bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of Interface Haze after Femtosecond Laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis with Accelerated Corneal Crosslinking: a Case Series
Authors: Yin Hongbo , Wang Lixiang , Ma Ke
Published: May 2023

Background: Femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) with accelerated corneal crosslinking (FS-LASIK Xtra) is a recent procedure to achieve safer corneal ablation in myopic patients with borderline corneal thickness. Despite its well-accepted effectiveness, the development of remarkable interface haze is a potential concern but has rarely been reported and discussed.
Case presentation: we report for the first time a case series of 11 eyes of 7 patients who developed typical interface haze 1-3 months after FS-LASIK Xtra for the correction of myopia with astigmatism, with intensity grades ranging from 0.5+ to 3+ at the time of onset. Their preclinical spherical diopters ranged from -2.25 D to -9.25 D and cylindrical diopters ranged from -0.25 D to -2.50 D. The haze tended to be self-limiting, and topical anti-inflammatory therapy were given to moderate and severe cases, who responded well to treatment.
Conclusion: The development of clinically significant interface haze is a relatively rare complication after FS-LASIK Xtra but tends to have a higher incidence and intensity compared to conventional stromal surgery such as FS-LASIK. Timely treatment and close follow-up are essential to patients undertaking FS-LASIK Xtra.
Mobile Health Supported Multi-Domain Recovery Trajectories After Major Arthroplasty or Spine Surgery: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Naik Bhiken I. , Durieux Marcel E. , Dillingham Rebecca , Waldman Ava Lena , Holstege Margaret , Arbab Zunaira , Tsang Siny , Cui Quanjun , Li Xudong Joshua , Singla Anuj , Yen Chun-Po , Dunn Lauren K.
Published: May 2023

Background
Recovery after surgery intersects the physical, psychological, and social domain. Predicting and early identification of deviations from these multi-domain recovery pathways can facilitate personalized postoperative management and reduce complications. In this study our aims were to assess the feasibility of a mobile health application called PositiveTrends to collect multi-domain data after hip, knee arthroplasty or spine surgery and track procedure-specific, multi-domain recovery trajectories.
Methods
Prospective, observational study in participants greater than eighteen years of age. Data was collected prior to and up to one hundred and eighty days after completion of surgery within the functional, psycho-social, pain and medication usage domains using PositiveTrends. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to estimate the change in the outcomes over time. Heat maps and effect plots were used to visualize the recovery trajectories. Participants provided quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the PositiveTrends platform.
Results
Forty-two participants were enrolled over a four-month recruitment period. Function improved by 8 and 6.4 points per month after hip and knee arthroplasty, respectively. In spine participants, the Oswestry Disability Index decreased by 1.4 units per month. Mood improved in all three cohorts, however stress levels remained elevated in spine participants. Social support remained stable in all groups. Pain decreased by 0.16 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.20, 0.13), 0.25 (0.30, 0.20) and 0.14 (0.15, 0.12) units per month in hip, knee, and spine cohorts respectively. The odds of using no medication increased for each month postoperatively. There was a 10.9-to-40.3-fold increase in the probability of using no medication for each month postoperatively. Mixed-methods analysis demonstrated high app usability scores and acceptability of PositiveTrends by participants.
Conclusions
In this feasibility study we demonstrate the utility of a mobile health platform to map and track multi-domain recovery trajectories after major arthroplasty or spine surgery.
Older adults' perceptions of physical activity in the urban neighborhood
Authors: khanizadeh sahar , Ehsani Mohammad , Ghaedrahmati Safar , Hosseini Rasool Norouzi Seyed , Yoon Young Jin
Published: May 2023

This paper aimed to explore the different dimensions in understanding the neighborhood environment from the perspective of the elderly and to describe their opinions in performing physical activity in a neighborhood environment in Tehran. Ekhtiarieh neighborhood in District Three in the city of Tehran was selected as the context of the study. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants who were all older adults engaging in physical activities (PA) directly or indirectly in the neighborhood environment. In-depth interviews were employed to learn more about older adults' perceptions of physical activity in the neighborhood. For spatial assessment, each interviewee was asked to draw a map of their community to determine the locations, routes, and boundaries of physical activity and meaningful destinations in the neighborhood. The results indicated that city nodes in neighborhood environments were very effective points in physical activity. These nodes included shopping centers, green spaces, neighborhood parks, and playgrounds in the neighborhood. The analysis of the data indicated the health of the active elderly and the sense of place and emotions as main themes.
On Hermite-Hadamard-type characterizations of higher-order differential inequalities
Authors: Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: May 2023

Let $I$ be an open interval of $\mathbb{R}$ and $f: I\to \mathbb{R}$. It is well-known that $f$ is convex in $I$ if and only if, for all $x,y\in I$ with $x
Unmasked immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome towards B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma during treatment of esophageal actinomycosis in a patient with advanced HIV: a case report
Authors: Vargas-Garcia Elsa K. , Fernandez-Aristi Augusto R. , Cornejo-Venegas Gonzalo , Montenegro-Idrogo Juan José , Chirinos-Vega Juan , Chiappe-Gonzalez Alfredo
Published: May 2023

Background Actinomycosis is an unusual chronic bacterial infection, even rarer in people living with HIV. It is not considered an AIDS-defining disease. However, the role in co-presentation or overlap with other opportunistic conditions of advanced HIV is unknown.Case presentation: A 49-year-old Peruvian male presented with a 4-month history of dysphagia, odynophagia, hyporexia and wasting. He underwent an upper digestive endoscopy, in which ulcers with a necrotic center were observed, therefore, the initial diagnostic assumption was esophageal cancer. Subsequent pathology report excluded neoplasms and confirmed the diagnosis of actinomycosis. Serology for human immunodeficiency virus was requested, yielding a positive result. Antimicrobial treatment with amoxicillin and antiretroviral therapy were indicated, with slow clinical improvement. After 4 months, epigastric discomfort presented, for which a new upper digestive endoscopy was performed, revealing a deep gastric ulcer, which was compatible with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.Conclusion Esophageal actinomycosis in people living with HIV is very rare. We suggest HIV-associated immunosuppression is not enough to allow for actinomycosis to develop, and masked underlying entities should be sought. The existence of such entities in people living with HIV should raise awareness of the possibility of unmasked immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome once treatment has started.
Study on grinding performance during ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding ultra-high strength steels
Authors: Han Ming , Tang Yi , DING Wen-Feng , Zhao Junshuai , Zhao Biao , Liu Guoliang , Deng Mingming , Tang Menglan
Published: May 2023

Super high-strength steel has an important demand in manufacturing key components inside gear transmission systems of heavy-duty helicopter owing to its superior comprehensive mechanical property. However, the high-performance machining of super high-strength steel is confronted with great challenges owing to the high cutting force, serious tool wear, and impoverished machining quality. Comparative trials in grinding ultra-high strength steel under conventional grinding (CG) and ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding (UVAG) processes was conducted with white alumina (WA) and microcrystalline alumina (MA) wheels. Grinding performances, including grinding forces, force ratio, ground surface quality, and abrasive wheel morphologies were discussed in detail. Experimental results show that the separation property between wheels and workpiece in UVAG process contributes to alter the material removal process, reducing the chip clogging and adhesion. In addition, the micro-fracture of abrasive grains can effectively improve the self-sharpening ability of abrasive wheels. UVAG possesses a shorter grinding scratch owing to the ultrasonic vibration than that of CG, which is beneficial to improve machining quality under the same wheel. Meanwhile, in comparison of WA wheels, MA wheels have the narrower grinding marks and better surface quality, which is due to the sharp edges produced by its higher strength, toughness and excellent self-sharpening.
Maximising Information Diffusion with Source and Locality Awareness
Authors: Gupta Yayati , Sukhija Sanatan , Kumar Rithic
Published: May 2023

The paper proposes a generalised framework for budgeted influence maximization. We propose a novel cost function that considers the potential seed nodes' properties as well as the firm interested in maximizing the influence. A greedy algorithm, maximizing the influence to cost ratio, is then used to select a balanced set of seed nodes. A local proxy is proposed to quantify the influence of nodes. We also show that the edge weights play an important role in determining the influential power of nodes. Further, the edge weights for a network can be efficiently predicted with the help of link prediction heuristics like resource allocation metrics and the Adamic-Adar index.
Sense of public medical fairness and influencing factors based on data of the Chinese Social Survey (CSS) (2017–2019)
Authors: Duan Shengnan , Yang Jie , Yu Huaxin , lv Zixuan , Ding Tong , Hao Zhe , Yuan Ni , Li Huihua
Published: May 2023

Background: The objective of this study was to have a better view of the sense and influencing factors of public medical fairness from the public perspective, which would provide objective evidence for decision-makers to facilitate the improvement of a multi-tiered medical security system.
Methods: This study was based on data from the Chinese Social Survey (CSS) in 2015, 2017, and 2019; the CSS is a cross-sectional survey in China. Indicators of social-demographic characteristics were included as independent variables, while evaluation of public medical care, which we named as “sense of public medical fairness”, was selected as the dependent variable. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multi-class logistic regression.
Results: The study revealed that, from 2015 to 2019, the sense of public medical fairness significantly increased (F=64.473, P<0.0001) and there was a significant move toward the direction of “very fair” of the radar map (P<0.0001). In 2015, there was positive correlation between internet use and sense of public medical fariness, however internet usage became negative impact on the evaluation of sense of public medical fairness. Security such as pension insurance or pension, medical insurance or public medical care, maternity insurance, unemployment insurance, injury insurance and subsistence allowance are playing increasing roles in the evaluation of sense of public medical fairness and most of them had protective effect on sense of public medical fairness.
Conclusion: Policy makers should promote the transformation of medical and health services in the digital era and explore and guide the positive impact of digital society on the development of medical and health services to enhance citizens' sense of fairness.
Analyzing Inter-Connected Processes: Using Object-Centric Process Mining to Analyze Procurement Processes
Authors: Berti Alessandro , Jessen Urszula , Park Gyunam , Rafiei Majid , Aalst Wil M.P. van der
Published: May 2023

The Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) process is one of the core business processes in any organization. It ensures the correct and efficient provisioning of materials and services.
An efficient P2P process reduces operational costs by ensuring discounts, avoiding late payments, and choosing the optimal supplier for the goods.
Process mining techniques help practitioners optimize the execution of P2P processes by analyzing the execution data and providing useful insights.
However, existing techniques may result in misleading insights due to many-to-many relationships between business objects (for example, between orders and invoices in the P2P process).
Recently, object-centric process mining techniques have been proposed to avoid the limitations of traditional process mining techniques.
In this paper, we present a case study on a real-life P2P process using object-centric process mining techniques.
To that end, we adopt the well-known PM$^{2}$ process mining project methodology to the object-centric setting and analyze the performance and compliance.
Evaluation of Strength Characteristics of Miscellaneous Fill Foundation
Authors: Guo Tong , Kong Dezhi , Wang Xin , Yu Yang , Zhang Jilu
Published: May 2023

The structure of miscellaneous fill foundation is complex. The determination of its mechanical properties and parameters is of great significance to engineering construction. This paper takes the miscellaneous fill foundation in Zhengzhou Rongchuang Xinmi Yinji North Project as an example, and the consolidated drained test is carried out on miscellaneous fill soil samples under the action of various confining pressures. The experimental results reveal that the mechanical factors of the soil sample are almost similar to those of the silty sand, and its stress-strain relationship follows the hyperbolic relationship for monotonic loading. Based on the nonlinear elastic constitutive model, the bulk modulus is also introduced to obtain the tangent deformation modulus and tangent Poisson's ratio under the action of monotonic loading. In continuing, an appropriate nonlinear elastic constitutive relation of the miscellaneous fill is established, and the experimental test method is employed to assess the model parameters. The analysis of the obtained results indicates that the initial modulus of various fill increases with the growing depth, and the tangential deformation modulus lessens with increasing load. The initial Poisson's ratio reduces with increasing depth, and the tangential Poisson's ratio grows with increasing load.
Everolimus Prevents Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis Through Autophagy, Mitophagy and AKT Activation in H9c2 Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Kanno Syu-ichi , Hara Akiyoshi
Published: May 2023

Cardiotoxicity is a severe side effect of the potent chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX). We recently showed that DOX-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and death are attenuated by pre-induction of autophagy. Here, we aimed to assess how the autophagy/mitophagy-inducing antitumor drug everolimus (EVL) affects DOX-induced cytotoxicity in the rat cardiomyocyte cell line H9c2 and the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Apoptosis was assessed using an annexin V assay. Autophagy and mitophagy were assessed using fluorescence assays. Levels of cellular proteins were determined using western blotting. Pretreatment with EVL (1 nM) before DOX exposure inhibited mechanistic target of rapamycin activity, induced autophagy and mitophagy, and activated protein kinase B (AKT) in H9c2 cells. In mitochondria, DOX (1 µM) induced structural damage (a decrease in membrane potential and release of cytochrome c), increased superoxide levels, and altered levels of apoptosis-related proteins (a decrease in apoptosis inhibitor Bcl-2 and an increase in apoptosis inducer Bax), leading to apoptosis and reduction of viability in H9c2 cells. Alterations induced by DOX were suppressed by pretreatment with EVL. The anti-apoptotic effect of EVL was abolished by treatment with MK-2206, a selective AKT inhibitor. The results suggest that EVL suppresses DOX-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity through both autophagy/mitophagy and AKT activation. However, EVL did not attenuate DOX-induced apoptosis or reduction in viability in MCF-7 cells. Taken together, EVL can protect cardiomyocytes from DOX-induced apoptosis and toxicity without reducing the antitumor effects of DOX and thus may assist safer DOX chemotherapy.
Electroencephalographic monitoring of anesthesia during surgical procedures in mice using a standard clinical system
Authors: Joyce Leesa , Wenninger Alissa , Kreuzer Matthias , García Paul S. , Schneider Gerhard , Fenzl Thomas
Published: May 2023

Monitoring brain activity and associated physiology during the administration of general anesthesia (GA) is pivotal to guarantee postanesthetic health. Clinically, electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring is a well-established method to guide GA. There are no methods available for monitoring EEG in mice (Mus musculus) during surgery. Non-invasive methods of anesthetic level monitoring are limited to oximetry, capnometry, respiratory rate and the color of the mucous membrane. These methods lack direct access to the brain which is the primary target of GA. In this study, a minimally invasive rodent intraoperative EEG monitoring system was implemented using subdermal needle electrodes and a modified EEG-based commercial patient monitor. EEG recordings with the monitoring system revealed that surgical concentrations of isoflurane anesthesia predominantly contained burst suppression patterns in mice. EEG suppression ratios and durations showed strong correlations with the isoflurane concentrations. The suppression duration in the raw EEG signals during isoflurane anesthesia is an easy-to-detect and reliable marker to assure safe, adequate and reproducible anesthesia protocols.
Spatial epidemiological analysis of the burden of liver cancer in China
Authors: Guo Jingjie , Qu Meng , Lin Jing , Yuan Weiguang , Cai Huilong , Song Zengfu , Jiang Yang , Sun Huixin
Published: May 2023

Purpose To analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and clustering of the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) rate of liver cancer in 1990 and 2017 in China based on provincial administrative divisions, and to explore its possible influencing factors, in order to provide a new scientific perspective for the prevention and control of liver cancer.Methods The DALY rate data of liver cancer at the provincial level in China were collected, the DALY rate of thematic map was segmented by natural discontinuity method, the global autocorrelation of the DALY rate was analyzed by Moran's I, the local autocorrelation of the DALY rate was analyzed by Getis-Ord-Gi*, and the influencing factors related to the DALY rate were analyzed by the least squares regression model.Results The DALY rate of liver cancer in China generally showed an increasing trend. The DALY rate of liver cancer in China increased from 649.16/100,000 in 1990 to 789.61/100,000 in 2017, increasing by 21.64%. The DALY rate increased in 22 provinces and decreased in 9 provinces. In 2017, the distribution of DALY rate in all provinces showed heterogeneity, with the highest DALY rate in Guangxi (1,363.37/100,000) and the lowest in Beijing (315.78/100,000). In 2017, the DALY rate of liver cancer in China was more extensive. The low and low clustering were mainly concentrated in Inner Mongolia and Hebei. The low and high clustering in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong were surrounded by the high clustering in neighboring provinces, and the high clustering was mainly concentrated in Hunan and Jiangxi. The results of the least square regression model showed that the per capita years of education, hepatitis B incidence and the proportion of population over 65 years old had an impact on the DALY rate of liver cancer (P < 0.05). The incidence of hepatitis B and the proportion of population over 65 years old were positively correlated with the DALY rate of liver cancer, and the per capita years of education was negatively correlated with the DALY rate. GDP had no effect on the DALY rate of HCC (P > 0.05).Conclusion The DALY rate of liver cancer in China showed an overall increasing trend. In 2017, the DALY rate of liver cancer in China had a spatial aggregation in the whole country, and the per capita years of education, the incidence of hepatitis B and the proportion of population over 65 years old had an impact on the DALY rate of liver cancer in space.
Multiple factors influencing telomere length and DNA damage in individuals living near a coal-burning power plant
Authors: Souza Melissa Rosa , Garcia Ana Letícia Hilário , Dalberto Daiana , Picinini Juliana , Touguinha Luciana Bavaresco Andrade , Salvador Mirian , Silva Juliana
Published: May 2023

Coal is a mixture of several chemicals, many of which have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects and a key contributor to the global burden of mortality and disease. Previous studies suggest that coal is related to telomeric shortening in individuals occupationally exposed, however little is known about the effects of mining and burning coal on the telomeres of individuals living nearby. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of this exposure on genomic instability of individuals who live near coal activities, besides correlating results with individual characteristics, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and inorganic elements. The study involved 80 men participants from three cities around a thermoelectric power plant and one city unexposed to coal and byproducts. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples from all individuals and telomeres (TL) were measured by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). No significant difference was observed between exposed individuals (6.227 ± 2.884 pb) when compared to the unexposed group (5.638 ± 2.452 bp). Nevertheless, TL decrease was associated with age and risk for cardiovascular disease. Higher concentrations of Si and P in blood samples were associated with longer telomeres length. No correlations were observed between TL with comet assay, micronucleus test, oxidative stress, and inflammatory results. Further studies are needed to determine whether these alterations are associated with diseases and premature deaths.
GNN for Deep Full Event Interpretation and hierarchical reconstruction of heavy-hadron decays in proton-proton collisions
Authors: Pardiñas Julián García , Calvi Marta , Eschle Jonas , Mauri Andrea , Meloni Simone , Mozzanica Martina , Serra Nicola
Published: May 2023

The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is designed to perform high-precision measurements of heavy-hadron decays, which requires the collection of large data samples and a good understanding and suppression of multiple background sources. Both factors are challenged by a five-fold increase in the average number of proton-proton collisions per bunch crossing, corresponding to a change in the detector operation conditions for the LHCb Upgrade I phase, recently started. A further ten-fold increase is expected in the Upgrade II phase, planed for the next decade. The limits in the storage capacity of the trigger will bring an inverse relation between the amount of particles selected to be stored per event and the number of events that can be recorded, and the background levels will raise due to the enlarged combinatorics. To tackle both challenges, we propose a novel approach, never attempted before in a hadronic collider: a Deep-learning based Full Event Interpretation (DFEI), to perform the simultaneous identification, isolation and hierarchical reconstruction of all the heavy-hadron decay chains per event. This approach radically contrasts with the standard selection procedure used in LHCb to identify heavy-hadron decays, that looks individually at sub-sets of particles compatible with being products of specific decay types, disregarding the contextual information from the rest of the event. We present the first prototype for the DFEI algorithm, that leverages the power of Graph Neural Networks (GNN). This paper describes the design and development of the algorithm, and its performance in Upgrade I simulated conditions.
Relational Adversarial Logic
Authors: Vanegue Julien
Published: May 2023

Adversarial Logic is an extension of Incorrectness Logic providing a formal framework to study \emph{security exploits}. This article introduces \emph{Relational Adversarial Logic} (RAL), a derived logic from AL capable of reasoning on attack proofs for software security hyper-properties. Unlike other approaches to under-approximate relational analysis, we model the relation between two comparable implementations by introducing an explicit adversarial term, which is composed in parallel to the programs under comparison. Unlike in the original Adversarial logic where the parallel composition is used to model the adversary as a saboteur, the adversarial term is used as an arbiter in RAL. As such, RAL can express relational under-approximation without introducing meta-variables or a higher level logic. We demonstrate the relational capabilities of RAL by modeling a real URL confusion vulnerability between two widespread URL parsing implementations. Our presentation demonstrates that it only suffices to introduce new derived rules from AL, rather than introducing a new logic or relying on meta-variables as done in other approaches. As such, RAL retains simplicity and is more faithful to the original incorrectness logic by O'Hearn, from which it inherits its soundness.
Robotic realization of human perceptual changes with lateral balance task
Authors: Tomabechi Kazuya , Morita Ryosuke , Ito Satoshi
Published: May 2023

Human motor learning affects not only motion pattern but also perception. On the basis of this idea, we investigated some human-balancing tasks to observe changes in the balance perception. We simulated one of the results to replay the human behavior. In this study, we aim to demonstrate the human adaptive behavior in a motor and sensory system using a robot in a real-world scenario. The subjective upright, i.e., the inclination angle was considered as upright, was evaluated as perception in a balance position, and its lateral shift was determined after a motor-learning task under lateral disturbances. The adaptation dynamics was defined based on our hypothesis that stated that the subjective upright tends to vary toward the posture in which balance can be best maintained. Consequently, the change in the subjective upright similar to the human result was reproduced using a two-link robot that was subjected to the same environmental condition as that in the human experiment.
Deep video decaptioning based on multi-scale large kernel attention
Authors: Wang Chao , Cai Feifang , Li Yuhang , Zhou Qing , Ding Youdong
Published: May 2023

Video decaptioning is a subfield of video inpainting that aims to automatically remove subtitles from videos. One major challenge in video decaptioning is the lack of publicly available multi-language datasets. Currently available datasets only have English subtitles. To address this issue, we developed a new video decaptioning dataset called the Multi-language Video Subtitle Removal Dataset (Ml-VSR Dataset). In recent years, video inpainting methods have incorporated optical flow and transformer designs into their network models, resulting in improved performance. However, these methods often require a large number of model parameters, high-end training hardware, and long inference times. To overcome these limitations, we propose a two-stage network framework for video decaptioning. The framework consists of a mask extraction network (MEN) and a lightweight multi-scale large kernel attention video decaptioning network (MS-LKAVDN). The MEN comprises two stages: mask coarse extraction and mask refine extraction. We introduce a novel multi-scale attention network structure in the MS-LKAVDN to recover more image texture details while reducing model parameters. Additionally, we apply large kernel attention to video decaptioning for the first time, significantly reducing the model's computational effort. Extensive experiments show that our network has smaller model parameters, lower FLOPs, and shorter inference times than previous methods. Moreover, our method outperforms previous video decaptioning methods in both qualitative and quantitative comparisons, demonstrating superior performance in removing subtitles. Overall, our proposed two-stage network video decaptioning framework is lightweight, computationally efficient, and achieves state-of-the-art performance.
Effects of COVID-19 on Dutch diabetes care
Authors: jessicabak Jessica C.G. , Serné Erik H. , Groenwold Rolf H.H. , Valk Harold W. , Kramer Mark H.H. , Nieuwdorp Max , Verheugt Carianne L.
Published: May 2023

Aims
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted diabetes care by reducing diabetes outpatient visits and diabetes-related screening due to healthcare allocation. Yet the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes outpatients has not been extensively evaluated. This study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of outpatient diabetes care, particularly diagnostics and intermediate outcomes.
Methods
This observational cohort study included 8,442 diabetes patients in the Dutch Pediatric and Adult Registry of Diabetes (DPARD) visiting diabetes outpatient clinics in 2019 and 2021. A mixed-effects regression analysis was used to examine differences in target achievement of HbA1c, BMI, blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, eGFR, and the difference in mean HbA1c between 2019 and 2020 among n=1,426 outpatients who visited in both years. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and BMI
Results
A 22.7% (21.6 - 23.8%, p<0,001) decline in outpatient volume was observed during the pandemic. BMI, lipid spectrum, kidney function, and HbA1c were assessed less frequently in 2020 than in 2019. In 2020, compared to 2019, the median HbA1c level increased by 2.2% (1.0 mmol/mol, p=0.035) and the percentages of patients with known HbA1C meeting targets below 10, 8, 7% (86, 64, and 53 mmol/mol) decreased by 0.5%, 1.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Target blood pressure ≤130/80 mmHg was achieved more often in 2020 (15.0% versus 18.3%, p= 0.018), while HbA1c ≤86 mmol/mol was achieved less (89.3% versus 87.1%, p=0.001), among n=1,426 diabetes outpatients seen in both 2019 and 2020. In patients visiting both years, HbA1c was 2.3% (1.9 mmol/l, 95% CI 1.2-2.5, p<0.001) lower during the pandemic than in the prepandemic.
Conclusions
The COVID pandemic impacted Dutch diabetes outpatient care by reducing patient volume by 22.7%. Among patients who received outpatient care both before and during the pandemic period, HbA1c control and blood pressure control enhanced during the pandemic. Re-evaluation of current diabetes outpatient care organization is warranted to ensure optimal diabetes care in future times.
A Review of Automatic Generation of Test Cases from Use Case Specification
Authors: Asefa Surafiel Habib , Abegaz Yohanna Yimer
Published: May 2023

Software testing is an integral phase in the software development life cycle (SDLC). It refers to the process of verifying and evaluating the function of a software product. Among the testing activities, test case generation affects the effectiveness and efficiency of the testing process and requires a significant amount of effort and time. To reduce the effort and time involved in the manual test case generation process, significant research effort has been dedicated to the automatic generation of test cases. Although the majority of the proposed approaches are based on UML models, some works have presented a test case generation approach based on specifications. This literature review (LR) discusses use case specification-based automatic test case generation approaches and the methods used to validate them. Additionally, the review shows how the approaches differ in addressing some current issues in software testing.
Comparability of the six Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire translations: Results from the CENTER-TBI study
Authors: Zeldovich Marina , Bockhop Fabian , Covic Amra , Mueller Isabelle , Polinder Suzanne , Mikolic Ana , Vlegel Marjolein van der , von Steinbuechel Nicole , investigators and the CENTER-TBI participants and
Published: May 2023

Background
Comparison of patient-reported outcomes in multilingual studies requires evidence of the equivalence of translated versions of the questionnaires. The present study examines the comparability of six language versions of the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) administered to individuals following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research (CENTER-TBI) study.
Methods
Six competing RPQ models were fitted to data from Dutch (n = 597), English (n = 223), Finnish (n = 213), Italian (n = 268), Norwegian (n = 263), and Spanish (n = 254) language samples recruited six months after injury. To determine whether the same latent construct was measured by the best-fitting model across languages and TBI severity groups (mild/moderate vs. severe), measurement invariance (MI) was tested using confirmatory factor analysis.
Results
The results did not indicate a violation of the MI assumption. The six RPQ translations were invariant across languages and were able to capture the same construct across TBI severity groups. The three-factor solution comprising emotional, cognitive, and somatic factors provided the best fit with the following fit indices for the total sample: χ2(101) = 647.04, χ2/df= 6.41, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.995, TLI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.055, CI90%[0.051, 0.059], SRMR = 0.051.
Conclusion
The questionnaire can be used in international research, allowing for direct comparisons of scores across languages analyzed within the full spectrum of TBI severity.
Novel Populations of Lung Capillary Endothelial Cells and Their Functional Significance
Authors: James Joel , Dekan Aleksandr , Niihori Maki , McClain Nolan , Varghese Mathews , Bharti Dinesh , Lawal Odunayo Susan , Padilla-Rodrigez Marco , Yi Dan , Dai Zhiyu , Gusev Oleg , Rafikova Olga , Rafikov Ruslan
Published: May 2023

The role of the lung's microcirculation and capillary endothelial cells in normal physiology and the pathobiology of pulmonary diseases is unequivocally vital. The recent discovery of molecularly distinct aerocytes and general capillary (gCaps) endothelial cells by single-cell transcriptomics (scRNAseq) advanced the field in understanding microcirculatory milieu and cellular communications. However, increasing evidence from different groups indicated the possibility of more heterogenic structures of lung capillaries. Therefore, we investigated enriched lung endothelial cells by scRNAseq and identified five novel populations of gCaps with distinct molecular signatures and roles. Our analysis suggests that two populations of gCaps that express Scn7a(Na+) and Clic4(Cl−) ion transporters form the arterial-to-vein zonation and establish the capillary barrier. We also discovered and named mitotically-active "root" cells (Flot1+) on the interface between arterial, Scn7a+, and Clic4 + endothelium, responsible for the regeneration and repair of the adjacent endothelial populations. Furthermore, the transition of gCaps to a vein requires a venous-capillary endothelium expressing Lingo2. Finally, gCaps detached from the zonation represent a high level of Fabp4, other metabolically active genes, and tip-cell markers showing angiogenesis-regulating capacity. The discovery of these populations will translate into a better understanding of the involvement of capillary phenotypes and their communications in lung disease pathogenesis.
Malaysia’s National Role Conceptions and Transitions of Foreign Policy From Tunku to Mahathir
Authors:   S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Saravanamuttu Johan , Mark Eugene ,   S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Rayar Nawaljeet Singh ,   S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Published: May 2023

Reviewing the history and trajectory of Malaysia’s foreign policy, this article highlights national role conceptions (NRCs) during Tunku’s premiership between 1957 and 1968 and the first and second Mahathir tenures of 1981–2003 and 2018–2020, respectively. Malaysia’s foreign policy and its fundamentals have remained reasonably stable over prolonged periods but NRCs, which define foreign policy, have witnessed shifting nuances and noticeable changes under different premierships. Foreign policy under succeeding Malaysian governments has seen major shifts occurring in the transition of foreign policy in tandem with changing NRCs. Malaysian foreign policy is articulated within the constraints posed by the global and regional environments and that of a highly politicised, often divided domestic landscape. In the Tunku era, Malaysia was decidedly a Western ally, symbolised by NRCs of being “pro-West” and “anti-communist”. Since then, Malaysia’s relations with major powers and regional countries have shown a stable, neutral and non-aligned stance and it emerged as a “regional neutral strategist” under the premiership of Tun Abdul Razak. This article argues that the shifts and revisions in Malaysia’s NRCs under Mahathir as a “global champion of the South”, exemplar of “Looking East” and “champion of moderate Islam” were not all just outcomes of elite preferences but reflected political agendas of elites and political agents within the domestic political game. Drawing on some examples of domestic contestations over NRCs and foreign policy, the article points to the re-definition and even the abandonment of policy directions which were not consonant with the imperatives of the domestic political game.
Conserving the Jadi Mali Ritual for Cultural Sustainability: A Case Study of the Iban Community in Sarawak
Authors:   Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia, Rozaimie Awang , Alfred Tom Amelia ,   Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia, William Jalil Susana ,   Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Published: May 2023

The ancient practice of “jadi mali” among the indigenous Iban tribe in Sarawak is a custom and tradition birthed with the aim of attaining a marriage free from any unwanted catastrophe due to violating a taboo. This article suggests the protocols of “jadi mali” ritual as a vital intangible culture passed down from our ancestors’ knowledge to be preserved for future references. It adopts a philosophical approach of Husserlism of Transcendental Phenomenology (TPh) to qualitatively examine the issue of “jadi mali.” The affirmative lessons obtained from this ancient ritual may act as a rule for the younger Iban generation to be mindful of their courtship and to choose the right life partner in the future. The ancient ritual of “jadi mali” indicates a need for mutual respect and teaches intensive empathy about life’s details for genetic sustainability. This article contributes by providing a record for future reference on the ancient ritual of “jadi mali” among the Iban indigenous community in Sarawak. Foremost, this article is important for conserving ancestral knowledge.
Septic shock in obstetrics: guidelines of the All-Russian public organization “Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists”
Authors: Kulikov Alexander V. , Shifman E. M. , Protsenko D. N. , Ovezov A. M. , Роненсон А. М. , Raspopin Yu. S. , Artymuk N. V. , Belokrynitskaya T. E. , Zolotukhin K. N. , Shchegolev A. V. , Kovalev V. V. , Matkovsky A. A. , Osipchuk D. O. , Pylaeva N. Yu. , Ryazanova O. V. , Zabolotskikh I. B.
Published: May 2023

The article reflects the main provisions of the clinical guidelines on septic shock in obstetrics, approved by the All-Russian public organization “Federation of Anesthesiologists-Resuscitators” in 2022. The relevance of the problem is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates from sepsis and septic shock in obstetrics. The main issues of etiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture, methods of laboratory and instrumental diagnostics, features of using the qSOFA, SOFA, MOEWS, SOS, MEWC, IMEWS scales for sepsis verification are consistently presented. The article presents the starting intensive therapy (the first 6–12 hours) of the treatment of septic shock in obstetrics, taking into account the characteristics of the pregnant woman's body. The strategy of prescribing vasopressors (norepinephrine, phenylephrine, epinephrine), inotropic drugs (dobutamine) is described, antibiotics and optimal antibiotic therapy regimens, features of infusion and adjuvant therapy are presented. The issues of surgical treatment of the focus of infection and indications for hysterectomy, as well as the organization of medical care and rehabilitation of patients with sepsis and septic shock were discussed. The basic principles of prevention of sepsis and septic shock in obstetrics are described. The criteria for the quality of medical care for patients with septic shock and the algorithms of doctor's actions in the diagnosis and intensive care of patients with septic shock in obstetrics are presented.
Antagonistic interactions can stabilise fixed points in heterogeneous linear dynamical systems
Authors: Cure Samuel , Neri Izaak
Published: May 2023

We analyse the stability of large, linear dynamical systems of variables that interact through a fully connected random matrix and have inhomogeneous growth rates. We show that in the absence of correlations between the coupling strengths, a system with interactions is always less stable than a system without interactions. Contrarily to the uncorrelated case, interactions that are antagonistic, i.e., characterised by negative correlations, can stabilise linear dynamical systems. In particular, when the strength of the interactions is not too strong, systems with antagonistic interactions are more stable than systems without interactions. These results are obtained with an exact theory for the spectral properties of fully connected random matrices with diagonal disorder.
UPRIGHT PYRAMIDAL TEXTURED SURFACES OF BIFACIAL PERC SOLAR CELLN TYPE SILICON, DUAL LAYERSSINX/SIO2 IMPACT OF THE SUBSTRATE THICKNESS ON THE SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY
Authors:   Department of Physics, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal., Touty Traore Papa , Diaw Alassane ,   Department of Physics, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal., Ndiaye Mor ,   Department of Physics, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal., Diagne Issa ,   Department of Physics, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
Published: May 2023

Textured surface morphology plays an important rol for solar efficiency by reducing the reflections at surfaces (front or rear) of the device.Adding films is also benefic .The substrate used is the silicon added two films of SiNx and SiOx.The silicon is in between the films.The surfaces both front and rear are passived.The photon current absorbed is not changing when the substrate thickness changes.Then it doen not affect the solar cell efficiency.
LES CONDUITES AUTOMUTILATRICES ETUDE PORTANT SUR 110 PATIENTES HOSPITALISEES DANS LE SERVICE DE PSYCHIATRIE DE CHU MOHAMMED VI, MARRAKECH
Authors:   Equipe De Recherche Pour La Sante Mentale, Service De Psychiatrie, HÃ´pital Ibn-Nafis, CHU de Marrakech, Maroc., Akebour K.
Published: May 2023

Self-injury is an intentional injury inflicted on a part of ones own body with no apparent intention to die. Self-injurious behavior is associated with many mental disorders such as schizophrenia, mental retardation and personality disorders. In our country, few studies have been devoted to self-mutilation. Through the study of hospitalized patients in the psychiatric department of the U.H.C. Mohammed of Marrakech , inflicting wounds on themselves, we wish to bring more light with regard to: - The prevalence of self-harm in hospitalized mental patients. - The risk factors involved in self-injurious behaviors. - The epidemiological profile of self-harm in psychiatry.
A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE ATTITUDE AND EXPERIENCES OF DONOR MOTHERS IN A HUMAN MILK BANK AT A TERTIARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE
Authors: Anilkumar Khatri Jaya , Vartak Sagar , Deshmukh Isha , Avinash Kinikar Aarti
Published: May 2023

Background- Of the 27 million babies born in India,3.5 million are preterm and 7.6 million with low birthweight, increasing the risk of mortality neonates.Human milk has the greatest impact on child survival.Everynewborn is unable to benefit from their mothers milk, because of maternal illness,death or lactational failure.Understanding donors experiences and attitude towards donation is important as it will help improve milk donation and motivate potential donors. Aim- The aim of this study is to describe the attitude and experiences of donor mothers in the Human Milk Bank(HMB). Methods- This is a descriptive study conducted in the HMB attached to a tertiary hospital with a time bound sample of 72 mothers who had donated milk atleast once. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data and appropriate tests of significance applied. Results- Mean age group of this study was 24.63 and the range was from 18 to 33 years.20% population was below 20 years of age.25% were primiparous and 75% were multiparous.55% mothers have completed their middle and high schooling.43% mothers belonged to Class 4 of the Modified KuppuswamyScale. Altruism was the main reason for milk donation followed by breast engorgement.There is significant correlation between education level of mother and knowledge about contraindications of donating HMB.Experiencing pain and discomfort during donation was more in primiparous women. Fear about affecting their own health due to frequently donating at HMB was more in primiparousmother. Inference- Educating mothers and creating awareness among them and their family members regarding HMB is important.Primiparous mothers are more apprehensive in donating milk and need more support and counseling.Establishment of collection centres in the communities will bridge the demand and supply gap in PDHM and ultimately reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity.
COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF EFFLUENT FOOTPRINT ON THE BONNY ESTUARY
Authors:   QA/QC Engineer, Evomec Global Services Limited, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria., Lawrence Esievo , Emmanuel Ogwu Chukwu ,   Member, Institute of CharteredChemists of Nigeria., Moses Odianose Ahmadu ,   Student, Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria., Noble Chinedu Ozuru ,   Microbiologist, GIMLAS Integrated Services Limited, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Published: May 2023

The study, comparative investigation of the impact of effluent footprint on the Bonny estuarywas to assess the impact of wastewater on the Bonny estuary and its environment by analyzing the physicochemical and microbial parameters of surface water in four different locations and a control point. The study found that almost all locations exhibited some level of contamination, particularly hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The findings underscore the importance of regular monitoring of the Bonny Estuary and its environment to detect changes in water quality that could be detrimental to aquatic life and human health.Therefore, regular monitoring of these locations is necessary to discover changes in water quality that could harm marine life consumed by the human community in these areas.