bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are 24‐hour movement recommendations associated with obesity‐related indicators in the young population? A meta‐analysis
Authors: López‐Gil José Francisco , Tapia‐Serrano Miguel Angel , Sevil‐Serrano Javier , Sánchez‐Miguel Pedro Antonio , García‐Hermoso Antonio
Published: September 2023

Objective

This study aimed to determine the relationship between meeting all three 24‐hour movement recommendations (i.e., physical activity, sleep duration, and screen time) and obesity‐related indicators among young people.

Methods

Four databases were systematically searched (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library).

Results

Meeting the 24‐hour movement recommendations was cross‐sectionally associated with lower overall obesity‐related indicators (r = −0.09, 95% CI: −0.11 to −0.06), but no longitudinal association was found. Regarding each obesity‐related indicator separately, meeting all three recommendations was related to lower odds of overweight/obesity (odds ratio = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.76) and obesity alone (odds ratio = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.50). An inverse relationship between meeting 24‐hour movement recommendations and BMI, BMI z score, waist circumference, and body fat was also found. Regarding subgroup analysis, the association between 24‐hour movement recommendations and overall obesity‐related indicators was similar regardless of sex, comparison used (meeting all three vs. not meeting [i.e., those who met zero to two of the movement behaviors] or meeting all three vs. none), and type of measure to assess 24‐hour movement recommendations (i.e., self‐reported or accelerometer‐based measures).

Conclusions

Meeting all 24‐hour movement recommendations may be a crucial factor in maintaining a healthy weight status in the young population.
Use of CFTR modulators in special populations, part 2: Severe lung disease
Authors: Elijah Joseph , Fitzgerald Linda J. , Phan Hanna
Published: September 2023

Safety and efficacy data surrounding cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) modulator administration for people with CF (pwCF) and severe lung disease elect has remained unclear as a result of exclusion from key trials. A scoping review of English language articles from the period of 1 January 2012, to 31 July 2023 was conducted utilizing PubMed and EmBase databases with the following terms: “severe lung disease” OR “advanced lung disease” AND “ivacaftor OR lumacaftor OR tezacaftor OR elexacaftor”; “cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator” AND “off label drug use.” Search results were reviewed by title and abstract for relevance. Twenty articles specific to CFTR modulator use in the setting of severe lung disease were included for review, with few specific to pediatric‐aged pwCF. PwCF and severe lung disease experienced significant improvement in pulmonary function, body weight, number of IV antibiotic days, and quality of life. A few studies reported a transient decline in pulmonary function among pwCF shortly after LUM/IVA initiation. However, preemptive reductions in the dose of LUM/IVA may mitigate this reaction. ELE/TEZ/IVA utilization in pwCF and severe lung disease appears to be devoid of the transient decline in pulmonary function observed with LUM/IVA while providing the same clinical benefit. Current available data regarding use of CFTR modulators in pwCF and severe lung disease is reassuring; however, there remains a lack data regarding outcomes among the pediatric population including long‐term outcomes. Therefore, treatment decisions should be individualized and coproduced.
Raincloud conditioning by thunder
Authors: Temkin Samuel
Published: September 2023

This article considers the role of thunder in the production of rain by gravitational processes. A previous numerical work has shown that a thunder event consisting of four consecutive thunderclaps can alone produce small but significant droplet growths in a lean cumulus cloud in less than 2 s. Here we consider, also numerically, the coalescence effects produced by both thunderclaps and gravity in a cumulus congestus cloud that had more than four times the liquid content of that lean cloud. Those effects are studied separately and in tandem, using the same set of assumptions. Therefore, the results presented here provide a basis for the comparison of the effectiveness of each type to produce droplet growth in thunderclouds. For thunder alone, these results show that a small number of thunderclaps can in less than 2 s produce mean size growths larger than 50%. For gravity alone, it is found that after 60 s, the longest time considered, gravitational coalescence increases the mean diameter of the original droplet size distribution by 20%. The tandem study considers the effects produced by gravitation on the droplet size distribution that resulted after the original distribution was modified by four or five thunderclaps. Significant increases are found in both cases. For four claps it was found that the mean size increased by 71% in 60 s. The corresponding growth for five claps was slightly larger than 100%. These substantial increases also show that the growths produced by the thunderclaps are not simply additive, but significantly accelerate those produced by gravitation. This acceleration implies that the droplet size growths produced by thunderclaps can substantially decrease the time required by gravitational coagulation to produce raindrops in rainclouds.
Successful Long-Term Guselkumab Treatment of Severe Plaque Psoriasis in Patients with Class III Obesity: A Case Series
Authors: Galluzzo Marco , Marcelli Lorenzo , Fico Angela , Bianchi Luca , Talamonti Marina
Published: September 2023

Data from real-world studies and clinical trials have documented the long-term efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Limited data are available on the long-term use of guselkumab in morbidly obese individuals with severe psoriasis. Here, we present data on the outcome of three patients with class III obesity (body mass index (BMI) of ≥40 kg/m2) with severe plaque psoriasis treated with 100 mg guselkumab. At baseline, mean BMI was 46.5 ± 5.4 kg/m2 and mean PASI was 46.0 ± 18.5 and all patients were biologic naïve. After 12 weeks of guselkumab treatment, mean PASI decreased to 9.7 ± 4 and to 4.0 ± 1.7 at 28 weeks. After 1 year, two patients achieved complete remission and one patient had PASI of 6 (achieving remission by week 140). All three patients are still in complete remission. Our real-life results in specific patients burdened with class III obesity naïve to biologic treatment show excellent long-term psoriasis outcome with guselkumab.
Bug report priority prediction using social and technical features
Authors: Huang Zijie , Shao Zhiqing , Fan Guisheng , Yu Huiqun , Yang Kang , Zhou Ziyi
Published: September 2023

Software stakeholders report bugs in issue tracking system (ITS) with manually labeled priorities. However, the lack of knowledge and standard for prioritization may cause stakeholders to mislabel the priorities. In response, priority predictors are actively developed to support them. Prior studies trained machine learners based on textual similarity, categorical, and numeric technical features of bug reports. Most models were validated by time‐insensitive approaches, and they were producing suboptimal results for practical usage. While they ignored the social aspects of ITS, the technical aspects were also limited in surface features of bug reports. To better model the bug report, we extract their topic and most similar code structures. Since ITS bridges users and developers as the main contributors, we also integrate their experience, sentiment, and socio‐technical features to construct a new dataset. Then, we perform two‐classed and multiclassed bug priority prediction based on the dataset. We also introduce adversarial training using generated training data with random word swap and random word deletion. We validate our model in within‐project, cross‐project, and time‐wise scenarios, and it outperforms the two baselines by up to 15% in area under curve‐receiver operating characteristics (AUC‐ROC) and 19% in Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC). We reveal involving contributor (i.e., assignee and reporter) features such as sentiment that could boost prediction performance. Finally, we test statistically the mean and distribution of the features that reflect the differences in social and technical aspects (e.g., quality of communication and resource distribution) between high and low priority reports. In conclusion, we suggest that researchers should consider both social and technical aspects of ITS in bug report priority prediction and introduce adversarial training to boost model performance.
Large‐Area Inkjet‐Printed Flexible Hybrid Electrodes with Photonic Sintered Silver Grids/High Conductive Polymer
Authors: Kant Chandra , Mahmood Sadiq , Seetharaman Madhu , Katiyar Monica
Published: September 2023

The field of printed organic electronics has not only made flexible devices accessible but also allows the production process toward a high throughput industrial scale. The current research involves the inkjet‐printing of an indium tin oxide‐free large‐area flexible hybrid electrode compose of a high conductivity organic layer (PEDOT: PSS) as a main electrode and inorganic silver nanoparticles‐based grid/film for the auxiliary electrode. The current bottleneck in the roll‐to‐roll production of printed electronics is the time required for the conductive inks to dry and sinter. Flash sintering is used to dry nano‐silver conductive ink to 77.6 m Ω □−1 sheet resistance in <20 ms, the quickest annealing procedure, without damaging flexible substrates. Flexible organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are created with a large active area (500 mm2) to demonstrate the efficacy of the flexible hybrid electrodes and the excellent bending stability (4 mm bending radius) of OLEDs. Maximum current efficiency of 19.58 cd A−1 and a maximum luminescence of 8708 cd m−2 at a low turn‐on voltage of 3.1 V for the small‐area (16 mm2) OLEDs are achieved. This method is promising for reducing indium consumption and paving the way for creating new high throughout hybrid electrodes for large‐area flexible printed electronics.
Enhanced Bifacial Gain with Optimized Mountings in Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Berrian Djaber , Linder Johannes
Published: September 2023

A new design of mounting system targets to reduce the backside shading of ground‐mounted fixed‐tilt bifacial photovoltaic (PV) systems and improve the bifacial gain has been deployed in a large‐scale bifacial PV plant and tested against conventional (nonoptimized) substructures to quantify experimentally, as well as by modeling the improved yield and bifacial gain of bifacial PV plants. This work examines the impact of design changes in purlins, beams, piles, and frames on the bifacial gain. The results show that the optimized mounting systems reduced the backside shading in bifacial PV systems and increased the yearly bifacial gain by at least 0.13% absolute, which is confirmed by simulations and experiments. Depending on the geometrical configuration, low ground coverage ratios, higher albedo, and higher clearance height can lead to a yearly bifacial gain improvement as high as 1% absolute. The quantification of bifacial gain improvement in this study is useful for future studies to determine the profitability of the new design, which comes with additional costs compared to nonoptimized mounting systems.
Development of stability indicating liquid chromatographic method for estimation of novel anti‐diabetic drug Evogliptin
Authors: Gajjar Deepanti , Shah Dimalkumar S.
Published: September 2023

Evogliptin (EVG) is prescribed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. An accurate and precise high‐performance liquid chromatographic method along with forced degradation studies and design of experiments has been developed for the estimation of EVG. Agilent C18 Column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size) was used as the stationary phase and methanol: 0.05% Orthophosphoric acid in water (51: 49% V/V) was used as the mobile phase. The method was linear in the concentration range of 5–30 μg/ml with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.9996. The proposed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness as per the International Conference on Harmonization Q2 (R1) guideline. A forced degradation study was performed to find out the intrinsic stability of the molecules. The degradation products were well resolved from the drug peak and did not interfere with the analysis. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of EVG.
Odor Reproduction Technology Using a Small Set of Odor Components
Authors: Prasetyawan Dani , Nakamoto Takamichi
Published: September 2023

Replicating specific scents by mixing ‘base odors’ is the main idea behind the concept of odor reproduction. Just as primary colors can be combined to generate a wide range of colors in visual perception, the hope is to find a similar principle in olfaction. However, defining such ‘primary odors’ is difficult due to the complexity of our sense of smell, which is much different from vision. In spite of these challenges, numerous scientists have endeavored to identify a combination of basic smell components that can mimic various scents. Currently, the suggested combinations of smell components are typically only successful at recreating specific, intended scents. The range of reproducible scents differs based on the selection of base odors, yet these studies have provided valuable knowledge about the nature of these primary odors. This review paper will focus on the latest studies related to odor reproduction. Understanding odor space, odor reproduction, and the challenges encountered when expanding the range of odors will be explained. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Evaluation of breeding objectives, breeding practices and reproductive performance of indigenous dairy cows in selected districts of Kaffa Zone, South West Ethiopia
Authors: Asfaw Yakob , Begna Regasa , Masho Worku
Published: September 2023

Background

Breeding objectives are designed to achieve targeted dairy cow production goals, which can be affected by production type, farmer preferences, environmental factors and genetic factors individually or in combination. Breeding practices, such as both controlled and uncontrolled, and artificial insemination (AI) are the tools used to obtain the desired breeding objectives. The lower reproductive performance of indigenous dairy cows affects the total milk production and calf crops that are produced during their lifetime. Designing appropriate breeding objectives and breeding practices can improve the reproductive performance of dairy cows and their overall production performance.

Materials and methods

The current study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the breeding, practices and performance of indigenous dairy cattle in the south western part of Ethiopia. The districts of Gesha and Chena were purposefully chosen. The study design for the 384 household surveys was a cross‐sectional survey with a simple random sample approach. Data analysis was carried out by MS‐Excel (2010) and the general linear model procedure of SAS of 2008.

Results

The current study revealed that methods of breeding were predominantly natural‐controlled mating, followed by natural‐uncontrolled mating and AI in descending order. Breeding objectives were input function, output function, sociocultural and economic functions and assets and security functions in decreasing order of rank. Reproduction performance indexes of indigenous dairy cows age at first service (3.72 ± 0.05 years), age at first calving (AFC) (4.71 ± 0.07 years), calving interval (CI) (1.58 ± 0.03 years), days open (DO) (4.26 ± 0.11 months), services per conception in natural mating (1.4 ± 0.08) and AI (2.73 ± 0.14), age of bull at maturity (4.17 ± 0.74 years), interoestrus interval (23.18 ± 0.61 days), calves crop (7.53 ± 0.22) and the life span of indigenous dairy cow (11.94 ± 0.26 years) were significant (p < 0.01) between two districts, whereas the values of age of bull at maturity and number of services per conception in natural mating were significant (p < 0.05) between districts.

Conclusions

Using AI and major reproduction performances, such as AFC, CI and DO of indigenous dairy cows in the study area, were very low. Therefore, concerned bodies should intervene to improve reproduction performance through the utilization of AI techniques, with the integration of forage development activities and improvements in livestock health care.
Two cases of acquired porto‐systemic shunt in association with veno‐occlusive disease in captive Northern cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) with insights into antemortem diagnostics
Authors: Torres‐Blas Irene , Tubb Francesca , Molenaar Fieke , Spiro Simon
Published: September 2023

Two Northern cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) were euthanased at the Zoological Society of London's Whipsnade Zoo due to old age and degenerative joint disease. Both animals were found to have mild to moderate fibrosis of the space of Disse (veno‐occlusive disease) and multiple congested, tortuous vessels running from the hepatic portal vein to the caudal vena cava (acquired portosystemic shunt). We hypothesise that the shunts result from portal hypertension caused by the veno‐occlusive disease, and that this helps relieve pressure on the sinusoidal endothelium, limiting progression of the disease. As acquired portosystemic shunt is a known sequel to portal hypertension, we believe that acquired portosystemic shunt may be more common in cheetahs with veno‐occlusive disease than is currently reported, and provide a practical protocol and gross images as diagnostic tools to aid in the postmortem diagnosis of this condition.
Bartonella henselae mitral valve endocarditis associated with multi‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis bacteraemia in a cat
Authors: Colella Antonella , Greco Grazia , Cordisco Marco , Tinelli Antonella , Paradies Paola
Published: September 2023

Feline infective endocarditis is a difficult condition to detect and diagnose early, with a poor long‐term prognosis. This case report describes the clinical, laboratory, instrumental and histological findings in a 12‐year‐old cat with Bartonella henselae endocarditis associated with multi‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis bacteraemia. The latter pathogen recently emerged as deadly nosocomial bacteria in humans and is considered a common cause of infective endocarditis. The prolonged corticosteroid therapy administered in the cat probably played a role in the onset of B. henselae endocarditis and E. faecalis intestinal translocation and bacteraemia. Echocardiography remains the tool of choice to suspect infective endocarditis, as it can detect vegetative lesions consistent with this condition. Feline infective endocarditis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in cats, especially when there are signs of systemic disease, a history of prolonged corticosteroid treatment or concomitant infections.
Immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia with severe thrombocytopenia in a Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Authors: Tucker Samuel M. , Baja Alexie J. , Rasche Brittany L. , Negrão Watanabe Tatiane Terumi , Harrell Karyn A.
Published: September 2023

An 8‐year‐old, female, spayed Pembroke Welsh Corgi presented for a 3‐day history of worsening lethargy and pale pink mucous membranes. Hematological analysis revealed a normocytic, normochromic, regenerative anaemia, positive saline agglutination and marked thrombocytopenia, supportive of a diagnosis of immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia, either as a secondary result of immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia or an additional immune‐mediated process. Due to continued decreases in packed cell volume despite immunosuppressive therapy and packed red blood cell transfusion, euthanasia was elected. Gross postmortem examination revealed cutaneous and visceral petechiae to ecchymoses, visceral icterus, and moderate splenomegaly. Microscopically, the bone marrow was hypercellular with moderate to marked increase in numbers of erythroid lineage cells relative to myeloid lineage cells. Few macrophages displayed erythrophagia. Given the drastically worsening thrombocytopenia, immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia was considered more likely, but this could not be entirely verified. This presentation of immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia with thrombocytopenia illustrates the clinical diagnosis and management of immune‐mediated haematological diseases in dogs.
Using banding data to estimate primary feather molt and hatch chronology of white‐winged doves in Texas
Authors: Hall Jared D. , Mathewson Heather A. , Oldenburger Shaun L. , Frisbie Mike , Schwertner Thomas W.
Published: September 2023

Banding data are commonly used to estimate vital rates for migratory game bird management. We used white‐winged dove (Zenaida asiatica) banding data to estimate molt and hatch chronology in Texas. We used Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's long‐term, state‐wide banding data (71,675 banded individuals) from 1 June to 15 August 2007–2016 to investigate primary feather molt and hatching in white‐winged doves in Texas. We estimated primary feather molt and used individual recapture data to determine reliability of models predicting primary feather molt rates. For hatching, we used primary feather molt scores of captured hatch‐year doves to backdate to an estimated hatch date. Our modeling predicted mean after‐hatch‐year primary feather molt rate of 13.21 ± 0.93 days. We predicted 95% of adult white‐winged doves began molting between 7 April to 8 July and completed molt between 17 August to 17 November. Across all years, white‐winged doves hatched as early as 6 January and as late as 27 July, with 95% of all hatching occurring between 22 March and 18 June and peaking on 4 May. Primary feather molt initiation peaked 16 days after the peak of hatching, suggesting that white‐winged doves delay the onset of primary molt until reproductive activity slows. Secondary data collected during banding operations on migratory game birds may be used to understand additional life processes without the requirement to initiate additional survey efforts.
Reforming Education in Times of Pandemic: The Case of Spain
Authors: Tiana-Ferrer Alejandro
Published: September 2023

This chapter examines how the impact of the pandemic interacted with the process of development and implementation of an education reform. The suspension of in person instruction was minimal, compared to other countries, and several programs supported the distribution of devices and connectivity. The pandemic heightened attention to wellbeing and mental health, and to pedagogical and organizational challenges, such as the overcrowded curriculum and the lack of teacher collaboration, as well as the conditions of vulnerability of socially marginalized students, the poor, immigrants, and students with disability. The recognition of these issues fed back into the process of development of the reform and incorporated them into the post-pandemic policy agenda.
Brazil. How Two Municipalities Achieved Above-Average Results in Reading in the Early Years of Elementary School During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Palacios Carlos , Bonamino Alicia
Published: September 2023

This chapter discusses the impacts of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ reading development in the early years of elementary school in Brazil and analyzes educational policies that may have mitigated part of these effects. The research focuses on reading assessments carried out in 2021 by CAEd/UFJF and Associação Bem Comum in ten Brazilian states. Although the assessments revealed major challenges for students’ literacy in many states, some municipalities managed to mitigate part of the effects of the pandemic, achieving above-average results. Two municipalities that reached rates of fluent students in reading higher than the average were selected for survey and analysis: Machados-PE and Coruripe-AL. This paper examines the public policies of these networks to identify and understand the actions that contributed to their unique performance in the assessment.
Post-Pandemic Crisis in Chilean Education. The Challenge of Re-institutionalizing School Education
Authors: Bellei Cristián , Contreras Mariana
Published: September 2023

In this chapter, we describe and analyze the available evidence (including our own research) about Chilean education during the COVID-19 pandemic and its efforts to recover once the health crisis was controlled. We show that the implementation of distance education produced markedly unequal experiences between schools and students, which essentially reinforced pre-existing inequalities and created new ones. This crisis was aggravated by the enormous difficulties encountered by the educational system to resume in-person activities, resulting in a massive and prolonged closure of Chilean schools. Additionally, the capacity to go back to school was very unevenly distributed, further harming the most disadvantaged students, both socioeconomically and socio-emotionally, as shown by the extreme difficulties of school reopening, teacher absenteeism and mental health problems, and student irregular attendance, learning losses and behavioral problems. Thus, the pandemic affected the very foundations of the regular operating of the Chilean education system triggering a multifaceted process of deinstitutionalization.
The Switch to Distance Teaching and Learning in Finland During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020–2022) Went Technically Well but Was Emotionally Challenging
Authors: Salmela-Aro Katariina , Lavonen Jari
Published: September 2023

In this chapter, we analyze and discuss teaching, learning and well-being in Finnish education during the COVID-19 pandemic between Spring 2020 and Fall 2022. First, we analyze the preconditions, such as teachers’ and students’ digital competences and the digital infrastructure necessary to switch to distance teaching and learning. Second, we present the results of a survey concerning the organization and experience of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, we discuss the engagement and well-being of teachers, principals and students during the pandemic based on survey data. During the pandemic, teachers developed digital pedagogy and students enhanced their digital competence, and several digital pedagogy and co-teaching innovations were created. However, we identified decreased engagement among students, teachers, and principals during the pandemic and an increase in stress and burnout among teachers and principals. Principals felt the impact of the stress their teachers faced, and teachers struggled to make up for the differing efforts among families to cope with distance learning. Overall, the switch to distance teaching and learning was organized effectively, but the distance-learning period weakened the equality of teaching and the conditions that encourage learning and well-being.
Understanding Potential Causes of Learning Loss: Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Educational Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico
Authors: Cárdenas Sergio , Ruelas Ignacio , Sánchez Edson
Published: September 2023

School lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid transition from face-to-face to distance learning without considering teachers’ capacities and experience. Deep educational inequalities observed in Mexico before the pandemic made this change complex, disproportionately affecting the poorest students and their families. Estimations about the magnitude of the adverse effects of the transition on student learning are now available for different countries and regions. However, research on the factors explaining these adverse effects is limited, including how teachers reacted to the lockdown policies and adapted their instructional practices during the pandemic to adequately support all students. This chapter describes and analyzes teachers’ perceptions regarding the main barriers that affected their instructional activities during the pandemic to identify policy lessons that may inform the design of educational interventions for a post-pandemic stage.
The Fragility of the Norwegian Policy Response: How Relying on Digital Infrastructure and Local Autonomy Led to an Increase in Inequality in Education
Authors: Blikstad-Balas Marte
Published: September 2023

Norway is in a privileged position globally in the sense that the country is wealthy, the population is well educated, and the digital infrastructure is robust and accessible to the entire population. However, Norway has some painful lessons to learn when evaluating its response to the global pandemic. Key aspects addressed in this chapter are the lack of a national response other than keeping schools open as much as possible, and the results of requiring individual principals and teachers to define the content and form of remote teaching. The lack of a national response targeting remote learning resulted in increased variation—and inequality—in the education available to students in Norway during the school years 2020 and 2021. Students spent a significant amount of time alone and unaided as they worked on individual written tasks. Furthermore, the system’s heavy reliance on pre-pandemic solutions to new problems may have resulted in a failure to recognize that the label, “vulnerable student” may mean something different during a pandemic than it traditionally would. For example, high-achieving students with two high-earning parents who worked long hours as physicians may have also suffered from a lack of support when school relied so heavily on parental involvement and self-regulation. Toward the end of the chapter, I will highlight some silver linings.
Pandemic Lessons: Story of Cooperation and Competition in Russian Education
Authors: Andreeva Anastasia A. , Koroleva Diana O. , Kosaretsky Sergei G. , Frumin Isaak D.
Published: September 2023

This chapter examines how main actors such as policymakers, school teams, and Edtech companies faced the pandemic challenges and whether they cooperated with each other. The analysis demonstrates that while before COVID-19, Russian schools and Edtechs rarely cooperated with each other, the partnership developed in response to the necessity of an emergency transition to distance learning. The government attempted to establish a nationwide infrastructure for distance learning and the vetting of educational content during the initial stages of the pandemic, however, this strategy was not implemented. Since the government did not immediately react to the situation, schools were forced to cope with the transition themselves. EdTech helped students, teachers, and regions deal with the crisis. After the pandemic, EdTech companies found themselves in a situation of increased government regulation, to which they reacted differently: some companies preferred to focus on B2C formats, while others responded with investments in the B2G sector. The school-Edtech partnership might be one of the most far-reaching positive changes of the pandemic for education, but our analysis shows this lesson has rather not been learned.
Pretty Good Strategies for Benaloh Challenge
Authors: Jamroga Wojciech
Published: September 2023

Benaloh challenge allows the voter to audit the encryption of her vote, and in particular to check whether the vote has been represented correctly. An interesting analysis of the mechanism has been presented by Culnane and Teague. The authors propose a natural game-theoretic model of the interaction between the voter and a corrupt, malicious encryption device. Then, they claim that there is no “natural” rational strategy for the voter to play the game. In consequence, the authorities cannot provide the voter with a sensible auditing strategy, which undermines the whole idea.

Here, we claim the contrary, i.e., that there exist simple rational strategies that justify the usefulness of Benaloh challenge.
Sustainable Fashion Product Development: The Importance of Skills in New Materials and Processes in the Academy and Industry Context
Authors: Bicho Marta , Pereira Madalena , Barata Teresa Raquel , Belino Nuno , Miguel Rui
Published: September 2023

Materials and processes play an increasingly significant role in the development of new fashion products and can significantly affect product sustainability and longevity. These aspects, like many others, are part of the numerous issues associated with sustainability [1, 2]. The Fashion ecosystem has a high impact on society and the environment. Sustainability is an important issue for the textile and clothing industry associated with the different stages of the product life cycle and their impacts. The skills of specialists in fashion product development (FPD) and respective training will have to evolve towards increased knowledge of materials and processes; however, the academy is not keeping up with these changes that go along with the rapid transformation of the industry. There is a need for new competence acquisition models that are tailored to the present-day requirements. The objective of this investigation concerns the use and validation of a set of methodologies for the acquisition of skills by students, which allows for the development of sustainable fashion products for the market. Active methodologies that are being used, include workshops, competitions, industry partnerships, and PD in the context of companies and academy, and using trainers with experience in the industry. It concludes a progress in the knowledge of sustainable materials and processes combined with motivation.
Missing Health Data Pattern Matching Technique for Continuous Remote Patient Monitoring
Authors: Arora Teena , Balasubramanian Venki , Stranieri Andrew
Published: September 2023

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been gaining popularity recently. However, health data acquisition is a significant challenge associated with patient monitoring. In continuous RPM, health data acquisition may miss health data during transmission. Missing data compromises the quality and reliability of patient risk assessment. Several studies suggested techniques for analyzing missing data; however, many are unsuitable for RPM. These techniques neglect the variability of missing data and provide biased results with imputation. Therefore, a holistic approach must consider the correlation and variability of the various vitals and avoid biased imputation. This paper proposes a coherent computation pattern-matching technique to identify and predict missing data patterns. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using data collected from a field trial. Results show that the technique can effectively identify and predict missing patterns.
An Approach for Modeling Annotation in the e-Health Domain
Authors: Mannai Zayneb , Kalboussi Anis , Kacem Ahmed Hadj
Published: September 2023

In our research, we established a medical annotation model in the form of an ontology in an effort to ensure data interchange amongst medical annotation systems. We employ the “patient partner” approach to involve the patient in the medical annotative activity. In fact, the patient will be able to register, annotate, and comprehend the comments made in his medical file utilizing this new paradigm.
Comparative Usability Testing Between Lightweight Power Wheelchairs: Focused on People with Physical Disabilities in the Community
Authors: Kwon Yeong-hun , Kim Dong-wan , Kim Jongbae
Published: September 2023

There have been studies on Lightweight Power Wheelchairs (LPW) that compensate for the disadvantages of large and heavy powered wheelchairs for the activities of the people with physical disabilities in the community, but there is a lack of research to understand usability. Accordingly, we compared the usability of LPWs developed in Korea for 5 wheelchair participants and caregivers to find out their effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. As a result of the usability testing, there was a difference between the two LPWs in effectiveness and satisfaction. LPW1 was analyzed as grade B/’Good’ usability LPW2 was analyzed as grade A/’Best Imaginable’ usability. The usability of the heavier LPW2 was highly appreciated. This can be interpreted that users feel a sense of stability in the LPW with a certain amount of weight. In future studies, it is considered necessary to study the appropriate weight of LPW that users can feel stable.
Deriving Physiological Information from PET Images Using Machine Learning
Authors: Gassara Olfa , Chikhaoui Belkacem , Mabrouk Rostom , Wang Shengrui
Published: September 2023

Machine learning (ML) algorithms have become popular in recent years and have found increasing utility in the field of medical imaging, specifically in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The interest in ML in PET imaging for the study of neurodegenerative diseases stems from the potential of these techniques to analyze and predict the physiological parameters of biomarkers such as the total volume of distribution (V$$_{\text {t}}$$

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) in the organ or a structure of the organ to be explored. In this paper, we investigated whether the V$$_{\text {t}}$$

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of [$$^{18}$$

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F]-FEPPA radiotracer, an indicator of neuroinflammation, could be estimated directly in a non-invasive way, given the activity of the radiotracer in brain tissue. The study used several regression models to predict the [$$^{18}$$

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F]-FEPPA V$$_{\text {t}}$$

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in different brain regions where 31 regions of interest were defined for each of 24 patients with Parkinson disease and 20 healthy subjects, and were used to train four tree-based regression models. The predicted and reference values were compared by Bland-Altman analysis and regression model’s performance was evaluated by the mean absolute error (MAE). The best result was obtained by the XGBoost model with a MAE of 2.6. Bland-Altman analysis results indicate that predicted V$$_{\text {t}}$$

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are in average very close to the reference with a bias of 0.23 "Image missing" 2.82. Significant main effect of genotype on [$$^{18}$$

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F]-FEPPA in both caudate and putamen have been preserved by predicted Vt values (p < 0.05). The results of paired t-test indicate that the difference between predicted and reference V$$_{\text {t}}$$

t

is not statistically significant in 6 out of 8 groups. The proposed algorithms provide a non-invasive and efficient tool to predict [$$^{18}$$

18

F]-FEPPA V$$_{\text {t}}$$

t

values, a hallmark of neuroinflammation that is believed to be a potential trigger for Parkinson’s disease development.
Ontology Alignment for Accurate Ontology Matching: A Survey
Authors: Khan Hasham , Saqib Muhammad , Khattak Hasan Ali , Ali Syed Imran , Lee Sungyoung
Published: September 2023

Edge computing, a distributed computing architecture within the knowledge-defined network (KDN), faces challenges due to the significant disparities and data heterogeneity among its nodes, hindering their interaction. Ontology, a solution within the Semantic Web, is well-suited for addressing data heterogeneity and matching ontologies effectively. However, ontology matching presents difficulties due to non-linear mathematical issues. To overcome these challenges, the generative adversarial network (GAN), an unsupervised learning method, has emerged as a promising tool. GAN consists of two models with distinct objectives trained against eachother to achieve optimal outcomes. This paper introduces SA-GAN, an algorithm that combines GAN with simulation-based annealing to enhance its effectiveness. SA-GAN utilizes a stagnation counter to expedite the convergence speed of GAN. Through experiments conducted on a renowned ontology benchmark, the paper demonstrates that SA-GAN, along with other ontology matching algorithms, can identify the best alignments. Consequently, SA-GAN facilitates the construction of bridges in edge computing, improving its overall effectiveness.
Towards a Medical Test Results Management System Based on Blockchain, Smart Contracts, and NFT: A Case Study in Vietnam
Authors: Anh N. T. , Khanh V. H. , Phuc N. T. , Khoa T. D. , Khiem H. G. , Trong N. D. P. , Loc V. C. P. , Duy N. T. Q. , Bao T. Q. , Hieu D. M. , Nghia H. T. , Ngan N. T. K. , Huong L. H.
Published: September 2023

The role of medical test results in the diagnosis and treatment of a patient’s disease cannot be denied. Doctors and medical staff rely on these results to develop a treatment plan that meets the requirements of the patient’s health status (i.e., physical condition) and disease type. In developing countries (i.e., Vietnam), we note that test results are recorded in paper versions and stored by patients. Thus, several solutions have been introduced for electronic medical records to compensate for medical test results management. However, in Vietnam, these approaches face many obstacles such as centralized processing (e.g., storage, analysis); non-transparency issues; scalability; availability; and so on. In this paper, we exploit the benefits of blockchain, smart contracts, and NFT technologies to solve the above disadvantages. Therefore, our work contributes to five aspects. (a) Collecting procedures for handling and storing test results of patients at hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta (i.e., Can Tho city) (b) Proposing a mechanism for sharing test results based on blockchain technology, smart contract, and NFT applied; (c) Presenting an NFT tool-based certification generation model; (d) implementing the proposed model based on smart contracts (i.e., proof-of-concept); and (e) deploying proof-of-concept on four EVM- and NFT-supported platforms to find the most suitable one.
Open-closed string field theory in the large N limit
Authors: Maccaferri Carlo , Ruffino Alberto , Vošmera Jakub
Published: September 2023

Abstract

We use the new nilpotent formulation of open-closed string field theory to explore the limit where the number N of identical D-branes of the starting background is large. By reformulating the theory in terms of the ’t Hooft coupling λ := κN, where κ is the string coupling constant, we explicitly see that at large N only genus zero vertices with arbitrary number of boundaries survive. After discussing the homotopy structure of the obtained large N open-closed theory we discuss the possibility of integrating out the open string sector with a quantum but planar homotopy transfer. As a result we end up with a classical closed string field theory, described by a weak L∞-algebra containing a tree-level tadpole which, to first order in λ, is given by the initial boundary state. We discuss the possibility of removing the tadpole with a closed string vacuum shift solution, to end up with a new classical closed string background, where the initial D-branes have been turned into pure closed-string backreaction.
Critical functions of extracellular matrix in brain metastasis seeding
Authors: Yuzhalin Arseniy E. , Yu Dihua
Published: September 2023

Human brain is characterized by extremely sparse extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite its low abundance, the significance of brain ECM in both physiological and pathological conditions should not be underestimated. Brain metastasis is a serious complication of cancer, and recent findings highlighted the contribution of ECM in brain metastasis development. In this review, we provide a comprehensive outlook on how ECM proteins promote brain metastasis seeding. In particular, we discuss (1) disruption of the blood–brain barrier in brain metastasis; (2) role of ECM in modulating brain metastasis dormancy; (3) regulation of brain metastasis seeding by ECM-activated integrin signaling; (4) functions of brain-specific ECM protein reelin in brain metastasis. Lastly, we consider the possibility of targeting ECM for brain metastasis management.
Flammenfiguren – Eosinophile, die die Haut in Brand setzen
Authors: Stahl Lea-Sophie , Wolters Ann-Christin , Kautz Ocko , Patsinakidis Nikolaos , Raap Ulrike
Published: September 2023

Eine 50-jährige Landwirtin mit der initialen Verdachtsdiagnose eines Granuloma anulare disseminatum wurde über 10 Jahre lokal mittels topischen Glukokortikoiden sowie wiederholten Phototherapien ohne suffizienten Erfolg behandelt. Im Rahmen der Vorstellung in unserer Klinik erfolgte eine histopathologische Untersuchung mit dem Ergebnis einer eosinophilen Zellulitis mit typischen „flame figures“ in der Histologie. Durch eine Systemtherapie mit Steroidstoßtherapie zeigte sich eine Abheilung der Hautveränderungen sowie des ausgeprägten Pruritus. Dieser Kasus stellt einen Bericht über eine erfolgreiche Therapie einer Patientin mit eosinophiler Zellulitis dar.
Geriatrischer Patient mit neurologischer Symptomatik und verlängerter aPTT
Authors: Atakanova Aisuluu , Heiligers Anne , Kirschner Martin , Bollheimer Cornelius , Fleig Susanne
Published: September 2023

Ein 73-jähriger Mann mit vorbekannter demenzieller Entwicklung wurde mit Hypernatriämie bei Volumendepletion aufgenommen. Ursächlich dafür zeigte sich eine neue neurogene Schluckstörung, bei Z. n. mehreren Schlaganfällen bestand eine Halbseitensymptomatik. Bei der Sichtung der Unterlagen vorangegangener Krankenhausaufenthalte fiel wiederholt eine verlängerte aPTT (aktivierte partielle Thromboplastinzeit) auf; bereits fünf Jahre zuvor bestand ambulant der Verdacht auf ein Antiphospholipidantikörpersyndrom (APS), ohne dass die Diagnostik komplettiert worden wäre. Wir haben die Diagnose eines primären APS gestellt und eine Antikoagulation mit Vitamin-K-Antagonisten und ASS (Acetylsalicylsäure) begonnen.
The challenges of identifying and studying type 1 diabetes in adults
Authors: Thomas Nicholas J. , Jones Angus G.
Published: September 2023

Diagnosing type 1 diabetes in adults is difficult since type 2 diabetes is the predominant diabetes type, particularly with an older age of onset (approximately >30 years). Misclassification of type 1 diabetes in adults is therefore common and will impact both individual patient management and the reported features of clinically classified cohorts. In this article, we discuss the challenges associated with correctly identifying adult-onset type 1 diabetes and the implications of these challenges for clinical practice and research. We discuss how many of the reported differences in the characteristics of autoimmune/type 1 diabetes with increasing age of diagnosis are likely explained by the inadvertent study of mixed populations with and without autoimmune aetiology diabetes. We show that when type 1 diabetes is defined by high-specificity methods, clinical presentation, islet-autoantibody positivity, genetic predisposition and progression of C-peptide loss remain broadly similar and severe at all ages and are unaffected by onset age within adults. Recent clinical guidance recommends routine islet-autoantibody testing when type 1 diabetes is clinically suspected or in the context of rapid progression to insulin therapy after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. In this moderate or high prior-probability setting, a positive islet-autoantibody test will usually confirm autoimmune aetiology (type 1 diabetes). We argue that islet-autoantibody testing of those with apparent type 2 diabetes should not be routinely undertaken as, in this low prior-prevalence setting, the positive predictive value of a single-positive islet antibody for autoimmune aetiology diabetes will be modest. When studying diabetes, extremely high-specificity approaches are needed to identify autoimmune diabetes in adults, with the optimal approach depending on the research question. We believe that until these recommendations are widely adopted by researchers, the true phenotype of late-onset type 1 diabetes will remain largely misunderstood.

Graphical Abstract