bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Συσχέτιση των διαστάσεων του αριστερού κόλπου με την τιμή του CHA2-DS2-VASc Score και την αρτηριακή σκληρία σε ασθενείς με κολπική μαρμαρυγή
Authors: Τσακνάκης Κωνσταντίνος
Published: July 2022

Σκοπός της μελέτης: Η κολπική μαρμαρυγή (ΚΜ) είναι η συχνότερη καρδιακή αρρυθμία, με αυξανόμενο επιπολασμό με την πρόοδο της ηλικίας, και βασικό αίτιο θρομβοεμβολικών επεισοδίων. Βασικό χαρακτηριστικό της ΚΜ είναι η αναδιαμόρφωση του αριστερού κόλπου (Ακ) η οποία μακροσκοπικά χαρακτηρίζεται από αυξηση του μεγέθους του. Για να εκτιμηθεί ο κίνδυνος που διαθέτει ένας ασθενής να εμφανίσει θρομβοεμβολικά επεισόδια όταν πάσχει από ΚΜ, εφαρμόζεται τα τελευταία χρόνια η διαστρωμάτωση με χρήση της κλίμακας CHA2DS2-VASc. Οι παράγοντες που περιλαμβάνει το σκορ, όπως η ηλικία, η αρτηριακή υπέρταση, ο σακχαρώδης διαβήτης, επιδρούν δυσμενώς και στο αγγειακό δίκτυο αυξάνοντας την σκληρότητά του. Σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής ειναι να εξακριβώσει εαν υφίσταται συσχέτιση μεταξύ του μεγέθους του αριστερού κόλπου, αφενός με το σκορ CHA2DS2-VASc και, αφετέρου, με την αρτηριακή σκληρία σε ασθενείς με ΚΜ.Υλικό και μέθοδος: 50 ασθενείς με ατομικό αναμνηστικό μη βαλβιδικής ΚΜ που παρακολουθούνται στα εξωτερικά ιατρεία της καρδιολογικής κλινικής του Πανεπιστημιακού Νοσοκομείου Λάρισας υποβλήθηκαν σε υπερηχογραφική μελέτη με σκοπό τον υπολογισμό των διαστάσεων και του όγκου του Ακ, καθώς και σε μέτρηση της αορτικής σκληρίας με τη μέθοδο του υπολογισμού της ταχύτητας του σφυγμικού κύματος στην αορτή (PWV). Εγινε συσχέτιση των τιμών που υπολογίσθηκαν μεταξύ τους, καθώς και με την τιμή του σκορ CHA2DS2-VASc.Αποτελέσματα: Αποδείχθηκε η ύπαρξη στατιστικά σημαντικής θετικής συσχέτισης του όγκου (ρ = 0.554 p<0.001) και της προσθιοπίσθιας διαμέτρου (ρ = 0.545 p < 0.001) του Ακ με την τιμή του CHA2DS2-VASc, καθώς και της προσθιοπίσθιας διαμέτρου του Ακ με το PWV (r = 0.342 p = 0.03). Επίσης, αποδείχθηκε στατιστικά σημαντική θετική συσχέτιση της τιμής του CHA2DS2-VASc με την τιμή του PWV (ρ = 0.508, p = 0.001). Ενδιαφέρον εύρημα που προέκυψε από την περαιτέρω στατιστική επεξεργασία των αποτελεσμάτων είναι η ανευρεση στατιστικά σημαντικής θετικής συσχέτισης μεταξύ του δείκτη Ε/Ε’ της διαστολικής λειτουργίας της αριστερής κοιλίας με την τιμή του CHA2DS2-VASc (ρ = 0.524 p<0.001), με τον όγκο του Ακ (r = 0.489 p < 0.001), και την προσθιοπίσθια διάμετρο του Ακ (r = 0,453 p = 0.002).
Growth kinetics of multiple Acinetobacter baumannii resistotype after meropenem-based antibiotic combination exposure
Authors: Rivani Erizka , Endraswari Pepy Dwi , Widodo Agung Dwi Wahyu
Published: July 2022

Background: Carbapenems are the treatment of choice for multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections, but the emergence of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) has rendered it ineffective in the vast majority of cases. Combination therapy has grown in popularity over the last decade; this study aims to analyze A.baumannii growth kinetics after exposure to meropenem and ampicillin-sulbactam compared with meropenem and amikacin antibiotic combinations in clinically relevant concentrations. 

Methods: This experimental laboratory study was conducted on the A.baumannii ATCC 19606 isolate and three clinical isolates that were intermediate or resistant to tested antibiotics. Meropenem and ampicillin-sulbactam, as well as meropenem and amikacin, were tested at four different concentrations against isolates. Turbidity measurements were taken at predetermined time points of 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours following exposure; bacterial concentration was enumerated using the agar plate method, with the results plotted in a time-kill curve.  

Results: A bactericidal effect was achieved in isolates that were intermediate to ampicillin sulbactam and resistant to meropenem after the administration of meropenem and ampicillin-sulbactam combination with a concentration of 4 µg/ml and 16/8 µg/ml, respectively. The combination of meropenem and ampicillin-sulbactam demonstrated bacteriostatic activity against isolates that were resistant to both antibiotics. Isolates treated with resistant antibiotics showed an increased growth rate compared to the growth control. 

Conclusion: The combination of meropenem and ampicillin-sulbactam could be a promising combination therapy in treating CRAB infections. The mechanism and degree of antibiotic resistance in the isolates affect the efficacy of antibiotic combinations; further research is needed to corroborate the findings of this study.
Importance of respiratory syncytial virus as a predictor of hospital length of stay in bronchiolitis
Authors: Buendia Jefferson Antonio , Guerrero Patino Diana
Published: July 2022

Introduction : Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization in children. Estimate potentially preventable variables that impact the length of hospital stay are a priority to reduce the costs associated with this disease. This study aims to identify clinical variables associated with length of hospital stay of bronchiolitis in children in a tropical middle-income country

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 417 infants with bronchiolitis in tertiary centers in Colombia. All medical records of all patients admitted through the emergency department were reviewed. To identify factors independently associated we use negative binomial regression model, to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and adjust for potential confounding variables

Results : The median of the length of hospital stay was 3.68 days, with a range of 0.74 days to 29 days, 138 (33.17%) of patients have a hospital stay of 5 or more days. After modeling and controlling for potential confounders age <6 months, comorbidities (CHD or neurological), BPD,  chest indrawing, detection of RSV, and C-reactive protein were independent predictors of LOS

Conclusions : Our results show that in infants with bronchiolitis, detection of RSV, age <6 months, comorbidities (CHD or neurological), BPD,  chest indrawing, and C-reactive protein were independent predictors of LOS. As a potentially modifiable risk factor, efforts to reduce the probability of RSV infection can reduce the high medical cost associates with prolonged LOS in bronchiolitis.
Strategies for promoting sustainable use and conservation of indigenous chicken breeds in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from low-income countries
Authors: Kanyama Christopher .M , Moss Amy .F , Crowley Tamsyn .M
Published: July 2022

This review explores innovative and sustainable strategies for the utilization and conservation of indigenous chickens (IC) (Gallus domesticus) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), drawing lessons from selected low-income countries. Small-scale farmers (SSF) have kept IC for hundreds of years to meet their households' nutritional needs, incomes, and social-cultural and religious uses. The commitment exhibited by SSF to keeping IC has made them the significant custodians of essential animal genetic resources AnGR in most low-income countries. Between 1991 and 2012, Zambia's private breeders invested over US$95 million in the commercial poultry sector, resulting in over a 100% increase in the annual production of day-old chicks to 65 million. However, high production costs and low market access hindered rural farmers' full participation, hence their continued dependence on IC breeds. The erosion of AnGR poses the biggest threat to IC in SSA. The Food and Agriculture Organisation, an international body of the United Nations, highlighted that over 3.5% of chicken breeds were extinct, 33% were at risk, and nearly 67% were of unknown status. Poultry diseases, lack of sustainable conservation strategies and poor use have significantly contributed to these losses. In 2012, 60% of IC were reportedly diseased in parts of SSA. The continued loss of IC-AnGR may negatively impact rural livelihoods, and future research and breeding programs in poultry may suffer. This paper reviews IC sector in parts of SSA, the socioeconomic, cultural and religious roles of IC and lessons on researcher-community-stakeholder strategies from selected low-income countries. The paper draws a conclusion and outlines some recommendations for future research.
The Value of Smart Contract in Trade Finance
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Xu Fasheng
Published: July 2022

Problem definition: Smart contract improves the supply chain efficiency by enabling the supplier’s commitment to postshipment financing decisions, which mitigates the bank’s lending risk exposure and thereby reduces the financing cost. This paper investigates how smart contract adoption could facilitate trade finance activities and create value for supply chain firms. Academic/practical relevance: As the emerging blockchain technology could potentially reshape the trade financing landscape, understanding the impact of smart contract adoption and its interaction with trade finance activities is practically relevant and of great importance. Methodology: We develop a two-stage game-theoretic model and adopt supply chain finance theory to characterize the strategic interactions between supply chain firms in the presence of both operational risk (demand uncertainty) and financial risks (credit and liquidity risks). Results: We find that the value of smart contract depends critically on the trade finance structures, including both preshipment and postshipment financing schemes. Under the baseline trade finance model (with purchase order financing as preshipment financing and factoring as postshipment financing), smart contract alleviates the supplier’s overpricing behavior caused by commitment frictions and helps restore the supply chain efficiency. When buyer direct financing serves as an alternative preshipment financing, smart contract might discourage the retailer from offering buyer direct financing, which significantly hurts the supplier and thus reduces the supply chain profit. When invoice trading serves as the alternative postshipment financing, the supplier always chooses invoice trading over factoring because of its trading flexibility, which in turn, makes the commitment frictions ubiquitous and unresolvable (namely, commitment trap). As a result, invoice trading could unexpectedly lead to a lower supplier’s profit. Luckily, such an adoption dilemma can be resolved by smart contract adoption in conjunction with factoring. Managerial implications: Our findings provide guidelines for and insights into when smart contract should be adopted and its interactions with different trade finance schemes. In particular, smart contract adoption does not always benefit the supply chain.
Is it covered?
Authors: Cockerill Nicola
Published: July 2022

Nicola Cockerill discusses tattoos and dress codes in practice.
The changing world of dentistry
Authors: Rice Verne
Published: July 2022

Verne Rice discusses her 30-year career.
Patiromer▼: a new approach to optimising therapy in cardiorenal disease
Authors: Lewis Robert
Published: July 2022

In this product focus, Dr Robert Lewis details how patiromer, a non-absorbed polymer, can appropriately and effectively be used to treat patients with chronic kidney disease, heart failure and diabetes mellitus

Patiromer is a recently introduced non-absorbable polymer that is taken orally in suspension to bind potassium in the intestine, thereby reducing its absorption. It has been shown to be well tolerated and effective, both in the treatment of acute hyperkalaemia and to manage persistent hyperkalaemia. This article will detail only the latter circumstance, focusing on the potential role of patiromer in optimising long-term medical therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease, heart failure and diabetes. The mechanism of action of patiromer in vivo will be explained, and the results of clinical trials that have established its clinical utility will be reviewed. Finally, how and when this agent should be used in clinical practice will be described, with reference to recent best practice guidelines.
Ethical and legal concepts: responsibility, accountability and liability, part two
Authors: Ellis Hannah , Ellis Peter
Published: July 2022

Peter Ellis and Hannah Ellis continue their discussion on responsibility, accountability and liability
An evaluation of patient's knowledge about acute kidney injury pre- and post-follow-up clinic
Authors: Bonfield Becky
Published: July 2022

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common occurrence among hospital patients, with patients being cared for by a wide range of health care specialties, rather than purely under the care of nephrologists. Patients with severe AKI are known to have poorer outcomes if they do not receive appropriate follow-up and medication reviews. Following the successful implementation of a nurse-led AKI follow-up clinic, a service evaluation was undertaken to assess whether there had been any impact on patients' knowledge of AKI. Patients were asked to assess their perceived knowledge about AKI before and after attending an AKI nurse-led clinic appointment. The results found that patients were more knowledgeable following attendance at clinic and felt reasonably confident in preventing future AKI.
Leadership, part one: making the most of meetings
Authors: Ellis Peter
Published: July 2022

Peter Ellis discusses the importance of leadership and maintaing a clear focus in meetings.
A point prevalence audit of inpatients with leg ulcers eligible for compression therapy in a large university NHS hospital
Authors: Lian Yaping , Anderson Irene , Keevil Victoria L , Gohel Manj
Published: July 2022

Objective:

Compression therapy is the mainstay of treatment for venous leg ulceration. Several studies have evaluated leg ulcer management and compression in the community. However, little is known about the leg ulcer population and use of compression therapy in the hospital setting, where it is not often part of inpatient care. This study aimed to evaluate the proportion of inpatients with leg ulceration eligible for compression therapy.

Method:

A point prevalence audit was undertaken using three methods: patient electronic live report; a leg ulcer audit form; and an electronic record search. The following data were retrieved: patient age, sex, primary reason for admission, diabetes, mobility status, history of dementia, Clinical Frailty Scale score and presence of oedema. Ankle-brachial pressure index was measured to determine patients' eligibility for compression therapy.

Results:

The audit identified 80/931 (8.5%) inpatients as having confirmed, active leg ulceration. A total of 36/80 (45%) inpatients were assessed for eligibility for compression, of whom 25/36 (69.4%) were eligible for full compression, 2/36 (5.6%) reduced compression and 9/36 (25%) were not eligible for compression therapy.

Conclusion:

The audit demonstrated that a significant proportion of hospital inpatients with leg ulcers were eligible for compression therapy and that this patient population were heterogenous in terms of comorbidity profile, mobility, frailty and dementia, among other factors. Further research is required to explore the most feasible and effective compression options for inpatients with leg ulcers.
Preventing caesarean section wound complications: use of a silver-impregnated antimicrobial occlusive dressing
Authors: Goodman Jean Ricci , Durazo-Arvizu Ramon , Nashif Sereen , McAlarnen Lindsey A , Wagner Sarah A , Lal Ann K
Published: July 2022

Objective:

To investigate the role of an adherent soft silicone antimicrobial occlusive foam silver-impregnated dressing for reduction of surgical site infections (SSI) in primary low-transverse caesarean section (1°LTCS) delivery.

Method:

Women aged 18–45 years admitted to the labour and delivery or the antepartum unit undergoing a 1°LTCS were recruited. Exclusion criteria included repeat caesarean, vertical skin incision, intrapartum fever and closure with staples. Consented participants delivered by scheduled or unscheduled 1°LTCS received the silver-impregnated dressing. Those who declined to participate and were delivered by scheduled or unscheduled caesarean received a standard gauze with tape dressing (controls). Surgical preparation and preoperative antibiotics were administered as per hospital policy.

Results:

A total of 362 participants were consented for use of the silver-impregnated dressing, with 190 participants undergoing 1°LTCS, of whom 185 were included in the final analysis. Of those who declined to participate, 190 ultimately underwent 1°LTCS during the same time period. Cases and controls were similar in demographics, body mass index, diabetes status, labour and procedure length, and tobacco use. The overall incidence of SSI was 3.7%. A 50% reduction in incidence of SSI was observed in the silver-impregnated dressing group compared with control group (2.7% versus 4.7%, respectively), but this was not statistically significant (p=0.08; odds ratio 0.55; 95% confidence interval: 0.18–1.67).

Conclusion:

Among women undergoing 1°LTCS with subcuticular closure of a transverse incision, use of a silver-impregnated dressing reduced the rate of SSI by >50% but was not statistically significant.
Describing prescribing identities: a qualitative study exploring non-medical prescriber identity
Authors: Jarmain Sally
Published: July 2022

Aim

To investigate how non-medical prescribers (NMPs) form and develop their identity.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight NMPs (three nurses, three physiotherapists and two pharmacists).

Findings

There were three themes identified from the data. These were: using role models; consolidating a new identity; and collectivity versus isolation.

Conclusion

NMPs use a variety of role models to assist with the formation and development of their identity as a prescriber. They rely on their professional background to add legitimacy to their new identity as prescribers. NMPs used contact with others to help overcome feelings of anxiety and isolation, which may have otherwise limited their ability to prescribe.
Analysis of combined deficiency of interleukin-1 and -6 versus single deficiencies in TNF-mediated arthritis and systemic bone loss
Authors: Hayer Silvia , Niederreiter Birgit , Kalkgruber Marlene , Wanic Konrad , Maißner Julia , Smolen Josef S. , Aletaha Daniel , Blüml Stephan , Redlich Kurt
Published: July 2022

Aims

Insufficient treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients requires novel treatment strategies to halt disease progression. The potential benefit of combination of cytokine-inhibitors in RA is still unclear and needs further investigation. To explore the impact of combined deficiency of two major cytokines, namely interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6, in this study double deficient mice for IL-1αβ and IL-6 were investigated in different tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-driven inflammatory bone disorders, namely peripheral arthritis and sacroiliitis, as well as systemic bone loss.

Methods

Disease course, histopathological features of arthritis, and micro-CT (µCT) bone analysis of local and systemic bone loss were assessed in 15-week-old IL1-/-IL6-/- hTNFtg in comparison to IL1-/- hTNFtg, IL6-/- hTNFtg, and hTNFtg mice. µCT bone analysis of single deficient and wild-type mice was also performed.

Results

Combined deficiency of IL-1/IL-6 markedly ameliorated TNF-mediated arthritis and bilateral sacroiliitis, but without additive benefits compared to single IL-1 deficiency. This finding confirms the important role of IL-1 and the marginal role of IL-6 in TNF-driven pathways of local joint damage, but questions the efficacy of potential combinatorial therapies of IL-1 and IL-6 in treatment of RA. In contrast, combined deficiency of IL-1/IL-6 led to an additive protective effect on TNF-driven systemic bone loss compared to single IL-1 and IL-6 deficiency. This finding clearly indicates a common contribution of both IL-1 and IL-6 in TNF-driven systemic bone loss, and points to a discrepancy of cytokine dependency in local and systemic TNF-driven mechanisms of inflammatory arthritis.

Conclusion

Combinatorial treatments in RA might provide different benefits to inflammatory local arthritis and systemic comorbidities. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2022;11(7):484–493.
Hypophosphatemic osteomalacia in neurofibromatosis 1 associated with intracranial gliomas and congenital renal agenesis: A rare case report and review of the literature
Authors: Kaspiris Angelos , Vasiliadis Elias , Melissaridou Dimitra , Iliopoulos Ilias D , Papagelopoulos Panayiotis J , Savvidou Olga D
Published: July 2022

Introduction:Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (Nf1), also termed von Recklinghausen disease, is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder accompanied by several osseous and skeletal manifestations. In NF, hypophosphatemia linked to secondary hyperparathyroidism due to Vitamin D deficiency and low calcium intake has been reported as a risk factor for low bone mass density (BMD), but reports of NF1 associated oncogenic hypophosphatemic osteomalacia (HO) are extremely rare. Case Report: We report a patient with NF1 associated with intracranial low-grade gliomas and congenital renal agenesis suffering from HO. Bone defects and deformities such as generalized bone pains located in feet, ankles and lower limbs, thoracic scoliosis, mild bowing of long bones of lower limbs, stress fractures, and old fractures as well as with altered bone metabolic serum markers were present. After 8 weeks of follow-up, it was observed that the combination of oral administration of phosphate and Vitamin D improved her medical symptoms without significant changes in phosphate levels or BMD. Conclusion: Although renal agenesis is not correlated with hypophosphatemia, the coexistence of NF1, renal congenital deformities, and low-grade gliomas may contribute to disease severity. Conventional treatment with high doses of oral calcitriol associated with phosphate is efficient to improve the clinical and laboratory symptoms of the disease. Keywords: Bone pains, scoliosis, bone mass density, stress fractures, vitamin D.
Analysis of the Economic Factors Determining the Foreign Direct Investment Inflows of Lithuania
Authors: Seržantė Milena , Karalius Benas
Published: July 2022

Purpose of the article: This paper investigates the economic factors that impact Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to Lithuania. The reason behind this is to find the economic factors that are significantly important for Lithuania’s FDI attraction to ensure FDI stability and growth during economically challenging times.Methodology/methods: Analysis of scientific literature; data collection and systematisation; correlation analysis; and simple and multiple linear regressions.Scientific aim: First, literature analysis was used to find possible economic factors impacting the FDI that may be useful for Lithuania’s case. This was followed by the identification of 5 main factors, namely inflation, unemployment, exchange rate, imports, and the GDP. The research led to statistical analysis, which revealed a strong correlation between the FDI and mentioned economic factors.Findings: The regression analysis answers the critical research question – the FDI flows to Lithuania are impacted by inflation, unemployment, and imports. The other two factors, namely the exchange rate and GDP, may be an underlying condition for attracting the FDI in other countries. It means that the previously mentioned three economic factors can or must be developed to attract investment to Lithuania.Conclusions: The results of multi-linear regression, revealing the Lithuanian FDI is impacted by inflation, unemployment, and imports, is suggesting an inference to develop or give an attention to those particular areas in order to attract the investments. The authors mentioned that inflation and unemployment could indicate uncertainty, therefore investors would look to these indicators to reason investment in a country, while imports were reasoned as a factor to think before investing due to the ability to measure market demand. Policymakers can use this paper to make the right decisions when tackling issues of foreign direct investment attraction.
Disability, Justice and Freedom as Non-Domination
Authors: Sépulchre Marie
Published: July 2022

Disability scholars have recently proposed that republican theory is relevant to think about justice in relation to disability. Following in their footsteps, this article submits that the republican conception of freedom as non-domination provides a fresh angle to legitimise disability rights in terms of justice and prevent their interpretation as charity or privileges. This proposition takes its point of departure in Nancy J. Hirschmann’s claim that freedom rather than distributive justice should be the bedrock of disability rights and in Philip Pettit’s conceptualisation of republican freedom as a distinct type of freedom. The article proceeds with a consideration of how claims of justice built on freedom as non-domination fare compared to two other foundations of justice that are commonly invoked in relation to disability rights – namely, equality and our shared vulnerability. Finally, the article suggests that republican theory opens new avenues of inquiry in disability studies and outlines a research agenda.
Echo speckle imaging of dynamic processes in soft materials
Authors: Zhang Shu , Peuser Jörn , Zhang Chi , Cardinaux Fréderic , Zakharov Pavel , Skipetrov Sergey E. , Cerbino Roberto , Scheffold Frank
Published: July 2022

We present a laser-speckle imaging technique, termed Echo speckle imaging (ESI), that quantifies the local dynamics in biological tissue and soft materials with a noise level around or below 10% of the measured signal without affecting the spatial resolution. We achieve this through an unconventional speckle beam illumination that creates changing, statistically independent illumination conditions and substantially increases the measurement accuracy. Control experiments for dynamically homogeneous and heterogeneous soft materials and tissue phantoms illustrate the performance of the method. We show that this approach enables us to precision-monitor purely dynamic heterogeneities in turbid soft media with a lateral resolution of 100 µm and better.
Reconfigurable chiral exceptional point and tunable non-reciprocity in a non-Hermitian system with phase-change material
Authors: Chen Changdong , Dong Daxing , Zhao Lina , Liu Youwen , Hu Xiaopeng , Li Xiao , Fu Yangyang
Published: July 2022

Non-Hermitian optics has emerged as a feasible and versatile platform to explore many extraordinary wave phenomena and novel applications. However, owing to ineluctable systematic errors, the constructed non-Hermitian phenomena could be easily broken, thus leading to a compromising performance in practice. Here we theoretically proposed a dynamically tunable mechanism through GST-based phase-change material (PCM) to achieve a reconfigurable non-Hermitian system, which is robust to access the chiral exceptional point (EP). Assisted by PCM that provides tunable coupling efficiency, the effective Hamiltonian of the studied doubly-coupled-ring-based non-Hermitian system can be effectively modulated to resist the external perturbations, thus enabling the reconfigurable chiral EP and a tunable non-reciprocal transmission. Moreover, such tunable properties are nonvolatile and require no static power consumption. With these superior performances, our findings pave a promising way for reconfigurable non-Hermitian photonic devices, which may find applications in tunable on-chip sensors, isolators and so on.
Largest aperture metalens of high numerical aperture and polarization independence for long-wavelength infrared imaging
Authors: Li Junwei , Wang Yilin , Liu Shengjie , Xu Ting , Wei Kai , Zhang Yudong , Cui Hao
Published: July 2022

Because of unique superiorities of planar optical devices based on metalens on manipulating amplitude, phase, polarization, wavelength of incident light, metalenses have great prospects to replace traditional catadioptric optical components, especially in imaging and optoelectronic integration. However, the research of metalens has focused on visible or near-infrared wavelength in the past few years and little attention was paid to the long-wavelength infrared metalens. Here, we demonstrate the largest aperture, high numerical aperture, and polarization-independent metalens operating at long-wavelength infrared. The metalens has a numerical aperture of 0.45 at the center wavelength of10 µm. The aperture of the metalens is 80 mmwhich is much larger than the existing level we know. It has high-resolution imaging ability with focusing incident light down to a spot as small as ∼1.04λ. Ambient light imaging experiments are carried out to show the performance of the metalens. In addition, metalens is flimsy, large-scale and low-cost, which provides an effective solution for the development of ultra-lightweight and compact optical devices for LWIR technology.
High stability multiple-frequency cavity locking based on Doppler-free optogalvanic Calcium ion spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Jun-Ren , Suen Te-Hwei , Kung Chii-Yuan , Wang Li-Bang , Liu Yi-Wei
Published: July 2022

Doppler-free spectroscopy of 40Ca+ on the transition 3D3/2 → 4P1/2 known as the frequency standard for repumping beam of Calcium ion trap was performed by means of optogalvanic detection. This reference signal was applied to measure the frequency stability of laser locked to the resonance of an ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass made cavity. Lamb dip spectrum fitting of this Calcium ion spectra revealed that the long-term drift of our laser system is below 2 MHz per hour. A simple setup for frequency locking of dual colour of lasers at 866 nm and 780 nm was also demonstrated. Consistencies of the frequency difference between these two lasers were measured less than 2 MHz in a hour after stabilizing both lasers to the cavity.
Design of a high-sensitivity differential Helmholtz photoacoustic cell and its application in methane detection
Authors: Li Zhengang , Liu Jiaxiang , Si Ganshang , Ning Zhiqiang , Fang Yonghua
Published: July 2022

A high-sensitivity differential Helmholtz photoacoustic cell based on multiple reflection was reported, and its performance parameters and gas replacement time were optimized by finite element simulation. To realize the long absorption path of the measured gas, the collimated excitation light was reflected multiple times on the gold-plated wall of the absorption cavity, and the wavelength modulation technology was used to reduce the multiple reflection noise. Additionally, the differential could suppress external co-phase noise and double the photoacoustic signal. When a laser with a central wavelength of 1653 nm was employed as the excitation light source, the minimum detection limit of 177 ppb (signal-to-noise ratio, SNR = 1) for methane was achieved within a detection time of 1 s, and the corresponding normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient was 4.1×10–10 cm–1WHZ–1/2.
Liquid crystal lens set in augmented reality systems and virtual reality systems for rapidly varifocal images and vision correction: erratum
Authors: Lin Yi-Hsin , Huang Ting-Wei , Huang Hao-Hsin , Wang Yu-Jen
Published: July 2022

We have an addendum for our previous paper [Opt. Express 30, 22768 (2022)10.1364/OE.461378] cite previous prior works from the N. A. Riza lab that earlier reported a high speed lens based on digital polarization switching in cascade with birefringent fixed and tunable optical beamforming elements and its application for volumetric displays.
Single-exposure height-recovery structured illumination microscopy based on deep learning
Authors: Cheng Xiaolong , Tang Yan , Yang Kejun , Liu Lei , Han Chenhaolei
Published: July 2022

Modulation-based structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is performed
to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) surface topography. Generally
speaking, modulation decoding algorithms mainly include a phase-shift
(PS) method and frequency analysis technique. The PS method requires
at least three images with fixed PSs, which leads to low efficiency.
Frequency methods could decode modulation from a single image, but the
loss of high-frequency information is inevitable. In addition, these
methods all need to calculate the mapping relationship between
modulation and height to recover the 3D shape. In this paper, we
propose a deep learning enabled single-exposure surface measurement
method. With only one fringe image, this method can directly restore
the height information of the object. Processes such as denoising,
modulation calculation, and height mapping are all included in the
neural network. Compared with traditional Fourier methods, our method
has higher accuracy and efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate
that the proposed method can provide accurate and fast surface
measurement for different structures.
An ecological niche model to predict the geographic distribution of Haemagogus janthinomys, Dyar, 1921 a yellow fever and Mayaro virus vector, in South America
Authors: Celone Michael , Pecor David Brooks , Potter Alexander , Richardson Alec , Dunford James , Pollett Simon
Published: July 2022

Yellow fever virus (YFV) has a long history of impacting human health in South America. Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging arbovirus of public health concern in the Neotropics and its full impact is yet unknown. Both YFV and MAYV are primarily maintained via a sylvatic transmission cycle but can be opportunistically transmitted to humans by the bites of infected forest dwelling Haemagogus janthinomys Dyar, 1921. To better understand the potential risk of YFV and MAYV transmission to humans, a more detailed understanding of this vector species’ distribution is critical. This study compiled a comprehensive database of 177 unique Hg. janthinomys collection sites retrieved from the published literature, digitized museum specimens and publicly accessible mosquito surveillance data. Covariate analysis was performed to optimize a selection of environmental (topographic and bioclimatic) variables associated with predicting habitat suitability, and species distributions modelled across South America using a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach. Our results indicate that suitable habitat for Hg. janthinomys can be found across forested regions of South America including the Atlantic forests and interior Amazon.
Floating sphere assay: A rapid qualitative method for microvolume analysis of gelation
Authors: Tay Uma Jingxin , Goh Megan , Wen Hui Jeralyn Ching , Arumugam Prakash
Published: July 2022

A huge, unprecedented demand for gelatin coupled with its implications on global sustainability has resulted in the need to discover novel proteins with gelling attributes for applications in the food industry. Currently used gelation assays require large sample volumes and thus the screening for novel gelling proteins is a formidable technical challenge. In this paper, we report the ‘Floating Sphere Assay’ which is a simple, economical, and miniaturized assay to detect minimum gelling concentration with volumes as low as 50 μl. Results from the Floating Sphere Assay are consistent with currently used methods for gelation tests and accurately estimate the Minimum Gelling Concentrations (MGCs) of gelatin, κ-carrageenan and gellan gum. The assay was also able to differentiate the strengths of strong and weak gellan gum gels prepared at pH 3.5 and pH 7.0 respectively. The Floating Sphere Assay can be utilized in high-throughput screens for gelling proteins and can accelerate the discovery of gelatin substitutes.
A study on the influence mechanism of CBDC on monetary policy: An analysis based on e-CNY
Authors: Yang Jiemeng , Zhou Guangyou
Published: July 2022

This paper attempts to introduce central bank digital currency (CBDC) into the analysis framework of monetary policy, and studies the influence mechanism of e-CNY, central bank digital currency in China, on the monetary policy of the central bank from the aspects of money demand, money supply and monetary policy transmission mechanism. The research finds that e-CNY will have significant impact on monetary policy: (1) E-CNY will change the structure of money demand, speed up currency circulation, make central bank reserves more controllable and money supply more intelligent; (2) E-CNY will increase the volatility and expansion effect of currency multiplier to a certain extent; (3) E-CNY will dredge the transmission channel of monetary policy so as to improve the transmission effect of existing monetary policy tools. At the same time, based on the organic combination with structural monetary policy tools, it will achieve precise implementation of medium-term lending facilities (MLF), pledged supplementary lending (PSL), and it may bring new monetary policy tools. (4) E-CNY will make the intermediate target of monetary policy more controllable and reliable, and have a positive impact on the target of monetary policy through the smooth transmission of monetary policy channels. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the research on CBDC, give full play to the positive role of e-CNY in monetary policy, and improve the effectiveness of monetary policy.
Message framing and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among millennials in South India
Authors: Prakash Aslesha , Jeyakumar Nathan Robert , Kini Sannidhi , Victor Vijay
Published: July 2022

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal remain a major concern for healthcare professionals and policymakers. Hence, it is necessary to ascertain the underlying factors that promote or hinder the uptake of vaccines. Authorities and policy makers are experimenting with vaccine promotion messages to communities using loss and gain-framed messages. However, the effectiveness of message framing in influencing the intention to be vaccinated is unclear. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), this study analysed the impact of individual attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination, direct and indirect social norms, perceived behavioural control and perceived threat towards South Indian millennials’ intention to get vaccinated. The study also assessed the effect of framing vaccine communication messages with gain and loss framing. Data was collected from 228 Millennials from South India during the COVID-19 pandemic from September to October 2021 and analysed using PLS path modelling and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The findings reveal that attitudes towards vaccination, perceived threat and indirect social norms positively impact millennials’ intention to take up vaccines in both message frames. Further, independent sample t-test between the framing groups indicate that negative (loss framed message) leads to higher vaccination intention compared to positive (gain framed message). A loss-framed message is thus recommended for message framing to promote vaccine uptake among millennials. These findings provide useful information in understanding the impact of message framing on behavioural intentions, especially in the context of vaccine uptake intentions of Millennials in South India.
Development and test–retest reliability of a screening tool for axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Shridharmurthy Divya , Lapane Kate L. , Khan Sara , Yi Esther , Baek Jonggyu , Kay Jonathan , Liu Shao-Hsien
Published: July 2022

Background

People with axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) suffer from lengthy diagnostic delays of ~7 years. The usage of screening tools to identify axSpA patients in primary care can reduce diagnostic delays by facilitating early referral to rheumatologic care. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a potential screening tool for patients with axSpA.

Method

Content validity was evaluated by soliciting feedback from 7 rheumatologists regarding the relevance and content representativeness of the proposed screening questions. For the test-retest study, participants ≥18 years of age with chronic back pain (≥3 months) without a diagnosis of mechanical or inflammatory back pain (n = 91) were e-recruited through ResearchMatch. Participation included completing identical baseline and follow-up questionnaires ~14 days apart. Weighted quadratic kappa was used to measure test-retest reliability between the two ratings of the ordinal scales. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and items with factor loadings ≥0.6 were extracted. Scale dimensionality and simplified factorial solutions were measured using Kaiser’s criteria (Eigenvalue >1). Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure internal consistency.

Results

Most participants were women, non-Hispanic white, and had at least some college education, with a mean age of 45 years. On average, the age at onset of back pain was 31 years. Eleven questions yielded test–retest reliabilities ranging from 0.6 to 0.76. Results from EFA extracted two factors relating to: 1) how pain affects daily life functioning and 2) whether pain improves with movement. Internal consistency was high for questions evaluating how pain affects life, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81. Following assessment for validity and reliability, the questionnaire was revised to create the 6-item screening tool.

Conclusions

The 6-item SpA-SED screening tool designed to identify potential cases of axSpA was found to have good test–retest reliability and high internal consistency.
The dynamics of ideology drift among U.S. Supreme Court justices: A functional data analysis
Authors: Zhou Xiner , Müller Hans-Georg
Published: July 2022

We study the U.S. Supreme Court dynamics by analyzing the temporal evolution of the underlying policy positions of the Supreme Court Justices as reflected by their actual voting data, using functional data analysis methods. The proposed fully flexible nonparametric method makes it possible to dissect the time-dynamics of policy positions at the level of individual Justices, as well as providing a comprehensive view of the ideology evolution over the history of Supreme Court since its establishment. In addition to quantifying individual Justice’s policy positions, we uncover average changes over time and also the major patterns of change over time. Additionally, our approach allows for representing highly complex dynamic trajectories by a few principal components which complements other models of analyzing and predicting court behavior.
Optimization of water and land allocation in salinity and deficit- irrigation conditions at farm level in Qazvin plain
Authors: Bulukazari Sara , Babazadeh Hossein , Ebrahimipak Niazali , Mousavi-Jahromi Seyed-Habib , Ramezani Etedali Hadi
Published: July 2022

Improper extraction of water from resources especially in arid and semi-arid regions leads to a decrease in the quality of water and soil resources. In such areas, management activities such as increasing water productivity in agricultural sector would be a key step towards sustainable development. Therefore, water resources management to improve the allocation of limited water supplies is essential. In this study, a non-linear programming optimization model have been combined with a AquaCrop model to determine the optimal water and land allocation considering the quality issues of both water and soil resources with focusing on enhancing agriculture water productivity. For this purpose, the spatial variations of chemical and physical properties of soil in the Qazvin plain were taken into account. The soil of study site was divided into three salinity classes, and three weather conditions were identified by Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Moreover, five irrigation strategies were modeled under each weather condition. To understand the response of major crops under cultivation to water and salinity, the AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated (2005–2020) and utilized in the objective function. Accordingly, the production functions of the different products were obtained, and the cultivation area as well as amount of water consumption of the crops were optimized by using the target functions of maximum net income and maximum water use efficiency. The results showed that the model is capable of simulating crop yield in salinity and water deficit conditions. The coefficient of determination (R2) for barley, wheat and maize was equal to 0.86, 0.92, and 0.96, respectively. Findings reveal that total irrigation water could be reduced by 20% on average without profit reduction when compared to the profit of the present situation. Total economic profit could be increased by 18% on average through the optimization of water allocation and cropping pattern with the same water supply amount as that of the current situation. Also, the water productivity increased between 12 to 30% under these conditions. Therefore, the proposed model can efficiently optimize the amount of irrigation water and cultivation area on a regional scale considering salinity conditions.
Performance of an electronic health record-based predictive model to identify patients with atrial fibrillation across countries
Authors: Mokgokong Ruth , Schnabel Renate , Witt Henning , Miller Robert , Lee Theodore C.
Published: July 2022

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) burden on patients and healthcare systems warrants innovative strategies for screening asymptomatic individuals.

Objective

We sought to externally validate a predictive model originally developed in a German population to detect unidentified incident AF utilising real-world primary healthcare databases from countries in Europe and Australia.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used anonymized, longitudinal patient data from 5 country-level primary care databases, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK. The study eligibility included adult patients (≥45 years) with either an AF diagnosis (cases) or no diagnosis (controls) who had continuous enrolment in the respective database prior to the study period. Logistic regression was fitted to a binary response (yes/no) for AF diagnosis using pre-determined risk factors.

Results

AF patients were from Germany (n = 63,562), the UK (n = 42,652), France (n = 7,213), Australia (n = 2,753), and Belgium (n = 1,371). Cases were more likely to have hypertension or other cardiac conditions than controls in all validation datasets compared to the model development data. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the validation datasets ranged from 0.79 (Belgium) to 0.84 (Germany), comparable to the German study model, which had an area under the curve of 0.83. Most validation sets reported similar specificity at approximately 80% sensitivity, ranging from 67% (France) to 71% (United Kingdom). The positive predictive value (PPV) ranged from 2% (Belgium) to 16% (Germany), and the number needed to be screened was 50 in Belgium and 6 in Germany. The prevalence of AF varied widely between these datasets, which may be related to different coding practices. Low prevalence affected PPV, but not sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curves.

Conclusions

AF risk prediction algorithms offer targeted ways to identify patients using electronic health records, which could improve screening number and the cost-effectiveness of AF screening if implemented in clinical practice.