The Future University

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical interconnect technology offers an effective solution for addressing the ever-increasing data traffic. Microring modulators (MRMs), owing to their high bandwidth, compact footprint, and inherent wavelength selectivity, have become key building blocks in WDM systems. However, the limited free spectral range (FSR) of MRMs restricts the number of available wavelength channels and the corresponding overall data rate capacity in WDM systems. In this study, we propose an optimized Bezier-bent MRM, in which the device radius is reduced to 3 μm to significantly enhance the FSR. The proposed MRM operates without the need for a DC bias voltage and an RF amplifier, exhibiting a low insertion loss of 0.4 dB, an ultrawide FSR exceeding 4 THz, and a high electro-optic bandwidth of over 110 GHz. Back-to-back (BtB) transmission experiments demonstrate that the modulator supports 400 Gbps PAM-8 data transmission under a driving voltage of only 1 V, satisfying the 7% hard-decision forward error correction (HD-FEC) bit-error-rate (BER) threshold of 3.8 × 10–3. Owing to the compact-radius design, the junction capacitance is substantially reduced, enabling an exceptionally low modulation power consumption of 0.2 fJ/bit. The proposed MRM presents significant potential for dense integration in future optical communication systems.

Background:Heart failure (HF) stands as one of the world’s major causes of morbidity and mortality, yet there is insufficient therapeutic choice, particularly for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). Patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors experience cardiovascular benefits as an additional effect beyond its glucose control capabilities. In this meta-analysis, the effectiveness and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors are assessed for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HFpEF, and HFmrEF. Of particular interest is their effect on cardiovascular mortality, heart failure hospitalizations, and symptom burden.Methods:A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Research performed on the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase electronic databases retrieved randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that evaluated SGLT2 inhibitors treatment for patients with reduced (HFrEF), preserved (HFpEF), and mid-range (HFmrEF) ejection fraction levels. The study analyzed cardiovascular mortality together with heart failure hospitalizations and symptom improvement as well as renal function decline among heart failure patients. The analysis incorporated Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model to pool the data. The assessment of heterogeneity used Cochran’s Q test alongside the I2 statistic, and publication bias was evaluated through funnel plots and Egger’s regression test.Results:The examined research included eight studies that utilized clinical trials combined with real-world data for analysis. Both patients with HFrEF (HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65–0.85, P < 0.001) and HFpEF (HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73–0.92, P = 0.0008) experienced significant decreases in cardiovascular death and HF progression through SGLT2 inhibitors treatment. Benefits in HFmrEF patients were similar to those in HFpEF, mainly based on subgroup analyses in the DELIVER trial. Patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors experienced a 24% reduction in hospital admissions compared to a control group with rates confirmed through an analysis of HR: 0.76 (95% CI: 0.63–0.93, P = 0.01). Patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors showed a 39% decrease in kidney failure risk according to analysis (HR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.51–0.72, P < 0.001). The treatment showed positive effects on symptoms through early NT-proBNP reduction and improved self-reported patient outcomes. The assessment of heterogeneity showed moderate levels through I2 = 52.7% while detecting no meaningful publication bias.Conclusion:With their ability to improve symptoms and lower cardiovascular mortality, hospitalizations, and renal decline, SGLT2 inhibitors offer substantial clinical benefits for all three types of heart failure: HFrEF, HFmrEF, and HFpEF. These results lend credence to their incorporation into medical therapy for heart failure that is guided by guidelines, irrespective of diabetes or ejection fraction.

Background:Left atrial appendage closure (LACC) is a nonpharmacological option for individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF). LAAC procedure is characterized by its minimally invasive nature and is considered an alternative to anticoagulants that were usually the first line of treatment for patients at risk for blood clotting.Methods:A literature search of three databases was conducted and relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effect model to calculate risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and only the articles with the longest follow-up were included in the meta-regression analysis. Bias was assessed using standard methodologies. We included RCTs involving adult patients with AF that compared LAAC with oral anticoagulation therapy. Non-randomized studies, case series, animal studies, and non-English publications were excluded.Results:We included three studies with a 1516 sample size. All three trials investigated the composite hemorrhagic stroke, all-cause mortality, and non-procedural major bleeding as primary outcomes in addition to the risk of systematic embolism, ischemic stroke, and all major bleeding. Compared to anticoagulation medical therapy, the LAAC device showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of the composite primary outcome, cardiovascular (CV) death, all-cause deaths, and nonprocedural bleed. When compared to medical management, there was no statistically significant difference in the risk of systemic embolism and all-stroke in the LAAC device group. The age had no significant impact on the primary efficacy outcome using the Meta-regression analysis.Conclusion:LAAC has comparable efficacy in preventing strokes. The risk of CV death, all-cause deaths, and nonprocedural relevant bleeding, all of which are associated with the composite primary outcome is lower in the LAAC group versus the oral anticoagulation therapy and can have even greater efficacy with a longer follow-up period.

ABSTRACTCat‐scratch disease (CSD) is a zoonotic infection caused by the Gram‐negative bacterium Bartonella henselae, typically transmitted through the scratch or bite of a cat. This case report highlights an atypical presentation of CSD in a 30‐year‐old female pet groomer with prolonged fever, fatigue, and axillary lymphadenopathy. The patient's diagnosis was confirmed through histopathological findings of necrotizing granulomas and subsequent improvement after targeted antibiotic therapy with azithromycin. The case emphasizes the diagnostic challenges posed by atypical presentations of CSD, especially in regions with high cat exposure. This case also underscores the importance of considering CSD in the differential diagnosis of febrile lymphadenopathy and highlights the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in symptom resolution.

ABSTRACT Background Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and vascular and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), are characterized by progressive cognitive and motor decline. So, timely detection, especially early in the disease process, is crucial. Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) are advanced neuroimaging techniques that have shown promise for early diagnosis. Objective This review evaluates the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of PET, fMRI, and DTI in the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. Methods A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library for studies published between 2014 and 2024. Inclusion criteria focused on phase 2 and 3 clinical trials involving adult patients with AD, PD, and FTD. Studies were assessed for diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and identification of early biomarkers using PET, fMRI, and DTI. Data were extracted and analyzed from 14 selected studies. Results PET imaging with tracers like 18F‐flortaucipir provided visualization of amyloid and tau aggregates in AD and dopaminergic changes in PD. PET showed a strong association with amyloid and tau pathology in AD, with up to 95% diagnostic performance. Another useful technique in identifying early changes in the brain networks was resting‐state fMRI (rs‐fMRI), with a diagnostic accuracy of 80%–95%. DTI offered essential data on white matter connectivity and showed microstructural alterations that pointed to early neurodegenerative processes. Integrating these neuroimaging modalities with machine learning models further enhanced diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion PET, fMRI, and DTI are valuable tools for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. These techniques can identify structural and functional changes in the brain before the onset of clinical signs. Integrating these imaging techniques with machine learning improves diagnostic outcomes. Further large‐scale studies with standardized methodologies are needed to validate these findings and implement these techniques in clinical practice.

Smart city sustainability is supported by developing efficient, well-maintained transportation infrastructure, particularly road networks, which impacts the safety and well-being of all users, including civilians and critical government service providers such as police and healthcare professionals. Roads naturally degrade over time owing to causes such as poor weather, natural disasters, and large traffic volumes, resulting in worsening conditions that pose safety hazards and operating issues. Smart cities are progressively implementing predictive maintenance inside Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) frameworks to improve service quality and prolong road durability. With the use of deep learning (DL) models like (CNN), (ANN), (RNN), and (DNN), predictive maintenance makes it possible to identify road issues early and predict maintenance requirements based on variables like traffic volume and environmental conditions. This proactive strategy lowers maintenance costs and extends the infrastructure's lifetime while improving road safety and the overall travel experience.

This paper presents an extensive evaluation of 5G Multicast Broadcast Services (5MBS) services framework standardized by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in terms of standardization, performance evaluation, deployment feasibility, and physical layer enhancements. Unlike traditional Point-to-Point (PtP) communications, 5MBS enables efficient Point-to-Multipoint (PtM) transmission to multiple User Equipment (UE)s, supporting both unicast and group-based delivery. We assess three delivery modes, unicast under Close Loop Spacial Multiplexing (CLSM), multicast under Open Loop Spacial Multiplexing (OLSM), and broadcast (Single Input Single Output (SISO)) across rural, urban, and vehicular scenarios using the Vienna System Level Simulator (SLS). Our results show that multicast strikes a performance balance under medium user densities, while broadcast ensures minimum coverage guarantees in high-load or mobility-critical situations. Additionally, we demonstrate that incorporating Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) configurations into 5G broadcast significantly improves Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) and user throughput at the 5th percentile, thus covering 95% coverage, with MIMO <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4\times 4$</tex-math> </inline-formula> achieving up to 0.7 Mbps gains and 5.5 dB improvements over SISO. These findings highlight the suitability of 5MBS for scalable, reliable content delivery, and underline the importance of adaptive delivery strategies based on traffic density, mobility, and deployment environment. The insights derived offer practical guidelines for efficient use of multicast and broadcast in next-generation 5G networks.

Abiotic stress, especially salinization, is considered a major soil problem in arid and semiarid regions. To combat salinization, halophytes such as date palms are grown in these areas. However, less information is available on the morphological and biochemical responses of different date palm cultivars under high salinity. In this regard, eight cultivars of date palm were selected and treated with different salinity levels to check the adaptive capabilities of these cultivars against salt stress in terms of morphological and biochemical attributes. The objective of the current study was to screen these cultivars for tolerance or susceptibility to salt stress (0, 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl). The results of the morphological parameters revealed the negative impact of salt stress on the morphology. Higher concentrations of salt reduced the plant height (Haleemi, Dahakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, and Hamanwali), the number of leaves (Haleemi, Basrawali, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, and Gajjar), leaf length (Haleemi, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, and Hamanwali), leaf width (Sanduri), leaf area (Haleemi, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, and Hamanwali), fresh weight (Halimi, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, and Tarwali), dry weight % (Halimi, Basrawali, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, Hamanwali, and Gajjar) and root length (Haleemi, Basrawali, Dhakki, Sanduri, and Gajjar) in most of the cultivars. Generally, it was observed that leaf tissues showed a significant (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;≤0.05) increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities with the increasing salt concentrations. Current analysis showed that salinity significantly (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;≤0.05) decreased the accumulation of total phenolic contents (TPC) in the leaf tissues of Haleemi, Basrawali, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, Hamanwali, and Gajjar. However, a reduction in the carotenoid contents in cultivars (Haleemi, Basrawali, Dhakki, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, Hamanwali, and Gajjar) was noted with an increase in the salt concentration. Salt stress significantly reduced the anthocyanin contents in some cultivars (Haleemi, Basrawali, Sanduri, Saghoi, Tarwali, Hamanwali, and Gajjar). This species is highly adapted to salt stress conditions by the evolution of an osmoregulation mechanism. These results suggest that although date palm is tolerant of high salinity, there is variation in tolerance among different cultivars. Based on the recorded parameters, it is concluded that Saghoi was the most salt-tolerant cultivar out of the test ones, followed by Sanduri, Tarwali, and Hamanwali, respectively.

In Greek Mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and was considered the most beautiful woman in the world of the time. She was married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta, but fled to Troy with Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam. This act caused the Trojan War, which lasted for ten years. After the war, Helen returned to Sparta with Menelaus. In order to know the character of Helen clearly, it is analysed at five levels as shown in this article. The five levels are : a) Helen as a daughter, b) Helen as a wife, c) Helen as a daughter-in-law, e) Helen as a mother, and f) Helen as a woman.