bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrated approach to cardiovascular disease in people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study
Authors: Bark Pippa , Ramasawmy Mel , Hayward Andrew , Luchenski Serena , Aldridge Robert , Burridge Stan , Banerjee Amitava
Published: April 2023

Background

Homelessness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), beyond impact of socioeconomic status. CVD is preventable and treatable, though barriers to interventions exist for people experiencing homelessness. Those with lived experience of homelessness and health professionals with relevant expertise can help to understand and address these barriers.

Objectives

To understand, and make recommendations to improve, CVD care in homeless populations through lived and professional expertise.

Method

Four focus groups were conducted in March–July 2019. Three groups included people currently or previously experiencing homelessness, each attended by a cardiologist (AB), a health services researcher (PB) and an ‘expert by experience’ (SB) who coordinated participants. One group included multidisciplinary health and social care professionals in and around London to explore solutions.

Participants

The three groups included 16 men and 9 women, aged 20–60 years, of whom 24 were homeless and currently living in hostels, and 1 rough sleeper. At least 14 discussed sleeping rough at some point.

Results

Participants were aware of CVD risks and relevance of healthy habits but identified barriers to prevention and health access, starting with disorientation affecting planning and self-care, lack of facilities for food, hygiene and exercise, and experiences of discrimination.

Conclusions

CVD care for those experiencing homelessness should account for fundamental problems of the environment, be codesigned with service users and cover key principles: flexibility, public and staff education, integration of support and advocacy for health service rights.
Dependence of the probability of escape on the Jacobi constant in the N-body ring problem without central body
Authors: Belgharbi Ibrahim , Navarro Juan F.
Published: April 2023

In this work, we perform a numerical exploration of the escape in the N-body ring problem in absence of a central body, for $$4\le N\le 9$$

4
≤
N
≤
9

and ten values of the Jacobi constant. We show how the probability of escape per interval of time varies as a function of the Jacobi constant, finding that, for values of the Jacobi constant smaller than a certain limit value, the probability of escape from the system tends to decrease with time. However, if we consider values of the Jacobi constant larger than this limit value, the probability of escape grows with time, for times of escape smaller than 100 units of time.
Studying the Co-Evolution of Source Code and Acceptance Tests
Authors: Yalçın Ali Görkem , Tuglular Tugkan
Published: April 2023

Testing is a vital part of achieving good-quality software. Deploying untested code can cause system crashes and unexpected behavior. To reduce these problems, testing should evolve with coding. In addition, test suites should not remain static throughout the software versions. Since whenever software gets updated, new functionalities are added, or existing functionalities are changed, test suites should be updated along with the software. Software repositories contain valuable information about the software systems. Access to older versions and differentiating adjacent versions’ source code and acceptance test changes can provide information about the evolution process of the software. This research proposes a method and implementation to analyze 21 open-source real-world projects hosted on GitHub regarding the co-evolution of both software and its acceptance test suites. Related projects are retrieved from repositories, their versions are analyzed, graphs are created, and analysis related to the co-evolution process is performed. Observations show that the source code is getting updated more frequently than the acceptance tests. They indicate a pattern that source code and acceptance tests do not evolve together. Moreover, the analysis showed that a few acceptance tests test most of the functionalities that take a significant line of code.
Horizon scale tests of quantum gravity using the event horizon telescope observations
Authors: Marongwe Stuart
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we test the fundamental physics of the Nexus Paradigm of quantum gravity using horizon scale images and shadows of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) Sagittarius (Sgr)A* and M87* as imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). We consider the angular diameter of the emission ring peak as predicted by the Nexus Paradigm including the size of the central dark depression and the base diameter of each black hole. The predicted dimensions are then compared to observations from which we obtain an excellent agreement between observations and prediction at the 99th percentile credibility interval.
Almost strong finite type rings and Krull dimension of power series ring extensions from sequences
Authors: Giau Le Thi Ngoc , Toan Phan Thanh
Published: April 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be the collection of power series with coefficients in a commutative ring [Formula: see text] with identity. For a suitable function [Formula: see text] from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], one can define a multiplication [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] such that together with the usual addition, [Formula: see text] becomes a ring that contains [Formula: see text] as a subring. Denote this ring by [Formula: see text]. By this observation, the usual power series ring and the well-known Hurwitz series ring are the special cases of [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text], respectively. In this paper, we study the Krull dimension of [Formula: see text]. We first introduce the concept of almost strong finite type (ASFT) rings and study basic properties of this type of rings. We then show that for any function [Formula: see text], the Krull dimension of [Formula: see text] is at least [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] is a non-ASFT ring, which is an analogue of the result about the Krull dimension of the usual power series ring that [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] is a non-SFT ring. In particular, we have the Krull dimension of the Hurwitz series ring is at least [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] is a non-ASFT ring, which gives an answer to a question of Benhissi and Koja about the infiniteness of the Krull dimension of the Hurwitz series ring.
Coset component signed graph of a group
Authors: Amreen Javeria , Naduvath Sudev
Published: April 2023

In this paper, the notion of a newly derived signed graph called a coset component graph, based on cosets of subgroups of a group is introduced. Let [Formula: see text] be a group and [Formula: see text] be its subgroup. Then, the coset component graph of [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text], is a simple graph with the vertex set consisting of elements of [Formula: see text] and two vertices say, [Formula: see text] are adjacent if either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text]. A coset component signed graph of [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] is a signed graph whose edges get the sign in accordance with their inclusion in the edge set of the corresponding coset component graph. The structure and important properties of the coset component signed graphs are determined in this paper.
Strongly bi-conjugative relation — A new element in the class of bi-conjugative relations
Authors: Romano Daniel Abraham
Published: April 2023

The concept of regular relations at sets and the concepts of some other relations derived from these, such as normal and conjugative relations, have been the subject of study by several researchers. The concepts of bi-conjugative relations, finite extension of bi-conjugative relations and weakly finite extension of bi-conjugative relations were introduced and analyzed by Romano. In this paper, as a continuation of previous research, the author introduces and analyzes the concept of strongly bi-conjugative relations and one of its finitely extension as a specific case of bi-conjugative relations.
Semi-Supervised Lexicon-Aware Embedding for News Article Time Estimation
Authors: Ahmed Usman , Lin Jerry Chun-Wei , Srivastava Gautam , Yun Unil
Published: April 2023

In the information retrieval community, Temporal Information Retrieval (TIR) has become increasingly popular. Documents focused on the time surrounding their publication are more likely to be accurate and contain information relevant to the reader. In this study, we explore the inverted pyramid paradigm by extracting temporal expressions from news documents, standardizing their values, and evaluating them based on their position within the text. We present a lexicon expansion method that employs WordNet as input. This approach enhances the lexicon by grouping words with similar meanings, potentially improving the accuracy of event detection algorithms. Additionally, this process can introduce new words and phrases to the lexicon, expanding the vocabulary. Using each tagged dataset, a classifier is trained with a pre-trained network. A pool of unlabeled data are processed, and high-confidence pseudo-labels are assigned. Pseudo-labels are generated by leveraging the partially trained model and the original labelled data. As the classifier predicts the correct label for a data sample, the pseudo-labels of other data samples are updated, and vice versa. At the end of this process, the predictions from different matching classifiers are combined. It takes several rounds to label the unlabeled inputs using this method. To evaluate the proposed solutions, we conducted experiments on 4,500 online news articles relevant to temporal retrieval. LSTM, BiLSTM, and BERT models with and without lexicon expansion were assessed based on log loss and relative divergence of entropy. A jointly trained semi-supervised learning model achieved a mean KL divergence of 0.89, an F1 score of 0.74 for temporal events, and 0.63 for non-temporal events. Besides alleviating data sparsity issues and enabling the training of more complex networks, this technique can also serve as an alternative to data augmentation methods.
Multi-criteria Optimization of Real-time DAGs on Heterogeneous Platforms under P-EDF
Authors: Cucinotta Tommaso , Amory Alexandre , Ara Gabriele , Paladino Francesco , Natale Marco Di
Published: April 2023

This article tackles the problem of optimal placement of complex real-time embedded applications on heterogeneous platforms. Applications are composed of directed acyclic graphs of tasks, with each directed-acyclic-graph (DAG) having a minimum inter-arrival period for its activation requests and an end-to-end deadline within which all of the computations need to terminate since each activation. The platforms of interest are heterogeneous power-aware multi-core platforms with Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) capabilities, including big.LITTLE Arm architectures and platforms with GPU or FPGA hardware accelerators with Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration capabilities. Tasks can be deployed on CPUs using partitioned EDF-based scheduling. Additionally, some of the tasks may have an alternate implementation available for one of the accelerators on the target platform, which are assumed to serve requests in non-preemptive FIFO order. The system can be optimized by minimizing power consumption, respecting precise timing constraints, maximizing the applications’ slack, respecting given power consumption constraints, or even a combination of these, in a multi-objective formulation.

We propose an off-line optimization of the mentioned problem based on mixed-integer quadratic constraint programming (MIQCP). The optimization provides the DVFS configuration of all the CPUs (or accelerators) capable of frequency switching and the placement to be followed by each task in the DAGs, including the software-vs.-hardware implementation choice for tasks that can be hardware accelerated. For relatively big problems, we developed heuristic solvers capable of providing suboptimal solutions in a significantly reduced time compared to the MIQCP strategy, thus widening the applicability of the proposed framework.

We validate the approach by running a set of randomly generated DAGs on Linux under SCHED_DEADLINE, deployed onto two real boards, one with Arm big.LITTLE architecture, the other with FPGA acceleration, verifying that the experimental runs meet the theoretical expectations in terms of timing and power optimization goals.
OPTI: Order Preparation Time Inference for On-demand Delivery
Authors: Dai Zhigang , Lyu Wenjun , Ding Yi , Song Yiwei , Liu Yunhuai
Published: April 2023

On-demand delivery has become an increasingly popular urban service in recent years as it facilitates citizens’ daily lives significantly. In the fulfillment cycle, the order preparation time estimation is extremely important and can be used for many applications, such as improving order dispatching and fulfillment time estimation. Existing work is generally based on high-cost physical devices or large-scale labeled training data, which are not feasible in on-demand delivery services. We solve this problem based on already collected different kinds of data from the on-demand delivery platform, e.g., the courier’s reported arrival time to the merchant. Our intuition is that the couriers’ reported time implicitly reflects the order preparation time, which leads to a challenge: complicated correlations between the couriers’ reported arrival time and the order preparation time. To solve this challenge, we design an order preparation time inference framework OPTI, which first constructs a self-supervised classification task based on the couriers’ reported arrival time to infer the coarse-grained order preparation time and then exploits semi-supervised learning to transfer the coarse-grained time to fine-grained time inference. Experimental results show that OPTI can improve the accuracy of inference by 5% to 17% compared to the state-of-the-art solutions.
Synthesis and Characterization of Radio-Frequency-Sputtered Delafossite Copper Indium Oxide (CuInO2) Thin Films
Authors: Sundaresh Sreeram , Bharath Akash Hari , Sundaram Kalpathy B.
Published: April 2023

The deposition of CuInO2 films was achieved for the first time through a dual-target RF magnetron sputtering technique using Cu and In2O3 targets. It is found that the sputtering power of the Cu target has a significant effect on the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of the films. The sputtering power of Cu was varied from 5 W to 50 W while the sputtering power of In2O3 was held constant at 50 W. From the XRD analysis, it was confirmed that pure-phase CuInO2 was obtained at a Cu sputtering power of 5 W. XPS analysis revealed that Cu exists in the oxidation state of 1+ in the films sputtered with 5 W Cu, further confirming the successful synthesis of single-phase CuInO2. The oxidation states of Cu and In, full-width half maximum (FWHM), peak positions, satellite peak positions, and their respective binding energies have been elucidated through XPS analysis. Nanocrystalline growth was confirmed through SEM analysis performed on all the post-deposition annealed films. Further, it was observed that grain size increased from 18.49 nm to 63.34 nm as Cu sputtering power is increased from 5 W to 50 W. The optical studies were performed on the post-deposition annealed films in the 300–800 nm wavelength range. The optical transmission and the optical bandgap were found to decrease with an increase in the Cu sputtering power. The highest transmission of ∼75% and the highest bandgap of 3.62 eV was obtained for the films showing single-phase CuInO2.
Atypical Presentation of Amyloidosis in a Female Patient with Muscle Weakness
Authors: Lashkari Raziyeh , Loghman Maryam , Aghaghazvini Leila , Saffar Hiva , Ziaadini Bentolhoda , Shahriarirad Reza , Nekooeian Mohammad , Nejadhosseinian Mohammad , Alikhani Majid
Published: April 2023

Muscle involvement represents a well-recognized but rare manifestation of amyloidosis. Here, we report a 40-year-old female who presented with muscle weakness, musculoskeletal pain, and proteinuria, which was eventually diagnosed as myopathic amyloidosis based on muscle biopsy results. A multidisciplinary approach appears to be the cornerstone of the diagnostic work up for recognizing the unusual amyloid myopathy.
Microbial Biosurfactant as an Alternate to Chemical Surfactants for Application in Cosmetics Industries in Personal and Skin Care Products: A Critical Review
Authors: Karnwal Arun , Shrivastava Seweta , Al-Tawaha Abdel Rahman Mohammad Said , Kumar Gaurav , Singh Rattandeep , Kumar Anupam , Mohan Anand , Yogita  , Malik Tabarak
Published: April 2023

Cosmetics and personal care items are used worldwide and administered straight to the skin. The hazardous nature of the chemical surfactant utilized in the production of cosmetics has caused alarm on a global scale. Therefore, bacterial biosurfactants (BS) are becoming increasingly popular in industrial product production as a biocompatible, low‐toxic alternative surfactant. Chemical surfactants can induce allergic responses and skin irritations; thus, they should be replaced with less harmful substances for skin health. The cosmetic industry seeks novel biological alternatives to replace chemical compounds and improve product qualities. Most of these chemicals have a biological origin and can be obtained from plant, bacterial, fungal, and algal sources. Various biological molecules have intriguing capabilities, such as biosurfactants, vitamins, antioxidants, pigments, enzymes, and peptides. These are safe, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly than chemical options. Plant‐based biosurfactants, such as saponins, offer numerous advantages over synthetic surfactants, i.e., biodegradable, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly nature. Saponins are a promising source of natural biosurfactants for various industrial and academic applications. However, microbial glycolipids and lipopeptides have been used in biotechnology and cosmetics due to their multifunctional character, including detergency, emulsifying, foaming, and skin moisturizing capabilities. In addition, some of them have the potential to be used as antibacterial agents. In this review, we like to enlighten the application of microbial biosurfactants for replacing chemical surfactants in existing cosmetic and personal skincare pharmaceutical formulations due to their antibacterial, skin surface moisturizing, and low toxicity characteristics.
The Effects of Branch Spacing and Number on the Uplift Bearing Capacity of a New Squeezed Multiple-Branch Pile: A Numerical Simulation Analysis
Authors: Su Qingqing , Xia Hongbing , Wu Kunming , Yang Fulian
Published: April 2023

The squeezed multiple-branch pile is a variable section pile that was built by adding a bearing branch cavity to a constant section pile using expansion and extrusion equipment. It is widely used in engineering practice for its high bearing capacity, small settlement deformation, high economic benefits, strong adaptability, and simple pile forming process. In this paper, a new type of squeezed multiple-branch pile is proposed and its forming tool is invented. The forming tool of the pile has applied for an invention patent and is authorized by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. Multiple groups of comparison models of the new squeezed multiple-branch piles are established by using FLAC3D numerical simulation software to investigate the influence of the number and spacing of branches on the bearing mechanism in response to uplift load. The results indicated that the number and spacing of branches have a significant effect on the uplift bearing capacity, load–displacement curves, side friction resistance, and stress distribution law in the new pile and soil around the pile. The suitable number and spacing of branches maximize the uplift bearing capacity and minimize the settlement of a single pile.
Design and Optimization Method of Intelligent Interconnection Decision System Based on Blockchain Technology
Authors: Wu Honghan
Published: April 2023

Blockchain, as the application of distributed computing and data storage, point-to-point transmission, encryption algorithm, consensus mechanism, and other technologies, has become an important hotspot of data technology in banks, securities, and other Internet enterprises. In view of the problems of delay and large throughput in the current intelligent interconnection system of block chain, this paper proposes an optimization method of intelligent interconnection of block chain technology, so as to improve the performance of the system. In this paper, firstly, the development of intelligent interconnection and the related concepts of intelligent interconnection system optimization are put forward. Then, the related algorithms of blockchain are proposed, including the consensus algorithm of blockchain and the throughput delay algorithm of blockchain. Finally, in the experimental part, the blockchain technology is deeply studied, and the advantages and internal structure of blockchain are clearly analyzed. Then, by comparing the consensus of blockchain to optimize intelligent interconnected system and comparing blockchain technology with ordinary technology to optimize intelligent interconnected system, it is concluded that blockchain plays a positive role in optimizing intelligent interconnected system and also promotes the optimization of intelligent system. Therefore, we should introduce the related technologies of blockchain into the optimization of intelligent interconnection system, and its blockchain technology analysis can make up for the shortcomings of intelligent interconnection system. It also shows that blockchain technology is suitable for many information research fields and plays an irreplaceable role. The blockchain system consists of six different hierarchies, mainly network data layer and blockchain consensus layer. The data layer mainly encrypts the data related to blockchain. The consensus layer recognizes the main algorithms of blockchain, which can encapsulate the network information nodes of blockchain. Therefore, when blockchain carries out relevant information analysis algorithms, it mainly relies on blockchain consensus algorithm. It is beneficial to analyze the complex information of the system and promote the optimal development of blockchain.
Maternal Third Delay and Associated Factors among Women Admitted for Emergency Obstetric Care in Public Hospitals in Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Mislu Esuyawkal , Seid Ali , Bililign Nigus , Woyo Terefe , Dulla Dubale
Published: April 2023

Background. Timing to get obstetric care is critical in preventing maternal death and disability. Maternal third delay, the delay in receiving care after reaching health facilities, involves factors related to organization, quality of care, patient referral, and availability of staff and equipment. However, data is limited on maternal third delay and its associated factors at higher health facilities in Ethiopia. Objective. This study is aimed at assessing the magnitude of maternal third delay and associated factors among women admitted for emergency obstetric care in public hospitals in Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2021. Face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire and data extraction from medical charts were carried out in selected 542 women (using systematic sampling method). The collected data were coded and entered using EpiData, and bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done using SPSS version 25. Statistical significances were declared at

p

value less than 0.05. Results. Maternal third delay was identified among 29.3% (

95
%
CI
=
25.2
−
33.5

) of the respondents. Additionally, women who arrived with a referral from other health facilities (

AOR
=
0.311

,

95
%
CI
=
0.181
−
0.534

), well prepared for birth and its complications (

AOR
=
2.418

,

95
%
CI
=
1.51
−
3.869

), self-employed (

AOR
=
0.223

,

95
%
CI
=
0.122
−
0.409

), being a government employee (

AOR
=
0.157

,

95
%
CI
=
0.063
−
0.396

), having ANC follow-up (

AOR
=
2.795

,

95
%
CI
=
1.318
−
5.928

), and absence of health professional (

AOR
=
4.63

,

95
%
CI
=
2.857
−
7.50

) were significantly associated with maternal third delay. Conclusion. This study identified that maternal third delay was high, which indicates that women have not received emergency obstetric care in the recommended time range after they arrived at the health facilities.
Challenges and Solutions of the Application of Data-Driven Technology in Network 3D Game Design
Authors: Wang Huayi , Li Xiangrui
Published: April 2023

The development of online games is in full swing in recent years, and it is developing in the direction of 3D, exquisite, and has attained significant popularity. However, there are many challenges faced while designing 3D games that are targeted to specific user groups and can run stably. Data-driven technology can collect game preferences and identify common technical defects and other issues in game design for effective completion of frameworks. To solve the problem and difficulty of obtaining the data for 3D games and the possibility of flaws in the framework design, this paper adopts data-driven technology to descriptively analyze the obtained data through website log files, web beacons, and JS page tags and constructs a network after experimenting with the mathematical model of 3D modeling for gaming. For this purpose, a 3D game framework was successfully designed. After testing the data of the server for three cases while there are 4000, 8000, and 12000 players online at a given time, where each of which ran for 3 consecutive days, and it was concluded that the average CPU occupancy rate of these three cases was below 50%, especially in the range of about 30% for the majority of these players. Moreover, it can stably support about 10000 simultaneous online players for a relatively long period of time. For game servers and character servers, the results are excellent and have the potential to be adopted in future for 3D gaming industry.
Energy-Conserved Hydrodynamic Lubricated Components with Wall Slippage
Authors: Huang Xiaoxu , Zhang Yongbin
Published: April 2023

The hydrodynamic thrust slider and journal bearings as well as hydrodynamic lubricated gears with the merit of energy conservation by the wall slippage are reviewed. The principle for designing these hydrodynamic contacts is to artificially set the wall slippage on the stationary surface in the hydrodynamic inlet zone. To design the wall slippage on the moving surface in the hydrodynamic outlet zone can also give additional benefits. The technical merits of these mechanical components are the improved load-carrying capacity and the lowed friction coefficient, i.e., the energy conservation due to the wall slippage. Owing to the designed wall slippage, the carried load of the hydrodynamic step bearing can be increased by 200%~400% while its friction coefficient can be reduced by 50%~85%, and the load-carrying capacity of the hydrodynamic journal bearing can be increased by nearly 100% while at the same time, its friction coefficient can be reduced by more than 60%. For hydrodynamic lubricated gear contacts, by covering ultrahydrophobic or oilphobic coatings on the slower moving surface, the friction coefficient can be approaching to vanishing and the contact load-carrying capacity can be increased very significantly for large slide-roll ratios under medium or heavy loads.
Supplementary Figures from Discovery of Podofilox as a Potent cGAMP–STING Signaling Enhancer with Antitumor Activity
Authors: Han Jing , Hu Shuiqing , Hu Yawei , Xu Yifang , Hou Yanfei , Yang Yinlong , Su Huili , Zhang Zhengyin , Liu Peng , Sun Xuxu , Zhang Conggang
Published: April 2023

Supplementary Figures S1 to S9 with Legends
Table S4 from Genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals RAB10 as a synthetic lethal gene in colorectal and pancreatic cancers carrying SMAD4 loss.
Authors: Erasimus Helene , Kolnik Vanessa , Lacroix Frederic , Sidhu Sukhvinder S , D'Agostino Stephane , Lemaitre Olivier , Rohaut Alexandre , Sanchez Isabelle , Thill Gilbert , Didier Michel , Debussche Laurent , Marcireau Christophe
Published: April 2023

sgRNAscoreMageckComparison
How Informed Are German Patients with Pulmonary Sarcoidosis about Their Disease?
Authors: Buschulte Katharina , Höger Philipp , Ganter Claudia , Wijsenbeek Marlies , Kahn Nicolas , Kriegsmann Katharina , Wilkens Finn Moritz , Polke Markus , El-Hadi Sarah , Lederer Christoph , Herth Felix J. , Kreuter Michael
Published: April 2023

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease with a heterogenous course of disease. Comprehensive information about the complexity and treatment indications is essential for improving patient knowledge and adhering to therapy. Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate the level and resources of information in patients with sarcoidosis and to analyze differences in patient subgroups including age and gender. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based online survey in Germany and three semi-structured focus group interviews. The interviews were evaluated independently by two investigators using a structured qualitative content analysis. Results: A total of 402 completed questionnaires were analyzed, 65.8% of participants were women, and the mean age was 53 years. The majority of patients felt well informed about their disease in general (59.4%), but 40.6% were inadequately informed. The most relevant information gaps related to the future perspective (70.6%) as well as fatigue and diffuse pain (63.9%). Most patients received information from their treating pulmonologist (72.1%). 94% used the internet, especially homepages of patient support groups (75.2%). Male participants more often reported being well informed about their disease and were more satisfied with the information (p = 0.001). During the interviews, patients expressed their wish for more comprehensive information and highlighted the importance of psychological co-care as well as the future perspective. Conclusions: A relevant proportion of patients with sarcoidosis are inadequately informed about their own disease, particularly with regard to factors impeding quality of life such as fatigue. Efforts are needed to improve the level and quality of information.
Pigmented Desmoplastic Trichilemmoma Arising in Nevus Sebaceous: A Potential Mimicker of Pigmented Basal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Alhameedy Meshal M , Alrobaish Omar A , Almarshoud Sulaiman , Albahli Rand
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Trichilemmomas are a form of benign adnexal neoplasm with differentiation toward the follicular outer sheath. Nevus sebaceous (NS) of Jadassohn is a congenital malformation characterized as a nonhereditary hamartoma of the adnexal structures of the skin, mainly the pilosebaceous unit. NS represents a fertile field for the development of secondary adnexal neoplasms, commonly benign but occasionally malignant. To our knowledge, one case of a pigmented desmoplastic trichilemmoma (DT) has been reported in the English literature. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 36-year-old male with pigmented DT that developed on long-standing congenital NS, mimicking pigmented basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which was successfully excised with 4-mm margins. Conclusion: Pigmented DT may mimic pigmented BCC on clinical and dermatoscopic examination; therefore, histological evaluation is always recommended to confirm the diagnosis.
Vitamin D Ameliorates Podocyte Injury by Enhancing Autophagy Activity in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyi , Zhang Li , Wen Yingzhen , Zhang Mengxian , Liu Shuangxin , Xiao Houqin
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Restoration of podocyte autophagy is considered as a feasible strategy for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). This study aimed at investigating the protective effect and potential mechanism of vitamin D on podocyte injury of DKD. Methods: Type 2 diabetic db/db mice received intraperitoneal injections of vitamin D analog paricalcitol 400 ng/kg per day for 16 weeks. Immortalized mouse podocytes were cultured in high glucose (HG) medium with active vitamin D3 calcitriol or autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Renal function and urine albumin creatinine ratio were assessed at week 24. HE, PAS staining, and electron microscopy were used to evaluate renal histopathology and morphological changes. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blot were used to evaluate protein expression of nephrin and podocin in kidney tissue and podocytes. The expression of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, Beclin-1, Vps34) and apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved caspase-3, Bax) was determined by Western blotting. Podocyte apoptosis was further evaluated by using flow cytometer. Results: Albuminuria in a db/db mouse model was markedly attenuated after treatment with paricalcitol. This was accompanied by alleviation of mesangial matrix expansion and podocyte injury. Besides, the impaired autophagy in podocytes under diabetic conditions was also markedly enhanced after paricalcitol or calcitriol treatment, accompanied by restored decreased podocyte slit diaphragm proteins podocin and nephrin. Furthermore, the protective effect of calcitriol against HG-induced podocyte apoptosis could be abated by autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Conclusion: Vitamin D ameliorates podocyte injury of DKD by enhancing podocyte autophagy activity, which may become a potential candidate autophagy activator for the therapeutic interventions for DKD.
Assessment of Nutritional Status in the Diagnostic Evaluation of the Child with Growth Failure
Authors: Vlaardingerbroek Hester , Joustra Sjoerd D. , Oostdijk Wilma , de Bruin Christiaan , Wit Jan M.
Published: April 2023

Current clinical guidelines provide information about the diagnostic workup of children with growth failure. This mini-review focuses on the nutritional assessment, which has received relatively little attention in such guidelines. The past medical history, in particular a low birth size and early feeding problems, can provide information that can increase the likelihood of nutritional deficits or several genetic causes. The current medical history should include a dietary history and can thereby reveal a poorly planned or severely restricted diet, which can be associated with nutritional deficiencies. Children on a vegan diet should receive various nutritional supplements, but insufficient compliance has been reported in one-third of cases. While proper use of nutritional supplements in children consuming a vegan diet appears to be associated with normal growth and development, insufficient intake of supplements may impede growth and bone formation. Physical examination and analysis of height and weight over time can help differentiating between endocrine causes, gastrointestinal disorders, psychosocial problems, or underlying genetic conditions that prevent adequate nutritional intake. Laboratory screening should be part of the workup in every child with short stature, and further laboratory tests can be indicated if warranted by the dietary history, especially in children on a poorly planned vegan diet.
Olha que Boniteza, a Biblioteca Escolar em Revista: dez anos de Berev, a bibliometria de 2012 a 2021
Authors: Miguel Marcelo Calderari , Silva Luiz Carlos da , Moraes Margarete Farias de
Published: April 2023

O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise bibliométrica da Biblioteca Escolar em Revista – Berev, utilizando-se de preceitos bibliométricos para se mensurar alguns construtos métricos, contribuindo para o melhor entendimento sobre o percurso do periódico. Porquanto, a questão norteadora desta pesquisa envolve estabelecer alguns parâmetros sobre a publicação científica da Berev com apoio da abordagem e dos preceitos bibliométricos. Para tanto, utiliza-se a estatística descritiva, com a representação dos dados em tabelas e quadros, situando um painel de diagnóstico por meio de indicadores selecionados, com método dedutivo e envolvendo uma abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, com a expressão de itens bibliográficos. Por fim, constata- se que a Berev teve uma evolução significativa, à luz dos parâmetros analisados e da revisão dialógica da literatura.
Contribution of
APOE
Genetic Variants to Dyslipidemia
Authors: Bea Ana M. , Larrea-Sebal Asier , Marco-Benedi Victoria , Uribe Kepa B. , Galicia-Garcia Unai , Lamiquiz-Moneo Itziar , Laclaustra Martín , Moreno-Franco Belén , Fernandez-Corredoira Pablo , Olmos Salvador , Civeira Fernando , Martin César , Cenarro Ana
Published: April 2023

Background:

apo (apolipoprotein) E has crucial role in lipid metabolism. The genetic variation in
APOE
gene is associated with monogenic disorders and contributes to polygenic hypercholesterolemia and to interindividual variability in cholesterol.
APOE
rare variants may be involved in the phenotype of genetic hyperlipidemias.

Methods:

Exon 4 of
APOE
were sequenced in all consecutive unrelated subjects with primary hyperlipidemia from a Lipid Unit (n=3667) and 822 random subjects from the Aragon Workers Health Study. Binding affinity of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) to LDL receptor of pathogenic predicted apoE variants was analyzed in vitro. Lipoprotein particle number, size, and composition were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance.

Results:

In addition to common polymorphisms giving rise to APOE2 and APOE4, 14 gene variants were found in exon 4 of
APOE
in 65 subjects. p.(Leu167del) in 8 patients with isolated hypercholesterolemia and in 8 patients with combined hyperlipidemia. Subjects with p.(Arg121Trp), p.(Gly145Asp), p.(Arg154Ser), p.(Arg163Cys), p.(Arg165Trp), and p.(Arg168His) variants met dysbetalipoproteinemia lipid criteria and were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance. VLDL affinity for the LDL receptor of p.(Arg163Cys) and p.(Arg165Trp) heterozygous carriers had intermedium affinity between APOE2/2 and APOE3/3. p.(Gly145Asp) and p.(Pro220Leu) variants had higher affinity than APOE3/3.

Conclusions:

APOE
genetic variation contributes to the development of combined hyperlipidemia, usually dysbetalipoproteinemia, and familial hypercholesterolemia. The lipid phenotype in heterozygous for dysbetalipoproteinemia-associated mutations is milder than the homozygous APOE2/2-associated phenotype. Subjects with dysbetalipoproteinemia and absence of APOE2/2 are good candidates for the study of pathogenic variants in
APOE
. However, more investigation is required to elucidate the significance of rarer variants of apoE.
Op de Troon van Het Kruis
Authors: Davids A.
Published: April 2023

On the throne of the cross

Dimitrios I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (1972-1991)

His All Holiness Dimitrios I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, died in Istanbul on the 2d of October 1991 after a heart attack. Dimitrios Papadopoulos, born in 1914 near Istanbul, studied at the Theological School at Chalki. After having spent a year in Northern Greece, he was ordained priest and looked after the parish in Feriköy at Istanbul. From 1945 to 1950 he organized the Greek Orthodox community in Teheran. Called back by patriarch Athenagoras I, he soon became auxiliary bishop of Istanbul. In 1972 he was appointed as metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos, one of the four eparchies near Istanbul. After Athenagoras’ death he was unexpectedly and against his own will elected as ecumenical patriarch, while the Turkish authorities had refused the candidacy of other, more prominent members of the Holy Synod.

Dimitrios I continued and developped the work of his predecessor: with the preparation of the panorthodox council; with his „dialogue of truth” (instead of the former „dialogue of love”) with the Roman Catholic Church; with his collaboration with the World Council of Churches. Progress certainly has been made, but no final goal has been achieved. A panorthodox council is still not in view. The "dialogue of truth" is hampered by Roman Catholic proselytism in Eastern Europe. The World Council of Churches has departed too much from its „base”.

In the last years of his life Dimitrios could visit the Orthodox churches abroad, including the patriarchate of Moscow, as well as the Vatican, Canterbury and Geneva. In the U .S.A. he spoke to the United Nations. Thus he became an internationally well-known spiritual Orthodox leader. In the meantime he had to cope with extremist Turkish aggressivity at home. Dimitrios I was a humble successor of St. Andrew on, as he called it, „the throne of the cross”.
De Ikoon van de Opwekking van Lazarus
Authors: Jacobs A.
Published: April 2023

L’icône de la résurrection de Lazare

Les catacombes nous off rent un grand nombre d’images représentant la résurrection de Lazare. Celui-ci y ressort comme symbole du défunt attendant sa résurrection par le Christ. La représentation est très simple: elle ne montre que les deux personnages principaux, le Christ et Lazare.

Sur les sarcophages on constate déjà un certain développement du thème. En plus du Christ et de Lazare il y ales femmes agenouillées aux pieds de Jésus et quelques témoins. Les icônes enfin montrent l’image la plus développée de la résurrection de Lazare. Elles suivent de près le texte de Saint-Jean et contiennent plusieurs détails mentionnés dans le récit évangélique. Ces icônes représentent le Christ comme vainqueur de la mort: celle de Lazare et celle de tous ceux qui croient en lui. En même temps elles sont – par voie de contraste – comme une annonce de la résurrection du Christ lui-même. Tandis que Lazare est ressuscité par le Christ, celui-ci quittera son tombeau de par sa propre force.
A new species of Tuber (Tuberaceae, Pezizales) from Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: GUO FANG , BAU TOLGOR
Published: April 2023

The newly identified Tuber mongolicum sp. nov. in the clade Maculutum, is described based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. The new species is characterised by concave shallow grooves on the surface of ascocarps and subglobose to oval ascospores. This species produces ascomata in autumn and is currently known from Inner Mongolia.
Black + White = Prototypically Black: Visualizing Black and White People’s Mental Representations of Black–White Biracial People
Authors: Oliver Andre’ , Tracy Ryan E. , Young Steven G. , Wout Daryl A.
Published: April 2023

Utilizing reverse correlation, we investigated Black and White participants’ mental representations of Black–White Biracial people. Across 200 trails, Black and White participants chose which of two faces best fit specific social categories. Using these decisions, we visually estimated Black and White people’s mental representations of Biracial people by generating classification images (CIs). Independent raters blind to condition determined that White CI generators’ Biracial CI was prototypically Blacker (i.e., more Afrocentric facial features and darker skin tone) than Black CI generators’ Biracial CI (Study 1a/b). Furthermore, independent raters could not distinguish between White CI generators’ Black and Biracial CIs, a bias not exhibited by Black CI generators (Study 2). A separate task demonstrated that prejudiced White participants allocated fewer imaginary funds to the more prototypically Black Biracial CI (Study 3), providing converging evidence. How phenotypicality bias, the outgroup homogeneity effect, and hypodescent influences people’s mental images of ingroup/outgroup members is discussed.
CD31 as a probable responding and gate-keeping protein of the blood-brain barrier and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Zhang Zhengrong , Gan Qini , Han Jingyan , Tao Qiushan , Qiu Wei Qiao , Madri Joseph A
Published: April 2023

Several studies have shown that an abnormal vascular-immunity link could increase Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk; however, the mechanism is unclear. CD31, also named platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), is a surface membrane protein of both endothelial and immune cells and plays important roles in the interaction between the vascular and immune systems. In this review, we focus on research regarding CD31 biological actions in the pathological process that may contribute to AD based on the following rationales. First, endothelial, leukocyte and soluble forms of CD31 play multi-roles in regulating transendothelial migration, increasing blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and resulting in neuroinflammation. Second, CD31 expressed by endothelial and immune cells dynamically modulates numbers of signaling pathways, including Src family kinases, selected G proteins, and β-catenin which in turn affect cell-matrix and cell–cell attachment, activation, permeability, survival, and ultimately neuronal cell injury. In endothelia and immune cells, these diverse CD31-mediated pathways act as a critical regulator in the immunity-endothelia-brain axis, thereby mediating AD pathogenesis in ApoE4 carriers, which is the major genetic risk factor for AD. This evidence suggests a novel mechanism and potential drug target for CD31 in the background of genetic vulnerabilities and peripheral inflammation for AD development and progression.
Proof of concept of a new device for the insertion of peripheral venous catheters in aseptic conditions
Authors: López-Medrano Francisco , Ruiz-Merlo Tamara , Rivas Gonzalo , Parra Patricia , Fernández-Ruiz Mario , Aguado José María
Published: April 2023

According to the recommendations by the World Health Organization, the insertion of a peripheral venous catheter (PVC) must be an aseptic procedure while using non-sterile gloves. To overcome this apparent contradiction we have invented and patented (WO/2021/123482) a new device to be used during PVC insertion. The device permits the PVC placement in the vein while avoiding to directly touch the catheter with the fingertips. A total of 16 PVCs were inserted in the veins of a venipuncture anatomic training model while the operator was wearing non-sterile gloves. The gloves had been previously contaminated by embedding the fingertips in an agar plate inoculated with Staphylococcus epidermidis. Following insertion, the PVCs were sterilely removed and deposited on a bacterial culture plate. The tip cultures of PVCs that had been inserted with or without the use of the device were compared. Eight out of eight cultures (100.0%) were positive for S. epidermidis when the PVC had been inserted without using the device, whereas only one out of eight (12.5%) was positive when the device had been used. The single positive tip culture in the latter group corresponded to an insertion in which the operator had inadvertently touched the sterile part of the device while manipulating it. In conclusion, an auxiliary novel device allows the aseptic insertion of PVCs while the operator is wearing non-sterile gloves. Regulatory institutions should consider to recommend the insertion of PVCs by means of devices aimed at avoiding the contamination of the catheter.
The Affordances of Videoconferencing Technology for Doing Interviews With Children Online: Methodological Explorations Based on a Critical Ethnography
Authors: Zhao Pengfei , Li Peiwei
Published: April 2023

In this article, we engage with the concept and theories of “affordance” in the adoption of digital tools to perform qualitative inquiry. We first raise the question of what is afforded when we use online digital tools such as Zoom to interview young children (5–10 years old) and then draw on empirical examples from our multi-sited critical ethnography with transnational Chinese children to illustrate our key methodological points. We lay out three dimensions along which the concept of affordance can be conceptualized: the relational, the embodied situational, and the social-cultural. We discuss the potential to map out a critical approach to enable qualitative researchers to practice reflexivity in technology-mediated qualitative research.