additionally, offering same-day discharge reduces the total hospitalization days while maintaining patient satisfaction and safety.
Symptom severity trajectories and distresses in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection from surgery to the first post-discharge clinic visit
Authors: Saito Tomohito , Hamakawa Anna , Takahashi Hideto , Muto Yukari , Mouri Miku , Nakashima Makie , Maru Natsumi , Utsumi Takahiro , Matsui Hiroshi , Taniguchi Yohei , Hino Haruaki , Hayashi Emi , Murakawa Tomohiro ,   on behalf of the SMILE-001 investigators
Published: February 2023

This study aimed to characterize patients’ symptom severity trajectories and distresses from video-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection to the first post-discharge clinic visit. Seventy-five patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resection for diagnosed or suspected pulmonary malignancy prospectively recorded daily symptom severity on a 0–10 numeric scale using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory until the first post-discharge clinic visit. The causes of postoperative distresses were surveyed, and symptom severity trajectories were analyzed using joinpoint regression. A rebound was defined as a statistically significant positive slope after a statistically significant negative slope. Symptom recovery was defined as symptom severity of ≤3 in two contiguous measurements. The accuracy of pain severity on days 1–5 for predicting pain recovery was determined using area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. We applied Cox proportional hazards models for multivariate analyses of the potential predictors of early pain recovery. The median age was 70 years, and females accounted for 48%. The median interval from surgery to the first post-discharge clinic visit was 20 days. Trajectories of several core symptoms including pain showed a rebound from day 3 or 4. Specifically, pain severity in patients with unrecovered pain had been higher than those with recovered pain since day 4. Pain severity on day 4 showed the highest area under the curve of 0.723 for predicting pain recovery (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified pain severity of ≤1 on day 4 as an independent predictor of early pain recovery (hazard ratio, 2.86; P = 0.0027). Duration of symptom was the leading cause of postoperative distress. Several core symptoms after thoracoscopic lung resection showed a rebound in the trajectory. Specifically, a rebound in pain trajectory may be associated with unrecovered pain; pain severity on day 4 may predict early pain recovery. Further clarification of symptom severity trajectories is essential for patient-centered care.
Effect and process evaluation of a preschool-based intervention to promote an early childhood education and care teacher-parent partnership about healthy behaviours in children: Study protocol for the cluster randomised controlled trial CO-HEALTHY
Authors: Toussaint Nicole , Streppel Martinette T. , Mul Sandra , Gündüz Meryem , van Verseveld Marloes D. A. , Janssen Mirka , Weijs Peter J. M. , Fukkink Ruben G.
Published: February 2023

Background

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) teachers at urban preschools are potential key figures to promote healthy behaviours in disadvantaged young children and to engage parents in lifestyle-related topics. An ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding healthy behaviours may support parents and stimulate their children’s development. However, it is not an easy task to establish such a collaboration and ECEC teachers need tools to communicate with parents about lifestyle-related topics. This paper describes the study protocol of a preschool-based intervention (CO-HEALTHY) to promote an ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding healthy eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours in young children.

Methods

A cluster randomised controlled trial will be performed at preschools in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Preschools will be randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The intervention consists of a toolkit with 10 parent-child activities and associated training for ECEC teachers. The activities were composed using the Intervention Mapping protocol. At intervention preschools, ECEC teachers will carry out the activities during standard contact moments. Parents will receive associated intervention materials and will be encouraged to perform similar parent-child activities at home. At control preschools, the toolkit and training will not be implemented. The primary outcome will be the teacher- and parent-reported partnership regarding healthy eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours in young children. The perceived partnership will be assessed by a questionnaire at baseline and at 6 months. In addition, short interviews with ECEC teachers will be held. Secondary outcomes include the knowledge, attitude, food- and activity-related practices of ECEC teachers and parents. Furthermore, children’s eating, physical (in)activity and sleeping behaviours, and weight development will be assessed. A process evaluation of the intervention will be made.

Discussion

The intervention aims to provide a practical tool for ECEC teachers at urban preschools to promote an ECEC teacher-parent partnership regarding a healthy lifestyle in young children.

Trial registration

Netherlands Trial Register (NTR): NL8883. Date registered: September 8, 2020.
Living experiences of people living with HIV-AIDS from the client’s perspective in nurse-client interaction in Indonesia: A qualitative study
Authors: Nasir Abd , Yusuf Ah , Makhfudli  , Harianto Susilo , Okviasanti Fanni , Kartini Yanis
Published: February 2023

Background

Nurse–client interaction when providing nursing services is limited to optimizing treatment and self-care, with limited focus on the psychological problems of people living with HIV-AIDS. However, psychological problems manifest more often than the health risks of the disease itself. This study aimed to determine the emotional response of people living with HIV-AIDS who received limited attention from nurses from the perspective of nurse–client relationship.

Patients and methods

A phenomenological qualitative design was used through in-depth face-to-face interviews in a semi-structured manner, in an effort to obtain complete data. This research used purposive sampling with Participatory Interpretative Phenomenology analysis, involving 22 participants (14 males and 8 females).

Results

This research produces several themes, with six subcategories: 1) Difficulty of social access, 2) Forcing to accept their situation and suppressing their will, 3) Wanting to be recognized like other people in general, 4) Social stigma and self-stigmatization affecting surroundings, 5) Lacking enthusiasm for life expectancy, 6) Always lingering under the shadow "when death picks up."

Conclusion

The results showed that mental stress was experienced more than physical problems by people living with HIV-AIDS, thus prompting new changes to nursing services for HIV-AIDS patients that emphasize psychosocial aspects, in addition to clinical features, facilitated by satisfying relationships between nurses and clients to provide quality services.
Design of double-notch UWB filter with upper stopband characteristics based on ACPW-DGS
Authors: Gao Mingming , Zhang Xueman , Chen Xitao , Nan Jingchang
Published: February 2023

In this manuscript, a compact (size only 9.8mm*9.8mm) Ultra Wide Band (UWB) bandpass filter with a new structure is proposed, which can be used in the UWB wireless communication band authorized by the FCC. The top plane is composed of a pair of back-to-back microstrip lines, and the ground plane structure is based on an asymmetric coplanar waveguide-defect ground structure (ACPW-DGS). UWB is formed by the vertical electromagnetic coupling of the top plane and the ground plane. On this basis, split ring resonator (SRR) and C type resonator (CTR) are utilized to place double notch bands. A novel third order nested C-type resonator (TONCTR) is obtained by performing CTR, which can further optimize the upper stopband while ensuring double notch bands. The filter can be used for filtering within the UWB system, and it can also avoid the amateur radio band (9.2 -10.3GHz) and the X-band satellite link band (9.6-12.3GHz) on UWB communication systems. Finally, the measured results from the fabricated prototype are basically consistent with the simulation results.