bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Late-Career Employment Trajectories and Postretirement Mortality: Evidence From Italy
Authors: Scotti Benedetta
Published: October 2022

In the last decades, the long-standing paradigm of life course theory postulating direct transition from lifetime employment to full retirement has been eroding in advanced economies. For many mature workers, the period between the end of stable employment and the attainment of eligibility requirements for accessing retirement benefits can be, in fact, quite discontinuous. Still, little is known about the health consequences of employment instability in later working life. This study addresses this issue by examining how late-career employment trajectories shape postretirement all-cause mortality. I use longitudinal register data from Italy to reconstruct the later-life employment history of a large sample of Italian retirees previously employed in the private sector for whom I can observe mortality up to 2018. I rely on sequence analysis to identify ideal-type, late-career trajectories and use them as further inputs for discrete-time survival analysis. Results show that going through a trajectory marked by employment instability in later working life is related to worse postretirement survival chances, with this relationship being stronger if unemployment spells are prolonged and not covered by social allowances. Given the current pressures to extend the length of working life, these findings highlight the relevance of policies aimed at improving the employment prospects of displaced senior workers and at ensuring adequate support in case of prolonged unemployment.
In vitro forestomach digestion experiments give less-biased estimates of food composition in odontocetes
Authors: Klemens Lisa , Neven Carolin Julie , Bär Tom , Krumme Uwe , Dähne Michael
Published: October 2022

Diet composition of odontocetes is usually inferred from stomach content analyses and accounts for digestion rates derived from in vitro digestion experiments based on seal physiology. However, pinnipeds, being carnivores, have only one stomach compartment, while odontocetes, being cetartiodactyla, have up to four. Inappropriate extrapolation from digestion processes in simulated seal stomachs may result in biased estimates of odontocete diets. We simulated a forestomach accounting for muscle contractions and a pH=4 using in vitro experiments with three fish species. Whiting (Merlangius merlangus), black goby (Gobius niger) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus) showed highly variable exponential, sigmoid or linear digestion functions, and high digestion rates, taking between 50 and 230 min for completed digestion. Previous pinniped models (pH=2, lacking simulated muscular digestion) showed much slower and more similar digestion process. Our results suggest that present biomass intake estimates of odontocetes are biased towards bigger and fattier fish and need to be revised in general.
Impact of intraspecific variation in teleost fishes: aggression, dominance status and stress physiology
Authors: Winberg Svante , Sneddon Lynne
Published: October 2022

Dominance-based social hierarchies are common among teleost fishes. The rank of an animal greatly affects its behaviour, physiology and development. The outcome of fights for social dominance is affected by heritable factors and previous social experience. Divergent stress-coping styles have been demonstrated in a large number of teleosts, and fish displaying a proactive coping style have an advantage in fights for social dominance. Coping style has heritable components, but it appears to be largely determined by environmental factors, especially social experience. Agonistic behaviour is controlled by the brain's social decision-making network, and its monoaminergic systems play important roles in modifying the activity of this neuronal network. In this Review, we discuss the development of dominance hierarchies, how social rank is signalled through visual and chemical cues, and the neurobiological mechanisms controlling or correlating with agonistic behaviour. We also consider the effects of social interactions on the welfare of fish reared in captivity.
Benefits of Power Training for the Elderly Population
Authors: Green Bryan J. , Mang Zachary , Ducharme Jeremy , Kravitz Len
Published: October 2022

Apply It!

By reading this article, fitness professionals will learn:

• Aging is associated with loss of muscle, strength, and power, and fitness professionals are encouraged to apply the entire force-velocity curve when prescribing power training for their elderly clients.

• Health and fitness professionals may use machines such as the leg press and chest press and have their elderly clients perform high-velocity contractions using intensities such as 20%, 50%, and 80% of their one-repetition maximum to enhance muscular power.

• When sufficient levels of strength, power, and balance have been achieved, health and fitness professionals can prescribe plyometric exercises such as jumps, bounds, and medicine ball throws, which may be perceived as a more interesting way to develop power for older adults.
Post-Lung Transplant - Exercise Guidelines
Authors: LaSala Toni T.
Published: October 2022

Apply It!

• Know clients' medications, timing, and adverse effects

• Strengthening exercises — lower body and upper body

• Aerobic activity — begin with walking, progress gradually, include stairclimbing

• Breathing exercises — pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic or belly breathing, and paced breathing

• Balance and postural exercises
FinoTok: razão e emoção na gestão financeira
Authors: Oliveira Yury Aranha de , Silva Willerson Custódio da , Longhini Tatielle Menolli
Published: October 2022

O caso aborda uma situação vivida por um casal de empreendedores, Marcelo e Rebeca, dois jovens que se conheceram na universidade e decidiram aventurar-se no ramo comercial. A FinoTok foi fruto de um sonho de realização pessoal e independência econômica, mas os resultados não vieram conforme se previa, pois a empresa enfrenta dificuldades financeiras e, principalmente, os sócios têm visões opostas para o futuro do negócio.
Pensei tanto, criei coragem e agora isto: o caso do Gastronomia Gourmet
Authors: Coelho Junior Francisco Antonio , Correia Pedro Miguel Alves Ribeiro , Faiad Cristiane
Published: October 2022

Ao abrir seu negócio no ramo de experiências gastronômicas, Ricardo, meticuloso, tudo previu e planejou. São não previu a pandemia de Covid-19. O caso pode ser usado no ensino de graduação ou pós-graduação em disciplinas relacionadas a empreendedorismo, gestão de pessoas, marketing e estratégia.
Gestão de custos e formação de preços no setor de commodities
Authors: Goulart Daniel Franco
Published: October 2022

O objetivo deste caso é discutir como as ferramentas de contabilidade gerencial podem ser úteis para a definição da estratégia de precificação de produtos do tipo commodity em mercados marcados por forte competição. O texto é centralizado na figura do protagonista Gustavo Santana, um gestor estreante na liderança da recém-criada unidade de negócios de biodiesel. O personagem empreende uma jornada de aquisição de conhecimentos pelas áreas de produção, contabilidade, tributação e mercado. Conhecimentos relativos ao sistema de classificação de gastos e métodos de custeio são essenciais. Trata-se de uma narrativa fictícia baseada em fatos vivenciados pelo autor.
Monster Dog: quando os “bons ventos” sopram em direção à maior cidade do Brasil
Authors: Machado Franklin Jean , Oleto Alice de Freitas
Published: October 2022

Este caso narra a história real de Ricardo e sua trajetória vivida, durante anos, como camelô, marcada pelo processo empreendedor que culminou com a fundação e consolidação da Monster Dog. Após 16 anos de crescimento de um modelo de negócio essencialmente pautado na localização privilegiada de seus pontos de venda, a Monster Dog depara-se com um dilema ímpar, ao ver a continuidade de sua expansão ameaçada por novos entrantes e pelo crescimento da operação de concorrentes que já atuavam nesse mercado.
As cisternas de placa no Semiárido brasileiro: dilemas da transformação de uma tecnologia social em política pública
Authors: Melchiori Cíntia , Rodrigues Juliana , Aoqui Cássio
Published: October 2022

Assume um novo governo no âmbito federal, e a assessora especial Bete recebe como atribuição a tarefa de formular uma proposta de criação de um programa para universalizar o acesso à água no Semiárido brasileiro, entre a população mais vulnerável. Já existe um programa em curso, que tem como base a tecnologia social das cisternas de placa de cimento, originada em movimentos sociais de base no Nordeste brasileiro. O caso destaca os dilemas enfrentados na tentativa de escalar tecnologias sociais baseadas em atuação comunitária e participativa, transformando-as em política pública em um país de dimensões continentais.
Propósito ou escala? A encruzilhada dos negócios socioambientais
Authors: Luiza Terra Costa Mathias Ana , Coli Jr. Alfredo
Published: October 2022

A VerdeNovo, negócio de impacto ambiental especializado em sementes nativas dos biomas brasileiros,recebe uma proposta de um grande fazendeiro, o que poderá viabilizar um aumento de escala, masdescaracterizaria a tecnologia social empregada. Seus sócios precisam decidir se escolhem aceitar aproposta, ampliando a quantidade de seus produtos, ou recusá-la para seguir realizando parcerias apenascom coletores locais em situação de vulnerabilidade social.
Survival rate of patients with combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma receiving medical cannabis treatment: A retrospective, cohort comparative study
Authors: Phansila Narisara , Pansila Paopong , Wongkongdech Adisorn , Turnbull Niruwan , Azam Mahalul , Wongkongdech Ranee
Published: October 2022

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) incidence in Northeastern Thailand is very high and a major cause of mortality. CCA patients typically have a poor prognosis and short-term survival rate due to late-stage diagnosis. Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to approve medicinal cannabis treatment, especially for palliative care with advanced cancer patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort comparative study of survival rates among 491 newly diagnosed advanced CCA patients was carried out between September 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021. A total of 404 patients were in the standard palliative care pain management treatment group (ST), and 87 were in the medicinal cannabis treatment group (CT). Patients with CCA were recruited from four tertiary hospitals and two secondary hospitals in five provinces of Northeast Thailand. The cumulative survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and independent prognostic factors were investigated using Cox regression.

Results: For ST patients, there was a total follow-up time of 790 person-months, with a mortality rate of 48.35/100 person-months. For CT patients the total follow-up time was 476 person-months, with mortality rate of 10.9/ 100 person-months. The median survival time after registration at a palliative clinic was 0.83 months (95% CI: 0.71–0.95) for ST and 5.66 months (95% CI: 1.94–9.38) for CT. Multivariate analysis showed that CT treatment protocol was associated with a significantly better survival (P value <0.001; median time of CT, 5.66 months (95% CI: 1.94–9.38); median time of ST, 0.83 months (95% CI: 0.71–0.95). Therefore, CT had a reduced probability of dying from the disease (HRadj., 0.28 (95% CI: 0.20–0.37)

Conclusions: The medical cannabis increased overall survival rates among CCA patients.
Paediatric critical COVID-19: clinical features and outcomes during five waves.
Authors: Ghorbel Sameh , Tilouche Samia , Khenis Saima , Marzouk Manel , Soyah Nejla , Tej Amel , Kebaili Raoudha , abdelbari Maroua , Benbelgacem Hajer , Bouguila Jihene , Zaghouani Houneida , Hannachi Neila , Dejla Abassi Bakir , Ammar Asma , Njah Mansour , Boukadida Jalel , Boughamoura Lamia
Published: October 2022

Background: Data reported from several countries show that both children and adolescents accounted for less than 2% of symptomatic cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The study objective was to describe the clinical characteristics of children admitted to Tunisian paediatric intensive care units (PICU).

Methods: This was a single centre observational retrospective study conducted in the PICU of the Farhat Hached tertiary teaching hospital in Sousse, Tunisia during the period from the March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2022. We included all children aged from one month to 15 years with recent severe or critical severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Infection was confirmed by the positivity of reverse transcriptase either for SARS-CoV2 or with presence of IgM antibodies. We included severe and critical forms of COVID-19 according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification.

Results: 26 patients were included. 16 (61%) were one year old or younger. 18 patients (69.2%) were male. The median age in our research series was six months [1-156 months]. 17 (65.3%) patients had morbidities including mainly cardiac and neurological diseases. Fever (88.4%) and tachypnea (80.8%) were the most common clinical signs. Leukocytosis, high level of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, troponin, and pro-B type natriuretic peptide levels were found in 17, 8, 10, 6, and 10 cases respectively. Seven patients were initially treated with high-flow nasal cannula and didn't need escalation. Three were intubated. Invasive mechanical ventilation was used in six cases. Antibiotics and corticosteroids were used in 84% and 42.3% of children. The median paediatric intensive care unit length-of-stay was 10.9 days. There were six deaths.

Conclusion: Paediatricians should be vigilant to the different clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in children admitted in PICU. Special attention should be allocated to infants under one year of age, of the male gender, and for children with comorbidities.
Japanese norms in Japanese workplaces
Authors: Morita Liang
Published: October 2022

Japan is known for its exclusionary tendencies and clearly delineated Japanese way of doing things. Seeing as its immigration law was amended in April 2019 to allow more migrant workers into the country, there is some urgency in studying these ethnocentric practices, which often lead to inequalities between Japanese and foreign employees at the workplace. The objective of this opinion piece is to help the reader understand the sociocultural context and rationale behind Japanese norms in blue- and white-collar workplaces, as well as foreign employees’ reactions and points of view. Such understanding will hopefully increase both Japanese and foreign employees’ willingness to accommodate each other, and reduce friction and conflict at the workplace.
Correlation of cervical progesterone levels to plasma progesterone levels in normal pregnancy and preterm labor: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Lisnawati Yuyun , Wibowo Noroyono
Published: October 2022

Background: The theory of “functional progesterone withdrawal” explains the role of progesterone prior to delivery. Previous studies mentioned the existence of progesterone regulation in the cervix that plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the cervix and cervical ripening. Cervical progesterone levels relate to activities of progesterone at the cervix, compared to its amount in circulation. The objective of this study was to measure cervical mucus progesterone levels and its correlation to plasma progesterone levels in pregnancy.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in January-September 2010 at Persahabatan Hospital. The subjects were pregnant women in the 28th – 34th weeks of gestational age. In total, 72 subjects who met the criteria were divided into normal pregnancy group and preterm labor group. The cervical and plasma progesterone levels were measured using The Advia Centaur® Progesterone kit, which is a commercial immunoassay with direct chemiluminescence method.

Results: There was a positive correlation (r=0.539) between cervical progesterone levels with plasma progesterone levels in the preterm labor group. There was no correlation between cervical progesterone levels with plasma progesterone levels in the normal pregnancy group.

Conclusion:  This study showed that cervical progesterone levels could be measured through cervical mucus. A significant positive correlation was found by this study between cervical progesterone levels and plasma progesterone levels in the preterm labor group.  This study is expected to provide new insights for understanding the metabolism and the role of progesterone in maintaining cervical integrity during pregnancy, and its relation to prevention of preterm birth.
How to promote ‘discipline without tough love’ during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Suzuki Shunji
Published: October 2022

Background: In Japan, the effect of education using the leaflet ‘Discipline Without Tough Love’ on mothers during caring for their infants have been reported. We examined the effect of this education on pregnant Japanese women.

Methods: The present study was a prospective investigation of all Japanese women with singleton pregnancies who visited our hospital for a perinatal visit at 20-23 weeks’ gestation between November 2017 and March 2018 and gave birth at ≥ 37 weeks’ gestation at our hospital. We examined the maternal feelings (bonding situation) to babies of women who received the leaflet in comparison with that in women who did not receive it during the health check-up performed routinely at one month after delivery using the Japanese version of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale.

Results: There were no significant differences in maternal feelings for their babies between the two groups of women.

Conclusions: We did not identify any effect of health consultations cased on ‘Discipline Without Tough Love’ during pregnancy on maternal feelings toward babies at one month after delivery. A further study to enlighten pregnant women about parenting without corporal punishment will be needed in Japan.

Registration: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials 1030190112; registered on 5 October 2019.
A preliminary study of soluble CD14 levels in the serum of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa as a marker of “leaky gut”
Authors: Johnston Daniel G W , Hambly Roisin , Kearney Niamh , Tobin Desmond J , Kirby Brian
Published: October 2022

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by recurring inflammatory lesions resulting from the rupture of occluded hair follicles. The aetiology of this disease is poorly understood, but it is clear that numerous immunological pathways are dysregulated, both locally and systemically. It is also increasingly appreciated that the gut and skin microbiomes of HS patients are deleteriously altered. Several lines of evidence indicate that this may lead to a “leaky gut” in HS patients, including the strong prevalence of Crohn’s disease as a co-morbidity, resulting in excessive bacterial translocation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) circulation.

Methods: We sought to investigate whether soluble CD14, a proxy for circulating LPS and subsequent excessive monocyte activation, was elevated in the serum of HS patients. sCD14 levels in HS patients from a Dublin hospital were assessed using ELISA.

Results: We found that there was no significant difference in sCD14 levels present in the plasma of 12 healthy controls and 17 HS patients.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that sCD14 is not a useful marker of inflammation in HS patients and does not indicate a grossly compromised gut epithelial barrier.
From Child to Adult Victims and Witnesses: Ways of Improving the Quality of Investigative Interviews
Authors: Tohvelmann Mari-Liis , Kask Kristjan
Published: October 2022

Witness statements are important piece of evidence in criminal proceedings. Investigative interviews with witnesses are conducted in various stages of the investigative process, and the person conducting the investigative interview must take into account internal and external factors, that influence the quality of witnesses’ statements. The paper gives a systematic overview of the ways of improving the quality of investigative interviews of adult witnesses carried out by investigators, on the basis of a survey of the literature available from continental Europe but also Common Law countries (such as the UK, the US, and Australia). Even though detailed instructions and in-depth training programmes are available, today’s training consists largely of theoretical classroom lectures of a short-term nature that feature minimal practical tasks. Teaching methods of this type are effective in increasing knowledge but fail to transfer the knowledge into practice. Accordingly, the authors found that the training should be more practically oriented, have a longer duration, and incorporate personalised feedback in order to situate the knowledge in practice. In addition, several new computer-based approaches have been developed to help overcome the limitations identified. These provide a more personalised and flexible approach to learning, yet room still exists for further development. The paper concludes by addressing how work in the field of interviewing child and adult witnesses could develop in the future.
Immune Logics ain't that Immune
Authors: Joaquin Jeremiah Joven
Published: October 2022

Da Ré and Szmuc argue that while there is a symmetry between ‘infectious’ and ‘immune’ logics, this symmetry fails w.r.t. extending an algebra with an immune or an infectious element. In this paper, I show that the symmetry also fails w.r.t. defining a new logical operation from a given set of primitive (Boolean) operations. I use the case of the material conditional to illustrate this point.
ON THE REPRESENTATION OF THROUGH-THE- THICKNESS REINFORCEMENTS IN FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF STITCHED, BLADE STIFFENED PANELS
Authors: DRAKE DANIEL A. , SONG KYONGCHAN , WATERS W. ALLEN , LOVEJOY ANDREW E.
Published: October 2022

Modern aircraft employ laminated composites for their tailorable in-plane properties, high specific strengths, and high specific stiffnesses. However, laminated composites exhibit relatively poor interlaminar properties without through-the-thickness reinforcements. Quantifying the necessary amount of throughthe- thickness reinforcements is necessary to reduce cost and meet damage tolerance certification requirements. In this study, a discrete superposed cohesive element (DSCE) approach is applied to represent the mixed-mode delamination behavior of stitched stiffened panels subjected to seven-point bending. This approach is compared to a one-dimensional embedded spring element (ESE) method. The DSCE approach uses two superposed bilinear traction-separation laws to obtain a representative load-displacement response determined from interlaminar tensile and shear tests. Additionally, several stitch configurations (unstitched, stitched, and overstitched) are evaluated in terms of their load-displacement response and crack-arrestment capability. Results indicate that the DSCE and ESE approaches show good agreement with respect to the predicted load-displacement response, but the ESE method tends to overpredict the crack growth behavior by approximately 13%. Stitches were not observed to fail during skin-stringer separation. Using an overstitched laminate with stitches near the flange edge provides the greatest crack-arrestment capability. Furthermore, the skin retains 92% of its stiffness after skin-stringer separation occurs.
OUT-OF-PLANE DISPLACEMENTS OF COMPOSITE DCB SPECIMENS USING EMBEDDED OPTICAL FIBER STRAINS
Authors: SHAH ADITYA , SULLIVAN RANI W.
Published: October 2022

The use of polymer matrix composite materials in primary load-bearing structures has increased in the aerospace industry primarily due to their high strength-to-weight ratios and stiffnesses. However, composites are susceptible to delamination due to their low interlaminar fracture resistance, which can result in stiffness degradation, thereby decreasing the structural integrity of the part. Strains obtained from embedded optical fibers can be used to detect and monitor damages. Optical fiber strain sensors are lightweight, easy to embed, and offer higher resolution and data acquisition rates. In this study, double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens fabricated from Hexcel IM7/8552 carbon/epoxy prepreg are embedded with optical fibers. Outof- plane displacements of the DCB specimens were calculated using optical fiber strains and show excellent agreement with deflections measured using the DIC system.
CHALLENGES IN ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED THERMOSET CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED COMPOSITES
Authors: FURMANSKI JEVAN , ABBOTT ANDREW , TANDON G. P. , FLORES MARK , BARNETT PHILIP , SALVIATO MARCO , BAUR JEFFERY , BUTCHER DENNIS
Published: October 2022

Continuously-reinforced composite additive manufacturing (CC-AM) is set to revolutionize the manufacturing and design of high-strength, low-weight structures. Longitudinal tensile strengths of CC-AM have been reported exceeding 1500 MPa with minimal porosity, making this system a candidate for scale-up and structural applications. However, there remain a number of morphological non-idealities that are unique to the CC-AM process that limit the performance of a complex AM build. These can be categorized into material non-idealities (fiber clustering, resin-rich zones, matrix quality) and topological constraint non-idealities (joint design constraints, minimum path radius, tow cuts). Furthermore, for UV snap-cured carbon fiber CC-AM, limited penetration of the UV radiation through the carbon fiber tow presents a challenge to achieving optimal in-situ curing. The present work lays out these challenges both in a general sense, with specific case examples for material built with the CF3D system (Continuous Composites Inc.) using T-1100 12K carbon fiber tows and a UV snap curing acrylate resin. Most of the issues highlighted are inherent to CC-AM, and so most of the recommendations for future development to mitigate the various non-idealities are expected to translate to other CC-AM technologies, such as those employing a thermoplastic polymer matrix.
Iteration empirical mode decomposition method for filling the missing data of GNSS position time series
Authors: Qiu Xiaomeng
Published: October 2022

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can provide the daily position time series for the geodesy and geophysical studies. However, due to various unpredictable factors, such as receiver failure or bad observation conditions, missing data inevitably exist in GNSS position time series. Most traditional time series analysis methods require the time series should be completed. Therefore, filling the missing data is a valuable step before analyzing the GNSS time series. In this study, a new method named Iteration Empirical Mode Decomposition (Iteration EMD) is proposed to fill the missing data in GNSS position time series. The simulation experiments are performed by randomly removing different missing percentages of the synthetic time series, with the added different types noise. The results show that Iteration EMD approach performs well regardless of high or low missing percentage. When the missing percentage increases from 5 % to 30 % with a step of 5 %, all the Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Errors (MAE) of Iteration EMD are smaller than Interpolation EMD. The relative improvements at different percentages of Iteration EMD relative to Interpolation EMD are significant, especially for the high missing percentage. The real GNSS position time series of eight stations were selected to further evaluate the performance of Iteration EMD with an average missing percentage 8.15 %. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed on the filled time series, which is used to assess the interpolation performance of Iteration EMD and Interpolation EMD. The results show that Iteration EMD can preserve variance 75.9 % with the first three Principal Components (PC), more than 66.5% of interpolation EMD. Therefore, we can conclude that Iteration EMD is an efficient interpolation method for GNSS position time series, which can make full use of available information in existing time series to fill the missing data.
Implementation of a finite difference frequency domain mode solver incorporating subpixel smoothing
Authors: Alexopoulos Dimitrios , Kamalakis Thomas
Published: October 2022

Finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) mode solvers are
straightforward to implement but can suffer from slow convergence when
applied to high-contrast refractive index structures. In this work, we
show how subpixel smoothing can improve the convergence properties of
a full-vectorial FDFD mode solver. Based on a standard Yee grid, we
formulate a generalized eigenbproblem whose solutions provide the
modes of the waveguides taking into account the tensor nature of the
effective dielectric constant. We investigate the convergence of the
proposed FDFD mode solver in several cases including a step index
fiber, a microsctuctured fiber, and a cylindrical plasmonic waveguide.
The results show that tensor smoothing can significantly improve the
convergence of the solver, thus allowing the use of less dense grids
in the calculations. Our implementation is freely available on the web
under an open-source licence.
Efficient and fabrication error tolerant grating couplers on the InP membrane on silicon platform
Authors: Kashi A. A. , van der Tol J. J. G. M. , Williams K. A. , Jiao Y.
Published: October 2022

In order to couple light between photonic integrated circuits and
optical fibers, grating couplers are commonly employed. This paper
describes the design and fabrication of deep and shallow-etched
grating couplers with a metal back-reflector with record low insertion
losses in InP-based platforms. The measured insertion losses for deep
and shallow-etched gratings are 2.4 and 2.6 dB, respectively.
Additionally, fabrication error tolerances in shallow etched grating
couplers have been examined experimentally, which showed high
tolerance of this structure toward the grating period and fill
factor.
Implementing a non-4f relay system for Hartmann–Shack wavefront sensing
Authors: Börjeson Charlie , Romashchenko Dmitry , Unsbo Peter , Lundström Linda
Published: October 2022

Hartmann–Shack wavefront sensors (HSWSs) are used in many disciplines to measure optical aberrations. Conventionally, the wavefront of interest is transferred onto the lenslet array of the HSWS with a telescopic 4f relay system. However, the 4f relay design restricts the choice of focal lengths and distances used for the relay system. In this paper, we describe a non-4f variant and demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that its wavefront relaying properties equal that of a 4f system. We also present an alignment method for conjugating the wavefront with the lenslet array of the HSWS for both 4f and non-4f systems.
Differential-quadrature-phase-shift quantum digital signature
Authors: Inoue Kyo , Honjo Toshimori
Published: October 2022

A novel quantum digital signature (QDS) scheme, called “differential quadrature phase-shift QDS,” is presented. A message sender broadcasts a weak coherent pulse train with four phases of {0, π/2, π, 3π/2} and recipients create their own authentication keys from the broadcasted signal. Unlike conventional QDS protocols, there is no post-processing of information exchange between the sender and recipients and that between the recipients. Therefore, secured channels and/or authenticated channels for information exchange are not needed, and the key creation procedure is simpler than that of conventional QDS. Security issues are also discussed, using binominal distributions instead of Hoeffding’s inequality utilized in conventional QDS studies, and calculation examples for system conditions achieving the QDS function are presented.
Slot hybrid-core waveguides for temperature-independent integrated optical sensors
Authors: Chen Zhaoyang , Han Wenxu , Lang Tingting , Guan Xiaowei
Published: October 2022

We propose a novel type of waveguides, called the slot hybrid-core waveguides (HCWs), for temperature-independent integrated optical sensors. The HCWs are composed of different core materials having the opposite thermo-optic coefficients (TOCs) and, therefore, are immune to temperature variations. On this basis, slot HCWs are proposed for the microring resonator-based optical sensors, enabling the sensors to simultaneously present high sensitivities and temperature independence. The temperature-dependent wavelength shifts of the proposed sensors are calculated to be less than 1 pm/K while the sensitivities to the cladding refractive indices attain 468 nm/RIU and 536 nm/RIU, respectively, for the asymmetric and symmetric slot structures.
Influences of salinity and temperature on propagation of radially polarized rotationally-symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex beams in oceanic turbulence
Authors: Hu Youyou , Zhang Mei , Dou Jiantai , Zhao Jiang , Li Bo
Published: October 2022

In this paper, the propagation properties of radially polarized rotationally-symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex beams (RP-RSPEPVBs) in oceanic turbulence were theoretically and experimentally studied. Based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral and vector beams theories, the theoretical propagation model of RP-RSPEPVBs in the oceanic turbulence was established. Then, the numerical simulations were carried out to study the influences of the propagation distance z, the rate of dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid ε, the temperature-salinity contribution ratio ω, and the dissipation rate of the mean-squared temperature χT on the optical intensity, spectral degree of polarization (DOP) and spectral degree of coherence (DOC) of RP-RSPEPVBs. Further, an experiment setup was demonstrated to confirm the influences of salinity and temperature on propagation of RP-RSPEPVBs in oceanic turbulence. The results showed that increasing salinity, propagation distance, and turbulence intensity, will result in beam diffusion and intensity reduction of the RP-RSPEPVBs, as well as depolarization and decoherence. Contrarily, high temperature mitigated the intensity loss of the RP-RSPEPVBs and the spectral DOP and spectral DOC increased when the turbulence tends to be dominated by temperature. As a vector beam, the RP-RSPEPVB shows well anti-turbulence interference characteristics, which provides a new choice for optical underwater communication and imaging.
Emergent multilevel selection in a simple spatial model of the evolution of altruism
Authors: Hermsen Rutger
Published: October 2022

Theories on the evolutionary origins of altruistic behavior have a long history and have become a canonical part of the theory of evolution. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that allow altruism to appear and persist are still incompletely understood. It is well known, however, that the spatial structure of populations is an important determinant. In both theoretical and experimental studies, much attention has been devoted to populations that are subdivided into discrete groups. Such studies typically imposed the structure and dynamics of the groups by hand. Here, we instead present a simple individual-based model in which altruistic organisms spontaneously self-organize into spatially separated colonies that themselves reproduce by binary fission and hence behave as Darwinian entities in their own right. Using software to automatically track the rise and fall of colonies, we are able to apply formal theory on multilevel selection and thus quantify the within- and among-group dynamics. This reveals that individual colonies inevitably succumb to defectors in a within-colony “tragedy of the commons”. Even so, altruism persists in the population because more altruistic colonies reproduce more frequently and drive less altruistic ones to extinction. Evidently, the colonies promote the selection of altruism but in turn depend on altruism for their existence; the selection of altruism hence involves a kind of evolutionary bootstrapping. The emergence of the colonies also depends crucially on the length scales of motility, altruism, and competition. This reconfirms the general relevance of these scales for social evolution, but also stresses that their impact can only be understood fully in the light of the emergent eco-evolutionary spatial patterns. The results also suggest that emergent spatial population patterns can function as a starting point for transitions of individuality.
Hemoadsorption in the critically ill—Final results of the International CytoSorb Registry
Authors: Hawchar Fatime , Tomescu Dana , Träger Karl , Joskowiak Dominik , Kogelmann Klaus , Soukup Jens , Friesecke Singrun , Jacob David , Gummert Jan , Faltlhauser Andreas , Aucella Filippo , van Tellingen Martijn , Malbrain Manu L. N. G. , Bogdanski Ralph , Weiss Günter , Herbrich Andreas , Utzolino Stefan , Nierhaus Axel , Baumann Andreas , Hartjes Andreas , Henzler Dietrich , Grigoryev Evgeny , Fritz Harald , Bach Friedhelm , Schröder Stefan , Weyland Andreas , Gottschaldt Udo , Menzel Matthias , Zachariae Olivier , Novak Radovan , Berden Jernej , Haake Hendrik , Quintel Michael , Kloesel Stephan , Kortgen Andreas , Stecher Stephanie , Torti Patricia , Nestler Frieder , Nitsch Markus , Olboeter Detlef , Muck Philip , Findeisen Michael , Bitzinger Diane , Kraßler Jens , Benad Martin , Schott Martin , Schumacher Ulrike , Molnar Zsolt , Brunkhorst Frank Martin
Published: October 2022

The aim of the current paper is to summarize the results of the International CytoSorb Registry. Data were collected on patients of the intensive care unit. The primary endpoint was actual in-hospital mortality compared to the mortality predicted by APACHE II score. The main secondary endpoints were SOFA scores, inflammatory biomarkers and overall evaluation of the general condition. 1434 patients were enrolled. Indications for hemoadsorption were sepsis/septic shock (N = 936); cardiac surgery perioperatively (N = 172); cardiac surgery postoperatively (N = 67) and “other” reasons (N = 259). APACHE-II-predicted mortality was 62.0±24.8%, whereas observed hospital mortality was 50.1%. Overall SOFA scores did not change but cardiovascular and pulmonary SOFA scores decreased by 0.4 [-0.5;-0.3] and -0.2 [-0.3;-0.2] points, respectively. Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels showed significant reduction: -15.4 [-19.6;-11.17] ng/mL; -17,52 [-70;44] mg/L, respectively. In the septic cohort PCT and IL-6 also showed significant reduction: -18.2 [-23.6;-12.8] ng/mL; -2.6 [-3.0;-2.2] pg/mL, respectively. Evaluation of the overall effect: minimal improvement (22%), much improvement (22%) and very much improvement (10%), no change observed (30%) and deterioration (4%). There was no significant difference in the primary outcome of mortality, but there were improvements in cardiovascular and pulmonary SOFA scores and a reduction in PCT, CRP and IL-6 levels.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02312024 (retrospectively registered).
Adverse effects of inbreeding on the transgenerational expression of herbivore-induced defense traits in Solanum carolinense
Authors: Nihranz Chad T. , Helms Anjel M. , Tooker John F. , Mescher Mark C. , De Moraes Consuelo M. , Stephenson Andrew G.
Published: October 2022

In addition to directly inducing physical and chemical defenses, herbivory experienced by plants in one generation can influence the expression of defensive traits in offspring. Plant defense phenotypes can be compromised by inbreeding, and there is some evidence that such adverse effects can extend to the transgenerational expression of induced resistance. We explored how the inbreeding status of maternal Solanum carolinense plants influenced the transgenerational effects of herbivory on the defensive traits and herbivore resistance of offspring. Manduca sexta caterpillars were used to damage inbred and outbred S. carolinense maternal plants and cross pollinations were performed to produced seeds from herbivore-damaged and undamaged, inbred and outbred maternal plants. Seeds were grown in the greenhouse to assess offspring defense-related traits (i.e., leaf trichomes, internode spines, volatile organic compounds) and resistance to herbivores. We found that feeding by M. sexta caterpillars on maternal plants had a positive influence on trichome and spine production in offspring and that caterpillar development on offspring of herbivore-damaged maternal plants was delayed relative to that on offspring of undamaged plants. Offspring of inbred maternal plants had reduced spine production, compared to those of outbred maternal plants, and caterpillars performed better on the offspring of inbred plants. Both herbivory and inbreeding in the maternal generation altered volatile emissions of offspring. In general, maternal plant inbreeding dampened transgenerational effects of herbivory on offspring defensive traits and herbivore resistance. Taken together, this study demonstrates that inducible defenses in S. carolinense can persist across generations and that inbreeding compromises transgenerational resistance in S. carolinense.
Work-related stressors and mental health among LGBTQ workers: Results from a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Owens Benjamin , Mills Suzanne , Lewis Nathaniel , Guta Adrian
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals experience high rates of adverse mental health outcomes due to the stressors they experience in families, communities, and society more broadly. Work and workplaces have the potential to influence these outcomes given their ability to amplify minority stress, and their ability to influence social and economic wellbeing in this already marginalized population. This study aims to identify how sociodemographic characteristics and characteristics of work, including degree of precarity, industry and perceived workplace support for LGBTQ people, influence self-reported mental health among LGBTQ people in two Canadian cities.

Methods

Self-identified LGBTQ workers ≥16 years of age (n = 531) in Sudbury and Windsor, Ontario, Canada were given an online survey between July 6 and December 2, 2018. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) to evaluate differences in gender identity, age, income, industry, social precarity, work environment, and substance use among workers who self-reported very poor, poor, or neutral mental health, compared with a referent group that self-reported good or very good mental health on a five-point Likert scale about general mental health.

Results

LGBTQ workers with poor or neutral mental health had greater odds of: being cisgender women or trans compared with being cisgender men; being aged <35 years compared with ≥35 years; working in low-wage service sectors compared with blue collar jobs; earning <$20,000/year compared with ≥$20,000/year; working in a non-standard work situation or being unemployed compared with working in full-time permanent employment; feeling often or always unable to schedule time with friends due to work; feeling unsure or negative about their work environment; and using substances to cope with work.

Conclusions

Both precarious work and unsupportive work environments contribute to poor mental health among LGBTQ people. These factors are compounded for trans workers who face poorer mental health than cis-LGBQ workers in similar environments.
The influence of distal and proximal muscle activation on neural crosstalk
Authors: Wang Yiyu , Neto Osmar Pinto , Weinrich Madison M. , Castro Roberto , Wright Traver , Kennedy Deanna M.
Published: October 2022

Previous research has indicated that neural crosstalk is asymmetric, with the dominant effector exerting a stronger influence on the non-dominant effector than vice versa. Recently, it has been hypothesized that this influence is more substantial for proximal than distal effectors. The current investigation was designed to determine the effects of distal ((First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI)) and proximal (triceps brachii (TBI)) muscle activation on neural crosstalk. Twelve right-limb dominant participants (mean age = 21.9) were required to rhythmically coordinate a 1:2 pattern of isometric force guided by Lissajous displays. Participants performed 10, 30 s trials with both distal and proximal effectors. Coherence between the two effector groups were calculated using EMG-EMG wavelet coherence. The results indicated that participants could effectively coordinate the goal coordination pattern regardless of the effectors used. However, spatiotemporal performance was more accurate when performing the task with distal than proximal effectors. Force distortion, quantified by harmonicity, indicated that more perturbations occurred in the non-dominant effector than in the dominant effector. The results also indicated significantly lower harmonicity for the non-dominant proximal effector compared to the distal effectors. The current results support the notion that neural crosstalk is asymmetric in nature and is greater for proximal than distal effectors. Additionally, the EMG-EMG coherence results indicated significant neural crosstalk was occurring in the Alpha bands (5–13 Hz), with higher values observed in the proximal condition. Significant coherence in the Alpha bands suggest that the influence of neural crosstalk is occurring at a subcortical level.
Is Cantonese lexical tone information important for sentence recognition accuracy in quiet and in noise?
Authors: Chen Yuan
Published: October 2022

In Chinese languages, tones are used to express the lexical meaning of words. It is therefore important to analyze the role of lexical tone in Chinese sentence recognition accuracy. There is a lack of research on the role of Cantonese lexical tones in sentence recognition accuracy. Therefore, this study examined the contribution of lexical tone information to Cantonese sentence recognition accuracy and its cognitive correlates in adults with normal hearing (NH). A text-to-speech synthesis engine was used to synthesize Cantonese daily-use sentences with each word carrying an original or a flat lexical tone, which were then presented to 97 participants in quiet, in speech-shaped noise (SSN), and in two-talker babble (TTB) noise conditions. Both target sentences and noises were presented at 65 dB binaurally via insert headphones. It was found that listeners with NH can almost perfectly recognize a daily-use Cantonese sentence with mismatched lexical tone information in quiet, while their sentence recognition decreases substantially in noise. The same finding was reported for Mandarin, which has a relatively simple tonal system, suggesting that the current results may be applicable to other tonal languages. In addition, working memory (WM) was significantly related to decline in sentence recognition score in the TTB but not in the SSN, when the lexical tones were mismatched. This finding can be explained using the Ease of Language Understanding model and suggests that those with higher WM are less likely to be affected by the degraded lexical information for perceiving daily-use sentences in the TTB.