bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phase II Clinical Trial of Axitinib and Avelumab in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Authors: Ferrarotto Renata , Sousa Luana G. , Feng Lei , Mott Frank , Blumenschein George , Altan Mehmet , Bell Diana , Bonini Flavia , Li Kaiyi , Marques-Piubelli Mario L. , Dal Lago Eduardo A. , Johnson Jason J. , Mitani Yoshitsugu , Godoy Myrna , Lee Anna , Kupferman Michael , Hanna Ehab , Glisson Bonnie S. , Elamin Yasir , El-Naggar Adel
Published: March 2023

PURPOSE

We conducted a phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of VEGFR inhibitor axitinib and PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma (R/M ACC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible patients had R/M ACC with progression within 6 months before enrollment. Treatment consisted of axitinib and avelumab. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST 1.1; secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity. Simon's optimal two-stage design tested the null hypothesis of ORR ≤5% versus ORR ≥20% at 6 months; ≥4 responses in 29 patients would reject the null hypothesis.

RESULTS

Forty patients enrolled from July 2019 to June 2021; 28 were evaluable for efficacy (six screen failures; six evaluable for safety only). The confirmed ORR was 18% (95% CI, 6.1 to 36.9); there was one unconfirmed partial response (PR). Two patients achieved PR after 6 months; thus, the ORR at 6 months was 14%. The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 22 months (95% CI, 16.6 to 39.1 months). The median PFS was 7.3 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 11.2 months), 6-month PFS rate was 57% (95% CI, 41 to 78), and median OS was 16.6 months (95% CI, 12.4 to not reached months). Most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) included fatigue (62%), hypertension (32%), and diarrhea (32%). Ten (29%) patients had serious TRAEs, all grade 3; four patients (12%) discontinued avelumab, and nine patients (26%) underwent axitinib dose reduction.

CONCLUSION

The study reached its primary end point with ≥4 PRs in 28 evaluable patients (confirmed ORR of 18%). The potential added benefit of avelumab to axitinib in ACC requires further investigation.
Unsettling Participation by Foregrounding More-than-Human Relations in Digital Forests
Authors: Westerlaken Michelle , Gabrys Jennifer , Urzedo Danilo , Ritts Max
Published: March 2023

The question of who participates in making forest environments usually refers to human stakeholders. Yet forests are constituted through the participation of many other entities. At the same time, digital technologies are increasingly used in participatory projects to measure and monitor forest environments globally. However, such participatory initiatives are often limited to human involvement and overlook how more-than-human entities and relations shape digital and forest processes. To disrupt conventional anthropocentric understandings of participation, this text travels through three different processes of “unsettling” to show how more-than-human entities and relations disrupt, rework, and transform digital participation in and with forests. First, forest organisms as bioindicators signal environmental changes and contribute to the formation and operation of digital sensing technologies. Second, speculative blockchain infrastructures and decision-making algorithms raise questions about whether and how forests can own themselves. Third, Amerindian cosmologies redistribute subjectivities to change how digital technologies identify and monitor forests within Indigenous territories. Each of these examples shows how more-than-human participation can rework participatory processes and digital practices in forests. In a time when forests are rapidly disappearing, an unsettled and transformed understanding of participation that involves the world-making practices of more-than-human entities and relations can offer more pluralistic and expansive forest inhabitations and futures.
Extinction in Public
Authors: O’Key Dominic
Published: March 2023

This essay argues that the concept of extinction, polysemous if not overdetermined, is becoming an emergent keyword of contemporary public life as it faces the climate crisis. To make this argument the essay critically considers the ways in which extinction is currently being made public—within and by the environmental humanities but also in the wider public sphere of political and cultural contestation. The essay begins by problematizing the concept of extinction itself, positing that it makes sense to think of the Sixth Extinction as the first historical extinction event—that is, as a social articulation of an organic process in which the causes and impacts are at once natural and social. Then the essay discusses the different extinction imaginaries that have operated across modernity, before finally turning to the writings of the Extinction Studies Working Group, whose conception of extinction as a process rather than event, and whose arguments that mass extinction presents an ethical call to responsibility, have become a template for how extinction is thought about within the field of the environmental humanities. The essay ends by posing some companionly criticisms of the extinction studies project.
“We Most Certainly Do Have a Language”
Authors: Nelson Diane , Kariri-Xocó Nhenety , Kariri-Xocó Idiane , Pitman Thea
Published: March 2023

This article proposes that languages should be embraced by the field of extinction studies while at the same time being mindful of the imbrication of colonialism in both the assignation and terminology of extinction and attempts to revive or reclaim endangered and extinct languages. It thus argues for a decolonizing approach to discourses of both language extinction and reclamation. The article starts by contextualizing the complementary extinction crises facing both species and languages. It then moves on to explore the links between colonialism and the extinction crisis for languages as well as the colonialist underpinnings of many attempts to document and revive endangered and extinct languages. The article then looks to a particularly unique case of decolonial language reclamation, focusing on the work of members of the Kariri-Xocó Indigenous community in present-day Northeast Brazil. It concludes that, by reclaiming their language in a way that is both agentive and coconstructed, the Kariri-Xocó bring together language, culture, and spirituality as tools for resistance.
Practicing Palliation for Extinction and Climate Change
Authors: Gibson Julia D.
Published: March 2023

Even with the advent of climate change, mainstream environmentalism lacks a robust death ethics, that is, ethical theories and practices for attending directly to what is owed to the unjustly dead and dying. This article draws on Indigenous, Afrofuturist, and feminist science fiction narratives and their correlating lived practices to explore how death ethics for those driven extinct by climate change and other environmental injustices can and ought to go beyond affect, symbolism, and abstraction. It puts forward environmental palliation as an alternative framework for grappling with the injustice of extinction as and in publics. Far from a glorified form of euthanasia, palliation is an ethic and a practice geared toward providing good or better deaths for particular entities under specific conditions of injustice. In death, palliation cedes to remembrance, an ethic and practice for keeping the dead alive in memory so that they can be cared for. When done right, these death ethics are inextricably linked with climate justice for the living and those yet-to-be.
Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Review
Authors: Tonetti Daniel A. , Thomas Ajith J. , Bulsara Ketan R.
Published: March 2023

Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) for chronic subdural hematomas (cSDHs) has evolved as a potential treatment alternative for these lesions. The indications for using this treatment modality and the pathophysiology of cSDHs are an area of considerable interest. A retrospective review was performed including all major papers addressing this topic. Although considered a relatively new treatment option, MMAE for cSDHs is gaining widespread popularity. There are many questions that need to be addressed regarding its indications, some of which are the subject of ongoing clinical trials. The efficacy of this treatment modality in carefully selected patients has also provided new insights into the potential pathophysiology of cSDHs. This concise review will focus on the current evidence supporting the use of embolization in the treatment of this disease and highlight unanswered relevant clinical questions regarding MMAE indications and technique.
Serine hydroxymethyl transferase is required for optic lobe neuroepithelia development in Drosophila
Authors: Silva Eunice A. B. , Venda Ana M. , Homem Catarina C. F.
Published: March 2023

Cell fate and growth require one-carbon units for the biosynthesis of nucleotides, methylation reactions and redox homeostasis, provided by one-carbon metabolism. Consistently, defects in one-carbon metabolism lead to severe developmental defects, such as neural tube defects. However, the role of this pathway during brain development and in neural stem cell regulation is poorly understood. To better understand the role of one carbon metabolism we focused on the enzyme Serine hydroxymethyl transferase (Shmt), a key factor in the one-carbon cycle, during Drosophila brain development. We show that, although loss of Shmt does not cause obvious defects in the central brain, it leads to severe phenotypes in the optic lobe. The shmt mutants have smaller optic lobe neuroepithelia, partly justified by increased apoptosis. In addition, shmt mutant neuroepithelia have morphological defects, failing to form a lamina furrow, which likely explains the observed absence of lamina neurons. These findings show that one-carbon metabolism is crucial for the normal development of neuroepithelia, and consequently for the generation of neural progenitor cells and neurons. These results propose a mechanistic role for one-carbon during brain development.
Epidermal growth factor outperforms placebo in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer: a meta-analysis
Authors: Rahim Fazal , Yan Xie , Shah Jawad Ali , Bibi Nida , Khan Zafar Ullah , Nawaz Shah , Ming Yao
Published: March 2023

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a life-threatening ailment caused by diabetes. Several growth factors, as well as their various combinations, have shown promising effect in aiding diabetic foot ulcer. However, contradictory or paradoxical results are often available, and debates about this issue are ongoing. Therefore, a comprehensive meta-analysis was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and placebo in healing diabetic foot ulcers.

Methods: The database search included relevant English literature from Cochrane Library, PubMed, Google Scholar, Elsevier, and EMBASE that was published between 2009 and 2021. Inclusion criteria included type 1 and 2 diabetic patients with foot wounds focusing on complete healing rate. Exclusion criteria included combined therapy, non-human studies, reviews, and protocols. To assess the quality of each study, biases regarding random sequence generation, allocation concealment, participant and personnel blinding, outcome assessment blinding and incomplete outcome data were thoroughly identified.

Results: Eight randomized control trials comprising 620 patients (337 in EGF group, 283 in placebo group), were included in this meta-analysis. EGF achieved a significantly higher complete healing rate than placebo after four weeks of treatment, with relative risk (RR): 3.04 (0.50, 18.44) and heterogeneity (Chi2 = 6.46, df = 2 (P = 0.04) I2 = 69 %). Notably, the healing frequency in the placebo group was 17%, whereas the healing frequency in the epidermal growth factor group was 34%. Likewise, after eight weeks of treatment, the relative risk and heterogeneity were RR: 2.59 (1.42, 4.72) and (Chi2 =7.92, df= 4 (p= 0.09): I2= 49%), respectively. Moreover, the risk ratio at 12 weeks was RR: 1.01 (0.42, 2.46), and heterogeneity was (Chi2 =8.55, df= 2 (p= 0.01): I2= 77%).

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that EGF significantly promotes wound healing, and could be recommended as an effective and safe treatment for DFUs.
Cloning and characterization of the LvCTL genes encoding C-type lectin from white-leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)
Authors: Phuong Tran Vinh , Nguyen Xuan Huy , Quang Lich Nguyen , Hoang Quang Tan , Tran Ngoc Nguyen , Nguyen Phuoc Ngoc , Linh Nguyen Quang
Published: March 2023

Background: Lectins are carbohydrate-binding protein domains. The C-type designates a requirement for calcium for binding. Proteins contain C-type lectin domains that have a diverse range of functions, including cell-cell adhesion, immune response to pathogens, and apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate the characters of LvCTL-encoding genes from white-leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in Central Vietnam.

Methods: Two PCR products (LvCTL3 and LvCTL4) were cloned and sequenced. The structure and characterization of LvCTL proteins were predicted using bioinformatics tools.

Results: The results showed that the LvCTL3 gene was 444 nucleotides long and 98.87% similar to the published LvCTL3 gene (accession number: KF156943). The polypeptide sequence had 147 amino acids, which were 97.28% identical to the reference sequence (AGV68681) and the LvCTL4 gene had a length of 417 nucleotides and homology of 99.52% compared to the published gene (KM387560). The deduced polypeptide sequence had 138 amino acids, and was 100% similar to the reference sequence (AKA64754). The LvCTL3 had a molecular weight of 16.91 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.66, while LvCTL4 had 15.75 and 4.58 kDa, respectively. The structure prediction results showed that LvCTL3 and LvCTL4 had one domain (CTLD), LvCTL3 had two α helices and nine β sheets, and LvCTL4 had two α helices and eight β sheets.

Conclusions: Our results provide essential information for the heterologous expression and biosynthesis production of C-type lectins.
Effect of polyamine precursors and antioxidants on growth and metabolism of salt-stressed barley
Authors: Eldakkak Eman , El-Shourbagy Mohamed
Published: March 2023

Background: Salinity is a serious problem that reduces crop productivity by affecting seed germination and seedling growth. It affects plant growth by disrupting plant osmosis, causing ionic toxicity, and metabolic and physiological changes. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of polyamine precursors, besides the effect of some antioxidants such as glutathione and ascorbate on growth, metabolism, and productivity of two barley cultivars, different in salt tolerance, when subjected to salt stress.

Methods: Salt-tolerant G124 and salt-sensitive G119 barley cultivars had their seeds planted in plastic pots with clay and sand soil that measured 10 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height (2:1). The pots were divided into five categories: the grains were presoaked for 24 hours in distilled water, an amino acid solution (Arginine, Methionine, and Ornithine) (1 mM each), glutathione, or ascorbic acid (0.1 mM for each), seedlings were cultivated in 0.1 mM sodium chloride alone, seedlings were cultivated using a combination of salt and glutathione, seedlings were grown using a combination of salt and ascorbic acid, seedlings were cultivated using a combination of salt and amino acid mixture.

Results: Salinity has resulted in a reduction in all growth parameters in both barley cultivars. In the seedling, pre-flowering, and yield stages, the exposure to salt decreased photosynthetic pigments, total soluble carbohydrates, weight, and the number of grains, whereas it showed an increase in the activities of catalase and peroxidase, proline content, malondialdehyde, and membrane leakage.

Conclusion: The addition of glutathione, ascorbic acid, or amino acid mixture alleviated the harmful effect of sodium chloride and improved barley's defense mechanism against salt stress. The results showed that the alleviating effect was eventually reflected in plant growth, indicating that glutathione might be suggested as an effective treatment to reduce the impacts of salinity on barley.
Outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Ireland 2012-2020: Protocol for an observational study
Authors: Barry Tomás , Kasemiire Alice , Quinn Martin , Deasy Conor , Bury Gerard , Masterson Siobhan , Segurado Ricardo , Murphy Andrew ,   Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Registry Steering Group
Published: March 2023

Background 

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of preventable mortality that now affects almost 3,000 people each year in Ireland. Survival is low at 6-7%, compared to a European average of 8%. The Irish Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Registry (OHCAR) prospectively gathers data on all OHCA in Ireland where emergency medical services attempted resuscitation. 

The Irish health system has undergone several developments that are relevant to OHCA care in the period 2012-2020. OHCAR data provides a means of exploring temporal trends in OHCA incidence, care, and outcomes over time. It also provides a means of exploring whether system developments were associated with a change in key outcomes. 

This research aims to summarise key trends in available OHCAR data from the period 2012 – 2020, to explore and model predictors of bystander CPR, bystander defibrillation, and survival, and to explore the hypothesis that significant system level temporal developments were associated with improvements in these outcomes. 

Methods 

The following protocol sets out the relevant background and research approach for an observational study that will address the above aims. Key trends in available OHCAR data (2012 – 2020) will be described and evaluated using descriptive summaries and graphical displays. Multivariable logistic regression will be used to model predictors of ‘bystander CPR’, ‘bystander defibrillation’ and ‘survival to hospital discharge’ and to explore the effects (if any) of system level developments in 2015/2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) on these outcomes. 

Discussion 

The findings of this research will be used to understand temporal trends in the care processes and outcomes for OHCA in Ireland over the period 2012-2020. The results can further be used to optimise future health system developments for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in both Ireland and internationally.
The genome sequence of the Spruce Carpet Moth, Thera britannica (Turner, 1925)
Authors: Boyes Douglas ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Holland Peter W.H. ,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Thera britannica (the Spruce Carpet Moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 381 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 19 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.9 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl has identified 12,457 protein coding genes.
Evaluation of Traffic Models under Multiple Black hole Attack in Wireless Mesh Network
Authors:   Sharad Institute of Technology College of Engineering, Ichalkaranji, India, Sarao Pushpender
Published: March 2023

Wireless networks are the networks in which data communication is done through the wireless channels and wireless nodes. In such type of the networks, cooperation of the all nodes is required. Due to which, chances of security attacks is possible and network performance and security is badly affected. Black hole attack is a security attack comes under the active, internal as well as external attacks. In black hole attack, malicious node presents a suitable, shortest and low cost path. If the above path is selected for data transmission, malicious node drops the received packets and as a result performance of the network is degraded. In this paper, impact of Random Direction (RD) and Reference Point Group Mobility (RPGM) models have been analyzed for wireless mesh network in the presence of multiple black hole attacks. By varying the number of network connections and node density, (Ad hoc on demand distance vector) AODV routing protocol is evaluated. Normalized routing load, average end to end delay, average throughput, and total number of packets received are considered as performance metrics. Bonn-motion tool has been used to create the scenario of mobility models. In the presence of black hole attack, and under RPGM mobility model, AODV routing protocol presents better results in respect of average throughput, normalized routing load. Simulation work has been carried out on network simulator version NS-2.35.
Dynamic Pricing with Uncertain Capacities
Authors: Garcia Daniel , Janssen Maarten C. W. , Shopova Radostina
Published: March 2023

In markets, such as those for airline tickets and hotel accommodations, firms sell time-dated products and have private information about unsold capacities. We show that competition under private information may explain observed phenomena, such as increased price dispersion and higher expected prices toward the deadline. We also show that private information severely limits the market power of firms and that information exchange about capacity increases firms’ profits. Finally, we inquire into the incentives to unilaterally disclose information or to engage in espionage about rival’s capacity and show that they increase firms’ profits compared with the private information setting.

This paper was accepted by Omar Besbes, revenue management and market analytics.

Funding: This work was partially funded by the Austrian Science Foundation FWF under [Project FG 6].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4613 .
The (Limited) Power of Blockchain Networks for Information Provision
Authors: Franke Benedikt , Fritz Qi Gao , Stenzel André
Published: March 2023

We investigate the potential and limits of privacy-preserving corporate blockchain applications for information provision. We provide a theoretical model in which heterogeneous firms choose between adopting a blockchain application or relying on traditional third-party intermediaries to inform the capital market. The blockchain’s ability to generate information depends on each firm’s data profile and all firms’ endogenous adoption decisions. We show that blockchain technology can improve the information environment and outperform traditional institutions with firms’ adoption decisions serving as a credible value signal and the application uncovering firm values by analyzing all participating firms’ data. However, we also characterize an adverse mixed-adoption equilibrium in which neither of the two channels realizes its full potential and information provision declines not only for individual firms, but also in aggregate. The equilibrium is a warning sign that has broad implications for policymakers’ regulatory effort and investors’ assessment of corporate blockchain applications.

This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.

Funding: B. Franke and Q. Gao Fritz gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) Project-ID 403041268–TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency. A. Stenzel gratefully acknowledges financial support from the DFG through CRC TR 224 (Project C03) during prior employment at the University of Mannheim.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4718 .
No Permanent Friend or Enemy: Impacts of the IIoT-Based Platform in the Maintenance Service Market
Authors: Pei Jun , Yan Ping , Kumar Subodha
Published: March 2023

As the industrial Internet-of-things (IIoT) is becoming increasingly valuable, manufacturers are eager to establish IIoT-based platforms for preventative maintenance (PM). These platforms reposition the roles of manufacturers and reshape the patterns of the after-sales service market. Manufacturers can adopt either the competitive strategy by introducing improved after-sales services to compete with independent maintenance, repair, and operations firms (MROs) or the “coopetitive” strategy by simultaneously opening the platform to these MROs. However, relevant research on this topic remains scarce. Hence, our study fills this gap by investigating a manufacturer’s decision for the IIoT-based platform and the subsequent relationship with an MRO. First, we find that even when the product value is relatively low and the IIoT adoption increases PM cost; interestingly, it is sometimes beneficial for the manufacturer to establish the platform. Next, we find that even if the royalty revenue is lower than the increased IIoT costs, the manufacturer may sometimes still adopt the coopetitive strategy of opening the platform. Moreover, with the opening of the platform, the manufacturer pays more technology investment, even in the competitive market. Furthermore, whenever the manufacturer opens the platform, the MRO can profit more by accessing the platform. Hence, there is sometimes a win-win equilibrium with the IIoT adoption. In addition, we find that the opening of the platform sometimes causes less customer surplus but generates more social welfare. Following the IIoT adoption, our findings offer insightful takeaways for the manufacturer’s decisions on the establishment and opening of the platform, the MRO’s reaction, and policymakers’ welfare policies.

This paper was accepted by Jeannette Song, operations management.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71922009, 72188101, 71871080, and 72071057].

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4733 .
Market Segmentation Trees
Authors: Aouad Ali , Elmachtoub Adam N. , Ferreira Kris J. , McNellis Ryan
Published: March 2023

Problem definition: We seek to provide an interpretable framework for segmenting users in a population for personalized decision making. Methodology/results: We propose a general methodology, market segmentation trees (MSTs), for learning market segmentations explicitly driven by identifying differences in user response patterns. To demonstrate the versatility of our methodology, we design two new specialized MST algorithms: (i) choice model trees (CMTs), which can be used to predict a user’s choice amongst multiple options, and (ii) isotonic regression trees (IRTs), which can be used to solve the bid landscape forecasting problem. We provide a theoretical analysis of the asymptotic running times of our algorithmic methods, which validates their computational tractability on large data sets. We also provide a customizable, open-source code base for training MSTs in Python that uses several strategies for scalability, including parallel processing and warm starts. Finally, we assess the practical performance of MSTs on several synthetic and real-world data sets, showing that our method reliably finds market segmentations that accurately model response behavior. Managerial implications: The standard approach to conduct market segmentation for personalized decision making is to first perform market segmentation by clustering users according to similarities in their contextual features and then fit a “response model” to each segment to model how users respond to decisions. However, this approach may not be ideal if the contextual features prominent in distinguishing clusters are not key drivers of response behavior. Our approach addresses this issue by integrating market segmentation and response modeling, which consistently leads to improvements in response prediction accuracy, thereby aiding personalization. We find that such an integrated approach can be computationally tractable and effective even on large-scale data sets. Moreover, MSTs are interpretable because the market segments can easily be described by a decision tree and often require only a fraction of the number of market segments generated by traditional approaches.

Disclaimer: This work was done prior to Ryan McNellis joining Amazon.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grants CMMI-1763000 and CMMI-1944428].

Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1195 .
Nonparametric Approximate Dynamic Programming via the Kernel Method
Authors: Bhat Nikhil , Farias Vivek F. , Moallemi Ciamac C. , Zheng Andrew T.
Published: March 2023

This paper presents a novel, non-parametric approximate dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm that enjoys dimension-independent approximation and sample complexity guarantees. We obtain this algorithm by “kernelizing” a recent mathematical program for ADP (the “smoothed approximate linear program”). Loosely, our guarantees show that we can exchange the importance of choosing a good approximation architecture a priori (as required by existing approaches) with sampling effort. We also present a simple active set algorithm for solving the resulting quadratic program, and prove the correctness of this method. Via a computational study on a controlled queueing network, we show that our approach is capable of outperforming parametric linear programming approaches to ADP, as well as non-trivial, tailored heuristics for the same network, even when employing generic, polynomial kernels.
DRL-assisted joint allocation of antenna, radio, and front-haul resources in TWDM-PON-based NG-RANs with mMIMO-enabled beamforming
Authors: Zhu Min , Wang Yunwu , Gu Jiahua , Cai Xiaofeng , Liu Xiang , Tong Weidong , Cai Yuancheng , Zhang Jiao
Published: March 2023

The high spectrum efficiency of massive multiple input multiple output (mMIMO)-enabled beamforming is attractive for solving the massive number of connections in next-generation radio access networks (NG-RANs). However, the beamforming based on multiple antenna sub-arrays to support multi-connections would introduce extra 2D antenna sub-array selection and radio resource block (RB) allocation; meanwhile, considering the front-haul bandwidth consumption would reduce as much as possible the redundant data transmitting over front-haul in the NG-RANs. Therefore, a key issue is how to coordinate 2D antenna sub-array selection and radio RB allocation to minimize the front-haul bandwidth and maximize the radio RB utilization when accommodating a set of beam antenna array (BAA) requests. In this paper, we first establish a 3D BAA mapping model to jointly optimize 2D antenna sub-array selection and radio RB allocation, which would in turn affect the allocation of the front-haul wavelength bandwidth in a time and wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (TWDM-PON)-based front-haul with the mMIMO antenna system. An integer linear programming mathematical model is formulated, and a novel deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based algorithm is proposed to optimize the front-haul bandwidth and radio RB utilization. Besides, two heuristic algorithms are developed with different antenna sub-array selection policies as the benchmarks. The extensive simulation results show that our proposed DRL-based algorithm can attain the lowest average cost (AC) for different numbers of BAA requests considered by seeking the optimal trade-off between the front-haul bandwidth consumption and the number of the used antennas. Compared with the inter-sub-array benchmark, the DRL-based algorithm can achieve up to 7.5% AC reduction, which is mainly attributed to the 21.2% reduction of the front-haul bandwidth without increasing the number of used antennas.
End-to-end varifocal multiview images coding framework from data acquisition end to vision application end
Authors: Wu Kejun , Liu Qiong , Wang Yi , Yang You
Published: March 2023

The emerging data, varifocal multiview (VFMV) has an exciting prospect in immersive multimedia. However, the distinctive data redundancy of VFMV derived from dense arrangements and blurriness differences among views causes difficulty in data compression. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end coding scheme for VFMV images, which provides a new paradigm for VFMV compression from data acquisition (source) end to vision application end. VFMV acquisition is first conducted in three ways at the source end, including conventional imaging, plenoptic refocusing, and 3D creation. The acquired VFMV has irregular focusing distributions due to varying focal planes, which decreases the similarity among adjacent views. To improve the similarity and the consequent coding efficiency, we rearrange the irregular focusing distributions in descending order and accordingly reorder the horizontal views. Then, the reordered VFMV images are scanned and concatenated as video sequences. We propose 4-directional prediction (4DP) to compress the reordered VFMV video sequences. Four most similar adjacent views from the left, upper left, upper and upper right directions serve as reference frames to improve the prediction efficiency. Finally, the compressed VFMV is transmitted and decoded at the application end, benefiting potential vision applications. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed coding scheme is superior to the comparison scheme in objective quality, subjective quality and computational complexity. Experiments on new view synthesis show that VFMV can achieve extended depth of field than conventional multiview at the application end. Validation experiments show the effectiveness of view reordering, the advantage over typical MV-HEVC, and the flexibility on other data types, respectively.
Maskless lithography for large area patterning of three-dimensional microstructures with application on a light guiding plate
Authors: Syu Yong-Sin , Huang Yu-Bin , Jiang Ming-Ze , Wu Chun-Ying , Lee Yung-Chun
Published: March 2023

This paper presents a maskless lithography system that can perform three-dimensional (3D) ultraviolet (UV) patterning on a photoresist (PR) layer. After PR developing processes, patterned 3D PR microstructures over a large area are obtained. This maskless lithography system utilizes an UV light source, a digital micromirror device (DMD), and an image projection lens to project a digital UV image on the PR layer. The projected UV image is then mechanically scanned over the PR layer. An UV patterning scheme based on the idea of obliquely scanning and step strobe lighting (OS3L) is developed to precisely control the spatial distribution of projected UV dose, such that desired 3D PR microstructures can be obtained after PR development. Two types of concave microstructures with truncated conical and nuzzle-shaped cross-sectional profiles are experimentally obtained over a patterning area of 160 ×115 mm2. These patterned microstructures are then used for replicating nickel molds and for mass-production of light-guiding plates used in back-lighting and display industry. Potential improvements and advancements of the proposed 3D maskless lithography technique for future applications will be addressed.
Dual-comb spectroscopy for in-plane angle measurement using OAM vortex light
Authors: Asahara Akifumi , Akiyama Seishiro , Minoshima Kaoru
Published: March 2023

By combining dual-comb spectroscopy and optical vortices, which have the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light, we propose a novel measurement concept, “dual-vortex-comb spectroscopy (DVCS).” We extend the dual-comb spectroscopy to angle dimensions by utilizing the characteristic helical phase structure of optical vortices. We demonstrate a proof-of-principle experiment on DVCS that realizes in-plane azimuth-angle measurements with an accuracy of ∼0.1 mrad after cyclic error correction, whose origin is verified by a simulation. We also demonstrate that the measurable angle range is tailored by the topological number of the optical vortices. This is the first demonstration of dimensional conversion between the in-plane angle and dual-comb interferometric phase. This successful result can expand the applicability of optical frequency comb metrology to new dimensions.
Spectral optimization of trichromatic white LEDs based on age of lighting user and application scene
Authors: Han Zhoushuo , Zhang Zifan , Liu Kaicheng , Li Yunjian , Xiao Wenliang , Liu Jun , Zhu Xin , Zheng Chaodan , Wu Qingfeng
Published: March 2023

The optimization of trichromatic white light emitting diodes (LEDs) spectrum for application scenes related to the age of lighting users is proposed and demonstrated. Based on the spectral transmissivity of human eyes at different ages, the visual and non-visual responses of human eyes to different wavelengths of light, we have built the blue light hazards (BLH) and circadian action factor (CAF) related to the age of the lighting user. The BLH and CAF are used to evaluate the spectral combinations of high color rendering index (CRI) white LEDs obtained from different radiation flux ratios of red, green, and blue monochrome spectrum. The best spectra of white LEDs for lighting users at different ages in work and leisure scenes are achieved due to the optimization criterion of BLH proposed by us. This research provides a solution for intelligent health lighting design applicable to light users of different ages and application scenes.
Mechanically loaded GRIN lens for endoscopy
Authors: Němcová Šárka , Čáp Jiří
Published: March 2023

Endoscopic techniques are broadly used in medicine. Small diameter endoscopes are either made as fiber bundles or, beneficially, as graded index lenses. Fiber bundles can withstand a mechanical load during their use but the GRIN lens’s performance can be affected by its deflection. Here, we analyze the effect of deflection on the image quality and unwanted associated effects with relation to the eye endoscope we designed and built. We also present the result of our effort to make a reliable model of a bent GRIN lens in the OpticStudio software.
Nonreciprocal photon blockade in a spinning optomechanical system with nonreciprocal coupling
Authors: Liu Yu-Mu , Cheng Jing , Wang Hong-Fu , Yi Xuexi
Published: March 2023

A scheme is presented to achieve quantum nonreciprocity by manipulating the statistical properties of the photons in a composite device consisting of a double-cavity optomechanical system with a spinning resonator and nonreciprocal coupling. It can be found that the photon blockade can emerge when the spinning device is driven from one side but not from the other side with the same driving amplitude. Under the weak driving limit, to achieve the perfect nonreciprocal photon blockade, two sets of optimal nonreciprocal coupling strengths are analytically obtained under different optical detunings based on the destructive quantum interference between different paths, which are in good agreement with the results obtained from numerical simulations. Moreover, the photon blockade exhibits thoroughly different behaviors as the nonreciprocal coupling is altered, and the perfect nonreciprocal photon blockade can be achieved even with weak nonlinear and linear couplings, which breaks the orthodox perception.
Hexapartite steering based on a four-wave-mixing process with a spatially structured pump
Authors: Liang Yunyun , Yang Rongguo , Zhang Jing , Zhang Tiancai
Published: March 2023

Multipartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering has been widely studied, for realizing safer quantum communication. The steering properties of six spatially separated beams from the four-wave-mixing process with a spatially structured pump are investigated. Behaviors of all (1+i)/(i+1)-mode (i=1,2,3) steerings are understandable, if the role of the corresponding relative interaction strengths are taken into account. Moreover, stronger collective multipartite steerings including five modes can be obtained in our scheme, which has potential applications in ultra-secure multiuser quantum networks when the issue of trust is critical. By further discussing about all monogamy relations, it is noticed that the type-IV monogamy relations, which are naturally included in our model, are conditionally satisfied. Matrix representation is used to express the steerings for the first time, which is very useful to understand the monogamy relations intuitively. Different steering properties obtained in this compact phase-insensitive scheme have potential applications for different kinds of quantum communication tasks.
Humanoid shaped optical fiber plasmon biosensor functionalized with graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes for histamine detection
Authors: Zhang Wen , Singh Ragini , Wang Zhi , Li Guoru , Xie Yiyan , Jha Rajan , Marques Carlos , Zhang Bingyuan , Kumar Santosh
Published: March 2023

Histamine is a biologically active molecule that serves as a reliable predictor of the quality of fish. In this work, authors have developed a novel humanoid-shaped tapered optical fiber (HTOF) biosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon to detect varying histamine concentrations. In this experiment, a novel and distinctive tapering structure has been developed using a combiner manufacturing system and contemporary processing technologies. Graphene oxide (GO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are immobilized on the HTOF probe surface to increase the biocompatibility of biosensor. In this instance, GO/MWCNTs are deployed first, then gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Consequently, the GO/MWCNTs help to give abundant space for the immobilization of nanoparticles (AuNPs in this case) as well as increase surface area for the attachment of biomolecules to the fiber surface. By immobilizing AuNPs on the surface of the probe, the evanescent field can stimulate the AuNPs and excite the LSPR phenomena for sensing the histamine. The surface of the sensing probe is functionalized with diamine oxidase enzyme in order to enhance the histamine sensor's particular selectivity. The proposed sensor is demonstrated experimentally to have a sensitivity of 5.5 nm/mM and a detection limit of 59.45 µM in the linear detection range of 0-1000 µM. In addition, the probe's reusability, reproducibility, stability, and selectivity are tested; the results of these indices show that the probe has a high application potential for detecting histamine levels in marine products.
Nonreciprocal amplification transition in a topological photonic network
Authors: Tian Mingsheng , Sun Fengxiao , Shi Kaiye , Xu Haitan , He Qiongyi , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2023

We studied the transport properties of a driven-dissipative photonic network, where multiple photonic cavities are coupled through a nonreciprocal bus with unidirectional transmission. For short-range coupling between the cavities, the occurrence of nonreciprocal amplification can be linked to a topological phase transition of the underlying dynamic Hamiltonian. However, for long-range coupling, we show that the correspondence between the nonreciprocal amplification transition and the topological phase transition breaks down as the transition conditions deviate significantly from each other. We found the exact transition condition for nonreciprocal amplification, supported by analytical calculation and numerical simulation. We also investigated the stability, the crossover from short- to long-range coupling, and the bandwidth of the nonreciprocal amplification. Our work has potential applications in signal transmission and amplification, and also paves the way to study other topological and non-Hermitian systems with long-range coupling and nontrivial boundary effects.
Microstructural and neurochemical plasticity mechanisms interact to enhance human perceptual decision-making
Authors: Ziminski Joseph J. , Frangou Polytimi , Karlaftis Vasilis M. , Emir Uzay , Kourtzi Zoe
Published: March 2023

Experience and training are known to boost our skills and mold the brain’s organization and function. Yet, structural plasticity and functional neurotransmission are typically studied at different scales (large-scale networks, local circuits), limiting our understanding of the adaptive interactions that support learning of complex cognitive skills in the adult brain. Here, we employ multimodal brain imaging to investigate the link between microstructural (myelination) and neurochemical (GABAergic) plasticity for decision-making. We test (in males, due to potential confounding menstrual cycle effects on GABA measurements in females) for changes in MRI-measured myelin, GABA, and functional connectivity before versus after training on a perceptual decision task that involves identifying targets in clutter. We demonstrate that training alters subcortical (pulvinar, hippocampus) myelination and its functional connectivity to visual cortex and relates to decreased visual cortex GABAergic inhibition. Modeling interactions between MRI measures of myelin, GABA, and functional connectivity indicates that pulvinar myelin plasticity interacts—through thalamocortical connectivity—with GABAergic inhibition in visual cortex to support learning. Our findings propose a dynamic interplay of adaptive microstructural and neurochemical plasticity in subcortico-cortical circuits that supports learning for optimized decision-making in the adult human brain.
OSCAR: Optimal subset cardinality regression using the L0-pseudonorm with applications to prognostic modelling of prostate cancer
Authors: Halkola Anni S. , Joki Kaisa , Mirtti Tuomas , Mäkelä Marko M. , Aittokallio Tero , Laajala Teemu D.
Published: March 2023

In many real-world applications, such as those based on electronic health records, prognostic prediction of patient survival is based on heterogeneous sets of clinical laboratory measurements. To address the trade-off between the predictive accuracy of a prognostic model and the costs related to its clinical implementation, we propose an optimizedL0-pseudonorm approach to learn sparse solutions in multivariable regression. The model sparsity is maintained by restricting the number of nonzero coefficients in the model with a cardinality constraint, which makes the optimization problem NP-hard. In addition, we generalize the cardinality constraint for grouped feature selection, which makes it possible to identify key sets of predictors that may be measured together in a kit in clinical practice. We demonstrate the operation of our cardinality constraint-based feature subset selection method, named OSCAR, in the context of prognostic prediction of prostate cancer patients, where it enables one to determine the key explanatory predictors at different levels of model sparsity. We further explore how the model sparsity affects the model accuracy and implementation cost. Lastly, we demonstrate generalization of the presented methodology to high-dimensional transcriptomics data.