Issue Features Research Articles

Tunable and dynamic nanophotonics: introduction

In this introduction, we provide an overview of the papers that were accepted for publication in the feature issue “Tunable and dynamic nanophotonics” of the Journal of the Optical Society of America B. The feature issue contains 10 articles on cutting-edge topics in the field of tunable nanophotonic systems.

Detection of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Using CNN with Dynamic Factor and Wandering Strategy-Based Feature Selection

Objectives: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious neurological emergency case with a higher mortality rate. An automatic SAH detection is needed to expedite and improve identification, aiding timely and efficient treatment pathways. The existence of noisy and dissimilar anatomical structures in NCCT images, limited availability of labeled SAH data, and ineffective training causes the issues of irrelevant features, overfitting, and vanishing gradient issues that make SAH detection a challenging task. Methods: In this work, the water waves dynamic factor and wandering strategy-based Sand Cat Swarm Optimization, namely DWSCSO, are proposed to ensure optimum feature selection while a Parametric Rectified Linear Unit with a Stacked Convolutional Neural Network, referred to as PRSCNN, is developed for classifying grades of SAH. The DWSCSO and PRSCNN surpass current practices in SAH detection by improving feature selection and classification accuracy. DWSCSO is proposed to ensure optimum feature selection, avoiding local optima issues with higher exploration capacity and avoiding the issue of overfitting in classification. Firstly, in this work, a modified region-growing method was employed on the patient Non-Contrast Computed Tomography (NCCT) images to segment the regions affected by SAH. From the segmented regions, the wide range of patterns and irregularities, fine-grained textures and details, and complex and abstract features were extracted from pre-trained models like GoogleNet, Visual Geometry Group (VGG)-16, and ResNet50. Next, the PRSCNN was developed for classifying grades of SAH which helped to avoid the vanishing gradient issue. Results: The DWSCSO-PRSCNN obtained a maximum accuracy of 99.48%, which is significant compared with other models. The DWSCSO-PRSCNN provides an improved accuracy of 99.62% in CT dataset compared with the DL-ICH and GoogLeNet + (GLCM and LBP), ResNet-50 + (GLCM and LBP), and AlexNet + (GLCM and LBP), which confirms that DWSCSO-PRSCNN effectively reduces false positives and false negatives. Conclusions: the complexity of DWSCSO-PRSCNN was acceptable in this research, for while simpler approaches appeared preferable, they failed to address problems like overfitting and vanishing gradients. Accordingly, the DWSCSO for optimized feature selection and PRSCNN for robust classification were essential for handling these challenges and enhancing the detection in different clinical settings.

Urban Development Together with Girls and Young Women

Public spaces are crucial to everyday life, providing sites for community interaction, mobility, and recreation. Traditionally, however, urban planning has been shaped by a gendered perspective that privileges masculine assumptions that overlook intersectional needs and reinforce societal inequalities for women and girls. This special issue, ‘Let Her Guide You’, developed in partnership with UN-Habitat as part of the Her City initiative, underscores the imperative of incorporating gender and youth perspectives into urban planning and design. The Her City Initiative, a collaboration between UN-Habitat and the Shared City Foundation, advances this goal by equipping urban actors worldwide with tools to integrate the perspectives of girls and young women into urban development. Launched in 2021, the Her City Toolbox has supported over 350 independent initiatives with registered users in 120 countries, demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering inclusive urban environments. This special issue features papers by young academic scholars selected from the Her City Master students alumni network, including case studies of feminist planning from Heerlen (The Netherlands), Nairobi (Kenya), Stockholm (Sweden), and Weimar (Germany). It also includes a diverse range of invited viewpoints advocating for collaborative approaches to urban development together with girls and young women, complemented by illustrative case studies from around the globe, including Belgium, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Mozambique, Palestine, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. By centring gender and youth perspectives in the urban planning process, this special issue highlights the potential to transform public spaces into more equitable, engaging, and sustainable environments. It calls on city makers, researchers, and community leaders to ensure that contemporary cities are designed with and for everyone.

Optomechanical Photonics: feature issue introduction

We introduce the Optical Materials Express feature issue on Optomechanical Photonics. This issue comprises a collection of eight research articles on optomechanical photonics, including studies of new fundamental phenomena, device applications, experimental characterizations, and theoretical models.

Advancing Integrated Photonics feature issue introduction

We give an introduction to the feature issue composed of eight articles on Advancing Integrated Photonics.

Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy: Technology and Applications: introduction to the feature issue

Welcome to the 2024 Feature Issue on Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy: Technology and Applications in Biomedical Optics Express! This feature issue provides an exemplary sample of established and emerging DOS technologies as well as their biomedical applications through 27 contributed research papers and 1 invited review article. DOS researchers are inherently multidisciplinary, advancing topics spanning the basic theory of light-tissue interactions, computational modeling, technique and system development and preclinical and clinical applications. You will find this full range of topics represented in this feature issue.

Convolution Bounds on Quantile Aggregation

Advancing Risk Assessment: New Ways To Compute Quantile Aggregation This issue features a pivotal study on quantile aggregation amid dependence uncertainty, an area critical to finance, risk management, and statistics. The authors introduce “convolution bounds,” derived from a recent inf-convolution formula of quantiles and related risk measures. The obtained analytical tools unify existing results and enhance the understanding of quantile methods by providing general, sharp, and computationally efficient solutions. The results offer insights into the extremal dependence structures, with several implications in risk management and economic analysis applications. For more detailed insights, read the full paper, “Convolution Bounds on Quantile Aggregation” (reference: [insert reference]).

Editorial: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity in Pervasive Computing

Pervasive computing, or ubiquitous computing, is rapidly increasing in capacity and capabilities. With the Internet of Things (IoT) becoming an integral part of daily life and the growing availability of edge computing resources, automation guided by data is advancing applications in healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, and other areas. It's natural that pervasive computing will intersect with artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. AI can improve detection, prediction, and anticipative responses to human needs, while cybersecurity addresses topics like misuse prevention, ethics, policies, and governance. This issue features seven articles on these intersections, including four AI articles exploring natural language processing and computer vision, and three cybersecurity articles covering cryptography, medical devices, and maritime security.

Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a collective term used to describe pathological conditions with a similar clinical and radiological picture which is characterized by thunderclap headaches with a sudden onset and reversible segmental (multifocal) constriction of the cerebral arteries. The article is devoted to issues of terminology, genetic and clinical features of RSCV, and also discusses risk factors, differential diagnosis, complications and prognosis. Modern pathogenetic mechanisms and possible approaches to the treatment of this condition are presented.

Про тимчасове навантаження на аркові споруди з гофрованого металу під дорожнім насипом

Introduction. The issue of features of formation and practical calculation of temporary moving load from vehicles on arched structures made of corrugated metal under the road embankment is considered. These features are related to the scheme of static work and deformation of a relatively flexible structure — mainly to bending under the influence of the prevailing vertical pressure from the soil of the embankment and in the conditions of the transfer of a temporary load through the soil of the embankment, which distributes this load in a certain way. Problem Statement. In the current regulatory and methodological documents regarding the design of bridges and pipes, information on the rules for determining the amount of temporary moving load on pipes under highway embankments is limited to instructions regarding the parameters of a typical scheme of wheel loads (NK-100 or NK-80) and regarding the distribution of properties of the soil of the embankment, without setting out the methods and formulas necessary for practical calculations, which complicates the design to a certain extent. Normative and methodical documents directly related to the design of road structures made of corrugated metal also do not contain sufficiently complete and correct information on this issue.

Nonintrusive load disaggregation by fusion of graph signal processing and CNN

Abstract Nonintrusive load disaggregation techniques play a pivotal role in power system planning and decision making for demand response. The sparsity of low frequency total power data features, coupled with the model’s challenge in effectively extracting and utilizing spatial and temporal correlations in diverse load data, presents obstacles to achieving high precision disaggregation in nonintrusive load disaggregation. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a disaggregation framework that integrates graph signal processing (GSP) with a convolutional neural network (CNN). In this framework, the GSP module tackles the issue of sparse load features, while the CNN disaggregation module extracts and exploits various features, such as spatial and temporal correlations between different loads. The GSP module directly provides load features to the CNN disaggregation module, assigning weights to the outputs for selection and thereby enhancing the accuracy of the disaggregation process. Our method is trained and validated using real datasets, demonstrating satisfactory performance when compared to existing methods.

Feature Issue: Advances in Refractive Error Research.

Feature Issue: Advances in Refractive Error Research.

Introduction

This issue features ten papers in the main section, one review (edited by Hisako Yamashita), and one paper in the Ethnographies of Self-Access section. There are papers from Oman, New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Japan, and The Philippines. The papers in this collection explore key themes in language education, including the role of technology in learner engagement, teacher autonomy, and leadership in learning communities.

Introduction: War and Peace in the Late Middle Ages

Whither just war? It is a question scholars and activists have been asking with particular intensity and reappraisal in the last two generations. We turn here to the late medieval period, especially around the time when Muslim forces finally achieved in 1453 an earlier goal: the occupation of Constantinople. This fifteenth-century event, along with the decades before and after, focused the 19th biennial meeting of the American Cusanus Society and the International Seminar on Pre-Reformation Theology held at United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg PA during the autumn of 2023. Three panels of papers and two workshops on texts studied war, peace, and religious violence. While participants looked closely at the life and works of Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464), they also considered major events during the long late Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East. The goal was to reevaluate options and actions for war and peace during this crucible moment in history with an eye toward applying historical lessons. This special issue features five articles that grew out of presentations at the 2023 conference by emerging and established scholars; the sixth is on a related topic (by this author). The journal articles in this special issue continue the prolific publication record of the American Cusanus Society, which since 1991 has published, mostly with Brill, over a dozen volumes of essays originating with papers from the Society’s Gettysburg conferences as well as the annual meetings of the Renaissance Society of America and the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University and Leeds.

Socially Disruptive Technologies and Conceptual Engineering

In this special issue, we focus on the connection between conceptual engineering and the philosophy of technology. Conceptual engineering is the enterprise of introducing, eliminating, or revising words and concepts. The philosophy of technology examines the nature and significance of technology. We investigate how technologies such as AI and genetic engineering (so-called “socially disruptive technologies”) disrupt our practices and concepts, and how conceptual engineering can address these disruptions. We also consider how conceptual engineering can enhance the practice of ethical design. The issue features seven articles that discuss a range of topics, including trust in blockchain applications and the evolving concept of nature. These articles highlight that as technology changes the world and our concepts, conceptual engineering provides invaluable tools and frameworks to reflect on these changes and adapt accordingly.

Information Photonics: introduction to the feature issue

This feature issue of Applied Optics is dedicated to the international meeting of Information Photonics 2023 (IP2023) that was held on the 8th and 9th of September 2023 in New Taipei, Taiwan. IP2023 covers various topics, including information acquisition, information processing, metaverse photonics, information display, optical imaging, and optical metrology.

Improved Cascade-RCNN for automatic detection of coronary artery plaque in multi-angle fusion CPR images

Coronary heart disease is a disease that seriously endangers human health and life which is caused by plaque formation due to coronary artery atherosclerosis or spasm. The detection of coronary plaques through medical imaging is a non-destructive and fast diagnostic method, which holds significant medical and clinical value for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease. In this paper, We proposed an automatic detecting method for coronary artery vulnerable plaque based on CTA image sequence. We collected CTA image sequences from 132 patients and obtained the coronary artery tree by performing three-dimensional (3D) segmentation. The coronary artery centerline was extracted using the skeleton thinning method. To address the issue of insufficient features in a single CPR image, we constructed Curved Planar Reconstructed (CPR) images from multiple directions perpendicular to the coronary artery, following the centerline. In total, we established 8797 images in the training dataset and 1553 images in the test dataset. We proposed an attentive detection method that fused a new Cascade RCNN ResNet50-FPN neural network model with a convolutional attention module (CBAM). This method achieved automatic recognition and detection of plaques on the two-dimensional multi-angle fused CPR images. The proposed ResNet50-FPN network performed feature extraction, and CBAM was added after the first and last convolutional layers to enhance the network’s attention to plaque features. Our experimental results demonstrate that deep learning neural networks can provide a feasible approach to automatically detecting coronary artery plaques. Our method achieved a plaque detection accuracy of 94.6%, outperforming the RCNN method proposed by Zriek.

Immediate shock and residual stress: Unmasking the dual dynamics of covid-19 on the mental health of health professionals in China.

The pandemic of 2019 has created large scale disruption around the globe. It has posed extraordinary hurdles for Chinese health workers, affecting their mental health with respect to situations in the present as well as the future. Recognising the dynamic features of these mental health issues among health professionals is critical for developing effective support systems. This study aims to explore the dual impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of health professionals in China, both during and after the pandemic; to explore the probable underlying factors causing these mental health issues; to identify both adaptive and maladaptive coping behaviours employed by the health personnel; and to assess the organisational and social support to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of the Chinese health professionals. To address these objectives an explorative qualitative research design has been adopted involving analysis of previous researches in the relevant field. The study confirms anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, PTSD, and burnout among medical personnel as immediate shock and residual stress, along with its demographic variations. Few maladaptive coping behaviours have been identified that can lead to delayed psychological effects even after a pandemic. The key findings underscore the complicated interaction of immediate and delayed mental health challenges among health professionals, advocating for the deployment of tailored treatments and policy modifications to address the ever changing needs of this vital workforce.

Editorial: Inaugural Issue of the International Journal of Bridge Engineering, Management and Research (IJBEMR)

It is my pleasure to share with you the inaugural issue of the newly established International Journal of Bridge Engineering, Management and Research. The International Journal of Bridge Engineering, Management and Research (BER) is a fully open access online-only journal. It serves as a forum for the publication of scientific and technical papers related to all aspects of bridge engineering and management, including structural, seismic, hydraulic and geotechnical risk analysis, structural health monitoring, static and dynamic assessments, structural retrofitting, and resiliency enhancement. The journal also publishes research papers on tunnels focusing on the areas mentioned above. Technical research papers and case studies dealing with innovative technological or computational solutions to bridges and tunnels, as well as experimental methods and novel design and theoretical analysis procedures are strong candidates for publication in the journal. This inaugural issue features five high quality papers in bridge engineering. Through this issue, I am also inviting you to register with the journal and submit your research manuscripts to the journal. We are committed to expedited and thorough peer review and publication of your research.

Translation of Children’s Rhyme Bible Storybook on “The Creation” from English into Indonesian

Foreign children’s literature has been translated in various target languages and the most translated stories are from the Bible. The uniqueness of this study is on the rhyming text translation. It is very challenging in translating rhyming text due to distinct features of orality, sociocultural context, lexical and grammatical issues. This paper aims at 1) exploring rhyme types found both in the source text and in the target text; 2) investigating the use of the translation techniques; 3) examining the translation shift; and 4) assessing the translation quality of the rhyming translated text. This is a descriptive qualitative study that applied the content analysis design. The collection of data is through focus group discussion, note-taking and quality translation (QT) rating instrument. Then data are analyzed using analyses of domain, taxonomy, and componential. The findings present 9 data of rhyme types identified in the source text and 10 data of rhyme types in the target text. Besides, there are 12 translation techniques frequently used. Furthermore, the translation shift exists in the translated text indicated by 34 data. Finally, the assessment of translation quality reveals the rates of three aspects of the parameter namely accuracy (2.22), acceptability (3), and readability (3) in which its overall score is 2.61. The overall score of the translation quality reveals that the translation meaningfully succeeds.