Zulu nation faces uncertainty after 'unlawful' king ruling

Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2023

King Misuzulu Zulu, ruler of the Zulu nation, was contested by his older brother, Prince Simakade (RAJESH JANTILAL)

South Africa's president and Zulu monarch have been stunned by a court ruling that the state's recognition of King Misuzulu Zulu was "unlawful" in a move that risks reopening old succession wounds.

Experts are divided on the impact of Monday's ruling on Misuzulu Zulu but say it shows that South Africa has not yet learned how to handle the country's traditional customs.

The 49-year-old king's older brother, Prince Simakade, was behind the latest royal showdown.

He sought the ruling by the Pretoria high court which said that President Cyril Ramaphosa was "unlawful" to recognise the king at an elaborate ceremony in October last year.

The court ordered Ramaphosa to set up an investigation into whether Misuzulu Zulu's tumultuous accession was in line with customary laws.

Ramaphosa's spokesman told AFP: "The legal team is carefully studying the judgement.

"Only once they've completed their thorough study of the judgement will a determination on the way forward be made".

- Mysterious deaths -

The monarch's office said in a statement that the king would also be "studying the judgement" with his legal team and senior members of the royal family.

They would be "applying their minds as to (the) correct course of action".

Misuzulu Zulu was named after King Goodwill Zwelithini died in 2021 at the age of 72. He ruled the Zulu nation for 52 years.

A bitter feud between rival claimants delayed the traditional coronation until August 2022. Two months later, Ramaphosa held his grand ceremony to recognise the king.

Misuzulu Zulu faced several court challenges before his coronation.

And Prince Simakade, born out of wedlock but the late king's eldest son, has been publicly championed by some dissenting relatives.

Last year Misuzulu Zulu called for "peace and unity" after a series of unexplained deaths just before his coronation.

In July, Misuzulu Zulu denied that he had been poisoned, after the sudden death of a close adviser who ingested a toxic substance.


According to historian and cultural analyst Pitika Ntuli, the AmaZulu nation "have no king... because the state does have to recognise the king according to the law."

University of KwaZulu-Natal African languages professor and cultural expert Gugu Mazibuko backed the monarch.

"By the time the president recognised the king, all traditional processes had been observed, even if the court rules that the recognition is invalid, the king will remain the king," she told AFP.


- Land and money -

Although recognized by South Africa's constitution, the Zulu monarch has no executive powers, but exercises profound moral authority.

"Obviously this situation is going to escalate because there is a lot at stake... there are resources involved as well, such as the Ingonyama Trust and land," Ntuli told AFP.


"We are not just looking at the individuals battling in court but there are other people behind those individuals" who have their own "interests", he said.

Misuzulu Zulu inherited nearly 30,000 square kilometres of land -- almost the area of Belgium -- which is managed by a trust from which he can receive revenues.

Misuzulu's mother, the favorite third wife of the late king, was from the Swati royal family.

Her dowry was paid for by the Zulu nation which, according to experts, gives her children precedence for the throne.

"Zulu succession nowadays is viewed in a very western way," Mazibuko said. "We can't be compared to England where there is a clear line of succession, our culture is vastly different."

While the traditional coronation determines the Zulu ruler, state recognition is required to access government support and resources.

Known for his lavish lifestyle, King Goodwill Zwelithini received about $82,000 a year for himself -- in a country where the average annual salary stands at just $16,000 and unemployment hovers at roughly 30 percent -- along with a budget of $4.2 million to run his kingdom.

The state also pays several hundred traditional chiefs, including a dozen kings and queens.

"We also need to look at the idea of traditional courts because another concern is the ruling being made by a judge who... does not understand how the Zulu culture works," Mazibuko said.

According to Ntuli, South Africa failed to properly process customary laws at the advent of democracy in 1994, leaving many "loopholes".

"This is not the first or the last time the Zulu throne is contested, Misuzulu's father was contested, so was Shaka Zulu, the difference is modern courts were not involved," Mazibuko said.

"This will be a case study for the government to iron out how to deal with these kind of customary issues to avoid uncertainty."

Trump 'supercharged' decades of work to remake GOP as Christian nationalist party: column

Travis Gett
December 13, 2023 

Trump at St. John's Episcopal Church (Photo: White House/Flickr)

Donald Trump "supercharged" decades of work by right-wing Christians to remake the Republican Party as an "ethno-nationalist party," according to a new column.

Polling data shows a majority of Republicans – 54 percent – identify with Christian nationalism, compared to just 31 percent in 2010 who identified as merely conservative Christians, and Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte said that shift has been the result of a long-term project by religious extremists that had accelerated since Trump was first elected.

"These numbers likely are not the result of millions of Americans suddenly finding Jesus, but about the way that Trump and the MAGA movement have cemented the GOP as an ethno-nationalist party, instead of merely a conservative party," Marcotte wrote. "Which is to say, now that they're a tribe they need ways to define their tribal identity. Religion offers one aspect of that identity. (Whiteness, too, though most will rarely, if ever, say so out loud.)"

"This is why polls show over 40 percent of self-described 'evangelicals' don't even go to church," she added. "'Christian' has morphed from a faith tradition to a marker of ethnic/political identity."

Religious fundamentalists have spent decades generating propaganda and disinformation to form a myth that the U.S. was founded as an explicitly Christian nation, and no figure has been more important to that charade than "huckster" historian David Barton, whose research is considered a joke by scholars and whose claims are rejected by even conservative Christian academics.

"Yet Barton's influence is so vast in the world of Republican thought it's immeasurable," Marcotte wrote. "He's heavily promoted through right-wing media and consults with major Republican leaders, including the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. But even people who have never heard his name have likely absorbed his ideas through the right-wing media ecosystem, which is infused with them. When Republicans repeat false talking points, like 'separation of church and state is a myth' or 'the Founders envisioned a Christian nation,' most of that goes straight back to Barton and his fake histories."

So how did Trump, of all people, usher these dubious assertions into the political mainstream?

"That this all got supercharged under Trump is a little odd, no doubt, because Trump's 'Christianity' is as transparently false as Barton's historical research," Marcotte wrote. "Perversely, however, Trump's fake faith likely boosted the widespread embrace of an 'evangelical' identity by Republican voters who previously weren't especially religious."

"By waving around a Bible he doesn't read and talking up a Jesus he doesn't believe in, Trump has underscored how much 'Christian' is a tribal identity marker more than a faith tradition, at least in the MAGA world," she added. "That's encouraged a lot of people who don't really want to get involved in a church community to start projecting a 'Christian' identity out into the world, without worrying overmuch about their lack of faith at home."

Dutch dope trial: what's the deal?

Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2023 

Man smoking a joint (Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP)

On December 15, cannabis will for the first time be grown, sold, and consumed legally in the Netherlands as part of a four-year trial across the country.

Here's a potted history of the eagerly awaited experiment:

- Wait, it's not already legal? -

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about the Netherlands, whose capital Amsterdam has for decades been considered the world's top draw for cannabis smokers.

In fact, cannabis is not legal but "gedoogd" ("tolerated"). Selling and using cannabis is illegal "but the authorities choose not to pursue or prosecute lawbreakers," according to the government's website.

It is however completely illegal (and not tolerated) to cultivate cannabis in the Netherlands or supply it to the famous "coffee shops" where it can be smoked.

- Why change the system? -

The "toleration" policy was adopted in the 1970s to differentiate between hard and soft drugs but has led to a bizarre legal grey area that the experiment hopes to clear up.

The law has driven the supply of cannabis to the country's 570 coffee shops underground, with local authorities complaining of related petty crime and anti-social behavior.

- So what's happening? -


The legislation is being temporarily suspended to allow growers and suppliers to operate legally in 11 municipalities, supplied by 10 growers.

All coffee shops in the municipalities have to take part, so that the same rules apply to everyone and consumers know they are getting the same quality of product everywhere.

Other rules remain the same: a maximum of five grammes per person per day, a ban on selling to underaged smokers, no hard drugs, and no alcohol on the premises.


Only people living in the Netherlands can partake. The municipality of Amsterdam East has also applied to participate.

Coffee shops will be able to stock more than the current maximum of 500 grammes on the premises -- "as a general rule... up to one week's stock," according to officials.

- What are the benefits? -


The weed will be carefully tracked and tested, so consumers will know exactly how strong the cannabis is. This is measured by the levels of THC and CBD, the substance that produces the effects.

Potentially dangerous heavy metals and aflatoxin -- which occurs naturally in cannabis -- will also be monitored.

The product itself is expected to be of very high quality. Coffee shop owner Rick Brand told AFP in October it was impossible to know what exactly he was selling under the old rules.


"What we've been receiving until now sometimes contains pesticide, but also foreign agents to increase weight. Actually, we don't really know," he said.

Authorities are hoping for a drop in petty crime and anti-social behaviour. Coffee shop owners are looking forward to operating with legal clarity.

- What happens next? -


Independent researchers will monitor the experiment throughout its four-year duration.

The aim is two-fold: to see if it is possible to regulate the supply chain of cannabis to coffee shops, and to see whether this reduces petty crime and anti-social behavior.

The government "will decide on the future of Dutch coffeeshop policy on the basis of these outcomes and other factors," according to its website, with a view to eventual decriminalization.


One unknown hanging over this policy -- and all policies -- is the Geert Wilders factor, after the far-right leader won elections last month.

His PVV Freedom Party wants to scrap the "tolerance" policy for good, close coffee shops, and push for a "drug-free Netherlands."

They were ranked bottom of the parties to vote for in the last election by "cannabis-kieswijzer.nl", a website that assesses political parties by their cannabis-friendly policies.

Natural gas is actually migrating under permafrost, and could see methane emissions skyrocket if it escapes

Scientists say vast quantities of methane may be trapped beneath the permafrost, and it could escape if it thaws

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FRONTIERS

Beneath Svalbard’s permafrost, millions of cubic meters of methane are trapped — and scientists have now learned that it can migrate beneath the cold seal of the permafrost and escape. A large-scale escape could create a cycle of warming that would send methane emissions skyrocketing: warming thaws the permafrost, causing more gas to escape, allowing more permafrost to thaw and more gas to be released. Because Svalbard’s geological and glacial history is very similar to the rest of the Arctic region, these migrating deposits of methane are likely to be present elsewhere in the Arctic.

“Methane is a potent greenhouse gas,” said Dr Thomas Birchall of the University Center in Svalbard, lead author of the study in Frontiers in Earth Science. “At present the leakage from below permafrost is very low, but factors such as glacial retreat and permafrost thawing may ‘lift the lid’ on this in the future.”

Cold storage

Permafrost, ground that remains below zero degrees Celsius for two years or more, is widespread in Svalbard. However, it isn’t uniform or continuous. The west of Svalbard is warmer due to ocean currents, so permafrost there tends to be thinner and potentially patchier. Permafrost in the highlands is drier and more permeable, while permafrost in the lowlands is more ice-saturated. The rocks beneath are often fossil fuel sources, releasing methane which is sealed off by the permafrost. However, even where there is continuous permafrost, some geographical features may allow gas to escape.

The base of the permafrost is hard to study because of its inaccessibility. However, over the years, many wellbores have been sunk into the permafrost by companies looking for fossil fuels. The researchers used historical data from commercial and research wellbores to map the permafrost across Svalbard and identify permafrost gas accumulations. 

“I and my supervisor Kim looked through a lot of the historical wellbore data in Svalbard,” said Birchall. “Kim noticed that one recurring theme kept coming up, and that was these gas accumulations at the base of the permafrost.”

Initial temperature measurements are often compromised by heating the drilling mud to prevent the wellbore from freezing. However, observing the trend of temperature measurements and monitoring boreholes in the long term allowed the scientists to identify permafrost. They also looked for ice forming within the wellbore, changes in the drill cuttings produced while drilling the wellbore, and changes in background gas measurements. 

The wellbore monitors identified gas influxes into the wellbore, indicating accumulations beneath the permafrost, and abnormal pressure measurements which showed that the icy permafrost was acting as a seal. In other cases, even where the permafrost and underlying geology were suitable for trapping gas, and the rocks were known sources of hydrocarbons, no gas was present — suggesting that the gas produced had already migrated.

An unexpectedly frequent finding

The scientists emphasized that gas accumulations were much more common than expected. Of 18 hydrocarbon exploration wells drilled in Svalbard, eight showed evidence of permafrost and half of these struck gas accumulations. 

“All the wells that encountered gas accumulations did so by coincidence - by contrast, hydrocarbon exploration wells that specifically target accumulations in more typical settings had a success rate far below 50%,” said Birchall. “These things seem to be common. One anecdotal example is from a wellbore that was drilled recently near the airport in Longyearbyen. The drillers heard a bubbling sound coming from the well, so we decided to have a look, armed with rudimentary alarms designed for detecting explosive levels of methane — which were immediately triggered when we held them over the wellbore.”

Experts have shown that the active layer of permafrost — the upper one or two meters that thaws and re-freezes seasonally — is expanding with the warming climate. However, we know less about how the deeper permafrost is changing, if at all. Understanding this is dependent on understanding the fluid flow beneath the permafrost. If the consistently frozen permafrost grows thinner and patchier, this methane could find it ever easier to migrate and escape, possibly accelerating global warming and exacerbating the climate crisis.
 

---

JOURNAL

Frontiers in Earth Science

DOI

10.3389/feart.2023.1277027 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Permafrost Trapped Natural Gas in Svalbard, Norway

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Dec-2023

 

Adults with cognitive disabilities are more likely to have worse experiences with health care system

Their overall satisfaction is significantly lower than those in the general population, Rutgers study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

People with cognitive disabilities – like autism, attention deficit and memory loss – are less satisfied with their health care than those in the general population, according to a study published by a Rutgers researcher.

 

The study, published in Disability and Health Journal, examined how a national sample of adults experience the care they receive and the factors that contribute to their experiences.

 

“People with cognitive disabilities were less likely than people without cognitive disabilities to report that providers listened carefully to them, explained things or gave advice in a way that was easy to understand, spent enough time with them, or showed respect for what they had to say,” said Elizabeth Stone, a faculty member of the Rutgers Center for Health Services Research at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the lead author of the study.

 

Past research has shown that people with cognitive disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome face barriers to accessing quality health care. Until now, research has focused on the types of care people receive or the perspectives of providers rather than the experiences of the patients with cognitive disabilities themselves.

 

Using a national sample of more than 22,000 adults, including those with and without cognitive disabilities, researchers analyzed patient-reported experiences with health care services and compared the levels of satisfaction of experiences between those with and without disabilities.

 

Researchers found that individuals with cognitive disabilities rated their overall satisfaction with health care services as significantly lower than those in the general population. Those with cognitive disabilities also reported worse experiences in health care encounters.

 

Poor patient-provider communication can contribute to adverse outcomes for patients, pointing to the need for providers to improve their capacity to communicate with patients with disabilities.

 

“Addressing this problem might include incorporating disability competencies into medical education and should also include policies – for example, enhanced reimbursement – that reflect the increased time and effort that might be needed to ensure that the needs of disabled patients are being met,” said Stone, who is an instructor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

 

In addition to the need for structural and policy changes, patients in general also can play a role. The researchers said patients should be proactive in preparing for health care appointments and asking for accommodations that may enhance their experiences.

 

Future research in this area should examine how experiences with health care differs across the range of cognitive disabilities and by other disabilities and identities, according to the researchers.

 

Coauthors of the study include Elizabeth Wise of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Liz Stuart of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Beth McGinty of Weill Cornell Medicine.

 

---

JOURNAL

Disability and Health Journal

DOI

10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101547 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Experiences of health care services among people with cognitive disabilities and mental health conditions

 

A study from China reported a high prevalence of high myopia and pathological myopia but a lack of awareness in this patient population. Increased patient education about the disease needs to be emphasized

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SICHUAN INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EXCHANGE AND PROMOTION ASSOCIATION

 

IMAGE: 

PREVALENCE AND PERCEPTION OF HIGH MYOPIA/PATHOLOGICAL MYOPIA IN CHINA

view more 

CREDIT: THE EYE AND ENT HOSPITAL OF FUDAN UNIVERSITY, CHINA

Myopia is the most common eye disease worldwide, with prevalence rates of 25-50% among adults in the United States and Europe, and up to 85-90% among young people in Asian countries. In East Asia, myopia progresses at an amazingly rapid rate during childhood and about 24% of patients may develop high myopia by adulthood. High myopia can lead to a number of ocular complications and is an important risk factor for pathological myopia, which is usually characterised by a spherical refraction dioptre greater than -6.00 D, an axial length greater than 26mm, and a combination of pathological changes in the fundus. The prevalence of pathological myopia in young people with high myopia is about 8%, and the incidence of blindness and low vision is as high as 22.4%and 32.7% respectively. Myopia has therefore become a global public health concern.

Recently, a team of Xingtao Zhou and Jing Zhao from the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University conducted a multicentre survey on "Awareness of high and pathological myopia among myopic patients in China: A cross-sectional multicenter survey" was published in MedComm-Future Medicine, published by Wiley. 6,975 doctors and myopic patients in 161 medical institutions were surveyed online and offline, and data on the proportion of patients with myopia, high myopia, and pathological myopia in China were collected. The report also investigated the outpatient education status, doctors' expectations of patient education, patients' knowledge of high myopia and pathological myopia, and their access to related knowledge and analyzed the factors affecting patients' access to related information using multifactorial logistic regression.

The prevalence of high myopia was found to be 11.3% (22.59% with pathological myopia, and 22.45% experienced high myopia complications). 97.4% of patients with high myopia were engaged in work requiring frequent and prolonged eye use; 51.54% developed high myopia in adolescents between the ages of 11 and 20 years; 46.7% of individuals with high myopia exhibited a parental history of high myopia in one parent, while 19.6% manifested high myopia in both parents. Patients' knowledge of high and pathological myopia was insufficient; nearly half of the doctors (48.7%) believed that patients had only a vague concept of high or pathological myopia and that there were some misunderstandings. The majority of outpatients (61.4%) did not have access to specialized myopia-related education for medical staff, and almost all doctors (98.4%) agreed that there was a need to increase patient education during consultations. The majority of patients (64.5%) preferred to obtain ophthalmology-related information from general platforms (including search engines and Q&A platforms). Patients had different preferences and needs for ophthalmic information channels online, influenced by factors such as family background, medical history and knowledge of myopia.

In summary, the research team noted that despite the high prevalence of high myopia or pathological myopia in China, patient awareness remains inadequate. Therefore, there is a need to improve patient education about high myopia and pathological myopia to reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes.

See the article: 

Awareness of High and Pathological Myopia among Myopic Patients in China: a Cross-Sectional Multicenter Survey

---

JOURNAL

MedComm – Future Medicine

DOI

10.1002/mef2.64 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Awareness of high and pathological myopia among myopic patients in China: A cross-sectional multicenter survey

 

Applications of lasers: A promising route towards low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays

Peer-Reviewed Publication

COMPUSCRIPT LTD

 

IMAGE: 

FIG. 1 | THE CORRESPONDING DEVELOPMENTS OF LASER APPLICATIONS IN THE FABRICATION PROCESSES OF MICRO-LED FULL-COLOR DISPLAYS: (A) NANO-PROCESSING, (B) DEFECTIVE DETECTION, (C) LASER REPAIR AND MASS TRANSFER, (D) PATTERNING AND MORPHOLOGY MODIFICATION FOR QD-CCF.

 

view more 

CREDIT: OES

A new publication from Opto-Electronic Science; DOI  10.29026/oes.2023.230028 discusses the application of lasers in the fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

 

Micro-light-emitting diode (micro-LED) displays with a size smaller than 50 × 50 μm2 has been regarded as the next-generation display technology. Compared with liquid crystal displays and organic LED technology, micro-LEDs has many advantages such as long lifetimes, high efficiency, etc. Micro-LEDs also present great potential in many fields, such as virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) and smart watches. However, there remain multiple challenges to their commercialization. For example, the mass transfer yield of pixels in micro-LED displays should achieve 99.999%; researchers should develop nano-processing technologies with higher efficiency and accuracy; it is urgent to optimize the efficiency and accuracy of the defective detection and repair processes for micro-LED modules; the performance of the quantum dots color conversion layers (QD-CCFs) should be improved. In conclusion, the low cost, high precision, and high efficiency technologies for full-color micro-LED displays are essential to be developed.

 

For the advantages of lasers in brightness, directivity and monochromaticity, it is considered as as “the fastest knife”, “the most accurate ruler” and “the brightest light”. Recently, laser-based technology has attracted attention for their application in the manufacturing process of micro-LED full-color displays, such as chip dicing, geometric shaping, lift off, defective repair, mass-transfer and QD-CCFs modification. With the widespread application of lasers, the commercialization of full-color micro-LED displays could be vigorously promoted.

 

The research group of Rong Zhang / Tingzhu Wu from Xiamen University and Hao-Chung Kuo from Yang Ming Chiao Tung University reviewed the application of lasers during the fabrication processes of micro-LEDs, including nano-processing, defective detection and repair, mass transfer, and QD-CCFs, as shown in Fig. 1. In addition, the difference between laser-based technologies and traditional technologies are discussed, and the research status and application prospects of laser technologies during the fabrication processes of micro-LED full-color displays are introduced in detail, these results provide a reference towards low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

 

Traditional diamond dicing and plasma dicing technologies still face many challenges during the wafer dicing processes of micro-LEDs, thus the UV-laser dicing technology with high precision has attract great attention. For the limit of accuracy, traditional wet etching and plasma etching is only suitable for processing the geometry shape of micro-LEDs, thus the laser-based technologies such as laser drilling or laser scribing with high precision could be used for processing the nanostructures of micro-LEDs. In addition, instead of nanosecond lasers, people have used ultrafast lasers to reduce the thermal damage during LLO processes, the schematic and physical mechanism of the LLO processes is depicted in Fig. 2(a–d), and the laser machining setup is illustrated in Fig. 2 (e). As shown in Fig. 2(f), by using the high-energy pulsed laser beam to penetrate the sapphire substrate and to evenly scan the interface between the sapphire substrate and the epitaxial GaN material, the separation of the substrate and chips could be achieved. Moreover, the application of micro-LEDs in many fields still faces the challenges of high-efficiency detection, location, and removal of defects. Therefore, the PL defect detection technique using lasers with the advantage of no contact and ultrahigh detection efficiencies has attracted attention.

high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

 

The mass-transfer yield requirement for micro-LEDs should exceed 99.999%, related technological breakthroughs are the key to achieving low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays. As shown in Fig. 3(a-d), many technologies such as stamp transfer printing, Roll-to-Roll transfer, fluid self-assembly (FSA) mass transfer, two-dimensional materials-based layer transfer and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) have been proposed. For the noncontact advantages of laser-assisted mass transfer, we summarized the principle and differences of LIFT, laser direct writing (LDW), thermomechanical selective laser-assisted die transfer (tmSLADT), and selective laser lift-off (SLLO) mass-transfer technologies, as shown in Fig. 3(e).

 

There are many advantages of using QD-CCFs for full-color micro-LED displays. However, the stability of QD-CCFs should be enhanced in the application of displays. In addition to the calibration of the inkjet-printing system, laser-based technologies could also be used to regulate the defect density, phase transition, grain size and other aspects of the perovskite QD-CCFs, thereby improving the performance of the micro-LED full-color displays.

 

# # # # # #

This work was completed by the team of Solid-State Lighting Laboratory of Xiamen University. The Solid-State Lighting Laboratory belongs to the Electronic Science Department of the School of Electronic Science and Technology of Xiamen University (National Model Microelectronics Institute), Fujian Semiconductor Lighting Engineering Technology Research Center, Fujian Province LED Lighting and Display Industry Technology Development Base, Fujian Province Photoelectric Lighting and Display Enterprise Service-oriented Manufacturing Public Service Platform, Xiamen Semiconductor Lighting Testing and Certification Center. The main research directions of the laboratory are: semiconductor lighting display detection technology, micro-LED, intelligent health lighting, visible light communication, perovskite quantum dots, research and development of testing instrument software, etc.

# # # # # #

Opto-Electronic Science (OES) is a peer-reviewed, open access, interdisciplinary and international journal published by The Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a sister journal of Opto-Electronic Advances (OEA, IF=9.682). OES is dedicated to providing a professional platform to promote academic exchange and accelerate innovation. OES publishes articles, reviews, and letters of the fundamental breakthroughs in basic science of optics and optoelectronics.

Fig. 2 | Diagram of LLO processes and associated laser device.

Fig. 3 | (a–d) The principles of mass transfer technologies for micro-LEDs: (a) Stamp transfer printing; (b) Roll-to-Roll; (c) FSA; (d) LIFT; (e) Schematic of the principles of LIFT, LDW, tmSLADT and SLLO mass-transfer technologies.

 

CREDIT

OES

More information: https://www.oejournal.org/oes

Editorial Board: https://www.oejournal.org/oes/editorialboard/list

OES is available on OE journals (https://www.oejournal.org/oes/archive)

Submission of OES may be made using ScholarOne (https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/oes)

CN 51-1800/O4

ISSN 2097-0382

Contact Us: oes@ioe.ac.cn

Twitter: @OptoElectronAdv (https://twitter.com/OptoElectronAdv?lang=en)

WeChat: OE_Journal

 

# # # # # #

Lai SQ, Liu SB, Li ZL, Zhang ZN, Chen Z et al. Applications of lasers: A promising route toward low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays. Opto-Electron Sci 2, 230028 (2023). doi: 10.29026/oes.2023.230028 

---

DOI

10.29026/oes.2023.230028 

 

Deaths from heart valve infections drop across U.S. overall, but surged among young adults

Substance use disorder may be linked to more deaths from infective endocarditis among people ages 25-44, finds new study in Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Research Highlights:

• An analysis of death certificate data from 1999 to 2020 showed a decline in deaths related to infective endocarditis throughout most of the United States yet found an alarming increase of 2%-5% among adults ages 25-44.
• There was a notable increase in the diagnosis of substance use disorder among the young adults with infective endocarditis listed as the underlying cause of death.
• Three states at the epicenter of the opioid crisis— Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia — had significant increases in death rates related to infective endocarditis.

DALLAS, Dec. 13, 2023 — Death rates related to infective endocarditis declined in most adults across the U.S. within the last two decades, yet accelerated among young adults ages 25 to 44 years old, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Infective endocarditis, also called bacterial endocarditis, is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel. The disease is rare, however, people with previous valve surgeries, heart valve abnormalities, artificial valves, congenital heart defects or previous infective endocarditis have a greater risk of developing it. It can also be a complication of injecting illicit drugs.

“Our study findings raise a public health concern, especially since the deaths in younger age groups are on the rise,” said study lead author Sudarshan Balla, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. “We speculate that this acceleration was likely, in the most part, due to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involved principally younger adults.”

Researchers examined death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Multiple Cause of Death dataset, which contains death rates and population counts for all U.S. counties. They looked for national trends in deaths caused by infective endocarditis, plus differences in deaths related to age, sex, race and geography among states from 1999-2020. Researchers also analyzed the association with substance use disorder, considering the emergence of the opioid epidemic during the study’s time frame.

The analysis found:

• In the 21-year period analyzed, infective endocarditis death rates declined overall in the U.S.
• Death rates increased significantly for young adults, at an average annual change of more than 5% for the 25-34 age group and more than 2% for the 35-44 age group.
• In the 45-54 age category, death rates remained stagnant at 0.5%, and there was a significant decline among those aged 55 and older.
• Substance use disorder associated with multiple causes of death increased drastically – between 2-fold and 7-fold among the 25-44 age group.
• Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia showed an acceleration in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in contrast to other states with either a predominant decline or no change.

“We found that substance use was listed as a contributing cause that could explain the higher death rates in the younger age groups and also in the states in those who died due to endocarditis,” Balla said.

The study researchers call the rise of infective endocarditis as the underlying cause of death in adults 25-44 years old “alarming” and recommend more investigation to identify the reasons for these trends among young adults and in the three states noted. Researchers speculate the increase is connected to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involves primarily younger adults.

“Comprehensive care plans for those treated for infective endocarditis should also include screening and treatment for substance use disorder,” Balla said.

To address intravenous drug use, some states have started harm reduction programs, which are public health efforts to reduce the harm from substance use and drug abuse, such as increased risk of infectious diseases like HIV, viral hepatitis, and bacterial and fungal infections. “Whether these programs make an impact is yet to be determined,” Balla said.

Researchers were limited in the medical details they could collect because of the use of death certificate data, which may contain inaccuracies, such as errors in diagnosis, data entry and cause of death. For similar reasons, researchers could not determine a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the rise in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in younger adults and substance use disorder.   

Study details and design:

• The study used the CDC’s Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyze death certificates and multiple causes of death. Infective endocarditis and substance use disorder were identified according to criteria from the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.
• The age-adjusted death rate related to infective endocarditis was 26 per million persons in 1999 and 22 per million persons in 2020, representing a significant decline in the death rates related to infective endocarditis, with an average annual percent change of -0.8.

Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia is available on the right column of release link https://newsroom.heart.org/news/deaths-from-heart-valve-infections-drop-across-u-s-overall-but-surged-among-young-adults?preview=694d01df6ab0a5705e0094129fce445f
• After Dec. 13, view the manuscript online.
• AHA Scientific Statement: Addiction management is key to treating heart infection in people who inject drugs (Aug. 2022)
• AHA Presidential Advisory: Experts urge caution, increased education about opioid use for people with heart disease (August 2021)
• AHA news release: More heart infections and strokes in the U.S. linked to national opioid epidemic (March 2021)
• AHA health information: View an illustration of endocarditis
• Follow AHA/ASA news on X (formerly known as Twitter) @HeartNews
• Follow news from the Journal of the American Heart Association @JAHA_AHA

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

###

---

JOURNAL

Journal of the American Heart Association

DOI

10.1161/JAHA.123.031589 

ARTICLE TITLE

Trends in Infective Endocarditis Mortality in the United States: 1999 to 2020: A Cause for Alarm