bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction of novel multi-epitope-based diagnostic biomarker HP16118P and its application in the differential diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis latent infection
Authors: Wang Jie , Jiang Fan , Cheng Peng , Ye Zhaoyang , Li Linsheng , Yang Ling , Zhuang Li , Gong Wenping
Published: April 2024

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that significantly threatens human health. However, the differential diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (ATB) remains a challenge for clinicians in early detection and preventive intervention. In this study, we developed a novel biomarker named HP16118P, utilizing 16 helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, 11 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, and 8 B cell epitopes identified from 15 antigens associated with LTBI-RD using the IEDB database. We analyzed the physicochemical properties, spatial structure, and immunological characteristics of HP16118P using various tools, which indicated that it is a hydrophilic and relatively stable alkaline protein. Furthermore, HP16118P exhibited good antigenicity and immunogenicity, while being non-toxic and non-allergenic, with the potential to induce immune responses. We observed that HP16118P can stimulate the production of high levels of IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes in individuals with ATB, LTBI, and health controls. IL-5 induced by HP16118P demonstrated potential in distinguishing LTBI individuals and ATB patients (p=0.0372, AUC=0.8214, 95% CI [0.5843 to 1.000]) with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 71.43%. Furthermore, we incorporated the GM-CSF, IL-23, IL-5, and MCP-3 induced by HP16118P into 15 machine learning algorithms to construct a model. It was found that the Quadratic discriminant analysis model exhibited the best diagnostic performance for discriminating between LTBI and ATB, with a sensitivity of 1.00, specificity of 0.86, and accuracy of 0.93. In summary, HP16118P has demonstrated strong antigenicity and immunogenicity, with the induction of GM-CSF, IL-23, IL-5, and MCP-3, suggesting their potential for the differential diagnosis of LTBI and ATB.
Staged biventricular repair in a premature neonate with critical aortic stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation, and fetal hydrops: a case report
Authors: Teguri Yuta , Kido Takashi , Miwa Koji , Kanaya Tomomitsu , Iwai Shigemitsu , Aoki Hisaaki , Tsumura Sanae
Published: April 2024

Background

The surgical management of critical aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and left ventricular dysfunction is a significant clinical challenge. Whether left ventricular function will recover to support systemic circulation after the relief of aortic stenosis is a concern. In this setting, surgical or balloon aortic valvotomy combined with bilateral pulmonary artery banding and atrial septectomy may allow time for left ventricular adaptation, while the systemic circulation is supported by the right ventricle through the ductus arteriosus. We describe the case of a premature neonate with critical aortic stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation, and fetal hydrops who successfully underwent staged biventricular repair after bilateral pulmonary artery banding, atrial septectomy, balloon aortic valvuloplasty, and stent implantation for ductus arteriosus.

Case presentation

A 29-year-old female was referred to our hospital at 25 weeks of gestation with fetal echocardiography findings of critical aortic stenosis, severely impaired left ventricular function, severe mitral regurgitation, and restrictive foramen ovale. At 33 weeks of gestational age, the baby was born via cesarean delivery. Prostaglandin E1 infusion was immediately initiated, and the neonate underwent emergecy bilateral pulmonary artery banding and atrial septectomy. On the second day, a balloon aortic valvuloplasty was performed. The neonate underwent stent implantation to open the ductus arteriosus and multiple-balloon aortic valvuloplasty. At 4 months of age, he underwent biventricular repair consisting of surgical aortic valvuloplasty, atrial septal defect closure, bilateral pulmonary artery debanding, and ductus arteriosus ligation. At 1 year of age, he underwent the Ross –Konno procedure. Six years after the operation, the patient’s general condition was stable, and the patient is doing well.

Conclusions

Staged biventricular repair was successfully achieved in a premature neonate with fetal hydrops and critical aortic stenosis associated with severe mitral valve regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction.
The relationship between obsessive–compulsive symptoms and real-life functioning in schizophrenia: New insights from the multicenter study of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses
Authors: Tonna Matteo , Borrelli Davide Fausto , Aguglia Eugenio , Bucci Paola , Carpiniello Bernardo , Dell’Osso Liliana , Fagiolini Andrea , Meneguzzo Paolo , Monteleone Palmiero , Pompili Maurizio , Roncone Rita , Rossi Rodolfo , Zeppegno Patrizia , Marchesi Carlo , Maj Mario
Published: April 2024

Background

Although obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is highly prevalent in schizophrenia, its relationship with patients’ real-life functioning is still controversial.

Methods

The present study aims at investigating the prevalence of OCD in a large cohort of non-preselected schizophrenia patients living in the community and verifying the relationship of OCD, as well as of other psychopathological symptoms, with real-life functioning along a continuum of OCD severity and after controlling for demographic variables.

Results

A sample of 327 outpatients with schizophrenia was enrolled in the study and collapsed into three subgroups according to OCD severity (subclinical, mild–moderate, severe). A series of structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to analyze in each subgroup the association of obsessive–compulsive symptoms with real-life functioning, assessed through the Specific Levels of Functioning Scale and the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment. Moreover, latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to infer latent subpopulations. In the subclinical OCD group, obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) were not associated with functioning, whereas in the mild–moderate OCD group, they showed a positive relationship, particularly in the domains of work and everyday life skills. The paucity of patients with severe OCD did not allow performing SEM analysis in this group. Finally, LPA confirmed a subgroup with mild–moderate OCS and more preserved levels of functioning.

Conclusions

These findings hint at a positive association between mild–moderate OCD and real-life functioning in individuals with schizophrenia and encourage a careful assessment of OCD in personalized programs to sustain daily life activities.
Crisis in Motion
Authors: Cowen Deborah
Published: April 2024

This article diagnoses the catastrophe of the present as crisis in motion. Looking to the sphere of circulation as site and source of a multitude of crises in contemporary life, it explores the emergence of crisis not simply in the disruption of movement but in the production of particular regimes of motion. The article tells three stories of crises in motion: supply chain disruption during COVID-19, blockades of colonial circulatory infrastructures, and the disastrous ecologies of extractivism, emphasizing their deep entanglements. This article traces how these crises of lifeworlds are produced by particular configurations of motion that are assembled through imperial infrastructures. Each tale is a fragment of a wider story about the violent motion of expanded reproduction, and between them are common places and peoples in struggle with the entangled crises of premature death, dispossession, and ecological collapse. Yet, in each case, crisis is called to order through refusal. Refusal disrupts racial capitalist and settler colonial circulation as it also opens radical alternatives. Looking to struggles over the imperial logistics of mobility and containment, the paper asks what kinds of collective futures take shape through infrastructure's refusal and repair.
Crisis as Method: Politics, Temporality, and Agency
Authors: Brennan Eugene
Published: April 2024

This special issue demonstrates how theorizing the present in terms of crisis generates insights into contradictory experiences of historical time. The core questions addressed are these: What are the temporal forms through which crisis is expressed today, and what are the political implications? The contributors pay close attention to the nonsynchronicity and the discordance of times that constitute the present. The contributors ask how contemporary crisis can be better understood with reference to long-term and ongoing colonial and racial histories. This article functions as both an introduction to the special issue as well as a development of some of the key theoretical coordinates, first thinking through the relationship between crisis and everyday politics, disentangling crisis theory from its association with determinism, and then showing how crisis theory challenges conventional understandings of political agency. Recent work in Black studies offers significant ways of understanding how subaltern actors improvise and forge unfamiliar forms of agency in times of brutal constraint. With reference to this work, the article argues that understanding crisis not only as an “object” of study but as a “method” has generative implications for theorizing the present.
Emx2 lineage tracing reveals antecedent patterns of planar polarity in the mouse inner ear
Authors: Goodrich Ellison J. , Deans Michael R.
Published: April 2024

The planar polarized organization of hair cells in the vestibular maculae is unique because these sensory organs contain two groups of cells with oppositely oriented stereociliary bundles that meet at a line of polarity reversal (LPR). EMX2 is a transcription factor expressed by one hair cell group that reverses the orientation of their bundles, thereby forming the LPR. We generated Emx2-CreERt2 transgenic mice for genetic lineage tracing and demonstrate Emx2 expression before hair cell specification when the nascent utricle and saccule constitute a continuous prosensory domain. Precursors labeled by Emx2-CreERt2 at this stage give rise to hair cells located along one side of the LPR in the mature utricle or saccule, indicating that this boundary is first established in the prosensory domain. Consistent with this, Emx2-CreERt2 lineage tracing in Dreher mutants, where the utricle and saccule fail to segregate, labels a continuous field of cells along one side of a fused utriculo-saccular-cochlear organ. These observations reveal that LPR positioning is pre-determined in the developing prosensory domain, and that EMX2 expression defines lineages of hair cells with oppositely oriented stereociliary bundles.
Technology Transfer in Global Value Chains
Authors: Sampson Thomas
Published: April 2024

Global value chains create opportunities for North-South technology diffusion. This paper studies technology transfer in value chains when contracts are incomplete and input production technologies are imperfectly excludable. It introduces a new taxonomy of value chains based on whether the headquarters firm benefits from imitation of its supplier’s technology. In inclusive value chains, where imitation is beneficial, the headquarters firm promotes technology diffusion. But in exclusive value chains headquarters seek to limit supplier imitation. The paper analyzes how this distinction affects the returns to offshoring, the welfare effects of technical change, and the social efficiency of knowledge sharing. (JEL F16, J23, J24, J31)
Equity Concerns Are Narrowly Framed
Authors: Exley Christine L. , Kessler Judd B.
Published: April 2024

Distributional decisions regularly involve multiple payoff components. In a series of experiments, we show that individuals sometimes exhibit narrow equity concerns: applying fairness preferences narrowly on a specific component of payoffs rather than on broader payoff consequences. This behavior results in different distributional decisions depending on which payoff component we frame individuals to consider. We document narrow equity concerns in an exceedingly simple setting—in which payoff components are tokens worth $0.01 and $0.02—and in context-rich applications including tax policy and worker compensation. (JEL C91, D63, D81, D91, H20, J33)
The modification landscape ofPseudomonas aeruginosatRNAs
Authors: Mandler Mariana D. , Maligireddy Siddhardha S. , Guiblet Wilfried M. , Fitzsimmons Christina M. , McDonald Kayla S. , Warrell Delayna L. , Batista Pedro J.
Published: April 2024

RNA modifications have a substantial impact on tRNA function, with modifications in the anticodon loop contributing to translational fidelity and modifications in the tRNA core impacting structural stability. In bacteria, tRNA modifications are crucial for responding to stress and regulating the expression of virulence factors. Although tRNA modifications are well-characterized in a few model organisms, our knowledge of tRNA modifications in human pathogens, such asPseudomonas aeruginosa, remains limited. Here, we leveraged two orthogonal approaches to build a reference landscape of tRNA modifications inEscherichia coli, which enabled us to identify similar modifications inP. aeruginosa. Our analysis supports a substantial degree of conservation between the two organisms, while also uncovering potential sites of tRNA modification inP. aeruginosatRNAs that are not present inE. coli. The mutational signature at one of these sites, position 46 of tRNAGln1(UUG)is dependent on theP. aeruginosahomolog of TapT, the enzyme responsible for the 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl) uridine (acp3U) modification. Identifying which modifications are present on different tRNAs will uncover the pathways impacted by the different tRNA-modifying enzymes, some of which play roles in determining virulence and pathogenicity.
Scoping review protocol on research prioritisation for preparedness and response to outbreaks of high consequence pathogens
Authors: Antonio Emilia , Chepkirui Dorothy , Levanita Shanthi , Ibrahim Susan Khader , Foster Isabel , Harriss Eli , Sigfrid Louise , Norton Alice
Published: April 2024

Background Prioritisation of research activities for infectious disease pathogens is usually undertaken through the identification of important research and knowledge gaps. Research prioritisation is an essential element of both effective responses to disease outbreaks and adequate preparedness. There is however currently no published mapping of activities on and evidence from research prioritisation for high consequence pathogens. The objectives of this review are to map all published research prioritisation exercises on high-consequence pathogens; provide an overview of methodologies employed for prioritising research for these pathogens; describe monitoring and evaluation processes for research areas prioritised; and identify any standards and guidance for effectively undertaking research prioritisation activities for high consequence pathogens. Methods The Joanna Briggs Institute guidance of scoping review conduct will be used. The search will be undertaken using the key terms of “research prioritisation”, “response”, “control”, and related terms, and a list of high-consequence pathogens derived from WHO (2020), EMERGE (2019), Europe CDC (2022) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (2021). We will search WHO Global Index Medicus; Ovid Medline; Ovid Embase; Ovid Global Health; and Scopus. Backward citations review of the included full text documents will also be conducted. Google Scholar and Overton will be searched for grey literature. Two independent reviewers will screen the retrieved documents using Rayyan and extract data in a data extraction template in Microsoft Excel 2021. Screening results will be presented using the PRISMA-ScR template with narrative synthesis undertaken for the extracted data. Conclusion This review will map existing research priorities for high consequence pathogens. Further, it will provide an understanding of methodologies used for prioritisation, processes for monitoring and evaluation of progress made against research agendas, and evidence on standards that could be recommended for effective prioritisation of research for high consequence pathogens.
Piloting electronic informed consenting in a pneumococcal human infection study in Blantyre, Malawi
Authors: Ngoliwa Clara , Chakwiya Chikondi , Gondwe Joel , Nsomba Edna , Nkhoma Vitumbiko , Reuben Modesta , Chantunga Linda , Liwonde Pemphero , Mangani Edward , Kudowa Evaristar , Makhaza Lumbani , Toto Neema , Sochera Tiferanji , Chikaonda Tarsizio , Morton Ben , Henrion Marc Y.R. , Dula Dingase , Gordon Stephen B. , Chirwa Anthony E.
Published: April 2024

Background Electronic consent can potentially improve accuracy, workflow, and overall patient experience in clinical research but has not been used in Malawi, owing to uncertainty about data security and technical support. Objectives We explored the feasibility of using electronic consent (e-consent) in an ongoing human infection study in Blantyre Malawi. We dual-consented participants by both electronic and paper methods to assess the feasibility of electronic consent, and then compared benefits and challenges of the two methods. Methods The approved paper consent forms were digitized using Open Data Kit (ODK). Following participant information giving by the research staff, healthy literate adult participants with no audio-visual impairments completed a self-administered e-consent and provided an electronic signature. Signed e-consent forms were uploaded to a secure study server. While the participants were in clinic, the signed electronic consent form was printed as a copy for the participant. The feasibility, advantages and disadvantages including data safety consideration for e-consenting were evaluated by exploring issues surrounding use of e-consenting versus paper-based consenting. Consent forms were analysed by research staff for errors such as overwriting and legibility. Results We piloted 109 participants to e-consenting. It was found to be user friendly, had 0% (n 0/109) errors compared to 43.1% (n 47/109) in paper based methods along with enhanced data safety. The challenges included difficult digitization of ethics stamped documents, volunteer unfamiliarity with tablet user interface and its requirement for a working internet and printer. Conclusion E-consenting was feasible but required additional resource investment. Benefits included error minimization and data security.
Stosunki polsko-żydowskie w czasach Zagłady w dokumentach z archiwów amerykańskich 1939–1943. Przyczynek do badań
Authors: Różański Przemysław
Published: April 2024

Celem artykułu jest próba opisu stosunków polsko-żydowskich w czasach Zagłady. Podstawę źródłową tekstu stanowią dokumenty z trzech amerykańskich archiwów: National Archives and Records Administration w College Park, YIVO – Institute for Jewish Research w Nowym Jorku oraz Hoover Institution Library and Archives na Uniwersytecie Stanforda. Są to przede wszystkim raporty organizacji żydowskich na temat położenia wyznawców judaizmu w Polsce pod okupacją niemiecką. W amerykańskich archiwach znajdują się również dokumenty polskiej proweniencji, opisujące stosunki polsko-żydowskie, w tym postawy Polaków wobec dokonywanej przez Niemców eksterminacji Żydów.
O dialogiczności myślenia historycznego. Tony Judt i Timothy Snyder o wieku XX jako przedmiocie metarefleksji
Authors: Pomorski Jan
Published: April 2024

Jedną z najbardziej zaawansowanych form myślenia historycznego stanowi dialog metahistoryczny. Zwłaszcza wtedy, gdy jest on owocem spotkania dwóch wybitnych umysłów i historyków praktyków zarazem, w tym wypadku Tony’ego Judta i Timothy’ego Snydera, a przedmiotem wymiany myśli staje się wiek XX, a ściślej próby jego poznawczej konceptualizacji w środowisku europejskich intelektualistów. Konceptualizacji poprzez interpretację przede wszystkim, czyli nadawanie sensu. Także własnemu zaangażowaniu/uwikłaniu w historię. Artykuł jest opowieścią o splątanej historii, dylematach intelektualistów i społecznej odpowiedzialności historyka, rozwijaną na kanwie komentarzy do Rozważań o wieku XX Judta i Snydera.
Raúl Prebisch (1901-1986)
Authors: Odisio Juan
Published: April 2024

Además de esta introducción, el capítulo tiene cuatro apartados que siguen la evolución cronológica de la vida y la obra de Prebisch. Como ha señalado Aníbal Pinto (1986, p. 9), se trata de una figura histórica que «perteneció, sin duda, a quienes se propusieron, a la vez, interpretar y transformar el mundo en que vivió». Por eso, en vez de escindir sus ideas del momento de aplicación, se adopta un enfoque diacrónico que relaciona su actividad práctica como economista del desarrollo y las respuestas teóricas que fue desplegando frente a los distintos problemas que se le fueron presentando en esa tarea. Por supuesto, es imposible dar cuenta en pocas páginas de una actividad tan vasta como la que desplegó Prebisch en seis décadas de acción política e intelectual; por eso se privilegió la sección «En la CEPAL y después», que es la más extensa porque se refiere al período (entre 1949 y 1976) en que la construcción teórico-práctica prebischiana tomó mayor densidad, al mismo tiempo que encontró su mayor impacto internacional.
Osvaldo Sunkel (1929- )
Authors: Pérez Caldentey Esteban
Published: April 2024

Este capítulo revisa las contribuciones a la teoría y la práctica del desarrollo económico de Osvaldo Sunkel. El capítulo consta de siete secciones. La segunda sección describe la evolución de su pensamiento, las influencias y vivencias que moldearon sus ideas, y sus principales aportes a la teoría y la práctica del desarrollo económico. Las secciones tres a seis ahondan en sus contribuciones a la metodología económica, el proceso de globalización, la inflación y el neoestructuralismo. En cada una de estas secciones se analiza no solo la contribución de Sunkel, sino también su relevancia actual con base en informaciones cualitativas y cuantitativas disponibles, algunas de las cuales proceden de estudios recientes de la CEPAL, que claramente corroboran muchas de sus intuiciones e hipótesis. Las reflexiones finales están incluidas en la última sección.
RECYCLING SHADOWS: TOLKIEN’S INFLUENCE ON ROWLING’S COMPOSITION OF VOLDEMORT AND THE DEMENTORS
Authors: Rossi Cido
Published: April 2024

The shadow archetype is one of the most productive in fiction, where it usually manifests through personifications, characters which embody its principles of haunting, permanent returning, questioning, and debt: the villains and the creatures of the dark. The embodiment of the shadow is a compositional procedure that, in the case of Fantasy worlds, works by the means of creatively recycling and refiguring elements of previous personifications of the shadow. Thus, departing from a short theoretical consideration on Fantasy as the branch of the Fantastic that is the best place for dealing with the shadow archetype, we intend to demonstrate, as an example on how the two procedures of personification of the shadow work in fiction, the influence of Tolkien on J. K. Rowling’s composition of the villain Voldemort and the Dementors in her Harry Potter series.
TRANSGRESSÃO SILENCIOSA: PRESENÇA DO FANTÁSTICO NA FICÇÃO BRASILEIRA DO SÉCULO XXI
Authors: Carneiro Flávio Martins
Published: April 2024

A ficção brasileira, desde meados do século XIX, como nos mostra Davi Arrigucci Júnior (1981) e Maria Cristina Batalha (2011), tem sido marcada pelo relato documental, seja nas experimentações regionalistas, seja no romance urbano. Para isso certamente contribuiu boa parte de nossos críticos e historiadores, que na maioria das vezes privilegiaram esse tipo de produção, em detrimento, por exemplo, da narrativa fantástica, em que o sobrenatural comparece de modo determinante. Neste início de século, no entanto, o fantástico vem ganhando cada vez mais espaço na ficção brasileira, apresentando-se como uma espécie de transgressão silenciosa (CARNEIRO, 2005) e configurando o que Roas (2014) define como traço marcante do gênero, ou seja, seu caráter de ameaça ao que entendemos por realidade. O propósito principal deste artigo é, a partir de breve análise de obras fantásticas de alguns autores brasileiros contemporâneos – Max Mallmann, Amilcar Bettega Barbosa, Carola Saavedra, Sérgio Sant’Anna – mostrar que o fantástico brasileiro, na contemporaneidade, mostra-se duplamente ameaçador: ao problematizar o conceito de real e ao remar na contramão de uma ficção tradicionalmente apegada ao documento.
Investigation of risk factors in the development of recurrent urethral stricture after internal urethrotomy
Authors: Gul Abdullah , Ekici Ozgur , Zengin Salim , Barali Deniz , Keskin Tarik
Published: April 2024

BACKGROUND

Urethral stricture is a condition that often develops with trauma and results in narrowing of the urethral lumen. Although endoscopic methods are mostly used in its treatment, it has high recurrence rates. Therefore, open urethroplasty is recommended after unsuccessful endoscopic treatments.

AIM

To investigate the risk factors associated with urethral stricture recurrence.

METHODS

The data of male patients who underwent internal urethrotomy for urethral stricture between January 2017 and January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic data, comorbidities, preoperative haemogram, and biochemical values obtained from peripheral blood and operative data were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups in terms of recurrence development; recurrence and non-recurrence. Initially recorded data were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

A total of 303 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 66.6 ± 13.6 years. The mean duration of recurrence development was 9.63 ± 9.84 (min-max: 1-39) months in the recurrence group. Recurrence did not occur in non-recurrence group throughout the follow-up period with an average time of 44.15 ± 24.07 (min-max: 12-84) months. In the comparison of both groups, the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), and multiple comorbidities were significantly higher in the recurrence (+) group (P = 0.038, P = 0.012, P = 0.013). Blood group, postoperative use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, preoperative cystostomy, cause of stricture, iatrogenic cause of stricture, location and length of stricture, indwelling urinary cathater size and day of catheter removal did not differ between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of age, uroflowmetric maximum flow rate value, hemogram parameters, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), fasting blood sugar, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, monocyte-lymphocyte ratio and AST/ALT ratios.

CONCLUSION

In patients with urethral stricture recurrence, only the frequency of DM and HT was high, while inflammation marker levels and stricture-related parameters were similar between the groups.
Coded aperture compressive temporal imaging via unsupervised lightweight local-global networks with geometric characteristics
Authors: Ge Youran , Qu Gangrong , Huang Yuhao , Liu Duo
Published: April 2024

Coded aperture compressive temporal imaging (CACTI) utilizes compressive sensing (CS)
theory to compress three dimensional (3D) signals into 2D measurements
for sampling in a single snapshot measurement, which in turn acquires
high-dimensional (HD) visual signals. To solve the problems of low
quality and slow runtime often encountered in reconstruction, deep
learning has become the mainstream for signal reconstruction and has
shown superior performance. Currently, however, impressive networks
are typically supervised networks with large-sized models and require
vast training sets that can be difficult to obtain or expensive. This
limits their application in real optical imaging systems. In this
paper, we propose a lightweight reconstruction network that recovers
HD signals only from compressed measurements with noise and design a
block consisting of convolution to extract and fuse local and global
features, stacking multiple features to form a lightweight
architecture. In addition, we also obtain unsupervised loss functions
based on the geometric characteristics of the signal to guarantee the
powerful generalization capability of the network in order to
approximate the reconstruction process of real optical systems.
Experimental results show that our proposed network significantly
reduces the model size and not only has high performance in recovering
dynamic scenes, but the unsupervised video reconstruction network can
approximate its supervised version in terms of reconstruction
performance.
Nearly polarization-insensitive angular filters enabled by metal-dielectric photonic crystal in the visible region
Authors: Xu Tianyu , Chen Yihong , Lu Bingyu , Lai Jianjun
Published: April 2024

We report on the design and fabrication of nearly polarization-insensitive angular filters, which have been developed through the optimization of one-dimensional Ag/MgF2 photonic crystals (PCs). We evaluate different initial systems for optimization and compare their results in terms of both the wavelength and angular selectivity. Our findings reveal that relaxing the strict periodic condition of initial photonic crystals with a small number of lattices has enabled improvement in the angular selectivity via Fabry–Perot resonances in dielectric layers, achieving a transmission as high as 81% at normal incidence by optimizing the dielectric layer thickness. The simulation results demonstrate that the transmitted beam through the angular filtering sample at 633 nm has allowable angles within 29° and 33° for TE and TM polarization, respectively, with a transmission over 80% at normal incidence. This proposed and demonstrated angular filter represents what we believe is a novel way to utilize 1D metal-dielectric PCs as polarization-insensitive angular filters, overcoming the main drawback of a low transmission. This angular filter will have significant applications in lighting, beam manipulation, optical coupling, and optical detectors.
Polarization-insensitive graphene-based band-notched frequency selective absorber at terahertz
Authors: Malekara Asal , Ghobadi Changiz , Nourinia Javad
Published: April 2024

This paper introduces a new polarization-insensitive graphene-based
frequency selective absorber (FSA) with a reflective notch designed
for terahertz applications. The proposed structure features two
absorption bands on either side of a central reflection band. The
design composes a lossy frequency selective surface (FSS), a bandstop
FSS with a metal backing, and an air spacer between. A wideband
absorber structure is developed in the first step, leveraging graphene
as an absorbent material in the lossy layer to achieve wideband
absorptive characteristics. Subsequently, a reflection band is
introduced by integrating a bandstop, lossless FSS layer into the
absorber structure. The overall structure demonstrates two distinct
absorption bands, characterized by absorptivity exceeding 80% within
the frequency ranges of 0.30 to 0.57 and 0.67 to 0.90 THz.
Simultaneously, a reflection notch is achieved at 0.60 THz.
Extensive simulations assessed the performance of the designed FSA.
The proposed structure exhibits stability under oblique incidence up
to 40 deg and allows tunable absorption specifications by
adjusting the chemical potential of graphene. It is noteworthy that
the FSA reflector offers advantages such as eliminating the need for
complicated, high-cost 3-D structures and welding of the lumped
resistors.
Measurements of seeing-induced crosstalk in tip–tilt corrected solar polarimetry
Authors: Mathur Harsh , Nagaraju K. , Pruthvi Hemanth , Sagaynathan K.
Published: April 2024

We present measurements of seeing-induced crosstalk using
spectropolarimetric observations of sunspots recorded simultaneously
in the Hα and Ca ii 8662 Å
lines with the Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel (KTT) telescope. The Kodaikanal
Tower Tunnel telescope is integrated and installed with an image
stabilization system consisting of a tip–tilt and an autoguider
system. Additionally, the spectropolarimeter at KTT is upgraded to
allow for the simultaneous recording of spectropolarimetric
observations in three spectral lines. The tip–tilt system is shown to
have a cutoff frequency of 80 Hz, effectively reducing the
seeing induced crosstalk in the measured Stokes parameters by at least
a factor of 2.
Compact, low-loss, and high-polarized-extinction ratio terahertz TM-pass polarizer based on a hybrid plasmonic waveguide with a graphene ridge
Authors: Xu Ji , Yao Han , Chi Tiantian , Cheng Huichao , Yue Wenjie , Liu Biying , Zhang Xinrong , Li Sheng , Zhang Baifu , Lu Yunqing , Liu Ning
Published: April 2024

A compact, low-loss, and high-polarized-extinction ratio TM-pass polarizer based on a graphene hybrid plasmonic waveguide (GHPW) has been demonstrated for the terahertz band. A ridge coated by a graphene layer and the hollow HPW with a semiround arch (SRA) Si core is introduced to improve structural compactness and suppress the loss. Based on this, a TM-pass polarizer has been designed that can effectively cut off the unwanted TE mode, and the TM mode passes with negligible loss. By optimizing the angle of the ridge, the height of the ridge, air gap height, and the length of the tapered mode converter, an optimum performance with a high polarization extinction ratio of 30.28 dB and a low insert loss of 0.4 dB is achieved in the 3 THz band. This work provides a scheme for the design and optimization of polarizers in the THz band, which has potential application value in integrated terahertz systems.
Linear systems characterization of the topographical spatial resolution of optical instruments
Authors: de Groot Peter J. , Daouda Zoulaiha , Deck Leslie L. , Colonna de Lega Xavier
Published: April 2024

Lateral resolving power is a key performance attribute of Fizeau interferometers, confocal microscopes, interference microscopes, and other instruments measuring surface form and texture. Within a well-defined scope of applicability, limited by surface slope, texture, and continuity, a linear response model provides a starting point for characterizing spatial resolution under ideal conditions. Presently, the instrument transfer function (ITF) is a standardized way to quantify linear response to surface height variations as a function of spatial frequency. In this paper, we build on the ITF idea and introduce terms, mathematical definitions, and appropriate physical units for applying a linear systems model to surface topography measurement. These new terms include topographical equivalents of the point-, line-, and edge-spread functions, as well as a complex-valued transfer function that extends the ITF concept to systems with spatial-frequency-dependent topography distortions. As an example, we consider the experimental determination of lateral resolving power of a coherence scanning interference microscope using a step-height surface feature to measure the ITF directly. The experiment illustrates the proposed mathematical definitions and provides a direct comparison to theoretical calculations performed using a scalar diffraction model.
Optimized optical system with a 1.65  m wide-field corrector for the 6.5  m high-performance MUltiplexed Survey Telescope
Authors: Zhang Yifan , Bian Qi , Guo Liquan , Shectman Stephen , Tian Zhongtian , Huang Jinlong , Xu Chen , Cai Zheng , Huang Song , Lu Lu , Zheng Yamin , Mao Shude , Huang Lei
Published: April 2024

The development of modern large-scale spectroscopic survey telescopes responds to the
urgent demand for spectral information in astronomical research.
Tsinghua University has previously proposed a 6.5 m MUltiplexed
Survey Telescope consisting of a Ritchey-Chretien configuration and a
1.8 m multi-element wide-field corrector, achieving excellent
performance and world-leading survey efficiency. However, an optimized
1.65 m multi-element corrector with five lenses is proposed to
overcome the constraints on glass uniformity and verification in
fabrication of the previous corrector design. It maintains outstanding
image quality, with the 80% enclosed energy diameter not more than
0.559 arcsec within 3° FoV over up to a 55° zenith angle. The
optimized optical system does not revise the working mode of the ADC
or the curvature of the primary mirror while ensuring the
reasonability and accuracy of manufacturing of large corrector
elements. It provides a more feasible reference optical design for the
MUltiplexed Survey Telescope in subsequent iterations and
communications with manufacturers.
Adaptive multi-beam X-ray ptychography
Authors: Åstrand Mattias , Kahnt Maik , Johansson Ulf , Vogt Ulrich
Published: April 2024

Ptychography has evolved as an important method for nanoscale X-ray imaging with synchrotron radiation. Recently, it has been proposed to work with multiple beams in parallel. The main advantage of so-called multi-beam ptychography is that larger areas can be imaged much faster than with a conventional single beam scan. We introduce adaptive multi-beam ptychography performed with two Fresnel zone plates, placed one behind the other. In contrast to previous demonstrations of multi-beam ptychography, our optical scheme allows for adapting the spatial beam separation to the needs of the sample under investigation, relaxes thickness requirements on zone plates and is straightforward to implement. Moreover, it is simple to switch between single and multi-beam illumination during the same experiment. This opens the possibility of combining large and fast overview scans with detailed imaging of certain regions of interests.
Efficient Verilog-A based time-domain variability analysis method for passive photonic integrated circuits
Authors: Yue Kai , Ye Yinghao
Published: April 2024

The performance of silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs), especially wavelength filters, can be highly sensitive to variations in the fabrication process due to the large refractive index contrast of the silicon on insulator platform. This paper proposes an easy-to-implement and efficient time-domain variability analysis method for passive PICs. The method utilizes the polynomial chaos expansion technique to construct Verilog-A based models for estimating the statistical information of stochastic passive PICs. In comparison to existing methods, this approach is considerably easy to implement, efficient, and exhibits superior scalability, particularly as the numbers of ports and random parameters in the studied PICs increase. The technique is demonstrated via the time-domain variability analysis of a ring-resonator-based wavelength filter and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based demultiplexer filter.
Automated intelligent design of modified uni-traveling carrier photodectors
Authors: Huang Junjing , Duan Xiaofeng , Liu Kai , Huang Yongqing , Ren Xiaomin
Published: April 2024

This paper introduces an automatic intelligent design method for the modified uni-traveling carrier photodetector (MUTC-PD). The conventional photodetector design process often relies on the numerical solution of complex nonlinear partial differential equations to simulate and optimize device performance, which is not only computationally intensive but also inefficient. To overcome this challenge, we apply the charge control principle to calculate the photodetector bandwidth, which improves the computational speed by a factor of approximately 1800 compared to the numerical solution of nonlinear partial differential equations. To further optimize the structure of the photodetector, we incorporate the Velocity Varying Climbing Particle Swarm Optimization (VVCPSO) algorithm. This is an improved algorithm based on the traditional particle swarm algorithm, which is able to quickly find the optimal solution in a complex parameter space. By applying the VVCPSO algorithm, we successfully fine-tuned the photodetector structure and obtained structural parameters with optimal performance. Our thorough verification process confirms that the proposed method is consistent with the results of ATLAS simulation software. Automated design has resulted in a high-performance MUTC-PD with a responsivity of 0.52A/W and a bandwidth of 60 GHz (@-3 V) at a mesa diameter of 16µm. Compared to the pre-optimized device, the bandwidth is increased to three times the original. By reducing the mesa diameter to 4µm, the bandwidth can be further increased to 82 GHz (@-3 V). The proposed method's calculation speed is fast enough, enabling extensive parameter studies to optimize device performance.
High-density polarization multiplexed holograms using azo-carbazole films for diverse applications
Authors: Singh Sumit Kumar , Kinashi Kenji , Tsutsumi Naoto , Sakai Wataru , Jackin Boaz Jessie
Published: April 2024

In this study, we have demonstrated diverse applications of high-density polarization multiplexed holograms in an azo-carbazole polymer film. We investigate three distinct multiplexing methods, namely i) hybrid polarization-angular multiplexing for high-density data storage, ii) hybrid spatial-polarization multiplexing for a dynamic display, and iii) hybrid polarization-depth multiplexing for depth selective 3D display. Up to 24 images were successfully recorded and then retrieved individually from a single hologram without any cross-talk, using the first multiplexing scheme. Similarly, by employing the second multiplexing scheme, six new images were composed (reconstructed) from a hologram recorded with elemental patterns. Finally, images that can be selectively reconstructed at different depths have been demonstrated using the third multiplexing scheme. In this paper, up to three data recordings at one position in the thin azo-carbazole polymer film are demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Our findings underscore the suitability of azo-carbazole copolymer-based composite films for various applications, spanning data storage and display technologies.
Cryogenic temperature 3D mapping via a distributed temperature sensor with centimeter resolution
Authors: Corradin Luca , Thiebaut Gabriel , Gras Gaëtan , Bussières Félix , Extermann Jérôme , Pomarico Enrico
Published: April 2024

We conduct 3D mapping of cryogenic temperatures via a Raman-based distributed temperature sensor, employing standard telecom single-mode fibers and polarization-independent superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). By coiling a test fiber around various stages of a liquid helium cooled cryostat, our device demonstrates a lower temperature sensing limit of (48 ± 2) K, below the nitrogen boiling point. This achievement is made possible by the low dark count rates of SNSPDs, as validated by theoretical simulations. Furthermore, we utilize our device to map cryogenic temperatures on the 350 cm2 surface of a specially designed hollow cylindrical aluminum sample, accommodating approximately 2 m of standard single-mode optical fiber. During nitrogen cooling, we monitor the temporal evolution of the spatially dependent temperature gradient on the metallic sample with a temporal sampling down to one minute. Fiber-based distributed temperature sensing with centimetric spatial resolution can be effectively applied for 3D mapping at cryogenic temperatures of superconducting, quantum computing and aerospace instrumentation.
Ptychographic imaging with a fiber endoscope via wavelength scanning
Authors: Skarsoulis Kyriakos , Makris Konstantinos , Moser Christophe , Psaltis Demetri
Published: April 2024

Ptychography has become a popular computational imaging method for
microscopy in recent years. In the present work we employ a wavelength
scanning ptychography technique enhanced by neural networks for
imaging with a fiber endoscope. Illumination of the object at various
wavelengths is achieved using a single mode fiber, while a multicore
fiber collects diffracted light from a distance. Using a U-Net
multilayer convolutional neural network, the diffraction pattern is
recovered at the far end of the multicore fiber from the recorded
intensity pattern at the proximal end. With the recovered diffraction
pattern in place, the phase object can be reconstructed using the
ptychography algorithm. The quality of the object reconstruction
improves with the number of wavelengths used. Comparison with an
end-to-end neural network highlights the effectiveness and
practicality of this two-step hybrid system. This alternative and
simplified ptychographic endoscopy setup delivers noticeable
improvements through neural networks and wavelength scanning.
KmerAperture: Retaining k-mer synteny for alignment-free extraction of core and accessory differences between bacterial genomes
Authors: Moore Matthew P. , Laager Mirjam , Ribeca Paolo , Didelot Xavier
Published: April 2024

By decomposing genome sequences into k-mers, it is possible to estimate genome differences without alignment. Techniques such as k-mer minimisers, for example MinHash, have been developed and are often accurate approximations of distances based on full k-mer sets. These and other alignment-free methods avoid the large temporal and computational expense of alignment. However, these k-mer set comparisons are not entirely accurate within-species and can be completely inaccurate within-lineage. This is due, in part, to their inability to distinguish core polymorphism from accessory differences. Here we present a new approach, KmerAperture, which uses information on the k-mer relative genomic positions to determine the type of polymorphism causing differences in k-mer presence and absence between pairs of genomes. Single SNPs are expected to result in k unique contiguous k-mers per genome. On the other hand, contiguous series > k may be caused by accessory differences of length S-k+1; when the start and end of the sequence are contiguous with homologous sequence. Alternatively, they may be caused by multiple SNPs within k bp from each other and KmerAperture can determine whether that is the case. To demonstrate use cases KmerAperture was benchmarked using datasets including a very low diversity simulated population with accessory content independent from the number of SNPs, a simulated population where SNPs are spatially dense, a moderately diverse real cluster of genomes (Escherichia coli ST1193) with a large accessory genome and a low diversity real genome cluster (Salmonella Typhimurium ST34). We show that KmerAperture can accurately distinguish both core and accessory sequence diversity without alignment, outperforming other k-mer based tools.