bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sperm calcium flux and membrane potential hyperpolarization observed in the Mexican big-eared bat Corynorhinus mexicanus
Authors: Mendoza-Sánchez José Edwin , Rodríguez-Tobón Ahiezer , Arenas-Ríos Edith , Orta-Salazar Gerardo J. , León-Galván Miguel A. , Treviño Santa Cruz Claudia L. , Chávez Julio C.
Published: December 2022

Mammalian sperm capacitation involves biochemical and physiological changes, such as an increase in intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i), hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane potential and sperm hyperactivation, among others. These changes provide sperm with the ability to fertilize. In the bat Corynorhinus mexicanus, there is an asynchrony between spermatogenesis and sperm storage in the male with the receptivity of the female. For instance, in C. mexicanus, spermatogenesis occurs before the reproductive season. During the reproductive period, sperm are stored in the epididymis for a few months and the testis undergoes a regression, indicating low or almost null sperm production. Therefore, it is unclear whether the elements necessary for sperm fertilization success undergo maturation or preparation during epididymis storage. Here, we characterized pH-sensitive motility hyperactivation and Ca2+ influx in sperm, regulated by alkalinization and progesterone. In addition, by electrophysiological recordings, we registered currents that were stimulated by alkalinization and inhibited by RU1968 (a CatSper-specific inhibitor), strongly suggesting that these currents were evoked via CatSper, a sperm Ca2+-specific channel indispensable for mammalian fertilization. We also found hyperpolarization of the membrane potential, such as in other mammalian species, which increased according to the month of capture, reaching the biggest hyperpolarization during the mating season. In conclusion, our results suggest that C. mexicanus sperm have functional CatSper and undergo a capacitation-like process such as in other mammals, particularly Ca2+ influx and membrane potential hyperpolarization.
Intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics for preoperatively predicting the axillary non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer on the basis of contrast-enhanced mammography: a multicenter study
Authors: Lin Fan , Li Qin , Wang Zhongyi , Shi Yinghong , Ma Heng , Zhang Haicheng , Zhang Kun , Yang Ping , Zhang Ran , Duan Shaofeng , Gu Yajia , Mao Ning , Xie Haizhu
Published: December 2022

Objective:

To develop and test a contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM)-based radiomics model using intratumoral and peritumoral regions to predict non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis in breast cancer before surgery.

Methods:

This multicenter study included 365 breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node metastasis. Intratumoral regions of interest (ROIs) were manually delineated, and peritumoral ROIs (5 and 10 mm) were automatically obtained. Five models, including intratumoral model, peritumoral (5 and 10 mm) models, and intratumoral+peritumoral (5 and 10 mm) models, were constructed by support vector machine classifier on the basis of optimal features selected by variance threshold, SelectKbest, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithms. The predictive performance of radiomics models was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves. An external testing set was used to test the model. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) model was used to compare the predictive performance with radiomics model.

Results:

The intratumoral ROI and intratumoral+peritumoral 10-mm ROI-based radiomics model achieved the best performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8000 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6871–0.8266) in the internal testing set. In the external testing set, the AUC of radiomics model was 0.7567 (95% CI: 0.6717–0.8678), higher than that of MSKCC model (AUC = 0.6681, 95% CI: 0.5148–0.8213) (p = 0.361).

Conclusions:

The intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics based on CEM had an acceptable predictive performance in predicting NSLN metastasis in breast cancer, which could be seen as a supplementary predicting tool to help clinicians make appropriate surgical plans.

Advances in knowledge:

The intratumoral and peritumoral CEM-based radiomics model could noninvasively predict NSLN metastasis in breast cancer patients before surgery.
Η επίδραση της οστεοπόρωσης στους δείκτες αναπνευστικής λειτουργίας σε ασθενείς με χρόνια αποφρακτική πνευμονοπάθεια
Authors: Κακουλλής Λουκάς
Published: December 2022

Στόχος: Η οστεοπόρωση είναι ιδιαίτερα διαδεδομένη σε ασθενείς με χρόνια αποφρακτική πνευμονοπάθεια (ΧΑΠ) και συνήθως εκδηλώνεται με συμπιεστικά κατάγματα σπονδυλικής στήλης. Ο στόχος της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν να ποσοτικοποιηθεί η επίδραση της οστεοπόρωσης και των συμπιεστικών καταγμάτων σπονδυλικής στήλης στη θνησιμότητας και στις δοκιμασίες αναπνευστικής λειτουργίας των ασθενών αυτών, όπως ο βίαια εκπνεόμενος όγκος σε 1 δευτερόλεπτο (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1) και η βίαια εκπνεόμενη ζωτική χωρητικότητα (forced vital capacity, FVC).Μέθοδοι: Η μελέτη αυτή περιλάμβανε 2 σκέλη. Το πρώτο μέρος αφορούσε μια εκτενή μετα-ανάλυση μελετών που αφορούσαν ασθενείς με ΧΑΠ και οστεοπόρωση. Για τους σκοπούς της μετα-ανάλυσης διεξήχθη μια αναζήτηση PubMed/Medline με χρήση των όρων αναζήτησης “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”, “osteoporosis” και “vertebral compression fracture”. Διεξήχθησαν μετα-αναλύσεις για την αξιολόγηση των διαφορών στη θνησιμότητα και των δεικτών αναπνευστικής λειτουργείας μεταξύ ασθενών με ΧΑΠ με και χωρίς οστεοπόρωση ή συμπιεστικά κατάγματα σπονδυλικής στήλης, σύμφωνα με τις οδηγίες της PRISMA. Το δεύτερο σκέλος αφορούσε μια πιλοτική μελέτη ασθενών με ΧΑΠ για την αξιολόγηση της παρουσίας οστεοπόρωσης σε μια ελληνική ομάδα ασθενών με ΧΑΠ.Αποτελέσματα: Από τα 896 άρθρα που εντοπίστηκαν, συμπεριλήφθηκαν 27 μελέτες που περιέγραφαν 7662 ασθενείς με ΧΑΠ, εκ των οποίων οι 1883 (24.6%) είχαν οστεοπόρωση ή συμπιεστικά κατάγματα σπονδυλικής στήλης. Η ανάλυση του μοντέλου τυχαίων επιδράσεων έδειξε ότι οι ασθενείς με ΧΑΠ και οστεοπόρωση ή συμπιεστικά κατάγματα σπονδυλικής στήλης είχαν αυξημένο λόγο πιθανοτήτων (odds ratio, OR) για θνησιμότητα 2.40 (95% CI: 1.24;4.64, I2= 89%, P <0.01), μειωμένο FEV1/FVC με μέση διαφορά − 4.80% (95% CI: -6.69; -2.90,I2= 83%, P <0.01) και μειωμένο FEV1, με μέση διαφορά −4.91% (95% CI: -6.51; −3.31, I2= 95%, P < 0.01) και −0.41 L (95% CI: −0.59; −0.24, I2= 97%, P <0.01), σε σύγκριση με τα άτομα ελέγχου. Εκτός από το FEV1 (λίτρα) στην υποομάδα 1 (P = 0.06), όλες οι αναλύσεις υποομάδας βρήκαν σημαντικές διαφορές μεταξύ των ομάδων, όπως και η ανάλυση ευαισθησίας των μελετών χαμηλού κινδύνου μεροληψίας. Όσον αφορά την πιλοτική μελέτη, συμπεριλήφθηκαν 12 ασθενείς, (7 άνδρες, 5 γυναίκες) με μέση ηλικία τα 65 έτη. Από αυτούς, 3 είχαν οστεοπενία και 2 οστεοπόρωση.Συμπέρασμα: Η οστεοπόρωση και τα συμπιεστικά κατάγματα σπονδυλικής στήλης σχετίζονται με σημαντική μείωση της επιβίωσης και της πνευμονικής λειτουργίας σε ασθενείς με ΧΑΠ. Απαιτούνται επιπλέον μελέτες στον τομέα αυτό για να επιβεβαιωθούν αυτά τα ευρήματα στον ελληνικό πληθυσμό.
Anti-angiogenic effect of the combination of low-dose sorafenib and EGCG in HCC-induced Wistar rats
Authors: Irawan Andry , Prabowo Erik , Riwanto Ignatius , Atmodjo Wahyuni Lukita
Published: December 2022

Background: 

Sorafenib is a standard drug used for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma but is often resistant and toxic. Its combination with epigallo-3-catechin gallate leads to reduced resistance and toxicity but an equally effective anti-angiogenic effect.Therefore, this study aims to assess the anti-angiogenic effect of standard-dose Sorafenib compared to the combination of low-dose Sorafenib and epigallo-3-catechin gallate.

Methods: 

We conducted an animal study and double-blind, randomized controlled trials. A total of 25 male Wistar rats (7 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups, namely Sham (K), Control (O), a combination of low-dose Sorafenib and epigallo-3-catechin gallate group (X1), and standard-dose Sorafenib group (X2). All groups were injected with N-Nitrosodiethylamine 70 mg/kg body weight (BW) intraperitoneally for ten weeks, except the Sham group. After the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, X1 and X2 were treated for two weeks. Subsequently, liver tissues and tumor masses were examined for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level and microvascular density expression.

Results:

There was a significant difference (p=0.007) in the level of VEGF between group X1 (low dose Sorafenib + EGCG) and X2 (Standard dose Sorafenib). However, the differences in VEGF levels of group X1 and X2 compared to group O(Control) were significantly lower, with values p=0.000136 and p=0.019, respectively. The expression of microvascular density between groups X1 and X2  was not entirely different. Meanwhile, a significant difference (p<0.05) was discovered when both groups were compared with the control group.

Conclusion:

The combination of low-dose Sorafenib with epigallo-3-catechin gallate is superior in reducing the level of VEGF compared to standard-dose Sorafenib and is better than the control. Standard-dose Sorafenib and the combination of low-dose Sorafenib and epigallo-3-catechin gallate have similar effectivity in reducing the expression of microvascular density and could prevent resistance and lower toxicity effects.
Effectiveness of Gatekeeper Training Program (GTP) on awareness, attitude, mental help seeking intention and gatekeeper behavior among Koraga tribe: A study protocol
Authors: Noronha Flavia Sharlet , Jose Tessy Treesa , George Anice , George Linu Sara
Published: December 2022

Aim: This study aims to build the capacity of the people at grass root level as gatekeepers of mental health. It will assess the effectiveness of the Gatekeeper Training Program (GTP) on gatekeeper behaviour, awareness, attitude, and mental help seeking intention.

Design: An evaluative research approach in two phases. Phase 1: Cross-sectional house-to-house exploratory survey. Phase 2: A quasi-experimental design with multiple follow ups at 0, 6 and 12 months.

Method: Data will be collected using standardized tools like Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ), Community Attitude towards Mentally Ill (CAMIS), Mental Help Seeking Intention (MHSIS) and Gatekeeper Behavior Scale (GBS). For Phase 1, a house-to-house survey will be conducted among the selected colonies of Koraga tribe to determine their awareness, attitude, and mental help seeking intention regarding common mental health problems. Phase 2 includes identification of the leaders/representatives of the selected tribal colonies, and involving them in GTP. Pre-test and multiple post-test will be conducted in Phase 2 at 0, 6, 12 months.  The study is funded by Indian Council of Medical Research from 16 August 2021 for 3 years duration.

Discussion: Treatment gap in psychiatric disorders remains an issue of great concern. Evidence based research promotes task shifting approaches in dealing with mental health problems in the community. Capacity building programs like GTP for the underprivileged section of the society are important especially in low and middle income group of countries.

Impact: This need based GTP, will ensure mental health first aid in the society. Early identification of people with mental health problems at their doorsteps has huge impact on the prognosis of the illness, closing the treatment gap and stigma reduction.
Bottlenecks and opportunities towards achieving the targeted 95-95-95 HIV services in a rural district in Eastern Uganda
Authors: Samuel Namenkere Monkya , Mary Stella Ayaa , Linda Sukuku , Juliet Kharono , Charles Mugabi , Benina Chelangat , Abwola Olwedo Mary , Nabasumba Carol , Oboth Paul , Osele Julius , Nekaka Rebecca , Iramiot Jacob Stanley
Published: December 2022

Background: Uganda has made progress in reducing its HIV prevalence from 7.3% in 2011 to 6% in 2017, however, more needs to be done to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) target of 95% of the population knowing their HIV status, 95% enrolled on treatment and 95% achieving viral suppression. This study aimed to assess the bottlenecks and opportunities towards achieving the 95 95 95 targeted HIV services in the Bukedea district. 

Methods: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted in the Bukedea district covering males and females aged 18-65 years who had consented to participate in the study. We used a purposive sampling procedure to select our study participants. Qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document reviews for quantitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using STATA v 14 whereas qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach.  

Results: The challenges were grouped as patient-related, medication-related, and facility-related. The patient-related challenges were stigma, fear of taking the medication, poor nutrition, long distances, alcoholism, busy working schedules, and domestic violence. The medication-related challenges were side effects and pill burden. The facility-related challenges were inadequate pretest counseling and stock-outs. The use of anti-retroviral drugs (ART) was common in piggery and poultry and the sources of these drugs were reported to be the people on ART and the health workers.  

The opportunities included home-based counseling, organizing more outreaches, counseling and health education, targeted testing, and strengthening the Village Health Teams (VHT) networks. 

Conclusions: The study revealed that the major challenges towards achieving the targeted 95-95-95 HIV services were stigma, inadequate pre-test counseling, fear of disclosure, and poor adherence due to alcoholism, sharing of drugs with animals and partners. The use of anti-retroviral drugs in animal husbandry was common in the Bukedea District.
AFHIRIS: African Human Iris Dataset (Version 1)
Authors: Akande Oluwatobi , Ojimba Nzube , Oghenekaro Atele , Abikoye Oluwakemi , Ogundokun Roseline , Akindele Akinyinka
Published: December 2022

Biometric systems remain the most widely used methods for identification and authentication purposes. Their wide acceptability has opened up more research into new application areas of biometric systems. However, biometric research requires an appropriate biometric dataset to validate the proposed technique. This dataset could be privately owned or publicly available for research purposes. In the field of iris biometric research, the iris dataset produced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) is the first, most popular, and widely used publicly available iris dataset. However, the increasing popularity and acceptability of human iris-related research have called for additional benchmarks, and therefore, new publicly available databases of human iris images. Existing publicly available human iris datasets have been collected from non-African subjects; therefore, this dataset is the first publicly available human iris dataset of African descent. Three categories of images were collected from 1028 volunteers that participated in the data collection task. The first category was made up of four iris images that were captured when the volunteers used spectacles, while the second category includes four iris images that were captured when the volunteers wore no spectacles. However, the third category of iris images was obtained from eight volunteers that used print-patterned contact lenses. Only four images were captured from volunteers in this category as they were not asked to put on spectacles. In addition to the iris images captured, soft biometric features such as age, gender, state of origin, weight, and height of the volunteers were also captured. It is strongly believed that this unique collection of iris datasets of African descent will open up new research in the study of the human iris.
Sample size variation in single-time post-dose assessment vs multi-time post-dose assessment
Authors: Sayyed Sarfaraz , Mathur Ashwini , Kamath Asha
Published: December 2022

Background: Many randomized trials measure a continuous outcome simultaneously at baseline and after taking the drug. For a single continuous post-treatment outcome, the sample size calculation is simple, but if there are assessments at multiple time points post-treatment then this longitudinal data may give more insights by analyzing the data using the repeated measures method. Also, if the sample size is calculated using the single time-point method for longitudinal data, it may lead to a larger than required sample size, increasing the cost and time.

Methods: In this research, an effort is made to determine the size of the sample for repeated measures case and then compared with the single post-baseline case. The sample sizes were examined under different scenarios for the continuous type of response variable. Under Mean contrast and Diff contrast the sample sizes were calculated with different correlations. These two scenarios were again examined under compound symmetry as well as Auto regressive of order 1 type of correlation structure in longitudinal data. The graphical presentation is given for better visualization of the scenarios.

Results: Sample size required for highly correlated longitudinal data using multi timepoint sample size derivation method led to much smaller sample size requirement as compared to single timepoint sample size calculation method.

Conclusions: This study will help researchers to make better decisions in choosing the right method for sample size determination which may reduce the time and cost of carrying out the experiment. Also, we must carefully assess which method to go with when the correlation is weak. More complex correlation structures are not studied in this article but can be studied in the same fashion.
Predictive factors for hypothyroidy after hemithyroidectomy
Authors: Chaabouni Mohamed Amine , Sellami Moncef , Jameleddine Esma , Kharrat Rania , Thabet Wadii , Mnejja Malek , Hammami Boutheina , Ayadi Sirine , Achour Imen , Charfeddine Ilhem
Published: December 2022

Background: Hemithyroidectomy is one of the most common procedures performed. It is used to treat patients with benign unilateral nodules. Hemithyroidectomy results in fewer risks of hypothyroidism and the need for thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The present study was designed to identify potential clinicopathologic risk factors associated with the onset of biochemical hypothyroidism.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy between 2004 and 2019. Hypothyroidism was defined as a serum thyrotropin level greater than 5 mIU/L. The patients were analyzed for age, sex, preoperative and postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), state, side, and volume of the remaining lobe, and histologic diagnosis.

Results: Hypothyroidism was diagnosed in 30.8% of 214 patients. This complication appeared in the first year in 83.3% of the cases. A preoperative TSH level greater than 1.32 mIU/l, a remaining volume of the lobe less than 3 ml, and the presence of thyroiditis were associated with a significant increase in the risk of developing hypothyroidism (p<0.01). There were no significant differences in age, sex, state, and side of the remaining lobe. The mean thyroxine dose was 57 ± 26 micrograms.

Conclusions: The risk of hypothyroidism after hemithyroidectomy should be assessed prior to surgery. Close monitoring is recommended in patients at high risk of developing this complication. However, all patients who undergo hemithyroidectomy should be monitored at least for the first year.
Draft genome of a clinical Pseudomonas qingdaonensis isolate from a hospitalized patient at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya
Authors: Ogoti Brian , Gachogo Racheal , Onyambu Frank
Published: December 2022

The first draft genome of Pseudomonas qingdaonensis, a gram-negative bacteria isolated from hospitalized patients in Kenya, is presented in this study. The genome was assembled using nanopore MinION readings, yielding an assembly of 8,857,650 base pairs made up of 5(five) contigs. The genome sequence of Pseudomonas qingdaonensis will help researchers better grasp its genetics. Furthermore, the data can be a valuable resource for comparative genomics and future research in this novel species.
Barriers to compliance with evidence-based guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia among critical care nurses: A scoping review
Authors: Al-Tamimi Muna , Refaat Fatma , Bani Issa Wegdan
Published: December 2022

Background: Healthcare organizations provide evidence-based guidelines designed to support nurses in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care units (ICUs), but there are barriers to compliance with such guidelines. This review explicitly explored evidence of compliance barriers among critical care nurses.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and EBSCO databases for relevant English-language studies published between January 2003 and June 2022, focused on barriers to nursing compliance with VAP prevention guidelines. Data was reported according to the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMAScR) guidelines. 

Results:

230 publications were screened, resulting in 53 full-text articles being retrieved after removing duplicates, of which 13 relevant to the aims of the review and meeting the inclusion criteria were included for data extraction. One was a qualitative study, while the remainder were quantitative. Simple descriptive content analysis identified the barriers to critical care nurses’ compliance with VAP prevention guidelines, and categorized them as: (1) work environment barriers (e.g., lack of equipment and supplies; lack of staff and time; lack of educational support; and ineffective supportive system); (2) nurse-related barriers (limited personal competencies); and (3) situation-related barriers (patient health, discomfort, and adverse events).

Conclusions: This review revealed important evidence on barriers to VAP prevention guidelines compliance. Nurses are challenged mainly by work-environmental barriers along, with the presence of nurse and situational barriers. It is evident from the findings that further qualitative and mixed-methodology follow-up studies are recommended to further explore the issues in depth.  Healthcare leaders must be aware of these barriers and integrate work policies that assist in overcoming them, to increase compliance.
The EU Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive and the implications for Digital Teaching and Learning Materials
Authors: Marcus-Quinn Ann
Published: December 2022

The European Accessibility Act and the EU Directive on Web Accessibility require that the online experience be made more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Currently, the focus is primarily centered on websites and online services associated with the public sector. However, as these online products and services improve these same legal requirements are likely to also impact digital teaching and learning materials created for and by educators in the coming years. There are many online and on campus courses (accredited and unaccredited) available to help to guide and inform educators on the importance of using high quality digital materials that are truly accessible. Many courses also provide the instruction that is necessary in creating such digital resources. However, a “knowing-doing” gap still prevails.   This article discusses the impact of the new regulations associated with the European Accessibility Act and the EU Directive on Web Accessibility for the education sector in Ireland and provides some recommendations on what can be done to address the “knowing-doing gap” and support faculty to create high quality digital teaching and learning materials.
The external housing environment of participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): a resource for studies of influences on health
Authors: Ellis Genette , Iles-Caven Yasmin , Northstone Kate , Golding Jean
Published: December 2022

Background: Early life environmental health exposures related to housing can have a significant impact on an individual’s physical and mental health and physical development. Housing exposures can fall into two main areas – a representation of social circumstances and physical conditions.  

Methods: During pregnancy and post-delivery, self-completion questionnaires concerning the housing environment were administered to the ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents & Children) study mothers and their partners until the study offspring were aged 18. Data collected included types of housing, housing tenure, numbers of rooms in the home, whether shared or sole use of kitchen and indoor flushing toilet, household moves, Council Tax band, difficulties in affording rent/mortgage and becoming homeless. Here we also describe the historic development of housing in the Bristol and surrounding Avon areas.

Results: Data collected included the tenure (e.g., owned/rented) of the home, its size (indexed by the number of rooms), the presence of over-crowding (measured by the number of residents per room), presence of amenities, and frequency of household moves. This information was collected on over 13,000 women during pregnancy >8000 at age 10 and >4000 at 18 years. Council Tax bands were asked at 10 and 18 years.  

Conclusions: This is the first of two Data Notes on the housing type and housing circumstances of the families enrolled in ALSPAC. The second Data Note will detail their internal housing conditions. The data provides an excellent resource for researchers when considering the influences of housing on physical and mental health and development.
Privacy-Preserving Network Analytics
Authors: Hastings Marcella , Falk Brett Hemenway , Tsoukalas Gerry
Published: December 2022

We develop a new privacy-preserving framework for a general class of financial network models, leveraging cryptographic principles from secure multiparty computation and decentralized systems. We show how aggregate-level network statistics required for stability assessment and stress testing can be derived from real data without any individual node revealing its private information to any outside party, be it other nodes in the network, or even a central agent. Our work bridges the gap between established theories of financial network contagion and systemic risk that assume agents have full network information and the real world where information sharing is hindered by privacy and security concerns.

This paper was accepted by Agostino Capponi, finance.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4582 .
Estimating and Exploiting the Impact of Photo Layout: A Structural Approach
Authors: Li Hanwei , Simchi-Levi David , Wu Michelle Xiao , Zhu Weiming
Published: December 2022

Host-generated property images as a visual channel reveal substantial information about properties. Selecting proper images to display can lead to higher demand and increased rental revenue. In this paper, we define, estimate, and optimize the impacts of Airbnb photos on customers’ renting decisions. We apply ResNet-50, a convolutional neural network model, to build two separate, supervised learning models to evaluate the image quality and room types posted by Airbnb hosts. Then, we characterize the overall impacts of photo layout by the room type featured in the photo, photo quality, and order of display on the listings’ web pages. To address two estimation challenges in the Airbnb setting, namely, censored demand and changing consideration sets, we propose a novel pairwise comparison model that utilizes customers’ booking sequence data to consistently estimate the impact of photo layout on customers’ renting decisions. Our estimation results suggest that the cover image has a significantly larger impact than noncover photos and a high-quality bedroom cover image leads to the largest increase in demand. Furthermore, we build a nonlinear integer programming optimization problem and develop an algorithm to determine the optimal photo layout. Our counterfactual analysis suggests that a listing’s unilateral adoption of optimal photo layout leads to 11.0% more bookings on average. Moreover, depending on the neighborhood and market size, when listings simultaneously switch to the optimal photo layout, they get booked for two to five additional days in a year on average, which boosts revenue by $500 to $1,100.

This paper was accepted by Swaminathan, Jayashankar, operations management.

Funding: This research was partially sponsored by the MIT Data Science Lab and also benefited from generous support provided by Zalando.

Supplemental Material: The online companion and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4616 .
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Sequential Targeting
Authors: Wang Wen , Li Beibei , Luo Xueming , Wang Xiaoyi
Published: December 2022

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has opened up many unprecedented opportunities in revolutionizing the digital marketing field. In this study, we designed a DRL-based personalized targeting strategy in a sequential setting. We show that the strategy is able to address three important challenges of sequential targeting: (1) forward looking (balancing between a firm’s current revenue and future revenues), (2) earning while learning (maximizing profits while continuously learning through exploration-exploitation), and (3) scalability (coping with a high-dimensional state and policy space). We illustrate this through a novel design of a DRL-based artificial intelligence (AI) agent. To better adapt DRL to complex consumer behavior dimensions, we proposed a quantization-based uncertainty learning heuristic for efficient exploration-exploitation. Our policy evaluation results through simulation suggest that the proposed DRL agent generates 26.75% more long-term revenues than can the non-DRL approaches on average and learns 76.92% faster than the second fastest model among all benchmarks. Further, in order to better understand the potential underlying mechanisms, we conducted multiple interpretability analyses to explain the patterns of learned optimal policy at both the individual and population levels. Our findings provide important managerial-relevant and theory-consistent insights. For instance, consecutive price promotions at the beginning can capture price-sensitive consumers’ immediate attention, whereas carefully spaced nonpromotional “cooldown” periods between price promotions can allow consumers to adjust their reference points. Additionally, consideration of future revenues is necessary from a long-term horizon, but weighing the future too much can also dampen revenues. In addition, analyses of heterogeneous treatment effects suggest that the optimal promotion sequence pattern highly varies across the consumer engagement stages. Overall, our study results demonstrate DRL’s potential to optimize these strategies’ combination to maximize long-term revenues.

This paper was accepted by Kartik Hosanagar, information systems.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4621 .
Q Fever Spondylodiscitis: A Rare Manifestation of a Challenging Disease
Authors: Gomes Ricardo , Carlos Pedro , Faísca Ana Rita , Vincente Leopoldina
Published: December 2022

Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever, which is found worldwide and can be acute or chronic. This case report describes a 72-year-old man whose bilateral lower limb pain revealed a paravertebral abscess at L2–L3 due to Q fever spondylodiscitis. Surgical drainage of the abscess was performed and medical treatment is ongoing. Q fever is endemic in Portugal and transmitted by inhalation of aerosols containing spores from infected animals (cattle, goats and sheep) or by ingesting cottage cheese or unpasteurized milk. It has an incubation period of 2–3 weeks and 60% of patients are asymptomatic with only 2% needing hospitalization. Primary infection can manifest in any organ and most cases are self-limiting (self-limited febrile illness, atypical pneumonia or acute hepatitis). Less than 1% of cases evolve to chronic disease, presenting as osteomyelitis or endocarditis. Chronic disease poses a diagnostic challenge and spondylodiscitis has an insidious evolution. Diagnosis requires microbiological and clinical confirmation. Serological and polymerase chain reaction tests are used for diagnosis.
 Acute disease is usually treated with doxycycline for 3 weeks to avoid evolution to chronic disease. Chronic disease requires 18–24 months of doxycycline with hydroxychloroquine. Acute disease can recur so follow-up is essential as chronic Q fever can result in morbidity and mortality. In Portugal Q fever is a notifiable disease due to the epidemiological risk.
PENGARUH KOMPENSASI, KEPUASAN KERJA, DAN STRES KERJA TERHADAP TURNOVER INTENTION
Authors: Putri Erika , Anisa Friztina
Published: December 2022

The success of an organization can be portrayed by the employee turnover intention rate each month. Employee turnover intention can be influenced by compensation, job satisfaction, and work stress. The purpose of this study is to test and analyze the relationship among compensation factors, job satisfaction, and work stress on employees at PT. Tanjung Kreasi Parquet Industri (TKPI). This study was conducted in a Quantitative research method with multiple regression analysis. The population of this study was all production employees. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with a total of 201 employees. The results of the study prove that compensation and job satisfaction have a negative effect on turnover intention, while work stress has a positive effect on turnover intention.
Family beliefs about care for older people in Central, East, Southern and West Africa and Latin America
Authors: Curreri Nereide Alhena , McCabe Louise , Robertson Jane , Aboderin Isabella , Margriet Pot Anne , Keating Norah
Published: December 2022

The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–30) states that reliance on family care alone is unsustainable. This scoping review synthesises knowledge on family beliefs about care for older people in Central, East, Southern and West Africa and Latin America. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed, and 35 articles published from 2010 to 2020 were included. The review highlights the challenges arising from embedded beliefs in family obligations to care.
La perspectiva LGBTI en periodismo
Authors: Canet Martínez Vicent
Published: December 2022

En este artículo se comparan 8 trabajos sobre el tratamiento mediático del colectivo LGBTI en el marco de Mèdia.cat, observatorio crítico de medios. El objetivo principal es desarrollar una propuesta que permita introducir la perspectiva LGBTI en el ámbito periodístico de forma diferenciada a cómo se ha introducido hasta ahora la perspectiva de género. Esto permitirá reflexionar de manera crítica sobre el cisheterocentrismo del discurso mediático y el tratamiento informativo de la realidad de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transexuales e intersexuales (LGBTI) así como identificar estrategias para superar esta situación.
Frenos institucionales al desarrollo del sector pesquero en España (siglos XVIII y XIX)
Authors: López Losa Ernesto
Published: December 2022

Antes de la llegada del vapor, restricciones de carácter tecnológico constreñían la capacidad de captura y comercialización del pescado. Además, un marco institucional particular también obstaculizaba el funcionamiento del sector pesquero español. Los elevados costes de fabricación atribuidos al monopolio de la sal, las restricciones a la oferta de mano de obra generadas por la Matrícula de Mar y una legislación contradictoria contribuyeron a reducir la participación y la inversión. La industria pesquera sólo se vio libre de limitaciones institucionales tras un largo proceso de desmantelamiento de la normativa marítimo-pesquera del Antiguo Régimen a finales del siglo XIX.
Technological and corporate innovation in Spanish specialised metallurgy: the case of Rivière (1860–1924)
Authors: Calvo Calvo Angel
Published: December 2022

Metallurgy is, along with textiles, the leading industry of the first industrial revolution in Spain, a feature highlighted in the literature from very early on. One of its sub-sectors, that of metal transformation, has received very special attention from researchers. However, certain gaps still persist in some branches, particularly those relating to various factors of the production system at the factory level, such as capital (equipment and energy), labour, and corporate structure. Herein lies the main motivation for this research, which addresses the reasons behind the success of medium-sized companies in specialised metallurgy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using a case study methodology, primary sources, a long-term perspective and a comparative procedure. The text comprises three main sections, covering the formation of the Rivière company, the production system of this company, and its organisational innovations.
«Cultura turística i identitats múltiples a les illes balears».
Authors: Alemany-Sureda Francesc
Published: December 2022

Ressenya de l’obra col·lectiva Cultura turística i identitats múltiples a les Illes Balears, que aprofundeix en les relacions entre el turisme i la cultura a l’arxipèlag amb perspectiva històrica i des de múltiples disciplines. A l’article repàs les aportacions i les limitacions principals d’un llibre que contribueix als debats de l’antropologia del turisme i, a més, resulta oportú per discutir l’aproximació a la cultura que els estudis culturals han generalitzat arreu de les ciències socials del segle XXI, història i antropologia incloses.
PARAULES CLAU: crítica antropològica, estudis culturals, cultura turística, imaginaris, Illes Balears.
Microwave-photonic optical fiber interferometers for wavelength interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensors with high sensitivity and a tunable dynamic range
Authors: Xiao Yunhao , Wang Yiping , Zhu Dan , Shi Jingzhan , Liu Qiang , Gao Lingge
Published: December 2022

We propose and demonstrate a new, to the best of our knowledge, microwave interference-based scheme with high sensitivity and tunable measurement range, which is realized by a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI). A chirped fiber Bragg grating and single-mode fiber serve as the two unbalanced arms of the RF interferometer. The induced differential chromatic dispersion transfers the wavelength shift of the fiber Bragg gratings to the change of the RF phase difference between the two interferometric carriers, which ultimately leads to the variation of the RF signal intensity. The phase sensitivity can be improved by adjusting the power ratio of the two beams in the interferometer and coarse adjustment of the optical variable delay line (OVDL). The OVDL is also employed to tune the measurement range of the system by adjusting the time delay difference between the two arms of the MZI. The system effectively solves the problem of unavoidable attenuation of the sensitivity of the optical carrier-based microwave interferometry system caused by the change of phase difference due to the change of measurement parameters, avoiding the mutual constraint between the measurement range and high sensitivity.
Huygens principle for random metamaterial without coupling
Authors: Huang Wei , Liu Mai , Xu Yi , Yin Shan , Zhang Wentao , Han Jiaguang
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we present the Huygens principle of transmission spectra for random metamaterials without coupling. We theoretically demonstrate the connection between the Huygens principle and coupled mode theory for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. We theoretically illustrate that transmission spectra without metamaterial coupling can be calculated by the Huygens principle. Without loss of universality, we explain the Huygens principle for randomly selecting two different structures on a two-dimensional metamaterial array and compare the calculated results of the Huygens principle, CST Studio Suite (CST) simulations, and experimental results.
Performance comparison of two terahertz all-dielectric metasurfaces based on bound states in the continuum
Authors: Yang Ningning , Lang Tingting , Cen Wenyang , Yu Zhenyu , Xiao Meiyu , Zhang Jinhui , Qiu Yanqing
Published: December 2022

In recent years, the concept of bound states in the continuum (BICs) in optics has become a research hotspot and has attracted the attention of many scholars. It provides an important physical mechanism for the generation of high-quality-factor optical resonance in high-refractive-index dielectric nanoparticles and all-dielectric metasurfaces. In this paper, two metasurfaces with the same structure of different materials are proposed. The resonant frequencies of the two structures are consistent, and the error is within 2.5 GHz. The quasi-BIC resonance is excited in the same way of breaking the symmetry. Subsequently, the electric field distribution, sensitivity, and figure of merit (FOM) of the two metasurfaces are analyzed, and sensitivities of 79.3 GHz/RIU and 72.4 GHz/RIU and the highest FOMs of 424.8 and 180.5, respectively, are achieved. These two all-dielectric metasurfaces are compared in this study, further confirming the advantages of all-silicon metasurfaces.
On the reliability of the collective coordinate method to simulate metasurfaces with correlated disorder used for light management
Authors: Dhawan Prerak , Schulte Linus , Piechulla Peter , Augenstein Yannick , Gaudig Maria , Sprafke Alexander , Wehrspohn Ralf B. , Rockstuhl Carsten
Published: December 2022

High-index nanodisk metasurfaces with correlated disorder are promising as an anti-reflective metasurface for several optoelectronic devices. However, their computational analysis remains a major challenge since capturing the long-range scattering response of these disordered nanostructures requires a sufficiently large simulation domain, inhibiting simulation studies due to high computational costs. To overcome this challenge, we investigate the collective coordinate method (CCM) to identify smaller and optimal super-cells feasible for computational analysis that still represent the spatial correlation characteristics of the larger system. Our focus lies in determining the reliability of the optical response obtained from such optimized samples compared to ensemble-averaged unoptimized samples and large-scale samples that include long-range information. Our results in the context of solar cells indicate that CCM offers a robust solution across all scatterer parameters and domain sizes to accurately simulate the response of a large-scale system with hyperuniform disorder. Our work unlocks a use of such a reciprocal-space optimization scheme to reliably simulate metasurfaces with tailored disorder.
Mid-infrared coherent sources and applications: introduction
Authors: Ebrahim-Zadeh Majid , Helmy Amr S. , Leo Giuseppe , Schunemann Peter G.
Published: December 2022

This feature issue of JOSA B is based on the Optica Topical Meeting on Mid-Infrared Coherent Sources (MICS) held 21–25 March 2022 in Budapest, Hungary.
Ultra-high-temperature sensing using fiber grating sensor and demodulation method based on support vector regression optimized by a genetic algorithm
Authors: Li Yingjie , Chen Tao , Si Jinhai , Lv Ruidong , Niu Xiao , Gao Bo , Hou Xun
Published: December 2022

We propose an ultra-high-temperature sensing method using a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and demodulation technique based on support vector regression optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA-SVR). A type-I FBG inscribed by a femtosecond laser in a silica fiber was packaged with a tube and used as a temperature sensor. The external ambient temperature was retrieved from the transient FBG wavelength and its increase rate in reaching thermal equilibrium of the FBG with the external environment using GA-SVR. The temperature sensing in the range of 400 to 1000 °C was realized with an accuracy of 4.8 °C. The highest sensing temperature exceeded the FBG resisting temperature of 700 °C. The demodulation time was decreased to approximately 15 s, only 3.14% of the FBG sensor time constant. The proposed method could realize the external ambient temperature determination before the FBG temperature reached the thermal equilibrium state, which enables to attain a demodulation time shorter than the time constant of the FBG sensor and a sensing temperature higher than the FBG resisting temperature. This method could be potentially applied in temperature inspection of combustion and other fields.
Non-interferometric key recording applied to a joint transform cryptosystem
Authors: Vargas-Castrillón Carlos , Velez-Zea Alejandro , Barrera-Ramírez John Fredy
Published: December 2022

In this Letter, we propose an opto-digital cryptosystem based on the joint transform correlator architecture without the need for a reference beam, phase-shifting techniques, or an additional window in the input plane. In this system, only two intensity recordings are necessary: the intensity of the key Fourier transform, and the joint power spectrum between the key and an arbitrary object in contact with a random phase mask. Combining them with the knowledge of their respective input modules, we implement a modified Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm to recover the phase associated with the encryption key. The validity of our approach is demonstrated by computer simulations and experimental results.
Single capture bright field and off-axis digital holographic microscopy
Authors: Picazo-Bueno José Ángel , Barroso Álvaro , Ketelhut Steffi , Schnekenburger Jürgen , Micó Vicente , Kemper Björn
Published: December 2022

We report on a single capture approach for simultaneous incoherent bright field (BF) and laser-based quantitative phase imaging (QPI). Common-path digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is implemented in parallel with BF imaging within the optical path of a commercial optical microscope to achieve spatially multiplexed recording of white light images and digital off-axis holograms, which are subsequently numerically demultiplexed. The performance of the proposed multimodal concept is firstly determined by investigations on microspheres. Then, the application for label-free dual-mode QPI and BF imaging of living pancreatic tumor cells is demonstrated.
Pulse overlap ambiguities in multiple quantum coherence spectroscopy
Authors: Bangert Ulrich , Bruder Lukas , Stienkemeier Frank
Published: December 2022

Coherent two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy probes ultrafast dynamics using femtosecond pulses. In the case where the time scale of the studied dynamics become comparable to the pulse duration, pulse overlap effects may compromise the experimental data. Here, we perform one-dimensional coherence scans and study pulse overlap effects in clean two-level systems. We find parasitic multiple-quantum coherences as a consequence of the arbitrary time ordering during the temporal pulse overlap. Surprisingly, the coherence lifetimes exceed the pulse coherence time by a factor of 1.85. These findings have important implications for the interpretation of higher-order coherent two-dimensional and related spectroscopy experiments.