Original Lens Research Articles

Exploring the effects of digital transformation from a dual (internal vs external) marketing management perspective

PurposeThis paper sheds light on the factors facilitating the digital transformation (DT) of companies, examining the empirical evidence according to a new and original dual lens: the internal and external marketing management perspective.Design/methodology/approachThrough an explorative research design based on semi-structured interviews, we investigate the perceptions of some managers involved in managing the DT of their own companies.FindingsThe findings, organized from an internal and external marketing perspective, show how DT requires efforts in nurturing: (1) its organizational and cultural nature; (2) new managerial skills and e-leadership. These factors activate DT as an accelerator of (3) production processes and service provision and (4) competitive strategies.Practical implicationsOur findings underscore critical practical implications for organizations embarking on a DT journey. Firstly, managers should prioritize creating a culture that encourages employees to embrace change and technology. Secondly, recognizing the importance of new managerial skills and e-leadership, managers need to invest in developing the expertise to effectively lead DT efforts. The related skills encompass digital literacy, change management and the ability to inspire and guide teams through the complexities of a DT.Originality/valueThis paper suggests that organizations should holistically approach DT, focusing on culture, leadership and strategic deployment of digital tools. The proposed dual lens offers a valuable and simple answer for academics and practitioners to effectively frame the internal dynamics and external factors shaping DT.

Regional development is not a dinner party: a research agenda on power relations and the use of language in regional development studies

Regional development is not a dinner party, but rather a largely contested matter in which its political dimension and power relations play key roles. This paper calls for a research agenda to understand more about how power relations and the use of language—specifically, metaphors—can be integrated into regional development studies. In contrast to major strands of the regional development literature, an important contribution of this paper is that we treat regional development processes not as a purely economistic process, but rather as a conflictual process in which different opinions or even divergent views emerge and compete through different language relationships. This occurs on a multitude of occasions, such as when there is a discussion about building new infrastructure and its related socio-economic and environmental impacts, when people have different views on possible regional futures or when certain regional economic sectors are prioritised by politicians and policymakers. We address three main research questions. (1) What can scholars in the field of regional development learn from previous studies of power relations in the fields of economic geography and political science? (2) What are the most promising research tendencies in which the study of politics and power relations can be embedded? (3) Through which original lens (i.e., language) and methodology (i.e., narratives) might empirical analyses best be conducted on the topics we illustrate?

On-chip bioluminescence biosensor for the detection of microbial surface contamination

Detection of microbial pathogens is important for food safety reasons, and for monitoring sanitation in laboratory environments and health care settings. Traditional detection methods such as culture-based and nucleic acid-based methods are time-consuming, laborious, and require expensive laboratory equipment. Recently, ATP-based bioluminescence methods were developed to assess surface contamination, with commercial products available. In this study, we introduce a biosensor based on a CMOS image sensor for ATP-mediated chemiluminescence detection. The original lens and IR filter were removed from the CMOS sensor revealing a 12 MP periodic microlens/pixel array on an area of 6.5 mm × 3.6 mm. UltraSnap swabs are used to collect samples from solid surfaces including personal electronic devices, and office and laboratory equipment. Samples mixed with chemiluminescence reagents were placed directly on the surface of the image sensor. Close proximity of the sample to the photodiode array leads to high photon collection efficiency. The population of microorganisms can be assessed and quantified by analyzing the intensity of measured chemiluminescence. We report a linear range and limit of detection for measuring ATP in UltraSnap buffer of 10–1000 nM and 225 fmol, respectively. The performance of the CMOS-based device was compared to a commercial luminometer, and a high correlation with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.98589 was obtained. The Bland-Altman plot showed no significant bias between the results of the two methods. Finally, microbial contamination of different surfaces was analyzed with both methods, and the CMOS biosensor exhibited the same trend as the commercial luminometer.

Mirrored transformation optics.

A mirrored transformation optics (MTO) approach is presented to overcome the material mismatch in transformation optics. It makes good use of the reflection behavior and introduces a mirrored medium to offset the phase discontinuities. Using this approach, a high-performance planar focusing lens of transmission type is designed, which has a larger concentration ratio than the other focusing lens obtained by the generalized Snell's law. The MTO will not change any functionality of the original lens and has promising potential applications in imaging and light energy harvesting.

Imaging quality characterization and optimization of segmented planar imaging system based on honeycomb dense azimuth sampling lens array.

Segmented planar photoelectric imaging is an advanced computational imaging technology that utilizes photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to achieve the miniaturization of imaging systems. The original radial-spoke lens array has dense radial sampling and coarse azimuthal sampling. The sparsity and inhomogeneity of spatial frequency sampling lead to the loss of spatial frequency information and blurred reconstructed images. In this paper, a honeycomb dense azimuth sampling lens array is proposed, and three baseline pairing methods are designed, which can realize dense azimuth sampling, effectively increase spatial frequency sampling and improve the imaging quality. The signal transmission model of the segmented planar imaging system is established and the imaging process is simulated and analyzed. The simulation results show that the honeycomb lens array improves the azimuth sampling density and spatial frequency coverage, and its imaging quality is significantly improved compared with the hexagonal lens array and the radial-spoke lens array. Furthermore, the optimal choice of the baseline pairing method and the error range of the fill factor and are also given in this paper. The results indicate that the mixed pairing method first ensures low and medium-frequency dense sampling, and then increases high-frequency sampling, which makes the imaging results better than those of the other two baseline pairing methods in terms of image contour, contrast and image detail information. The sampling density of the spatial frequency and the imaging quality can be improved by increasing the fill factor. In the actual manufacturing process, the allowable error range of the fill factor of the lens array is within 5%. The research results will provide theoretical support for the design and development of segmented planar imaging system.

OGLE-2016-BLG-1195 AO: Lens, Companion to Lens or Source, or None of the Above?

We systematically investigate Vandorou et al.’s claim to have detected the host star of the low-mass-ratio (q < 10−4) microlensing planet OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb, via Keck adaptive optics (AO) measurements Δt = 4.12 yr after the event’s peak (t 0). If correct, this measurement would contradict the microlens-parallax measurement derived from Spitzer observations taken near t 0. We show that this host identification would be in 4σ conflict with the original ground-based relative lens–source proper-motion measurements. By contrast, Gould estimated a probability p = 10% that the “other star” resolved by single-epoch late-time AO would be a companion to the host or the microlensed source, which is much more probable than a 4σ statistical fluctuation. Independent of this proper-motion discrepancy, the kinematics of this host identification are substantially less probable than those of the Spitzer solution. Hence, this identification should not be accepted, pending additional observations that would either confirm or contradict it, which could be taken in 2023. Motivated by this tension, we present two additional investigations. We explore the possibility that Vandorou et al. identified the wrong “star” for their analysis. Astrometry of KMT and Keck images favors a star (or asterism) lying about 175 mas northwest of Vandorou et al.’s star. We also present event parameters from a combined fit to all survey data, which yields a more precise mass ratio, q = (4.6 ± 0.4) × 10−5. Finally, we discuss the broader implications of minimizing such false positives for the first measurement of the planet mass function, which will become possible when AO on next-generation telescopes are applied to microlensing planets.

Intersectional Praxis and Disability in Higher Education

This article explores whether intersectional praxis can be discerned in the provision of disability/accessibility resources in higher education in Sweden and the United States. Analysing interviews with administrative staff based on hypothetical scenarios (vignettes) that could qualify as situations of disability discrimination, this article identifies several situations of (missed) opportunities for intersectional praxis. It then proceeds with a discussion of participants’ conceptions of disability and organisational possibilities for collaborations with other offices at their university or college. Although opportunities for intersectional praxis are generally absent or missed in both countries, the article argues that American participants were closer to such critical praxis because they tended to consider disability in terms of barriers and as a structural issue, and advocated for the recognition of disability as diversity. By contrast, the Swedish participants seemed further away from an intersectional praxis because they tended to view disability as a difficulty that requires individualised support measures and as a situational issue regarding the learning environment. The article proposes that these differences are connected to differences regarding disability and anti‐discrimination politics in both countries. In the US, disability politics have been characterised by a civil rights and social justice approach, while in Sweden disability politics have been conceived in terms of welfare services and a relational approach to disability. This article concludes that the conception of intersectionality as a critical praxis offers an original lens to gain new insights into how disability inclusion is promoted in different contexts.

RISK FACTORS AND SURGICAL APPROACH FOR PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY OF POSTERIORLY DISLOCATED INTRAOCULAR LENSES

The retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, Nishtar Medical Hospital, and Bakhtawar Amin Trust Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 to evaluate risk factors and surgical approach for posterior dislocation of the intraocular lens into vitreous requiring pars plana vitrectomy. A total of 30 eyes of 30 patients (20 male and 10 female) were included in the study. Standard PPV vitrectomy was performed in all patients. The Iris fixation technique was used in patients having a 3-piece lens design. A sclera fixation technique was performed to secure the lens and prevent it from falling onto the retina. IOL (Intra-Ocular Lens) was exchanged in eyes in which it was previously damaged. Results showed that in 28 (93.3%) eyes, the original lens was conserved and positioned on the scleral wall, iris, or both. The existing lens could not be preserved in 2(6.6%) eyes. 92.1% of cases had a single risk factor for IOL dislocation. After surgery, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) improved from 20/400 on the initial visit to 20/80 on the final (P=0.001). UCVA remained unchanged in 3 (10%) patients and improved in 27 (90%) patients. It can be concluded that the incidence of posterior IOL dislocation has been increasing. Intravitreal substance injections, myopia, and previous vitrectomy are the major risk factors. In most cases, the existing lens can be preserved and secured in the posterior chamber through pars plana vitrectomy.

Lens regeneration in situ using hESCs-derived cells —similar to natural lens

Lens itself has limited regeneration functionality, thus we aimed to create regenerated lens with biological function to treat cataracts rather than the intraocular lens used in cataract surgery. We induced exogenous human embryonic stem cells to directionally differentiate into lens fate like cells invitro, mixed these cells with hyaluronate, and then implanted the mixture into lens capsule to regenerate invivo. We successfully achieved near-complete lens regeneration, and the thickness of the regenerated lens reached 85% of the contralateral eye, showing the characteristics of biconvex shape, transparency, and a thickness and diopter close to that of natural lenses. Meanwhile, the participation of Wnt/PCP pathway in lens regeneration was verified. The regenerated lens in this study was the most transparent, thickest, and most similar to the original natural lens that has thus far been reported. Overall, these findings offer a new therapeutic strategy for cataracts and other lens diseases.

Design and 3D printing of the Powell lens for sub-terahertz imaging.

The aim behind this work is to design and manufacture a beam shaping lens for active terahertz imaging systems that boosts their performance in terms of sensitivity and image quality. The proposed beam shaper is based on an adaptation of the original optical Powell lens, where a collimated Gaussian beam is converted into a uniform flattop intensity beam. The design model for such a lens was introduced, and its parameters were optimized by a simulation study conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The lens was then fabricated using a carefully chosen material [polylactic acid (PLA)] through a 3D printing process. The manufactured lens was implemented in an experimental setup to validate its performance using a continuous-wave sub-terahertz source around 100GHz. Experimental results demonstrated a high-quality flattop beam maintained along the propagation path, which is highly recommended for terahertz and millimeter-wave active imaging systems to produce high-quality images.

A novel method for sub-wavelength focusing of flexural waves

A novel method for achieving sub-wavelength focusing of reflected flexural waves in a single-phase plate is proposed in this paper. The original plane lens is divided into two adjacent lenses, and modulating the internal angle between them, more reflected wave components from broader directions can arrive at the focusing position, which leads to the sub-wavelength focusing phenomenon with the focusing size smaller than half wavelength. Firstly, Mindlin plate theory is adopted to solve the reflected wave, and lenses with different width values are designed based on phase modulation for wave focusing. After that, the sub-wavelength focusing is exemplified numerically and experimentally, with the reason explained systematically. Remarkably, the focusing size perpendicular to wave propagation direction locates (0.4λ, 0.5λ), which is controlled by the internal angle. It is demonstrated that the subwavelength focusing is general because it is still suitable when the lenses are designed via the thickness variation or other phase distribution. Additionally, the lenses exhibit broadband property, which can work in a certain frequency region centered the designed frequency. Not limited by flexural wave in plates, the design methodology in this paper can also lay the foundation for wave control in electromagnetics and acoustics.

Review: Drug Lords, Cowboys, and Desperadoes: Violent Myths of the U.S.-Mexico Frontier, by Rafael Acosta Morales

Review: <i>Drug Lords, Cowboys, and Desperadoes: Violent Myths of the U.S.-Mexico Frontier</i>, by Rafael Acosta Morales

Development of an Ophthalmological Video System for a Stereomicroscope for Vitreoretinal Operations

The article discusses the problem of high-quality reproduction of stereomicroscopic images on PC screens in low-light conditions of an operating field during vitreoretinal operations. The ophthalmological video system developed in the form of a module connected to one path of a classic-type stereomicroscope is presented and requirements to it are substantiated. To meet them, an original lens was developed. Characteristics of the video system are described.

A Life of Olson &amp; a Sequence of Glyphs on Points of his Life, Work &amp; Times ed. by Sanders

Reviewed by: A Life of Olson & a Sequence of Glyphs on Points of his Life, Work & Times ed. by Sanders Thomas C. Marshall (bio) a life of olson & a sequence of glyphs on points of his life, work & times Ed Sanders Spuyten Duyvil http://www.spuytenduyvil.net/a-life-of-olson.html 182 pages; Print, $40.00 Ed Sanders has now added another dimension to his colorful oeuvre and the practice of what he calls "investigative poetry." Beyond history and poetry, song and performance, Sanders now gives us a biography of ideas in the work and life of one of his poet-heroes: Charles Olson. Olson's place in poetry is significant for many. He serves both as a positive model and as an object around which critical ideas have been focused. Olson is not universally adulated. In recent years, the poet and scholar Heriberto Yépez has centered some sharply critical thinking on the life and times of Olson (The Empire of Neomemory; 2007, trans. 2013). This thinking aims to deconstruct and expose sexism, racism, and bellicosity in the Gloucester poet's works, letters, and biography. Yet he has been praised by a diverse range of poets and scholars, including Amiri Baraka, who (almost surprisingly) doesn't call him out for much of anything except positive poetic influence. Sanders also takes a positive tack and uses a fairly original lens to look at "O." This Life with "Glyphs" is "an expanded version of an illustrated lecture given at the Cape Ann Museum for the Gloucester Writers Center, October 27, 2018" (frontispiece). In it, Sanders does not honor the critiques of others with any direct responses; he chooses instead an intriguingly fresh way to celebrate the poet and key moments in his life with anecdote and image. Sanders underscores Olson's image as a big man and a man of big character. His broad grasp of poetics and history was impressive. He drew many ardent followers and still has most of them to this day, a half-century after his death. Sanders admits in this book to being an early follower, literally a "glue-shoe" following Olson around the Berkeley Poetry Conference in 1965. Sanders's own accomplishments in writing, with his band The Fugs in concerts [End Page 170] and recordings, and as publisher and purveyor of books are all huge, but here he uses his talents to pay homage to one of his greatest mentors. He has honored others in similar ways, but here he has done a particularly beautiful job. This book is attractive and enjoyable. Sanders's "glyphs" are "color drawings combining images and texts, which trace key points in the life of this amazing poet." Some of them are gorgeous; all of them are fun. Interestingly enough, these pictured points ("Such a bewildering sequence / of interesting points / in Olson's life"), of which Sanders laments that he is "only able, for now / to 'Glyphize' / such a few," sort of give the book a feeling of hesitation or stopping and starting. They suppress time and narrative into an album of snapshots—nice ones, complex ones, but ones that leave out much. The film by Ferrini Productions of the talk in Gloucester (available on YouTube) gives a more lively version of these points of focus, with Sanders lecturing as he shows slides of the glyphs. Even in that version, though, there are parts of Olson's life, and the lives involved with his, that are left out or minimized. The sense of history, so important to both the poet and his poet-biographer, is broken up. This is exactly Yépez's main complaint against the culture of "neomemory" that Olson participated in, "Language converted into space for only-echo." Sanders has unwittingly replicated this sonar of self in his celebration of Olson's big self. As he "glyphizes" the life he admires, Sanders runs the risk of halting its flow and its web of interpenetrations into still objects in space—slides of a projected narrative that mythologizes the poet. Little in the life told here will be new to those who have studied it in the biographies and critical works spawned among the academics by Olson...

Influencer marketing effectiveness: the mechanisms that matter

Purpose The continued evolution of influencer marketing has created a need to better understand influencer marketing effectiveness. With brands increasingly partnering with influencers, research is yet to provide an integrated perspective examining the critical role of both parties. This study aims to draw on the source credibility model and signaling theory to explain the mechanisms that matter in influencer marketing effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model of influencer marketing effectiveness is analyzed using partial least squares with data from 281 followers of social media influencers. Findings The authors establish influencer characteristics of popularity and attractiveness as heuristic cues that inform judgments of influencer efficacy. Further, category involvement and altruistic motives for collaboration are shown to moderate followers’ reliance on these heuristic cues. Then, a sequential mediating effect demonstrates the critical roles of the influencer and partner brand in three desired outcomes: enhanced perception of brand authenticity, enhanced brand engagement and positive attitudes toward influencer posts. Research limitations/implications Future research should consider other heuristic cues that could inform influencer efficacy judgments and switch the focus toward the partner brand’s impact on such judgments. Practical implications A step-by-step visual framework is presented to help marketers and influencers translate these findings into key responsibilities for developing more effective and collaborative partnerships. Originality/value Besides presenting an integrated perspective, signaling theory provides an original lens for explaining influencer marketing effectiveness, addressing the need to expand the theoretical boundaries of influencer marketing research.

A New Modified Video Solution System for Neuroendoscopic Procedures

Background and Aim: Today, neuroendoscopic surgery is gaining popularity because of its minimal damage to normal structures, fewer complications, and excellent clinical results. Using an endoscope and related instruments, surgeons can perform complex surgeries through small incisions, especially for minimally invasive spinal and brain surgeries. Neuroendoscopic systems are currently costly and not portable. Our new video solution is portable at a lower cost and can display and record images in 4K resolution. Methods and Materials/Patients: We modified the GoPro Hero 6 camera to serve our purpose. By detaching the original camera lens and its front part and replacing the removed parts with a new design, we made a C-mount camera that can connect to a standard C-mount coupler and various common scopes. For color correction, we used an IR-cut filter in front of the camera sensor. Results: By changing some parts of the camera and connecting it to a C-mount coupler and a scope lens, we made a small, portable neuroendoscope that displays and records images in clear, sharp, high resolution, with a high frame rate. Conclusion: The modified GoPro camera can be used as an alternative and unexpansive neuroendoscope system for education or treatment in medical centers in developing countries.

Opacification in a Preloaded Intraocular Lens

A 64-year-old woman underwent uneventful cataract surgery with implantation of enVista IOL (Bausch + Lomb) preloaded single-piece hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) MX60PL (Fig A). At 1-day postoperatively, a central diagonal opacity of unknown origin was observed (Fig B). After replacement of the lens, significant marks were observed on the lens under standard microscopy (Fig C). After IOL-exchange surgery, the visual acuity improved from 20/30 to 20/20. The original lens was sent to a forensic laboratory for evaluation.

Method for reducing longitudinal spherical aberration of intraocular lenses

It has been established that of all types of aberrations following the implantation of intraocular lenses, the most significant is spherical, inherent in the spherical optics in various aspects. This paper proposes a method for reducing the longitudinal spherical aberration of intraocular lenses by applying an additional optical layer onto their surface. To reduce spherical aberration, the thickness of a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) was simulated in the programming environment Zemax 13 (USA). Calculations that were performed included refractive indices of the environment and the material of the optics. It was established that in order to reduce the value of the longitudinal spherical aberration of an intraocular lens made of hydrophobic acrylic, the thickness of aTeflon layer should be about 100 nm. The results of spraying indicate an improvement in the optical characteristics of the lens by reducing longitudinal spherical aberration. When examining different areas of lenses with spraying, it was established that there is no spherical aberration in the lens area. In the 4 mm zone, the spherical aberration indicator decreased by 4 times compared to the original lens. In the region with a diameter of 6 mm, spherical aberration decreased by 0.2. Applying a layer of Teflon reduced Fresnel reflection by 4 times, which improves the sensitivity and contrast of vision. The hydrophobic properties of Teflon provide the anti-adhesive state of the lens, which is a counteraction to the development of secondary cataracts. The SolidWorks 19 software (France) was used to design a model of the lens "NVision Optics" whose aberrations were eliminated as much as possible

Dielectric Slabs-Based Lens for Millimeter-Wave Beamforming

This paper proposes a dielectric slabs-based lens for millimeter-wave beamforming systems. The proposed lens is based on the graded steps of the effective refractive index of the semi-spherical lens. It consists of multiple dielectric slabs that match the selected gradient effective refractive index. These slabs have the same thicknesses and different radii. The slab thickness in this lens should not exceed a quarter of the operating wavelength to keep on a similar effective refractive index of the original semi-spherical lens. A horn antenna is used to examine the performance of the designed lens at 28 GHz frequency in terms of the maximum gain, sidelobe level, and 3 dB beamwidth. Sixteen switchable horn antennas are used to demonstrate lens capability for millimeter-wave beamforming. Every single antenna element is selected individually, thus the dielectric lens steers and enhances the corresponding radiation of the selected element in the desired direction.

Field curvature correction in video endoscope lenses through the parameters of air meniscus

The research presents a method to synthesize lens data of an air meniscus built into the optical layout and acting as a correction element that fixes the field curvature of the entire optical system. The practical application of the proposed method is relevant when creating miniature lenses for medical video endoscopes when a small number of lenses and a flat image field for a CCD/CMOS sensor are important. Analytical dependencies for the lens data of the air meniscus are obtained and significant conditions for the field curvature correction are formed. A numerical example of a front stop lens design is demonstrated and confirms the correctness of the formulated conditions. A comparison of the aberration values of the original lens and an upgraded system is carried out. It is shown that, the values of the field curvature and astigmatism have been compensated as a result of introducing the synthesized parameters of the air meniscus into the optical layout. The correction is achieved while keeping the values of coma, distortion, focal length, and optical system total length at the level of the initial values.