bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancing InGaN LED Performance via ALD-Grown Al2O3 Sidewall Passivation
Authors: Bayramlı Hasan Mert Mert , Genç Muhammet , Yücel Oğuzhan , Bulut Barış , Bek Alpan , Demirtaş Mustafa 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
InGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are at the forefront of solid-state lighting technologies due to their superior efficiency and broad spectral emission. However, their performance is often compromised by leakage currents, which lead to reduced external quantum efficiency. Passivation of surface defect, the need of which arises from either epitaxial growth or mesa etching, emerges as a promising strategy to mitigate leakage currents and enhance LED performance. This study compares the effects of different sidewall passivation using two dielectric materials, Al2O3 and SiO2, on the reliability and long-term stability performance of InGaN LEDs. The study conducts a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the impact of each material on reducing leakage current and improving overall device efficiency. The experimental findings of our study indicate that the LEDs with Al2O3 sidewall passivation have better long-term stability performance, lower series resistance, higher breakdown voltages, significantly lower leakage current, and up to a 19% increase in light output power compared to SiO2 sidewall passivation. These superior properties of Al2O3-passivated LEDs increase device reliability and stability. Conversely, SiO2-passivated LEDs demonstrate relatively higher leakage currents, which can be attributed to lower dielectric constant, non-uniform film deposition and incomplete defect passivation.
Tunable switch between slow and fast light in optomechanics with a squeezed field
Authors: Wang Qiong , He Zhi 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
We study the dynamics of a driven optomechanical cavity coupled to a charged nanomechanical resonator via Coulomb interaction with a squeezed field. We find that the tunable switch between slow and fast light for two signal modes can be observed from the output field by adjusting the laser-cavity detuning in this system. Moreover, the frequencies of two signal light can be tuned by Coulomb coupling strength, which are feasible using current laboratory techniques. The proposal may have potential application in optical router and quantum optomechanical memory.
Chinese Pulsar Timing Array upper limits on microherzt gravitational waves from supermassive black-hole binaries using PSR J1713+0747 FAST data
Authors: Caballero Ricardo Nicolas , Xu Heng , Lee Kejia , Chen Siyuan , Guo Yanjun , Jiang Jinchen , Wang BoJun , Xu Jiangwei 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
We derive the gravitational-wave (GW) strain upper limits from resolvable supermassive black-hole binaries using the data from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical (FAST) radio Telescope, in the context of the Chinese Pulsar Timing Array project. We focus on circular orbits in the μHz GW frequency band between 10-7 and 3×10-6 Hz. Such a frequency band is higher than the traditional pulsar timing array band and is less explored. We used the data of the millisecond pulsar PSR J1713+5307 observed between August 2019 and April 2021. A dense observation campaign was carried out in September 2020 to allow for the μHz band coverage. Our sky-average continuous source upper limit at 95% confidence level at 1μHz is 1.02×10-12, while the same limit in the direction of the pulsar is 5.57×10-13.
A 0.53-μW/channel calibration-free spike detection IC with 98.8-%-accuracy based on stationary wavelet transforms and Teager energy operators
Authors: Zhou Zhining , Hu Zichen , Lyu Hongming 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Objective: The brain-computer interface (BCI) is currently experiencing a surge in the number of recording channels, resulting in a vast amount of raw data. It has become crucial to reliably detect neural spikes from a large population of neurons in the presence of noise, in order to constrain the transmission bandwidth. Approach: We investigate various time-frequency analysis methods for spike detection, followed by an exploration of energy operators amplifying spikes and signal statistics for adaptive thresholding. Subsequently, we introduce a precise and computationally efficient spike detection module, leveraging stationary wavelet transform (SWT), Teager energy operator (TEO), and root-mean-square (RMS) calculator. This module is capable of autonomously adapting to different levels of noise. The SWT effectively eliminates high-frequency noise, enhancing the performance of the energy operators. The hardware computational process is simplified through the use of the lifting scheme and a channel-interleaving architecture. Main results: We evaluate the proposed spike detector with adaptive threshold on the publicly available WaveClus datasets. The detector achieves an average accuracy of 98.84%. The application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementation results of the spike detector demonstrate an optimized interleaving channel of 8. In a 65-nm technology, the 8-channel spike detector consumes a power of 0.532 μW/Ch and occupies an area of 0.00645 mm2/Ch, operating at a 1.2-V supply voltage. Significance: The proposed spike detection processor offers one of the highest accuracies among state-of-the-art spike detection methods. Importantly, the ASIC explored the considerations in the scalability and hardware costs. The proposed design provides a systematic solution on spike detection with adaptive thresholding, offering a high accuracy while maintaining low power and area consumptions.
Food Insecurity During Pregnancy and Associated Perinatal Outcomes: A Scoping Review
Authors: Kinsey Eliza W , Caceres Omaris M , Posner Hannah E K , Hinkle Stefanie N 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Food insecurity disproportionately impacts women during their reproductive years. Food insecurity is associated with many negative health outcomes in the general population, including hypertension, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and obesity, particularly in women, yet it remains unclear whether it has negative implications for perinatal outcomes. We conducted a systematic scoping review using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus to identify studies of food insecurity and perinatal outcomes including preterm birth, birth weight, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational weight gain, and mental health outcomes during the perinatal and immediate postpartum period, and breastfeeding initiation. Twenty-nine studies were included. There is consistent evidence that individuals experiencing food insecurity in the prenatal period are at greater risk for depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum. The findings were inconclusive for preterm delivery, birth weight, and other pregnancy outcomes including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational weight gain. This review highlights important data gaps related to the assessment of food insecurity in pregnancy that must be addressed to draw conclusions about potential perinatal outcomes among those experiencing food insecurity. More research is needed to understand the impacts of food insecurity on pregnancy outcomes and assess whether efforts to alleviate food insecurity improve outcomes.
Insights into the Heterogeneity of Cognitive Aging: A Comparative Analysis of Two Data-Driven Clustering Algorithms
Authors: Nguyen Truc , Chang Yu-Ling 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Objectives
Cognitive aging entails diverse patterns of cognitive profiles, brain imaging, and biomarkers. Yet, few studies have explored the performance of multiple clustering algorithms on a single dataset. Here, we employ data-driven methods to analyze neuropsychological performance in older individuals with normal cognition (NC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods
A total of 311 older adults without dementia completed a comprehensive assessment, consisting of 17 cognitive tests and a memory complaint questionnaire. We utilized two clustering algorithms: nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) and model-based clustering (MBC). Cluster characteristics were examined in demographic, clinical, and brain morphometric data.

Results
Both NMF and MBC uncovered two- and three-cluster solutions, with satisfactory data fit. The two-cluster profiles encompassed a cognitively intact (CI) group and a cognitively suboptimal (CS) group, distinguished by cognitive performance. The three-cluster solutions included CI–memory proficient, CI–nonmemory proficient, and CS groups. Remarkably, patterns of cognitive heterogeneity and their association with demographic and neuroimaging variables were highly comparable across NMF and MBC. Phenotypic homogeneity improved after identifying participants with consistent and mismatched memberships from the two algorithms.

Discussion
The results indicate that two distinct data-driven algorithms, with different heuristics, generated comparable patterns regarding cognitive heterogeneity within NC and MCI. These findings may inform future subtyping studies in cognitive aging, where replication of stratifications found across different methods is strongly recommended.
BMI triples overweight prevalence in 7600 children compared with waist-to-height ratio: The ALSPAC Study
Authors: Agbaje Andrew O 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Objective
Waist circumference-to-height (WHtR) is a highly sensitive and specific surrogate marker of total body adiposity and central adiposity (adiposopathy). This study examined the prevalence of body mass index (BMI) categories in relation to new WHtR cutpoints in the pediatric population. WHtR categories predictive ability to detect the risk of type 2 diabetes was externally validated.

Methods
Altogether, 7600 nine-year-old children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, UK birth cohort were included. BMI and WHtR were assessed at ages 9, 15, and 24 years. WHtR cutpoints are &lt;0.40 as low fat; 0.40–&lt;0.50 in males as normal fat; 0.40–&lt;0.51 in females as normal fat; 0.50–&lt;0.53 high fat (adiposopathy grade 1) ; 0.51–&lt;0.54 in females is high fat; &gt;0.53 in males is excess fat (adiposopathy grade 2), and &gt;0.54 in females is excess fat. From the NHANES, 3329 US participants with a mean (SD) age of 49 (20.3)years who had glycohaemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose were included.

Results
BMI overestimated the prevalence of overweight by 2.8-fold in childhood, 2.3-fold in adolescence, and 2.6-fold in young adulthood compared to WHtR. Of 1431 children classified as BMI-overweight, 25% had WHtR high fat, 11% had WHtR excess fat, and 71% had WHtR normal fat. However, of the 517 children classified as having WHtR high fat, 69.8% were BMI-overweight and 24% had BMI-obesity, while only 6% had normal BMI. WHtR high fat was associated with higher odds of prediabetes [Odds ratio 2.36 (95% CI 1.10–5.10), p=0.028]. WHtR excess fat was associated with higher odds of type 2 diabetes [6.08 (2.84–13.01), p&lt;0.001].

Conclusions
WHtR can be universally adopted for preventing, diagnosing, and managing excess adiposity (adiposopathy) in pediatrics.
Six-Month Results of Multiple Femtosecond Laser–Assisted Corneal Allogeneic Ring Segments Implantation: A Case Series
Authors: Mechleb Nicole , Gatinel Damien , Fitoussi Léa , Saad Alain 
Published: February 2025

Purpose:
To evaluate the short- and mid-term clinical outcomes of corneal allogeneic intrastromal ring segments (CAIRS) and assess their efficacy and safety in keratoconus treatment.

Methods:
Case series of 79 eyes from 71 patients with keratoconus who underwent femtosecond-assisted CAIRS implantation at the Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital Foundation, Noémie de Rothschild Institute. Preoperative and postoperative examinations were conducted at 3 and 6 months. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and corneal tomography with aberrometric and pachymetric analyses were performed at each visit. Visual, refractive, and topographic parameters were extracted.

Results:
Corrected distance visual acuity improved by 1, 2, and 3 lines or more in 33%, 44%, and 52% of cases, respectively. Significant improvements were observed in K1, K2, Km, Kmax, topographic astigmatism, sphere, cylinder, spherical equivalent, total root mean square, higher-order aberrations, vertical coma, and spherical aberrations (all P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Eleven patients (13.9%) were dissatisfied with their outcomes. In addition, 9 patients (13.65%) experienced a loss in corrected distance visual acuity at 3 months postoperatively (6 eyes lost 1 line, and 3 lost 2 lines), yet remained satisfied with their results because of improved refraction and uncorrected vision.

Conclusions:
This study is the largest to date evaluating femtosecond-assisted CAIRS implantations and highlights CAIRS as a promising treatment for keratoconus.
Effectiveness of Minimally Invasive Partial Orbicularis Myectomy for Treating Benign Essential Blepharospasm: A Study Using the Jankovic Scale and Blepharospasm Disability Index
Authors: Doğan Semih , Yilmaz İbrahim Edhem , Ari Şeyhmus 
Published: February 2025

Purpose:
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of minimally invasive partial orbicularis myectomy in treating benign essential blepharospasm while assessing the utility of the Jankovic Rating Scale and Blepharospasm Disability Index as comprehensive outcome measures.

Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted on 18 patients (36 eyes) with benign essential blepharospasm who underwent partial orbicularis myectomy between 2018 and 2022. All patients had previously shown inadequate response to botulinum toxin injections. Jankovic Rating Scale and Blepharospasm Disability Index scores were assessed preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively to capture both symptom severity and functional impact. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results:
The median preoperative Jankovic Rating Scale score of 7.5 decreased to 3 one year postoperatively, reflecting a 50% improvement in symptom severity. Concurrently, the median Blepharospasm Disability Index score reduced from 20 to 9.5, indicating a 47.22% enhancement in functional capacity at 1 year. Both reductions were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and sustained throughout the 1-year follow-up period. No significant complications were reported.

Conclusion:
Minimally invasive partial orbicularis myectomy demonstrates significant and sustained improvement in both symptom severity and functional disability in patients with benign essential blepharospasm refractory to botulinum toxin treatment. The combined application of Jankovic Rating Scale and Blepharospasm Disability Index proves to be an effective approach in evaluating surgical outcomes, offering valuable insights into both the clinical efficacy of partial orbicularis myectomy and its impact on patients’ daily functioning.
Bacterial Dacryoadenitis With Abscess: Meta-Analysis of Features and Outcomes of a Rare Clinical Entity
Authors: Pietris James , Quigley Clare , Lam Lydia , Selva Dinesh 
Published: February 2025

Purpose:
Bacterial dacryoadenitis with abscess is rare. There is limited evidence examining the clinical course, and there is no consensus on evidence-based management protocols. The authors aim to systematically review the current literature on bacterial dacryoadenitis with abscess, examining etiology, clinical and radiological features, management, and outcomes.

Methods:
A systematic search of the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL was performed to July 2024, prior to data collection and risk of bias analysis in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Results:
Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-one cases of bacterial dacryoadenitis complicated by abscess were identified, mean age 34.5 ± 22.3 years including n = 17 females (40.4%, subgroup with full demographic data, n = 42). Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was identified as the most common causative organism (25.4%), followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (17.9%) and Haemophilus influenzae (12.8%). Clinical features included upper eyelid swelling (74.5%) and pain (39.2%), along with extraocular movement restriction (58.8%), gaze-evoked pain (39.2%), erythema (45%), chemosis (41.1%), and lacrimal gland protrusion (19.6%). A well-defined, rim-enhancing lesion within an enlarged lacrimal gland was typical on imaging (seen in 33.3%). The majority were managed with abscess drainage with concurrent intravenous antibiotics (66.6%). Only 1 patient among the included studies suffered a recurrence. Abscess drainage was not associated with patient age (p = 0. 8) or with Staphylococcus aureus as the causative organism (p = 0.7).

Conclusions:
Bacterial dacryoadenitis with abscess is a rare but potentially sight-threatening entity. Requirement for abscess drainage in bacterial dacryoadenitis was not associated with patient age, nor with the most common causative bacteria. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for compressive optic neuropathy, and alert to signs that may indicate surgical drainage, in particular, inadequate response to antibiotics.
Artificial intelligence and patient education
Authors: Paluszek Olivia , Loeb Stacy 
Published: February 2025

Purpose of review
Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly used as a source of information. Our objective was to review the literature on their use for patient education in urology.

Recent findings
There are many published studies examining the quality of AI chatbots, most commonly ChatGPT. In many studies, responses from chatbots had acceptable accuracy but were written at a difficult reading level without specific prompts to enhance readability. A few studies have examined AI chatbots for other types of patient education, such as creating lay summaries of research publications or generating handouts.

Summary
Artificial intelligence chatbots may provide an adjunctive source of patient education in the future, particularly if prompted to provide results with better readability. In addition, they may be used to rapidly generate lay research summaries, leaflets or other patient education materials for final review by experts.
Salary and Job Requirement Differences for Jobs in Local and State Health Departments Versus the Private Sector: Analysis of Large-Scale Job Postings Data
Authors: Krasna Heather , Patino Isabella , Ozcan Onal Sezen , Venkataraman Malvika 
Published: February 2025

Objectives:
While some research shows that health departments pay comparably low wages for many jobs, federal data on salaries for employees of local and state health departments are limited. Job postings provide an alternative, real-time method to assess job requirements and salaries. Our goal was to utilize data from job postings to determine if there were significant differences in salary, education, or experience requirements when comparing jobs in local or state government health departments with the same types of jobs posted in other sectors.

Design:
We used Lightcast, a large-scale and comprehensive database of job postings, to gather real-time data on salary, education, and experience requirements for 44 public health occupations, contrasting those in state and local health departments (SLHDs) with those in all other sectors. We used interval regression analysis to assess salary differences and contrasted minimum education and experience levels using a partial proportional odds model.

Results:
A total of 16 284 job postings were collected for the government, and 12 609 441 in the private sector. Twenty-seven occupations paid significantly less in SLHDs, and 6 paid significantly more. For 37 occupations, SLHDs were less likely to require at least a Master’s degree than the private sector. Certain SLHD positions require less education and/or experience, while also paying less.

Conclusions:
Many, though not all, roles in the SLHD workforce are comparatively underpaid, and job requirements are often lower, potentially creating recruitment and retention challenges and producing a workforce that may be less prepared for public health crises. SLHDs can use data from job postings to benchmark their salaries and advocate for more competitive wages, especially for “hard-to-fill” positions, and can also better advertise their benefits to attract candidates.
Stimulation of theCaulobacter crescentussurface sensing pathway by deletion of a specialized minor pilin-like gene
Authors: Obeid Charrouf Farah , Whitfield Gregory B , Ellison Courtney K , Brun Yves V 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBacteria colonize surfaces through complex mechanisms of surface sensing. Pili are dynamic bacterial appendages that play an important role in this process. InCaulobacter crescentus, tension on retracting, surface-bound pili triggers the rapid synthesis of the adhesive holdfast, which permanently attaches cells to surfaces. However, the detailed mechanisms of pilus-mediated surface sensing are unclear. In this study, we used a genetic screen to isolate mutants with altered pilus activity to identify genes that may be involved in pilus-mediated surface-sensing. This screen identifiedcpaL, whose deletion led to reduced piliation levels, and surprisingly, a threefold increase in surface adhesion due to increased holdfast production. To understand this finding, we compared holdfast synthesis in wild-type andcpaLmutant cells under conditions that block pilus retraction. While this treatment increased holdfast production in wild-type cells by triggering the surface-sensing pathway, no increase was observed in thecpaLmutant, suggesting that mutation ofcpaLmaximally stimulates surface-sensing. Furthermore, when thecpaLmutant was grown in a medium that blocks the surface sensing pathway, cells exhibited decreased surface attachment and holdfast production, consistent with a role for CpaL in pilus-dependent surface sensing inC. crescentus. To better understand the function of CpaL, we analyzed its predicted structure, which suggested that CpaL is a minor pilin fused to a mechanosensitive von Willebrand factor type A (vWA) domain that could be accommodated at the pilus tip. These results collectively position CpaL as a strong candidate for a mechanosensory element in pilus-mediated surface sensing.ImportanceSurface sensing is a crucial mechanism that allows bacteria to change their behaviors to adapt to life on a surface. Surface recognition by bacteria is the initial step toward surface colonization and biofilm formation. InCaulobacter crescentus, tight adherence (Tad) pili play a key role in surface recognition and adaptation. However, the mechanism of pilus-mediated surface sensing and the proteins that influence this process remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that CpaL, a potential pilus tip mechanosensory protein, could be the major element of Tad pilus-mediated surface attachment and colonization inC. crescentus. CpaL plays an important role in the regulation of holdfast synthesis and production upon surface contact. By identifying CpaL as a key player in the process of surface recognition, our work offers valuable insights into the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion.