bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FANHS 1st Conference: "Growing Up Brown" Transcript
Authors: Acuszaar Loréa
Published: October 2024

Abstract: Presented at the first annual FANHS National Conference, November 14, 1987, in the workshop session "Growing Up Brown." Presenters included Loréa Acuszaar, Peter Jamero, and Douglas Luna. The Panel was moderated by Andres Tangalin
In Search of My Soul; Filial Piety (Poetry)
Authors: Tangalin Andres
Published: October 2024

Abstract: The author recalls his struggle of being a biracial Filipino/Ukrainian son born before 1945, living in a Chicago, Illinois, public housing project milieu. He comments that the city's West Side public housing was intentional segregation. When Andres moves to Seattle, Washington, in his adolescence, the new social and ethnic environment challenges his becoming. He confronts his mixed-race identity, probes human nature tendencies, describes his action steps to achieve belonging, and accepts his Filipino American biracial identity. Closure is pro vided with a poetic reflection befitting a son.
An Intergenerational Roundtable: Passing on Filipino American History and Identity
Authors: Jamero Peter
Published: October 2024

Abstract: Most immigrants to the United States in the early 1900s came with families, which greatly enabled their assimilation into American culture and society. Families enabled immigrants to pass on their own history and identity to their children. Not so with immigrants from the Philippines. History now tells us that these first-generation, single, young men—the Manong Generation—indeed procreated a second generation—the Bridge Generation. In order to determine the ways in which history is passed on, the author convened members of the Jamero family, which has been in America for six generations. Four members of the Jamero family, representing three generations, were asked to serve on a roundtable. The following are their stories.
Filipino Americans with Disabilities: Bridging Two Worlds Together through Research
Authors: Abueg Joseph
Published: October 2024

Abstract: Both Filipino Americans and people with disabilities are often excluded from broader research and discussions on diversity. Filipino Americans with disabilities and their caregivers may feel "double exclusion," since they are often left out of discussions on race/culture and disability, respectively. The purpose of this article is to illuminate the current knowledge base about Filipino Americans and members of other multicultural populations with disabilities and their caregivers. Suggestions for future research and discussions follow.
The Forgotten Generation: The Bridge Generation in Comparison to Manong/Manang-Generation Filipino Americans
Authors: Jamero Peter , Colond Jay
Published: October 2024

Abstract: The Bridge Generation of Filipino Americans, born to the Manong/Manang Generation of Filipino emigrants in the 1920s and 30s, is understudied. The integration experiences of this Bridge Generation are distinct from their parents, the Manong/Manang Generation. These patterns of Filipino integration into American society may reflect the Bridge generations' childhood experience of American racial hostility. Using US census data, we investigate educational attainment and economic outcomes to demonstrate key trends in Bridge Generation integration into American society. We show Bridge Generation women earned less on average than all other Filipina women. Using logistic regression, we show that these early second-generation Filipinos of either gender were the least likely to attain college degrees among all Filipino Americans.
Recipe for Resourcefulness, Resistance, and Resilience: From Survival Gardens to Decolonial Filipina/o/x Foodways in Hawaiʻi
Authors: Cristobal Shannon
Published: October 2024

Abstract: This article, brings to light how Filipina/o/x's in Hawai'i used food as a form of agency in resisting and fighting discriminatory and oppressive practices during the plantation era (in Hawai'i, 1920s–1969). I trace how these practices are embodied with ancestral knowledge that has been transmitted through generations. I demonstrate how Filipina/o/x's from the past to the present have resisted, are resilient, and are resourceful, unlike the stereotypes that Filipina/o/x's in Hawai'i were submissive, meek, and mindless. I utilize primary sources that include International Longshore and Warehouse Union archival material, including meeting notes, reports, union bulletins, cookbooks, memoires, and oral histories. In establishing my research, I utilize standpoint theory and my NAIMAS methodology that centers every day life of Filipina/o/x's in Hawai'i, in order to begin our journey of remembering, reclaiming, and reconnecting to our Filipina/o/x's ways of being, knowledge, and epistemologies.
To Render a Black World
Authors: Abdur-Rahman Aliyyah I.
Published: October 2024

Abstract: This essay takes Kevin Quashie’s formulation of a black world as the summons and seeding of my engagement with Barry Jenkins’s filmic adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk to speculate upon how a black world might be rendered in visual, multimedia, and cinematic arts. To do so, I reckon with the inherent dangers of black visuality, and of black publicness, within a carceral landscape saturated by ever more invasive, data-driven biometric technologies of surveillance and penal capture. My critical engagement with Jenkins attends to how his evasive and deconstructive cinematic experiments enact a mode of black poesis in line with Quashie’s formulation of a black world in poetry. In so doing, they undermine the constancy (and presumed transparency) of black visuality, along with its affiliated perils in a racist carceral society. Ultimately, this essay theorizes how black visual arts innovate expressive techniques, within a visual field structured by the antiblack semiotics of epidermalization and spectacularization, to render our world in everyday, living black splendor.
Forgetting: Loss, Invention, and Unbearable Life
Authors: Bliss James
Published: October 2024

Abstract: Recent works in and around Black feminist and queer studies have explored the figure of unbearable life through different forms of forgetting. A forgetting attends every act of conceptual or cultural invention, but forgetting also marks a range of cognitive deteriorations in and around experiences of disability, death, and dying. Working between the discourses of afro-fabulation, afropessimism, and Black feminism, the article details the ways every act of invention is also a form of forgetting, and every instance of loss is also a form of creativity. Afro-fabulation, as one name for a Black queer mode of invention, is at once a mode of creating bearable forms of life from abjection, and a form of forgetting. In their shared attention to cognitive deterioration and death as forms of loss, Black feminism and afropessimism open space for reckoning with the impermanence and indeterminacy central to the Black radical tradition.
“The Kiss and the Cut”: Reassembling the Techno-Orientalist Clone through Multispecies Grief and Intimacy in Larissa Lai’s The Tiger Flu
Authors: Cho Jennifer
Published: October 2024

Abstract: This article queries the revision of techno-Orientalist tropes in Larissa Lai’s 2018 novel The Tiger Flu , focusing primarily on how Lai repossesses the figure of the Asian female clone and imagines her as a formidable site of radical feminist, decolonial, and anti-capitalist knowledge in a time of planetary erosion and pandemic. I posit that Lai breaks the lineage of techno-Orientalist formations through the survivalist impulses of the Grist Sisters, a species of bioengineered clone factory workers, who move towards abolition from capitalism and compulsory heterosexuality by developing autonomous practices of reproduction, organ transplantation, and inter-generational storytelling. Through the Grist Sisters’ physical and symbolic acts of interdependent reliance and survival, Lai forges multispecies intimacies and embodiments as exertions of a radical politics of care that includes Asian American “women.” Further, Lai’s future world-building centers the multispecies grief of the Grist Sisters as a potent expression of feminist solidarity.
Sensitivity improvement of the closed-loop resonant fiber-optic gyroscope interrogated with a broadband source
Authors: Hu Junyi , Liu Shuang , Li Binjie , Ma Huilian
Published: October 2024

The resonant fiber-optic gyroscope (RFOG), interrogated with a broadband light source, represents an intriguing optical gyroscope that has been proposed as an extension of the traditional RFOG, which is driven by a narrow linewidth laser source. The implementation of a closed-loop detection system enhances the linearity and dynamic range of the gyroscope output. This paper is devoted to improving the sensitivity of the closed-loop broadband source-driven RFOG. First, a model for analysis and optimization of the feedback loop gain of a closed-loop broadband source-driven resonant fiber-optic gyroscope (RFOG) is developed, and the feedback loop gain is optimized. The experimental results indicate that the influence of the feedback loop noise on the gyro performance can be neglected. Subsequently, the noise contributions, including the shot noise, detector noise, and relative intensity noise, in the broadband source-driven RFOG system are investigated. A theoretical derivation and experimental verification of an expression for the reduction of the relative intensity noise by a fiber-optic ring resonator are presented. Finally, a packaged broadband source-driven RFOG prototype using a 175 m long fiber coil with an average diameter of 5.7 cm was constructed and evaluated. The experimental results demonstrate that the prototype achieves navigation-grade precision with an angular random walk of 0.003∘/h1/2 and a bias instability of 0.005°/h.
Universal and waveform-resolving dual pulse reconstruction through interferometric strong-field ionization
Authors: Wiese Joss , Brupbacher Katherine , Bredehoeft Jona , Matselyukh Danylo T. , Jakob Wörner Hans
Published: October 2024

A dual pulse retrieval algorithm is introduced that builds upon time-domain interferometric strong-field ionization to simultaneously reconstruct both involved laser pulses in a waveform-resolved manner. The pulse characterization scheme removes many restrictions posed by former methods, leaving the avoidance of resonant ionization as a single boundary. It is widely and easily applicable at low cost and effort for common attosecond beamlines and allows for the robust and accurate in-situ retrieval of two unknown laser fields. For spectrally similar pulses, our method can also extract the carrier-envelope phase of both waveforms. Furthermore, it enables the accurate envelope measurement of ultraviolet laser pulses without any dispersive media, using much longer, commonly available pulses in the infrared. The new technique is therefore ideally suited for the characterization of resonant dispersive waves.
Broken phase of parity-time symmetry enables efficient superluminal pulse transmission
Authors: Wu Li-Ting , Zhang Xin-Zhe , Kang Ming , Guo Tian-Jing , Chen Jing
Published: October 2024

Parity-time (PT) symmetric Bragg gratings (PTBGs) exhibit unique band characteristics compared to their traditional counterparts. Notably, when the PT symmetry is broken, the initial bandgap closes, and the upper and lower branches coalesce. We demonstrate that this believed to be novel band dispersion supports fast light, also known as the optical superluminality. A light pulse can propagate through a fiber PTBG with broken PT symmetry, achieving high transmission efficiency (comparable to, and even exceeding, unity) while maintaining its Gaussian shape. This effect offers a significant advantage over superluminal tunneling, where the transmission coefficient is typically very small. We also analyze the transmission of optical precursors and show that they cannot be superluminal, consistent with the principle of causality. This work presents a mechanism for realizing superluminality with some possible applications and underscores the vast potential of non-Hermitian optics.
Compact detector for vector vortex beams by polarization holography
Authors: Yang Yi , Qi Peiliang , Yuan Xinyi , Wang Jinyu , Liu Yiping , Ye Tian , Xu Xianmiao , Zhang Di , Ke Shenghui , Zheng Shujun , Tan Xiaodi
Published: October 2024

Vector vortex beams (VVBs) have garnered significant attention for their potential to revolutionize applications such as high-resolution imaging and quantum communication. The development of an easy-to-use and effective method for representing the spatially inhomogeneous polarization distribution of VVBs is imperative. In this paper, we propose what we believe to be a novel compact detector for quickly and accurately measuring the polarization distribution of arbitrary VVBs by means of polarization holography. When a VVB illuminates the detector, multiple diffracting beams appear simultaneously that can be used to get the VVB’s polarization distribution. Incidentally, it can also measure the state of polarization of a scalar beam, which can be considered a special case of spatially inhomogeneous polarization. Experimental results confirm the detector's measurement accuracy, positioning it as a promising tool for advanced optical applications.
Isolated red quantum wells with strain relaxation induced by V-pits and trench structures
Authors: Pan Zuojian , Chen Zhizhong , Zhang Haodong , Deng Chuhan , Yang Han , Chen Yian , Huang Fei , Hu Ling , Dong Boyan , Chen Weihua , Kang Xiangning , Jia Chuanyu , Liang Zhiwen , Wang Qi , Zhang Guoyi , Shen Bo
Published: October 2024

Carrier localization leads to efficient emission in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs), especially in the long-wavelength range. Nanostructures in MQWs can facilitate the formation of carrier localization centers. In this work, high-density V-pits and trench structures were introduced in MQWs by constant low-temperature growth. Isolated red MQWs were achieved due to the carrier blocking effect caused by the V-pits and trench structures. Meanwhile, the V-pits and trench structures caused significant stress relaxation in MQWs. The topmost quantum wells (QWs) achieved red emissions due to the composition-pulling effect, while the bottom QWs exhibited green emissions. In electroluminescence measurement, a single red emission peak appeared at 636 nm at 0.1 A/cm2. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) results showed that the PL integral intensity of the red MQWs at room temperature is about 11.32% of that at 6 K, while that of the green MQWs is only 0.09%. The PL lifetime for red emissions was more than 20 times longer than that for green ones. This study presents a new method to achieve carrier localization in red MQWs to minimize defect-related effects.
Characterization of photon combination pathways for harmonic generation from indium tin oxide thin films
Authors: Jiang Yu , Zhang Chaojin , Liu Chengpu
Published: October 2024

The harmonic generation in an indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film induced by a ω0 + 2ω0 two-color field (ω0 is the frequency of a fundamental laser field) is investigated based on the numerical solution of the full-wave Maxwell-paradigmatic-Kerr equations. By changing the topological charge number and the amplitude ratio of the ω0 and 2ω0 field components, different photon combination pathways in support of each harmonic generation are distinguished, which are manifested as characteristic tempo-spatial field distributions, doughnut-shaped intensity distributions with different diameters, and spiral phase diagrams with different topological charge numbers. The results here provide a new, to the best of our knowledge characterization method to distinguish the photon combination pathways for each order harmonic generation.
Covering a 1280–1495 nm (215 nm) wideband high-gain bismuth-doped fiber amplifier with only 1240 nm pumping
Authors: Yang Yuanyuan , Wen Jianxiang , Wang Weiqi , Fan Xuelong , Dong Yanhua , Luo Yanhua , Huang Caihong , Shang Yana , Pang Fufei , Zhang Xiaobei , Wang Tingyun
Published: October 2024

In this study, two bismuth-doped fibers were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) combined with modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technology. For a dual-pump amplification configuration, 1240 and 1310 nm pumping the BDF simultaneously, when the 1240 nm pump power changes, it has little impact on the gain. The 1310 nm pump wavelength overlaps with the emission range of bismuth active centers associated with phosphorus (BACs-P), potentially suppressing its excitation. The experiment reveals that the emission range of BACs associated with silicon (BACs-Si) overlaps the absorption range of BACs-P, indicating that BACs likely exist for their reabsorption properties. Furthermore, enhancing the reabsorption properties can increase the luminescent intensity of BACs-Si in the 1420 nm region with only a 1240 nm pump. The gain of peaks at 1340 and 1420 nm exceeds 31.5 dB at a −23 dBm input signal. Notably, the gain within the 1280–1495 nm range exceeded 15 dB, achieving a bandwidth of 215 nm. This holds significant promise for applications in artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and other fields with high-capacity communication demands.
Dual-mode organic photodetectors enabled by adopting dual-interface carrier traps
Authors: Tang Xiang , Li Lingfeng , Yang Yungang , Qiao Xiyao , Wang Yang
Published: October 2024

Organic photodetectors (OPDs) have garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in both civil and military fields. Among them, bias-switchable dual-mode OPDs, which have recently been developed, show practical application promise for capacities to deliver amplified electric signals under weak light by working in a photomultiplication (PM) mode and to avoid high power consumption under strong light by choosing the photovoltaic (PV) mode. However, further development is needed in the device preparation methodology. In this study, we achieved dual-mode OPDs by adopting the structural innovation involving dual-interface carrier traps, i.e., oxygen defects in the ZnO interface layer and structural defects at the interfaces of the active layer and interface layer. The resulting dual-mode device with dual traps demonstrated an external quantum efficiency of 2509% at +2 V bias, representing an increase of 18.39% and 774.22% as compared to single-trap counterparts. Additionally, the specific detectivity reached 4.55 × 1011 Jones and 6.22 × 1011 Jones in PV and PM modes, respectively. This research presents a general strategy for achieving dual-mode OPDs that may meet the requirements of next-generation detection systems.
Miniaturized on-chip optical differentiator based on 2F-structured metasurfaces
Authors: Ding Hanting , Chen Chao , Yu Yu
Published: October 2024

Analog optical computing based on Fourier optics has attracted ever-growing attention, offering unprecedented low power consumption and high parallelism computation at the speed of light. Typically, classical optical 4F systems have been widely employed as one of the most common approaches for analog optical computing. However, most existing schemes replicate the original architecture relying on two Fourier transforms and one spatial-frequency filtering, resulting in bulky size and complex structure. Here, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, on-chip 2F structure that achieves ultra-miniaturized optical analog computing. Taking advantage of the exceptional design flexibility of metasurfaces, we reduce the optical path length through a combination of phase compensation and complex amplitude modulation, thereby significantly simplifying the system structure without sacrificing accuracy compared to the traditional 4F system. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we design and fabricate an on-chip optical differentiator on a silicon-on-insulator platform, achieving 84.01% and 79.81% differentiation accuracy in simulation and experiment, respectively.
RETRACTED: Low-cost spatially variable polarizers via polarization holography
Authors: Qi Peiliang , Yuan Xinyi , Hu Po , Li Xinzhong
Published: October 2024

In this study, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, method
for designing low-cost, continuously spatially variable polarizers
using polarization holography. We use these devices to generate vector
vortex beams and detect scalar vortex beams. Our approach begins with
designing polarization holograms that act as polarizers, each with
distinct transmission axes recorded at various polar angles on
polarization-sensitive materials using a dynamic recording system.
This process results in the fabrication of spatially variable
polarizers. By adjusting the distribution of these polarization
holograms, various types of spatially variable polarizers can be
produced. Experimental results confirm the reliability and
effectiveness of this method. This work not only advances the
understanding of polarization holography but also expands its
applications in the manipulation and detection of vortex beams.
Research and Industry News
Authors: Cartlidge Edwin , Curtis Susan , Daukantas Patricia , Kim Meeri , Wills Stewart , Kirkland Alessia , Lanford Hannah , Sender Rachel
Published: October 2024

Transparent mouse skin / Quantum-optical look at Alzheimer�s /
Nuclear clocks / Vinegar boosts UV sensors / Multifunctional �smart�
window / Environmental impact of chip manufacturing / Industry news
Microglia cannibalism and efferocytosis leads to shorter lifespans of developmental microglia
Authors: Gordon Hannah , Schafer Zachary T. , Smith Cody J.
Published: October 2024

The overproduction of cells and subsequent production of debris is a universal principle of neurodevelopment. Here, we show an additional feature of the developing nervous system that causes neural debris—promoted by the sacrificial nature of embryonic microglia that irreversibly become phagocytic after clearing other neural debris. Described as long-lived, microglia colonize the embryonic brain and persist into adulthood. Using transgenic zebrafish to investigate the microglia debris during brain construction, we identified that unlike other neural cell types that die in developmental stages after they have expanded, necroptosis-dependent microglial debris is prevalent when microglia are expanding in the zebrafish brain. Time-lapse imaging of microglia demonstrates that this debris is cannibalized by other microglia. To investigate features that promote microglia death and cannibalism, we used time-lapse imaging and fate-mapping strategies to track the lifespan of individual developmental microglia. These approaches revealed that instead of embryonic microglia being long-lived cells that completely digest their phagocytic debris, once most developmental microglia in zebrafish become phagocytic they eventually die, including ones that are cannibalistic. These results establish a paradox—which we tested by increasing neural debris and manipulating phagocytosis—that once most microglia in the embryo become phagocytic, they die, create debris, and then are cannibalized by other microglia, resulting in more phagocytic microglia that are destined to die.
Integrating information from historical data into mechanistic models for influenza forecasting
Authors: Andronico Alessio , Paireau Juliette , Cauchemez Simon
Published: October 2024

Seasonal influenza causes significant annual morbidity and mortality worldwide. In France, it is estimated that, on average, 2 million individuals consult their GP for influenza-like-illness (ILI) every year. Traditionally, mathematical models used for epidemic forecasting can either include parameters capturing the infection process (mechanistic or compartmental models) or rely on time series analysis approaches that do not make mechanistic assumptions (statistical or phenomenological models). While the latter make extensive use of past epidemic data, mechanistic models are usually independently initialized in each season. As a result, forecasts from such models can contain trajectories that are vastly different from past epidemics. We developed a mechanistic model that takes into account epidemic data from training seasons when producing forecasts. The parameters of the model are estimated via a first particle filter running on the observed data. A second particle filter is then used to produce forecasts compatible with epidemic trajectories from the training set. The model was calibrated and tested on 35 years’ worth of surveillance data from the French Sentinelles Network, representing the weekly number of patients consulting for ILI over the period 1985–2019. Our results show that the new method improves upon standard mechanistic approaches. In particular, when retrospectively tested on the available data, our model provides increased accuracy for short-term forecasts (from one to four weeks into the future) and peak timing and intensity. Our new approach for epidemic forecasting allows the integration of key strengths of the statistical approach into the mechanistic modelling framework and represents an attempt to provide accurate forecasts by making full use of the rich surveillance dataset collected in France since 1985.
Broad-scale predictions of herpetofauna occupancy and colonization in an agriculturally dominated landscape
Authors: Harris Jonathan P. , Harms Tyler M. , Kinkead Karen E. , Frese Paul W. , Delaney David M. , Buckardt Emma M. , Dinsmore Stephen J.
Published: October 2024

Predictions of species occurrence allow land managers to focus conservation efforts on locations where species are most likely to occur. Such analyses are rare for herpetofauna compared to other taxa, despite increasing evidence that herptile populations are declining because of landcover change and habitat fragmentation. Our objective was to create predictions of occupancy and colonization probabilities for 15 herptiles of greatest conservation need in Iowa. From 2006–2014, we surveyed 295 properties throughout Iowa for herptile presence using timed visual-encounter surveys, coverboards, and aquatic traps. Data were analyzed using robust design occupancy modeling with landscape-level covariates. Occupancy ranged from 0.01 (95% CI = -0.01, 0.03) for prairie ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus arnyi) to 0.90 (95% CI = 0.898, 0.904) for northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens). Occupancy for most species correlated to landscape features at the 1-km scale. General patterns of species’ occupancy included negative effects of agricultural features and positive effects of water features on turtles and frogs. Colonization probabilities ranged from 0.007 (95% CI = 0.006, 0.008) for spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) to 0.82 (95% CI = 0.62, 1.0) for western fox snake (Pantherophis ramspotti). Colonization probabilities for most species were best explained by effects of water and grassland landscape features. Predictive models had strong support (AUC > 0.70) for six out of 15 species (40%), including all three turtles studied. Our results provide estimates of occupancy and colonization probabilities and spatial predictions of occurrence for herptiles of greatest conservation need across the state of Iowa.
Characterization of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy across previously developed health states
Authors: Muntoni Francesco , Goemans Nathalie , Posner Nate , Signorovitch James , Johnson Michaela , He Chujun , Dorling Patricia , Beaverson Katherine , Alvir Jose , Mahn Matthias , Ward Susan J. , McDonald Craig M. , Mercuri Eugenio ,   the PRO-DMD-01 study, the Imaging DMD study, iMDEX, the collaborative Trajectory Analysis Project (cTAP)
Published: October 2024

Project HERCULES has developed a natural history model (NHM) of disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) that comprises eight ordered health states (two ambulatory states, one transfer state indicating increased caregiver burden in which patients cannot walk/run 10m or rise from floor but can still support their own weight, and five non-ambulatory states). The current study used data from nine sources (clinical trial placebo arms, one real-world dataset, and three natural history datasets) to further characterize patients with DMD according to these health states. The study included 1,173 patients across 5,306‬ visits. Patients were on average older and exhibited worse ambulatory, pulmonary, upper limb, and cardiac functions with each successive health state. Mean±SE ages increased monotonically across health states, starting with 8.47±0.07 for early ambulatory, 10.86±0.13 for late ambulatory, 11.65±0.35 for transfer state, and ranging from 13.17±0.32 to 16.84±0.37 for the non-ambulatory states. North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) total score, which measures motor function and ranges from 34 (best) to 0 (worst), was 23.7 (interquartile range [IQR]: 20–30) for early ambulatory patients, 12.7 (IQR: 9–16) for late ambulatory patients, and 3.9 (IQR: 2–5) for transfer patients. Pulmonary function as measured by mean±SE of forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVC%p) was 94.5±0.8 for early ambulatory, 89.1±1.4 for late ambulatory, and 80.2±2.8 for transfer states, and decreased from 77.2±1.7 to 20.6±1.6 across the five non-ambulatory health states. In summary, these findings further characterize health states and their interpretation in economic modeling and decision-making in DMD management.
Adoption of the voluntary conflict of interest statement on PubMed
Authors: Rogus Stephanie , Ross Joseph S. , Lurie Peter
Published: October 2024

In 2017, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) added a voluntary field for conflict of interest (COI) statements (“posted COI”) on the abstract page of PubMed, but the extent to which it is used is unknown. This repeated cross-sectional study examined journals and articles indexed on PubMed from 2016 through 2021. We described the proportion of all journals with at least one article that included a posted COI and the percentage of all articles that included a posted COI over time. We also examined 100 randomly selected articles published between June 2021 and May 2022 from each of the 40 highest impact journals. For these, we established whether the articles had published COIs, and, of these, the proportion that included a posted COI. Among approximately 7,000 journals publishing articles each year, the proportion of journals with at least one article with a posted COI statement increased from 25.9% in 2016 to 33.2% in 2021. Among nearly 400,000 articles published each year, the proportion of articles that included a posted COI also increased from 9.0% in 2016 to 43.0% in 2021. Among 3,888 articles published in the 40 highest impact journals in 2021–2022, 30.2% (95% CI: 28.7%-31.6%) had published COIs; of these, 63.3% (95% CI: 60.4%-66.0%) included a posted COI. Use of the PubMed COI statement has increased since it became available in 2017, but adoption is still limited, even among high impact journals. NLM should carry out additional outreach to journals that are not using the statement to promote greater transparency of COIs.
Prediction of fellow eye neovascularization in type 3 macular neovascularization (Retinal angiomatous proliferation) using deep learning
Authors: Yoon Won Tae , Lee Seong Jae , Jeong Jae Hee , Kim Jae Hui
Published: October 2024

Purpose

To establish a deep learning artificial intelligence model to predict the risk of long-term fellow eye neovascularization in unilateral type 3 macular neovascularization (MNV).

Methods

This retrospective study included 217 patients (199 in the training/validation of the AI model and 18 in the testing set) with a diagnosis of unilateral type 3 MNV. The purpose of the AI model was to predict fellow eye neovascularization within 24 months after the initial diagnosis. The data used to train the AI model included a baseline fundus image and horizontal/vertical cross-hair scan optical coherence tomography images in the fellow eye. The neural network of this study for AI-learning was based on the visual geometry group with modification. The precision, recall, accuracy, and the area under the curve values of receiver operating characteristics (AUCROC) were calculated for the AI model. The accuracy of an experienced (examiner 1) and less experienced (examiner 2) human examiner was also evaluated.

Results

The incidence of fellow eye neovascularization over 24 months was 28.6% in the training/validation set and 38.9% in the testing set (P = 0.361). In the AI model, precision was 0.562, recall was 0.714, accuracy was 0.667, and the AUCROC was 0.675. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 0.429, 0.727, and 0.611, respectively, for examiner 1, and 0.143, 0.636, and 0.444, respectively, for examiner 2.

Conclusions

This is the first AI study focusing on the clinical course of type 3 MNV. While our AI model exhibited accuracy comparable to that of human examiners, overall accuracy was not high. This may partly be a result of the relatively small number of patients used for AI training, suggesting the need for future multi-center studies to improve the accuracy of the model.
Predicting goal probabilities with improved xG models using event sequences in association football
Authors: Bandara Ishara , Shelyag Sergiy , Rajasegarar Sutharshan , Dwyer Dan , Kim Eun-jin , Angelova Maia
Published: October 2024

In association football, predicting the likelihood and outcome of a shot at a goal is useful but challenging. Expected goal (xG) models can be used in a variety of ways including evaluating performance and designing offensive strategies. This study proposed a novel framework that uses the events preceding a shot, to improve the accuracy of the expected goals (xG) metric. A combination of previously explored and unexplored temporal features is utilized in the proposed framework. The new features include; “advancement factor”, and “player position column”. A random forest model was used, which performed better than published single-event-based models in the literature. Results further demonstrated a significant improvement in model performance with the inclusion of preceding event information. The proposed framework and model enable the discovery of event sequences that improve xG, which include; opportunities built up from the sides of the 18-yard box, shots attempted from in front of the goal within the opposition’s 18-yard box, and shots from successful passes to the far post.
Paper waste and carbon emissions from oral contraceptive leaflets
Authors: Safrai Myriam , Elly Dana , Gruber Noah , Stern Benjamin , Kabiri Doron , Shapira Moran
Published: October 2024

Oral contraceptives (OC) are the most used form of contraception among women in the U.S. and Europe. Like other medications, their packaging must include patient information leaflets. This study quantifies the environmental impact of paper waste generated by these leaflets. We conducted an observational analysis, measuring the weight of leaflets, pills, and packaging components across various OC brands. Significant variations in leaflet weights were observed. On average, leaflets accounted for 55% of the package weight, while pills and blister dispensers represented only 32%. The mean weight of OC leaflets was 12.3 ± 5.5 grams (4.7–21.9 grams), leading to an estimated annual paper waste of 6,118.4 tons, 5,763.5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and the use of approximately 146,841 trees for production. Standardizing leaflet weight to the lightest reported can reduce annual waste by 3780.5 tons of paper. This study highlights the substantial environmental cost of the waste generated from OC leaflets and proposes practical strategies to mitigate waste, including electronic leaflets and standardized packaging. Targeting these materials presents a significant opportunity to enhance sustainability, aligning with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the healthcare sector.
Exploring the photosensitizing potential of Nanoliposome Loaded Improved Toluidine Blue O (NLITBO) Against Streptococcus mutans: An in-vitro feasibility study
Authors: Panda Swagatika , Rout Lipsa , Mohanty Neeta , Satpathy Anurag , Sankar Satapathy Bhabani , Rath Shakti , Gopinath Divya
Published: October 2024

Background

Streptococcus mutans is a major contributor to dental caries due to its ability to produce acid and survive in biofilms. Microbial resistance towards common antimicrobial agents like chlorhexidine and triclosan has shifted the research towards antimicrobial Photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this context, Toluidine Blue O (TBO) is being explored for its photosensitizing properties against Streptococcus mutans. There is a huge variation in the effective concentration of TBO among the current studies owing to the differences in source of and delivery system TBO as well as the time, power and energy densities of light.

Objective

The primary objectives of this study are to encapsulate improved Toluidine Blue O (ITBO) in nanoliposomes (NLITBO), characterize it, and evaluate its antibacterial photosensitizing potential against Streptococcus mutans suspensions in vitro.

Method

ITBO was synthesised as per Indian patent (number -543908). NLITBO was prepared using the thin-film hydration method. Dynamic light scattering experiment determined the vesicle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential. Surface features were characterized by Scanning and Transmission Electron microscopy. ITBO release from NLITBO was assessed using the extrapolation method. The antibacterial activity of the NLITBO was determined by evaluating the zone of inhibition (ZOI) in the Streptococcus mutans culture and comparing with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NLITBO as a photosensitizer with red light (wavelength 650nm, power density 0.1 W/cm2, energy density 9–9.1 J/ cm2, 90seconds time) was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans cells by colorimetric method in 96 well plate.

Results

Percentage drug loading, loading efficiency, yield percentage, vesicle size, PDI, Zeta potential of NLTBO was reported as 9.3±0.4%, 84.4±7.6%, 73.5%, 123.52 nm, 0.57, -39.54mV respectively. Clusters of uni-lamellar nanovesicles with smooth non-perforated surfaces were observed in SEM and TEM. The size of the vesicle was within 100 nm. At 24 hours, a cumulative 79.81% of ITBO was released from NLITBO. Mean ZOI and MIC of NLITBO (1 μg /ml) were found to be 0.7±0.2 mm, 0.6μg/ml respectively.

Conclusion

We have synthesized and encapsulated improved Toluidine Blue O (ITBO) in nanoliposomes (NLITBO) and thoroughly characterized the formulation. The antibacterial efficacy of NLITBO without light was demonstrated by ZOI which is similar to 2% chlorhexidine gluconate. MIC of NLITBO as a photosensitiser along with the optimal light parameter was also proposed in this study. These findings suggested that NLITBO could serve as an effective alternative to conventional antibacterial treatments in managing Streptococcus mutans rich biofilms. It can have potential pharmaceutical application in oral health care.
Network determinants of relationship influence on HIV prevention decision-making among people in the social networks of women who have experienced incarceration in the US
Authors: Knittel Andrea K. , Varela Gabriel , Ferguson Ella G. , Hulshult Hannah , Jackson Jamie B. , Moody James , Adimora Adaora A.
Published: October 2024

Background

Many cisgender women in the US who have experienced incarceration are at substantial risk for HIV acquisition after they return to the community. Various network interventions have been leveraged for HIV prevention in this population. The objective of this study was to identify network and relationship determinants of influence on HIV prevention decisions, including PrEP.

Methods

We conducted interviews with a network mapping exercise with participants recruited from the social and sexual networks of women who had experienced incarceration. Participants enumerated important individuals in their lives from the past six months and provided demographic and relationship data as well as whether each relationship influenced their HIV prevention decisions. We abstracted network data from the interview transcripts and described the data set using descriptive statistics and network density graphs. To measure associations between characteristics at each level and whether a relationship was considered influential regarding PrEP decision-making, we use multiple logistic regression with random intercepts for each respondent.

Results

We interviewed 32 participants, average age 33.5 years (SD = 8.98), majority female (n = 28, 87.5%), white (n = 23, 71.8%), heterosexual/straight (n = 25, 78.1%), and with a personal history of incarceration (n = 29, 90%). They reported 253 relationships (119 family, 116 friend, 18 sexual relationships). Most adult network members had used drugs or alcohol (n = 182, 80.9%), and of those, 30.8% had used them with the participant (n = 53). The mean network size was 7 (SD = 4) and network density was 52.2%. In the full model, significant positive predictors of an influential relationship included participant non-heterosexual identity (OR 27.8), older average age in the network (OR 3.9 per standard deviation), and being a current or prior sexual partner (OR 10.1). Significant negative predictors included relationships with individuals who use or had used drugs (OR 0.28), longer average relationship duration in the network (OR 0.09) and being in a network with at least one sexual partner (OR 0.2).

Conclusions

There are significant positive and negative determinants of relationship influence related to PrEP at individual-, dyad-, relationship-, and network-levels. These support using nuanced network approaches to behavior change that respect and leverage the diversity of relationships that comprise the social networks of women who have experienced incarceration.
Interactions between microbiota and uterine corpus endometrial cancer: A bioinformatic investigation of potential immunotherapy
Authors: Alkhalil Samia S. , Almanaa Taghreed N. , Altamimi Raghad A. , Abdalla Mohnad , El-Arabey Amr Ahmed
Published: October 2024

Microorganisms in the gut and other niches may contribute to carcinogenesis while also altering cancer immune surveillance and therapeutic response. However, determining the impact of genetic variations and interplay with intestinal microbes’ environment is difficult and unanswered. Here, we examined the frequency of thirteen mutant genes that caused aberrant gut in thirty different types of cancer using The Cancer Genomic Atlas (TCGA) database. Substantially, our findings show that all these mutated genes are quite frequent in uterine corpus endometrial cancer (UCEC). Further, these mutant genes are implicated in the infiltration of different subset of immune cells within the Tumor Microenvironment (TME) of UCEC patients. The top-ranking mutant genes that promote immune cell invasion into the TME of UCEC patients were PGLYRP2, OLFM4, and TLR5. In this regard, we used the same deconvolution of the TCGA database to analyze the microbiome that have a strong association with immune cells invasion with TME of UCEC patients. Several bacteria and viruses have been linked to the invasion of immune cells, such as B cell memory and T cell regulatory (Tregs), into the TME of UCEC patients. As a result, our findings pave the way for future research into generating novel immunizations against bacteria or viruses as immunotherapy for UCEC patients.
Unveiling scientific articles from paper mills with provenance analysis
Authors: Cardenuto João Phillipe , Moreira Daniel , Rocha Anderson
Published: October 2024

The increasing prevalence of fake publications created by paper mills poses a significant challenge to maintaining scientific integrity. While integrity analysts typically rely on textual and visual clues to identify fake articles, determining which papers merit further investigation can be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, as these fake publications have non-related authors and are published on non-related venues. To address this challenge, we developed a new methodology for provenance analysis, which automatically tracks and groups suspicious figures and documents. Our approach groups manuscripts from the same paper mill by analyzing their figures and identifying duplicated and manipulated regions. These regions are linked and organized in a provenance graph, providing evidence of systematic production. We tested our solution on a paper mill dataset of hundreds of documents and also on a larger version of the dataset that deliberately included thousands of documents intentionally selected to distract our method. Our approach successfully identified and linked systematically produced articles on both datasets by pinpointing the figures they reused and manipulated from one another. The technique herein proposed offers a promising solution to identify fraudulent manuscripts, and it could be a valuable tool for supporting scientific integrity.
SARS-CoV-2 propagation to the TPH2-positive neurons in the ventral tegmental area induces cell death via GSK3β-dependent accumulation of phosphorylated tau
Authors: Imai Motoki , Kawakami Fumitaka , Uematsu Takayuki , Matsumoto Toshihide , Kawashima Rei , Kurosaki Yoshifumi , Tamaki Shun , Maehana Shotaro , Ichikawa Takafumi , Hanaki Hideaki , Kitazato Hidero , Kubo Makoto
Published: October 2024

COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic by the WHO in 2020. Psychiatric symptoms including sleep disturbance, memory impairment, and depression are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. These symptoms are causes long-term mental and physical distress in recovering patients; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we determined the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on brain tissue using k18hACE2 mice. Using brain tissue from 18hACE2 mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 through intranasal administration, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RNA were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and in-situ hybridization. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2)-positive cells and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were co-localized in the ventral tegmental area of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice. We observed decreased TPH2 expression and increased accumulation of phosphorylated tau protein and Phospho-Histone H2A.X (γH2AX) expression in the ventral tegmental region. In addition, activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) was induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection of TPH2-positive cells in the ventral tegmental area induces neuronal cell death through increased accumulation of phosphorylated tau. Attenuation of the GSK3β pathway and decreased serotonin synthesis through suppression of TPH2 expression may contribute to the development of neurological symptoms.
Associations between Life’s Essential 8 and gallstones among US adults: A cross-sectional study from NHANES 2017–2018
Authors: Wang Ting , Xie Ruijie , Jiang Cong , Chen Lanyu
Published: October 2024

Background

Cardiovascular illness and gallstones are closely related. Our goal was to determine whether gallstones and the updated LE8 score, which measures cardiovascular health among US adults, are related.

Methods

3,570 adults participated in the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which provided the data for our study. Based on the criterion provided by the American Association for Cardiovascular Health (AHA), LE8 score (range 0–100) was calculated and classified as low (0–49), moderate (50–79), and high (80–100) cardiovascular health. Gallstones were derived from the questionnaire. Multivariate logistic modeling explored the independent relationship between LE8 score and gallstones.

Results

There was a negative correlation between LE8 score and gallstones. Specifically, the odds of gallstones dropped by 15% for each 10-unit increase in LE8 score (OR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77–0.94). Smooth curve fitting detected a saturation effect between LE8 score and gallstones, with a minimum threshold of 66.25 points associated with both. There was a noticeably stronger inverse relationship between gallstones and LE8 score in those under 60 years of age and not taking antihypertensive or lipid-lowering drugs.

Conclusions

Lower LE8 scores may be a potential risk factor for the development of gallstones and could also be a target for risk assessment and intervention.