bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Where have all the parasites gone? Unusual Plasmodium falciparum monoparasitaemia in a cross-sectional malariometric survey in northern Nigeria
Authors: Nakakana Usman Nasir , Onankpa Ben O. , Mohammed Ismaila Ahmed , Jega Ridwan M. , Jiya Nma Muhammad 
Published: April 2020

Background: Malaria is caused by one of five currently known Plasmodium parasite species causing disease in humans. While modelling has provided information of the vector, the same is not entirely the case for the parasite. The World Malaria reports of 2014 to 2016 reported 100% of confirmed cases from Nigeria being due to Plasmodium falciparum. Generally, about 98% of cases of uncomplicated malaria in most regions surveyed in Nigeria recently is due to P. falciparum, with the remainder being due to P. malariae. This study aimed to determine the proportions of Plasmodium parasites causing uncomplicated malaria in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State, north-western Nigeria. Methods: The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted during the rainy season and dry season in north-western Nigeria. The area has a ‘local steppe’ climate and Sudanian Savannah vegetation. Sampling was via multistage cluster sampling. Selected participants were examined for pallor, palpable splenomegaly and signs of complicated malaria. Blood samples were also taken for rapid diagnosis of malaria and thick and thin films to identify parasitaemia and the parasite species. Participants found to have malaria were treated with Artemether/Lumefantrine and those with complicated malaria were referred to the nearest hospital. Results: We found a parasite prevalence of 34.8% overall, which was higher in the rainy season (49.3%) than in the dry season (20.2%). There was monoparasitaemia of Plasmodium falciparum throughout the study area, irrespective of the clinical status of the participant. Mapping of the parasite was extended throughout the Local Government Area and the State. Conclusions: Despite the intermediate endemicity in the area. P. falciparum monoparasitaemia affirms theories of disappearance of other parasite species, either due to faltering control of P. falciparum or more efficient control of other species.
Transcutaneous bilirubin level to predict hyperbilirubinemia in preterm neonates
Authors: Rahmawati Dewi , Sampurna Mahendra Tri Arif , Etika Risa , Utomo Martono Tri , Bos Arend F. 
Published: April 2020

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia is common in neonates, with higher prevalence among preterm neonates, which can lead to severe hyperbilirubinemia. Assessment of total serum bilirubin (TSB) and use of a transcutaneous bilirubinometer (TcB) are existing methods to identify and predict hyperbilirubinemia. This study aimed to determine TcB cut-off values during the first day for preterm neonates to predict hyperbilirubinemia at 48 and 72 hours. Methods: A total of 90 neonates born ≤35 weeks were included in the study. They were divided into two groups (Group I: 1000-1500 grams; Group II: 1501-2000 grams). The bilirubin level was measured on the sternum using TcB at the ages of 12, 24, and 72 h. TSB measurements were taken on the third day or if TcB level reached ± 1.24 mg/dL phototherapy threshold and if TcB showed abnormal results (Group I: 5.76-8.24 mg/dL; Group II: 8.76-11.24 mg/dL). Hyperbilirubinemia was defined as TSB ≥7 mg/dL for group I and >10 mg/dL for group II. Results: In total, 38 group I neonates and 48 group II neonates were observed. Almost half of neonates in group I (44.7%) were suffering from hyperbilirubinemia at the age of 48 hours, with 45.8% of group II at the age of 72 hours. To predict hyperbilirubinemia at the age of 48 hours, the best 24-hour-age TcB cut-off values were calculated to be 4.5 mg/dL for group I and 5.8 mg/dL for group II. To predict hyperbilirubinemia at the age of 72 hours, we determined 24-hour-age TcB value of 5.15 mg/dL for group II. Conclusion: TcB values in the early days of life can be used as hyperbilirubinemia predictors on the following days for preterm neonates. Close monitoring should be managed for those with TcB values higher than the calculated cut-off values.
Impact of cigarette price increase on health and financing outcomes in Vietnam
Authors: Wu Daphne C. , Jha Prabhat , Dutta Sheila , Marquez Patricio 
Published: April 2020

Background: Vietnam had about 15 million male smokers in 2015. To reduce adult tobacco use in Vietnam through an increase in the excise tax of cigarettes, we conducted an extended cost-effectiveness analysis to examine the impact of two scenarios of cigarette price increases. Methods: We estimated, across income quintiles, the life-years gained, treatment cost averted, number of men avoiding catastrophic health expenditure and extreme poverty, and additional tax revenue under a 32% and a 62% increase in cigarette price through increased excise tax. We considered only male smokers as they constitute majority of the smokers. We used the average price elasticity of demand for cigarettes in Vietnam of -0.53. Results: Under both scenarios of price increase, men in the poorest quintile would gain about 2.8 times the life-years and avert 2.5 times the treatment cost averted by the richest quintile. With a 32% price increase, about 285,000 men would avoid catastrophic health expenditure; as a result, about 95,000 men, more than half of whom in the poorest quintile, would avoid falling into extreme poverty. In contrast to the distribution of health benefits, the extra revenue generated from men in the richest quintile would be 1.2 times that from the poorest quintile. With a 62% price increase, about 553,000 men would avoid catastrophic health expenditure, and about 183,000 men, more than half of whom in the poorest quintile, would avoid falling into extreme poverty. The extra revenue generated from men in the richest quintile would be 3.8 times that from the poorest quintile. Conclusions: Higher cigarette prices would particularly benefit the poorest income quintile of Vietnamese, in terms of health and financial outcomes. Thus, tobacco taxes are an effective way to improve health and reduce poverty in Vietnam.
Comparisons of Staphylococcus aureus infection and other outcomes between users of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers: lessons for COVID-19 from a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Bidulka Patrick , Iwagami Masao , Mansfield Kathryn E. , Kalogirou Fotini , Wong Angel Y. S. , Douglas Ian J. , Smeeth Liam , Summers Charlotte , Tomlinson Laurie A. 
Published: April 2020

Background: Mice receiving angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) drugs show increased susceptibility to infection by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). We sought to investigate whether humans using ACEI were at increased risk of S. aureus infection, comparing them to users of Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) with multiple control outcomes to assess the potential for residual confounding. Methods: Using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked to Hospital Episode Statistics between 1997 and 2017, we identified adults starting ACEI or ARB (as an active comparator drug). We regarded prescription of ACEI or ARB as time-dependent exposure and used a Cox regression model to compare incidence of first hospitalisation with infection due to S. aureus in periods with ACEI to periods with ARB prescriptions. We repeated the analysis using control outcomes that we did not expect to be associated with use of ACEI versus ARB (Gram-negative sepsis, hip fracture and herpes zoster) and one that we did (dry cough). Results: We identified 445,341 new users of ACEI (mean age 64.0±14.0, male 51.7%) and 41,824 new users of ARB (mean age 64.1±14.0, male 45.5%). The fully adjusted hazard ratio for S. aureus infection (ACEI vs. ARB) was 1.18 (95% CI 1.10–1.27), consistent across sensitivity analyses. However, we also found associations with all control outcomes; rates of Gram-negative sepsis, hip fracture and dry cough were also increased during periods of time treated with ACEI compared to ARB while herpes zoster was more common during time treated with ARB. Conclusions: Our results suggest that although ARB users appear an ideal control for analyses of ACEI effects, there is residual confounding even after multivariable adjustment. This has implications for observational analyses comparing users of these drug classes, in particular the effect of these drugs in relation to COVID-19 infection.
Discontinuous Demand Functions: Estimation and Pricing
Authors: den Boer Arnoud V. , Keskin N. Bora 
Published: April 2020

We consider a dynamic pricing problem with an unknown and discontinuous demand function. There is a seller who dynamically sets the price of a product over a multiperiod time horizon. The expected demand for the product is a piecewise continuous and parametric function of the charged price, allowing for possibly multiple discontinuity points. The seller initially knows neither the locations of the discontinuity points nor the parameters of the demand function but can infer them by observing stochastic demand realizations over time. We measure the seller’s performance by the revenue loss relative to a clairvoyant who knows the underlying demand function with certainty. We construct a dynamic estimation-and-pricing policy that accounts for demand discontinuities, derive the convergence rates of discontinuity- and parameter-estimation errors under this policy, and prove that it achieves near-optimal revenue performance. We also extend our analysis to the cases of time-varying demand discontinuities and inventory constraints. This paper was accepted by Noah Gans, stochastic models and simulation.
Molecular polarizability investigation of polar solvents: water, ethanol, and acetone at terahertz frequencies using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang Tianyao , Zhang Zhaohui , Zhao Xiaoyan , Cao Can , Yu Yang , Li Xingyue , Li Ying , Chen Yan , Ren Qing 
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we present the application of transmissive terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy for determining molecular polarizability for three widely applied solvents: water, ethanol, and acetone. Molecular polarizabilities of those solvents are obtained from the refractive index by using the Lorentz–Lorenz equation. The measured THz molecular polarizabilities are comparable with theoretical values estimated with both the first principle calculation and the atomic polarizability additive model. The THz spectra are presented over frequencies ranging from 0.3 to 1.2 THz (

10

−

40

c
m

−
1

). The molecular polarizability at 1.0 THz is determined as

3.81

±

0.03

,

7.04

±

0.07

, and

7.9

±

0.2

Å3 for water, ethanol, and acetone, respectively.
Polarization-maintaining optical fiber with an anisotropic core compatible with the SMF-28 standard
Authors: Michalik Damian , Stefaniuk Tomasz , Kasztelanic Rafał , Buczyński Ryszard 
Published: April 2020

We present the theoretical study of an all-solid highly birefringent fiber with an anisotropic core fully compatible with SMF-28 fiber and without use of external stress zones or air holes. We propose a fiber with a core composed of interleaved subwavelength layers of silica and germanium-oxide-doped silica. The optimized nanostructured fiber has a phase birefringence of1.42×10−4, and an effective mode area and numerical aperture similar to SMF-28 fiber. We predict coupling losses of 0.1 dB for bidirectional coupling with the SMF-28 fibers.
40  Gbit/s waveguide photodiode using III–V on silicon heteroepitaxy
Authors: Sun Keye , Gao Junyi , Jung Daehwan , Bowers John , Beling Andreas 
Published: April 2020

Low-dark-current waveguide modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (PDs) are demonstrated by direct heteroepitaxy of InGaAs/InAlGaAs on silicon templates. The PDs have a dark current of 0.1 µA at

−
3

V

bias and an internal (external) responsivity of 0.78 A/W (0.27 A/W). The 3 dB bandwidth is 28 GHz, and open eye diagrams are detected at 40 Gbit/s.
Field demonstration of time-bin reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution via an intracity free-space link
Authors: Chen Huan , Wang Jipeng , Tang Bangying , Li Zhenhua , Liu Bo , Sun Shihai 
Published: April 2020

Free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) based on mobile platforms, such as satellites, drones, and vehicles, is considered a promising way to overcome the rate-distance limit without a quantum repeater. Real-time reference frame calibration is required in most recent implemented polarization encoded QKD systems due to the relative motion between sender and receiver. Although active compensations can be used to calibrate the reference frame, doing so increases the complexity of the system and reduces the key rate. To overcome this problem, the reference-frame-independent (RFI) QKD was proposed in which fixed deviations of the reference frame between the two parties are tolerated automatically. In this Letter, we report the experimental implementation of a time-bin encoded RFI QKD in an urban environment through free space. The quantum bit error rate for key-distill is as low as 1% over a 2 km free-space link with a total equivalent loss of 31.5 dB. Our demonstration shows that a stable RFI QKD can be implemented in the free-space channel.
Pinning Down the Past: Lesbian Politics and Queer Ecologies in The Duke of Burgundy
Authors: Church David 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Peter Strickland’s film The Duke of Burgundy (2014) presents an all-female world of lepidopterists whose non-monetary economic exchanges consist of mounted butterfly specimens and whose interpersonal exchanges consist of BDSM roleplay. This essay explores how the film represents a thought experiment in reimagining lesbian-feminist history by reconciling divergent strands of feminist and lesbian politics that occupied opposing camps during the period of the film’s early-1970s setting. The film’s “soft” eroticism and depiction of a non-capitalist economy posits a seductive fantasy of what an all-female separatist world might have looked like, had the various clashes within second-wave feminism found a utopian middle ground over major issues like the shifting place of lesbians within the women’s movement, the acceptability of sadomasochism and pornography as expressions of women’s sexuality, and the ecological implications of queerness.
An Excess of Love
Authors: Jacobs Jason 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
In both the social sciences and pop cultural representation, gay men’s open relationships are consistently described according to a contradictory logic in which coupled gay men may enjoy non-exclusive sexual practices because they are able to separate sex from emotional attachment and only on the condition that they separate sex from emotional attachment. Since the emotional response to outside sexual partners that should not occur always is a threat, gay men are cautioned to institute and obey rules to produce and enforce a boundary or separation, in the interest of protecting primary coupled relationships. This article argues that the failure to forestall an emotional response outside, beyond, and despite the boundaries of the couple has an important ethical value in the post-Obergefell world of gay normalization. An excess of love, flaring up where it shouldn’t, holds open the possibility of other forms of community, sociality, and relationality.
Trabalho e fé na Idade Média
Authors: Silva Eliane Santos Leite da 
Published: April 2020

Objetivamos, com o presente artigo, socializar reflexões sobre possíveis relações estabelecidas pelo homem medieval, religioso, católico, entre sua vida de fé e o seu trabalho, seja negando-o ou supervalorizando-o em sua prática religiosa. Assim o trabalho não será entendido apenas como parte da vida e da rotina, mas como construtor de uma ideologia a ser seguida, que mescla a vivência religiosa à social. Ancoramos teoricamente nosso estudo na Semântica Cognitiva, no que tange à Teoria da Metáfora Conceptual (LAKOFF; JOHNSON, 2002 [1980], 1999; LAKOFF, 1987) em seus desdobramentos mais recentes. A coleta de dados seguiu a busca lexical e interpretativa, de cunho semântico-cognitivista, em textos científicos, de cunho historiográfico e teológico, sobre as conceptualizações do trabalho na Idade Média; desse modo, observamos como a construção do discurso sobre esse tema pode nos oferecer pistas lexicais e semânticas sobre as principais formas e entendimento do que significava, para esse sujeito, o trabalho, em seu contexto. Outros estudiosos aqui considerados foram: Le Goff (2013), Houtart (1982), De Masi (2001), Dreher (2013), Aquino (2014), dentre outros. Alguns resultados apontaram para as seguintes conceptualizações metafóricas do trabalho: TRABALHO RELIGIOSO É PRIVILÉGIO SOCIAL, TRABALHO É RELAÇÃO DE TROCA, TRABALHO É PAGAMENTO. O presente estudo possibilitou a percepção de que como se deram alguns processos de conceptualização através dos mapeamentos entre domínios de conhecimentos diversos, sejam eles históricos, sociais ou religiosos.
Passively Q-switched Yb-doped all-fiber laser based on Ag nanoplates as saturable absorber
Authors: Fu Bo , Wang Pan , Li Yan , Condorelli Marcello , Fazio Enza , Sun Jingxuan , Xu Lijun , Scardaci Vittorio , Compagnini Giuseppe 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
We report on a Q-switched Yb-doped all-fiber laser based on a solution-processed Ag nanoplates saturable absorber. Optical deposition procedure is implemented to transfer the Ag nanoplates onto the fiber core area through the thermal effect. The saturable absorber is sandwiched between two fiber connectors, providing simplicity, flexibility, and easy integration into the laser oscillator. The modulation depth and saturation incident fluence are measured to be ~5.8% and ~106.36 μJ/cm2 at 1-μm region, respectively. Self-started stable Q-switched operation is achieved for a threshold pump power of 180 mW. The repetition rates of the pulse trains range from 66.6 to 184.8 kHz when the pump power scales from 210 to 600 mW. The maximum average output power is 10.77 mW, corresponding to the single-pulse energy of 58.3 nJ and minimum pulse duration of ~1.01 μs. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that the Ag nanoplates saturable absorbers are utilized in the 1-μm Yb-doped Q-switched fiber laser.
On-chip trans-dimensional plasmonic router
Authors: Dong Shaohua , Zhang Qing , Cao Guangtao , Ni Jincheng , Shi Ting , Li Shiqing , Duan Jingwen , Wang Jiafu , Li Ying , Sun Shulin , Zhou Lei , Hu Guangwei , Qiu Cheng-Wei 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Plasmons, as emerging optical diffraction-unlimited information carriers, promise the high-capacity, high-speed, and integrated photonic chips. The on-chip precise manipulations of plasmon in an arbitrary platform, whether two-dimensional (2D) or one-dimensional (1D), appears demanding but non-trivial. Here, we proposed a meta-wall, consisting of specifically designed meta-atoms, that allows the high-efficiency transformation of propagating plasmon polaritons from 2D platforms to 1D plasmonic waveguides, forming the trans-dimensional plasmonic routers. The mechanism to compensate the momentum transformation in the router can be traced via a local dynamic phase gradient of the meta-atom and reciprocal lattice vector. To demonstrate such a scheme, a directional router based on phase-gradient meta-wall is designed to couple 2D SPP to a 1D plasmonic waveguide, while a unidirectional router based on grating metawall is designed to route 2D SPP to the arbitrarily desired direction along the 1D plasmonic waveguide by changing the incident angle of 2D SPP. The on-chip routers of trans-dimensional SPP demonstrated here provide a flexible tool to manipulate propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and may pave the way for designing integrated plasmonic network and devices.
Influence of a 2-km Swim on the Cycling Power-Duration Relationship in Triathletes
Authors: Rothschild Jeffrey , Sheard Ailish C. , Crocker George H. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Rothschild, J, Sheard, AC, and Crocker, GH. Influence of a 2-km swim on the cycling power-duration relationship in triathletes. J Strength Cond Res 36(5): 1431–1436, 2022—Triathletes must cycle after swimming, and so, it is important to understand how cycling performance may be affected by prior swimming. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 2-km swim at a self-selected race-pace intensity on the cycling power-duration relationship. Eighteen trained triathletes (12 M, 6 F; 37.1 ± 10.6 years, V̇o
2max 54.8 ± 10.1 ml·kg−1·min−1) performed two 3-minute all-out cycling tests (3MTs) on separate days with one 3 MT immediately after a 2-km swim (swim-bike [SB]) and one without prior swimming (bike-only [BO]). The power-duration relationship was expressed as the total work done (TWD) and subdivided into end-test power (EP) and work done above EP. To assess swimming intensity, heart rate (HR) was continuously monitored during the 2-km swim and blood lactate was assessed on completion of the swim. End-swim lactate was 4.2 ± 1.8 mM, and mean swimming HR was 147 ± 18 b·min−1. The 2-km swim decreased TWD during the 3MT by 6% (BO: 62.8 ± 12.7 kJ; SB: 58.9 ± 13.4 kJ; p = 0.001) though neither EP (BO: 281 ± 65 W; SB: 269 ± 68 W; p = 0.102) nor work done above EP (BO: 12.1 ± 3.8 kJ; SB: 10.5 ± 4.2 kJ; p = 0.096) differed between trials. In conclusion, TWD while cycling decreases after a 2-km race-pace swim. Results from this study suggest that triathletes should determine racing cycling power following a simulated race-pace swim.
ISIS and the "War Makes States" Path
Authors: Anthony Samantha Palmer 
Published: April 2020

This paper discusses the progression and evolution of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS. The author explains how the group has progressed since its conception, explores possibilities for its evolution in the future, as it relates to and affects the surrounding countries and the international arena. The author examines the question of whether Charles Tilly’s “War Makes States” theory can be applied to the group in past, present, and future. The author uses a combination of literature review, critical reading, and research to explain how ISIS follows Tilly’s thesis that states emerge over time from areas of violence and the actions of violent groups. The author concludes that, despite recent territorial losses, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is evolving towards statehood per Tilly’s model, and that this has ramifications for the rest of the world in that the international arena should act accordingly when dealing with the group in order to forestall this occurrence.