bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A cross-sectional study assessing family satisfaction in the intensive care environment in Bahrain: opportunities for improvement
Authors: Hamed Khadija Adel , Buzaid Fatema , AlHafi Mais , Alkhan Jalal A. , Ghaffar Khalid A.
Published: March 2023

Background: Assessment of patients’ family experience and levels of satisfaction have become a measure of intensive care. The aim of this study was to assess the needs of patient’s family members in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and to identify areas for improvement in quality care.

Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, a questionnaire survey study was carried out with 100 randomly selected family members of 77 critically ill patients cared for in surgical and medical ICUs. The family satisfaction (FS-ICU-24) questionnaire was given to family members, and the responses were used to assess their experience of ICU care.

Results: The responses of patients’ relatives exposed an overall level of satisfaction of 5.04 ± 1.104 on a scale of 1-6. Satisfaction with care was scored higher than satisfaction with decision-making. Family members reported low satisfaction with communication with physicians, the ICU atmosphere, and the waiting room atmosphere. Factors such as the completeness of the information received by relatives (p=0.007) and the ease of obtaining information (p=0.007) demonstrated a significant association with family satisfaction. Suggestions received from families with the high frequency where they need lengthier visiting hours, regular updates on medical reports, better care, and communication with ICU staff.

Conclusions: Although overall family satisfaction was high, some areas emerged for improvement. The family members want to increase the length of visiting hours, frequency of patient status updates, communication with physicians, involvement in decision-making, and presence during medical visits. Considering the opportunity to improve ICU care, we propose periodic assessments of family satisfaction with ICU experiences.
Effect of facemask, handwashing, and social distancing on contracting COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia: a case-control study
Authors: M Alswaidi Fahad , M Assiri Abdullah , M Alalway Muhra , H Alhaqbani Haya , H Alkahtani Haya
Published: March 2023

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of self-preventive measures (handwashing, mask-wearing, and social distancing) on preventing the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection in Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Methods: An unmatched case-control study (1 to 1 ratio) was conducted with a sample size of 1102. The researchers used descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to determine the effect of handwashing, mask-wearing behavior, and social gatherings on COVID-19 infection.

Results: The results evinced that participants who believed that the facemask was important for preventing COVID-19 infection were more likely protected against the disease (OR=0.450; 0.320—0.631). Using a facemask during social visits and shopping indicated a lower protective effect than using it at work (OR=1.299; 1.011—1.668). The type of mask (disposable versus cloth; OR=0.929; 0.590—0.1.462) and its wearing period (1< dayversus ≤1 day; OR=0.907; 0.662—1.243) showed an almost neutral statistical association with acquiring the infection. Contrarily, handwashing time for ≥20 seconds, compared to a shorter time, had a statistically significant protective association with the infection even after adjusting the odds ratio (OR=0.616; 0.4763—0.796). It was also noted that gathering with relatives and friends ≥4 times per month exhibited a higher and statistically significant association with the infection compared to the lower times (OR=1.347; 1.046—1.734). Furthermore, people who prayed five times a day at the mosque showed a higher risk of infection than those who prayed less than five times (adjusted OR=1.740; 1.152—2.626).

Conclusions: This study suggested that handwashing for more than 20 seconds is the most important preventive factor among all considerations investigated. Moreover, it was noticed that disposable and cloth facemasks may have the same effect regardless of the wearing period or sterilization status. Furthermore, gathering with relatives and friends, as well as praying five times a day at the mosque, were ascertained as significant social factors in acquiring the COVID-19 infection.
AmpSeqR: an R package for amplicon deep sequencing data analysis
Authors: Han Jiru , Munro Jacob E. , Bahlo Melanie
Published: March 2023

Amplicon sequencing (AmpSeq) is a methodology that targets specific genomic regions of interest for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification so that they can be sequenced to a high depth of coverage. Amplicons are typically chosen to be highly polymorphic, usually with several highly informative, high frequency single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) segregating in an amplicon of 100–200 base pair (bp). This allows high sensitivity detection and quantification of the frequency of each sequence within each sample making it suitable for applications such as low frequency somatic mosaicism detection or minor clone detection in mixed samples. AmpSeq is being increasingly applied to both biological and medical studies, in applications such as cancer, infectious diseases and brain mosaicism studies. Current bioinformatics pipelines for AmpSeq data processing lack downstream analysis, have difficulty distinguishing between true sequences and PCR sequencing errors and artifacts, and often require bioinformatic expertise. We present a new R package: AmpSeqR, designed for the processing of deep short-read amplicon sequencing data, with a focus on infectious diseases. The pipeline integrates several existing R packages combining them with newly developed functions to perform optimal filtering of reads to remove noise and improve the accuracy of the detected sequences data, permitting detection of very low frequency clones in mixed samples. The package provides useful functions including data pre-processing, amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) estimation, data post-processing, data visualization, and automatically generates a comprehensive Rmarkdown report that contains all essential results facilitating easy inclusion into reports and publications. AmpSeqR is publicly available at https://github.com/bahlolab/AmpSeqR.
Diagnostic accuracy of Cipto Triage Method in the emergency department
Authors: Habib Hadiki , Prabowo Yogi , Sulistio Septo , Albar Imamul Aziz , Mulyana Radi Muharris , Nurlaelah Siti , Desviati Eva , Setiani Erni , Arifin Arifin , Matondang Erni Siska Sarifah , Rasmawati Rasmawati , Arlando Choga Ilham , Sumaryanto Sumaryanto , Sutoyo Tommi Juliandi , Lutfi Fery , Fatriani Fatriani , Kusuma Endar
Published: March 2023

Background: The Cipto Triage Method (CTM) is a method developed in Indonesia for assessing the clinical acuity of emergency department patients. To evaluate the accuracy of the CTM, this study compared triage decisions using the CTM performed by nurses to the triage decisions performed by emergency medical officers (EMO).

Methods: This cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study was performed in a single-centre referral hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Adult patients who attended the emergency department (ED) met the inclusion criteria. Trauma cases, pregnancy, and psychiatric disorders were excluded. All eligible patients underwent triage assessment based on CTM by a triage nurse and were then referred to the ED treatment zone for triage assessment performed by an EMO. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and likelihood ratio were calculated.

Results: Between April and July 2022, 902 participants were randomly selected. The overall accuracy of the triage assessment of the index test was 84.7%, and the PPV of resuscitation and urgent triage was very good (90.5% and 84.5%, respectively). In the non-urgent category, the PPV was acceptable (72%), but the NPV was very good (92.2%).

Conclusions: Nurse-based triage assessment using CTM in the ED had very good diagnostic accuracy in determining clinical acuity.
Twelve tips for adopting the virtual Nominal Group Technique (vNGT) in medical education research
Authors: Khurshid Faraz , O’Connor Elizabeth , Thompson Rachel , Hegazi Iman
Published: March 2023

Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured approach to consensus development and data collection driven by problem-solving, idea inception and prioritisation. Challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated the development of a virtual (vNGT) model to recruit participants from diverse locations and time zones. Our reflections reveal the opportunities and challenges of using Zoom© for NGT sessions, resulting in more effective engagement and focus with fewer distractions compared to in-person meetings. The 12 tips provide practical suggestions for expanding the versatility of NGT in a virtual environment. These recommendations cover every aspect of the process, including the person, place, and object, from planning the sessions, and utilising technology resources effectively, to ensuring a seamless implementation to desirable outcomes. The paper strives to assist individuals in effectively using the online NGT as a substitute for in-person events, promoting effective management of remote participants even during unprecedented times of quarantine and physical distancing.
Systemic treatment with cigarette smoke extract affects zebrafish visual behaviour, intraocular vasculature morphology and outer segment phagocytosis
Authors: Gómez Sánchez Alicia , Colucci Patrizia , Moran Ailis , Moya López Alexandro , Colligris Basilio , Álvarez Yolanda , Kennedy Breandán N.
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Cigarette smoking adversely affects multiple aspects of human health including eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and dry eye disease. However, there remains a knowledge gap in how constituents of cigarette smoke affect vision and retinal biology. We used zebrafish to assess effects of short-term acute exposure to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on visual behaviour and retinal biology.

Methods: Zebrafish larvae with a developed visual system at three days post-fertilization (dpf) were exposed to CSE for 4, 24 or 48 hours. Visual behaviour, hyaloid vasculature morphology, retinal histology, oxidative stress gene expression and outer segment phagocytosis were investigated using visual behavioural optokinetic and visual motor response assays (OKR and VMR), microscopy (light, fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy), and real-time PCR.

Results: In zebrafish larvae, 48 hours of CSE treatment resulted in significantly reduced visual behaviour. Larvae treated with 10, 15 or 20 μg/mL CSE showed an average of 13.7, 10.7 or 9.4 saccades per minute, respectively, significantly lower compared with 0.05% DMSO controls (p=0.0093, p=0.0004 and p<0.0001, respectively) that exhibited 19.7 saccades per minute. The diameter of intraocular vessels increased from 4.12 μm in 0.05% DMSO controls to 5.69 μm in the 20 μg/mL CSE-treated larvae (p≤0.0001). Biometry analysis highlighted a significant axial length elongation in 20 μg/mL CSE-treated larvae (216.9 μm, p<0.0001) compared to 0.05% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) controls (205.1 μm). Larvae exposed to 20 μg/mL CSE had significantly (p=0.0002) higher numbers of RPE phagosomes compared to vehicle controls (0.1425 and 0.093 phagosomes/μm RPE, respectively).

Conclusions: Zebrafish larvae with a developed visual system display apparent defects in visual behaviour and retinal biology after acute exposure to CSE, establishing a valuable in vivo model to investigate ocular disorders related to cigarette smoke.
A genome-wide association study of childhood adiposity and blood lipids
Authors: O'Nunain Katie , Sanderson Eleanor , Holmes Michael V , Davey Smith George , Richardson Tom G
Published: March 2023

Background: The rising prevalence of childhood obesity and dyslipidaemia is a major public health concern due to its association with morbidity and mortality in later life. Previous studies have found that genetic variants inherited at birth can begin to exert their effects on cardiometabolic traits during the early stages of the lifecourse.

Methods: In this study, we have conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for eight measures of adiposity and lipids in a cohort of young individuals (mean age 9.9 years, sample sizes=4,202 to 5,766) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). These measures were body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high- density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-I and apolipoprotein B. We next undertook functional enrichment, pathway analyses and linkage disequilibrium (LD) score regression to evaluate genetic correlations with later-life cardiometabolic diseases.

Results: Using GWAS we identified 14 unique loci associated with at least one risk factor in this cohort of age 10 individuals (P<5x10-8), with lipoprotein lipid-associated loci being enriched for liver tissue-derived gene expression and lipid synthesis pathways. LD score regression provided evidence of various genetic correlations, such as childhood systolic blood pressure being genetically correlated with later-life coronary artery disease (rG=0.26, 95% CI=0.07 to 0.46, P=0.009) and hypertension (rG=0.37, 95% CI=0.19 to 0.55, P=6.57x10-5), as well as childhood BMI with type 2 diabetes (rG=0.35, 95% CI=0.18 to 0.51, P=3.28x10-5).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there are genetic variants inherited at birth which begin to exert their effects on cardiometabolic risk factors as early as age 10 in the life course. However, further research is required to assess whether the genetic correlations we have identified are due to direct or indirect effects of childhood adiposity and lipid traits.
Regular smoking of male ancestors in adolescence and fat mass in young adult grandchildren and great-grandchildren
Authors: Gregory Steven , Suderman Matthew , Northstone Kate , Pembrey Marcus , Watkins Sarah , Iles-Caven Yasmin , Golding Jean
Published: March 2023

Background: Previous studies using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) have shown that if men commenced smoking prior to the onset of puberty their sons, their granddaughters and great-granddaughters were more likely to have excess fat (but not lean) mass during childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. In this study we assess associations between ancestral smoking during adolescence (ages 11–16 years) with fat and lean mass of subsequent generations at two ages.

Methods: We analysed data on exposures of grandparents and great-grandparents collected by ALSPAC. The outcomes were the fat masses of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren measured at ages 17 and 24. Measures of lean mass were used as controls. Adjustment was made for 8–10 demographic factors using multiple regression.

Results: We found associations between adolescent smoking of the paternal grandfathers and the adjusted fat mass of their grandchildren, but no associations with the grandchildren’s lean mass. Grandchildren at age 17 had an average excess fat mass of +1.65 [95% CI +0.04, +3.26] Kg, and at age 24 an average excess of +1.55 [95% CI -0.27, +3.38] Kg. Adolescent smoking by the maternal grandfather showed similar, but weaker, associations: at 17 an average excess fat mass of +1.02 Kg [95% CI -0.20, +2.25] Kg, and at 24 an average excess of +1.28 [95% CI -0.11, +2.66] Kg. There were no pronounced differences between the sexes of the children. For the great-grandparents there were few convincing results, although numbers were small.

Conclusions: We have shown associations between grandfathers’ smoking in adolescence and increased fat (but not lean) mass in their children. Confirmation of these associations is required, either in a further data set or by demonstrating the presence of supportive biomarkers.
The genome sequence of an encrusting bryozoan, Cryptosula pallasiana (Moll, 1803)
Authors: Bishop John , Wood Christine , Adkins Patrick , Jenkins Helen ,   Marine Biological Association Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from a colony of Cryptosula pallasiana (an encrusting bryozoan; Bryozoa; Gymnolaemata; Cheilostomatida; Cryptosulidae). The genome sequence is 605.6 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 12 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.1 kilobases in length.
Recovery of metagenomic data from the Aedes aegypti microbiome using a reproducible snakemake pipeline: MINUUR
Authors: Foo Aidan , Cerdeira Louise , Hughes Grant L. , Heinz Eva
Published: March 2023

Background: Ongoing research of the mosquito microbiome aims to uncover novel strategies to reduce pathogen transmission. Sequencing costs, especially for metagenomics, are however still significant. A resource that is increasingly used to gain insights into host-associated microbiomes is the large amount of publicly available genomic data based on whole organisms like mosquitoes, which includes sequencing reads of the host-associated microbes and provides the opportunity to gain additional value from these initially host-focused sequencing projects.

Methods: To analyse non-host reads from existing genomic data, we developed a snakemake workflow called MINUUR (Microbial INsights Using Unmapped Reads). Within MINUUR, reads derived from the host-associated microbiome were extracted and characterised using taxonomic classifications and metagenome assembly followed by binning and quality assessment. We applied this pipeline to five publicly available Aedes aegypti genomic datasets, consisting of 62 samples with a broad range of sequencing depths.

Results: We demonstrate that MINUUR recovers previously identified phyla and genera and is able to extract bacterial metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) associated to the microbiome. Of these MAGS, 42 are high-quality representatives with >90% completeness and <5% contamination. These MAGs improve the genomic representation of the mosquito microbiome and can be used to facilitate genomic investigation of key genes of interest. Furthermore, we show that samples with a high number of KRAKEN2 assigned reads produce more MAGs.

Conclusions: Our metagenomics workflow, MINUUR, was applied to a range of Aedes aegypti genomic samples to characterise microbiome-associated reads. We confirm the presence of key mosquito-associated symbionts that have previously been identified in other studies and recovered high-quality bacterial MAGs. In addition, MINUUR and its associated documentation are freely available on GitHub and provide researchers with a convenient workflow to investigate microbiome data included in the sequencing data for any applicable host genome of interest.
The genome sequence of the Oak-tree Pug, Eupithecia dodoneata (Guenée, 1858)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Holland Peter W.H. ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Eupithecia dodoneata (the Oak-tree Pug; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 353.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.3 kilobases in length.
The genome sequence of the Common Pug, Eupithecia vulgata (Haworth, 1809)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Mulley John F. ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Eupithecia vulgata (the Common Pug; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 454.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.1 kilobases in length.
The genome sequence of the Lime-speck Pug, Eupithecia centaureata (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Authors: Boyes Douglas , Fagan Stephanie ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Eupithecia centaureata (the Lime-speck Pug; Arthropoda; Insect; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 465.6 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.3 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 18,717 protein coding genes.
Optimizing over an Ensemble of Trained Neural Networks
Authors: Wang Keliang , Lozano Leonardo , Cardonha Carlos , Bergman David
Published: March 2023

We study optimization problems where the objective function is modeled through feedforward neural networks with rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation. Recent literature has explored the use of a single neural network to model either uncertain or complex elements within an objective function. However, it is well known that ensembles of neural networks produce more stable predictions and have better generalizability than models with single neural networks, which motivates the investigation of ensembles of neural networks rather than single neural networks in decision-making pipelines. We study how to incorporate a neural network ensemble as the objective function of an optimization model and explore computational approaches for the ensuing problem. We present a mixed-integer linear program based on existing popular big-M formulations for optimizing over a single neural network. We develop a two-phase approach for our model that combines preprocessing procedures to tighten bounds for critical neurons in the neural networks with a Lagrangian relaxation-based branch-and-bound approach. Experimental evaluations of our solution methods suggest that using ensembles of neural networks yields more stable and higher quality solutions, compared with single neural networks, and that our optimization algorithm outperforms (the adaption of) a state-of-the-art approach in terms of computational time and optimality gaps.

History: Andrea Lodi, Area Editor for Design & Analysis of Algorithms—Discrete.
The role of advanced clinical practitioners in clinical research
Authors: Badu Samuel Anokye
Published: March 2023

Advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) contribute immensely to patient care, so there is consequently a need to develop and create a sustainable environment for advanced clinical practice in clinical research. To achieve this it is necessary to evaluate the current challenges to enable stakeholders and policymakers to take the appropriate measures in safeguarding the future of advanced clinical practice in clinical research. The ACP workforce presents an opportunity to enhance access to clinical research. This article looks at the role of ACPs in clinical research and significant developmental milestones. The challenges of ACPs in clinical research are discussed, with an analysis of the needed interventions within the UK context. Strategies aimed at increasing the utilisation of the larger ACP workforce in clinical research are proposed.
Patients' experience of robotic-assisted surgery: a qualitative study
Authors: Moloney Rita , Coffey Alice , Coffey Calvin , O'Brien Brid
Published: March 2023

Background:

The use of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has increased considerably since its introduction in 2001, with RAS now being widely accepted as a surgical modality. Current literature surrounding RAS focuses on the surgical team's experience rather than the patient's perspective, with limited qualitative research on post-RAS patient experience.

Aim:

To explore patient-reported experience following RAS.

Methods:

Twelve semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted. Interviews were audio recorded with data transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings:

Themes included: factors specific to the robotic modality and psychological factors. Participant concerns emanated from their experience of a lack of pre-operative preparation, resulting in feelings of anxiety and some negative perceptions of RAS.

Conclusion:

Given the limited time for patient preparation for RAS, work developing patient information that is also patient-led would be of benefit. Pre-operative preparation is a key nursing role’ and further research could explore nurses' experiences of preparing patients for RAS, facilitators and barriers to providing optimum patient preparation in this context.
Nutritional assessment and quality of life in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing immunotherapy
Authors: Konstantinidis Theocharis , Fragkioudaki Chrysi , Patelarou Evridiki , Zografakis-Sfakianakis Michail , Naoum Symeon , Tsatsou Ioanna , Kalemikerakis Ioannis , Govina Ourania
Published: March 2023

Background:

Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often experience severe eating disorders and other problems because of rapid disease progression and various therapies, which significantly affect their quality of life (QoL).

Aims:

This study aimed to assess the nutritional status and QoL of patients with NSCLC at the start of immunotherapy and 3 months later.

Methods:

This study used a prospective, observational, consecutive sampling approach and was carried out between July 2018 and August 2019. The convenience sample comprised 60 patients treated in the oncology ward and the day care department of a public hospital in Greece. Their nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment questionnaire and their QoL using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire and its QLQ-LC13 module. They were evaluated at the start of immunotherapy (phase I) and 3 months later (phase II).

Findings:

Of the initial 60 patients, 25% had died and 23.3% declined to participate by phase II. Of the 31 patients (51.7%) who completed the study, 64.5% had been assessed as malnourished at phase I; at phase II, this had decreased to 32.3%, so nutritional status appeared to have significantly improved. There were also significant improvements between phases I and II in global health status/QoL, as well as in the physical, roles, emotional and social dimensions. Additionally, all nine symptoms of QLQ-C30 significantly decreased, while the QLQ-LC13 showed significant improvements in dyspnoea, alopecia and pain in parts of the body other than the chest, arm or shoulder.

Conclusion:

Metastatic NSCLC patients' QoL and nutritional status significantly improved after 3 months' immunotherapy.
Palliative care clinical nurse specialists leading enhanced supportive care in hepatopancreatobiliary cancer
Authors: Benson Sinead , Wong Helen , Olsson-Brown Anna , Coyle Seamus , Monnery Daniel
Published: March 2023

Background:

Integration of care between palliative care and oncology can improve patient outcomes and is increasingly recommended. Enhanced supportive care (ESC), led and delivered by palliative care clinical nurse specialists, is a potential model to achieve this but evidence about it is lacking.

Aim:

This research aimed to evaluate a nurse-led integrated ESC model within hepatopancreatobiliary cancer care.

Method:

Some 101 patients with hepatopancreatobiliary cancer were supported by integrated ESC delivered in a co-located clinic. Data on symptoms and quality of life were collected prospectively. Survival data and chemotherapy use were retrospectively analysed following minimum follow-up, using a matched control technique.

Results:

Patients receiving ESC exhibited less severe symptoms and better mood over time. They also had less aggressive treatment towards the end of life, receiving 31% less chemotherapy than controls with comparable survival.

Conclusion:

An integrated, nurse-led ESC model can be effective in improving outcomes for patients with hepatopancreatobiliary cancer.
Out-of-hours community palliative care: a national survey of hospice providers
Authors: Fee Anne , Hasson Felicity , Slater Paul , Payne Sheila , McConnell Tracey , Finlay Dori-Anne , McIlfatrick Sonja
Published: March 2023

Background:

Community-based palliative out-of-hours services operate outside normal working hours. However, little is known about the provision and delivery of such care.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to describe types of provision and delivery of out-of-hours palliative care services provided by UK hospices.

Methods:

Survey questionnaires were emailed to 150 adult hospices in the UK. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and qualitative data subjected to thematic analysis.

Findings:

Responding hospices (n=57) provided the following types of support: telephone advice 72% (n=41); care at home 70% (n=40); and rapid response 35% (n=20). There were variations between services regarding referral mechanisms, availability and workforce, and integration with statutory services was limited.

Conclusion:

Variation in the type of provision and delivery of out-of-hours palliative care services alongside limited integration with statutory care have contributed to inequity of access to community-based palliative care, and potentially suboptimal patient and informal caregiver outcomes.
NewsPenguin threatens Pakistan
Authors: Bestuzhev Dmitry
Published: March 2023

NewsPenguin is a previously unknown threat actor, targeting Pakistan with an advanced espionage tool. The group's campaign seemed to be geared to targeting visitors to a major trade show. However, an analysis of its techniques and technologies throws some interesting light on how targeted attacks are being deployed.
Perceptions of community leaders about normative understandings of good family care of older people in rural and urban Zambia
Authors: Kabelenga Isaac
Published: March 2023

Drawing on qualitative interviews and focus groups with 35 community leaders, this article investigates how community leaders understand norms of care for older people in Zambia. I ask what leads older people in Zambia to receive good care from family. The findings show that across both rural and urban settings, respondents related profoundly powerful norms of reciprocity in both family and community care, with older people viewed as reaping what they have sown in terms of religious and economic contributions throughout their lives. The study raises challenging questions from a rights-based perspective as to who is deserving of care.
Design and 3D printing of the Powell lens for sub-terahertz imaging
Authors: Bezziou Boufateh , Lazoul Mohamed , Boutemedjet Ayoub , Garet Frédéric
Published: March 2023

The aim behind this work is to design and manufacture a beam shaping lens for active terahertz imaging systems that boosts their performance in terms of sensitivity and image quality. The proposed beam shaper is based on an adaptation of the original optical Powell lens, where a collimated Gaussian beam is converted into a uniform flattop intensity beam. The design model for such a lens was introduced, and its parameters were optimized by a simulation study conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The lens was then fabricated using a carefully chosen material [polylactic acid (PLA)] through a 3D printing process. The manufactured lens was implemented in an experimental setup to validate its performance using a continuous-wave sub-terahertz source around 100 GHz. Experimental results demonstrated a high-quality flattop beam maintained along the propagation path, which is highly recommended for terahertz and millimeter-wave active imaging systems to produce high-quality images.
TEM-wave propagation over an impedance-matched periodic RHM to LHM transition in a coaxial waveguide
Authors: Rana Balwan , Dalarsson Mariana
Published: March 2023

We study TEM-wave propagation inside a hollow coaxial waveguide filled with a periodic composite of lossy impedance-matched right-handed (RHM) and left-handed (LHM) media. The z-direction, chosen as the direction perpendicular to the boundaries between the two media, is where the transitions and TEM-wave propagation take place. The relative permittivity ε(ω,z) and permeability μ(ω, z) of the periodic RHM-LHM composite vary according to an arbitrary periodic function f(z) along the z-direction. In particular, we consider two specific periodic permittivity and permeability profiles: one with abrupt RHM-LHM transitions and one with linear RHM-LHM transitions. The expected properties of impedance-matched periodic RHM-LHM structures are confirmed by the derived precise analytical solutions to Maxwell’s equations, which also include solutions for the wave behavior and field components. Furthermore, a numerical study of the wave propagation over the impedance-matched graded RHM-LHM composites is performed using the COMSOL Multiphysics software. The resulting numerical simulations and analytical results were virtually identical. The present method can model smooth, realistic material transitions and includes the abrupt transition as a limiting case.
Mid-infrared emission properties of erbium-doped fluorite-type crystals
Authors: Normani Simone , Loiko Pavel , Basyrova Liza , Benayad Abdelmjid , Braud Alain , Dunina Elena , Fomicheva Liudmila , Kornienko Alexey , Hideur Ammar , Camy Patrice
Published: March 2023

We report on a comparative study of the spectroscopic properties and mid-infrared laser performance of five 5 at.% Er3+-doped fluorite-type crystals MF2, including parent compounds CaF2, SrF2, BaF2, and solid-solution (“mixed”) ones (Ca,Sr)F2 and (Sr,Ba)F2. In the M = Ca → Sr → Ba series, the host matrix phonon energy decreases, the absorption and mid-infrared emission spectra of Er3+ become narrower and more structured, and the luminescence lifetimes of the 4I11/2 and 4I13/2 Er3+ manifolds increase. The Er3+ transition probabilities were calculated using the Judd-Ofelt theory. In the “mixed” compounds, the Er3+ ions tend to reside in the larger / heavier cation environment. The low-temperature (12 K) spectroscopy evidences the presence of a single type of clusters at this doping level; the crystal-field splitting for Er3+ ions in clusters was determined. Continuous-wave low-threshold laser operation at ∼2.8 µm (the 4I11/2 → 4I13/2 transition) was achieved with all five Er3+:MF2 crystals. The maximum achieved laser slope efficiency was 37.9% (Er3+:CaF2), 23.5% (Er3+:SrF2) and 17.2% (Er3+:BaF2).
Moisture adsorption by porous terahertz optical materials: a case study of artificial SiO2 opals
Authors: Ulitko V. E. , Musina G. R. , Masalov V. M. , Gavdush A. A. , Emelchenko G. A. , Bukin V. V. , Kurlov V. N. , Skorobogatiy M. , Katyba G. M. , Zaytsev K. I.
Published: March 2023

Artificial opals fabricated by sedimentation and self-assembly of colloidal SiO2 nanoparticles and annealed at different temperatures were recently considered favorable terahertz (THz) optical materials with manageable optical properties. However, interactions between such a porous material and water vapour in a humid atmosphere can hamper their THz applications due to the related changes in the material parameters and additional power loss. To quantify such an effect, in this paper, moisture adsorption by artificial SiO2 opals is studied using THz pulsed spectroscopy. Particularly, opals of two kinds were sedimented from the colloidal suspension of 300-nm-diameter SiO2 nanoparticles with different intraglobular structures and porosity. They were annealed at temperatures of 200–800°C aimed at changing their internal structure, porosity, and THz optical properties. Opals were dehydrated in a vacuum and then exposed to a humid atmosphere with 82.0 ± 2.0% relative humidity, while their THz complex dielectric permittivity was evaluated in situ in the 0.5–2.5 THz range. The observed changes in the THz dielectric curves were analyzed using the sum rule and the adsorption kinetics models. Our findings reveal a strong dependence of the THz dielectric response, amount of adsorbed water, and adsorption time constant on the opal type and annealing conditions. This effect has a general character: it can hamper real-live applications of a variety of porous THz optical materials and, thus, should be taken into account during their synthesis.
Digitale Identitäten in der physischen Welt: Eine Abwägung von Privatsphäreschutz und Praktikabilität
Authors: Roland Michael , Höller Tobias , Mayrhofer René
Published: March 2023

Anforderungen an Datenschutz und Informationssicherheit, aber auch an Datenaktualität und Vereinfachung bewirken einen kontinuierlichen Trend hin zu plattformübergreifenden ID-Systemen für die digitale Welt. Das sind typischerweise föderierte Single-Sign-On-Lösungen großer internationaler Konzerne wie Apple, Facebook und Google. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet die Frage, wie ein dezentrales, offenes, globales Ökosystem nach dem Vorbild des Single-Sign-On für die digitale, biometrische Identifikation in der physischen Welt aussehen könnte. Im Vordergrund steht dabei die implizite Interaktion mit vorhandener Sensorik, mit der Vision, dass Individuen in der Zukunft weder Plastikkarten noch mobile Ausweise am Smartphone mit sich führen müssen, sondern ihre Berechtigung für die Nutzung von Diensten rein anhand ihrer biometrischen Merkmale nachweisen können. Während diese Vision bereits jetzt problemlos durch Systeme mit einer zentralisierten Datenbank mit umfangreichen biometrischen Daten aller Bürger*innen möglich ist, wäre ein Ansatz mit selbstverwalteten, dezentralen digitalen Identitäten erstrebenswert, bei dem die Nutzer*in in den Mittelpunkt der Kontrolle über ihre eigene digitale Identität gestellt wird und die eigene digitale Identität an beliebigen Orten hosten kann. Anhand einer Analyse des Zielkonflikts zwischen umfangreichem Privatsphäreschutz und Praktikabilität, und eines Vergleichs der Abwägung dieser Ziele mit bestehenden Ansätzen für digitale Identitäten wird ein Konzept für ein dezentrales, offenes, globales Ökosystem zur privaten, digitalen Authentifizierung in der physischen Welt abgeleitet.
Ist das die Wallet der Zukunft?
Authors: Krauß Anna-Magdalena , Sellung Rachelle A. , Kostic Sandra
Published: March 2023

Heutzutage werden digitale Identitäten oft unsicher umgesetzt und sind mit der Erstellung von vielen unterschiedlichen Accounts durch Nutzende verbunden. Das soll langfristig durch die Nutzung sogenannter Digital Identity Wallets verbessert werden. Diese Wallets ermöglichen die Verwaltung und Nutzung von digitalen Identitäten sowie Nachweisdokumenten. Dazu gehören unter anderem Nachweise wie der Führerschein, der Bibliotheksausweis oder auch Flugtickets. Alle diese Daten können gemeinsam in einer Wallet-App auf den Endgeräten der Nutzenden gespeichert werden. Die Nutzenden verwalten ihre Daten eigenständig und entscheiden selbst darüber, welche und wie viele Daten sie über sich preisgeben wollen.

Aktuelle Forschungen zeigen allerdings, dass die bisher entwickelten Wallets Usability-Probleme aufweisen, sodass Nutzende nur schwer das Konzept dieser Wallets greifen können. Zudem weisen heutige digitale Dienstleistungen zahlreiche Hürden auf, welche den Einsatz von digitalen Identitäten erschweren.

In diesem Beitrag wird basierend auf einer Wallet-Analyse und User-Experience-Anforderungen ein Konzeptvorschlag für eine nutzungsfreundlichere Wallet vorgestellt, bei der die Nutzenden im Mittelpunkt stehen. So sieht dieses Konzept einen umfangreicheren Funktionsumfang im Vergleich zu aktuellen Wallet Umsetzungen vor, mit dem Ziel die Wallet stärker den Bedürfnissen der Nutzenden anzupassen. Darunter fallen Funktionen wie die Kommunikation zwischen Wallet und Dienstanbieter ohne die Notwendigkeit des Teilens von Kontaktdaten, die Option der Dauervollmachten zur Freigabe von Daten, die Möglichkeit der Verwaltung von Daten in Vertretung anderer Personen sowie die Organisation der eigenen Daten.
Vertrauen durch digitale Identifizierung: Über den Beitrag von SSI zur Integration von dezentralen Oracles in Informationssysteme
Authors: Babel Matthias , Gramlich Vincent , Guthmann Claus , Schober Marcus , Körner Marc-Fabian , Strüker Jens
Published: March 2023

Die Vernetzung kommunikationsfähiger Geräte schreitet aktuell schnell voran und verspricht durch eine Ende-zu-Ende-Digitalisierung von Prozessen Effizienzgewinne und neue Anwendungsmöglichkeiten. Die Verifizierung von Endgeräten ist insbesondere bei kritischen Infrastrukturen wie der Energieversorgung eine notwendige Bedingung. Unter anderem für die aktive Integration von Kleinstanlagen wie Photovoltaikanlagen oder Wärmepumpen in das Stromnetz stellt sich die Frage, wie Stamm- und Bewegungsdaten von Verbrauchs- und Erzeugungsanlagen vertraulich und unverändert verfügbar gemacht werden können. Mit der Beantwortung dieser Fragestellung hat sich das Projekt „Digitale Maschinen-Identitäten als Grundbaustein für ein automatisiertes Energiesystem (BMIL)“ im Rahmen des Future Energy Lab der Deutschen Energie-Agentur (dena) beschäftigt. Für die vertrauensvolle Einspeisung und Integration von dezentral erzeugten Daten folgt das Projekt dem Paradigma der selbstbestimmten Identitäten (engl.: SSI). Hierbei werden intelligente Messsysteme bzw. Smart Meter Gateways (SMGWs) mit Maschinenidentitäten ausgestattet. Dies ermöglicht Vertrauensketten zu nutzen, um Bewegungsdaten verbunden mit verifizierbaren Stammdaten in digitale Strommärkte zu integrieren. Im Rahmen dieses Artikels werden die Ergebnisse des BMIL-Projekts innerhalb einer Fallstudie aufgearbeitet und konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen für die Praxis zur Lösung des Oracle-Problems mit Hilfe von SSI abgeleitet.
Biochemical analysis, photosynthetic gene (psbA) down–regulation, and in silico receptor prediction in weeds in response to exogenous application of phenolic acids and their analogs
Authors: Anwar Sobia , Naseem Saadia , Ali Zahid
Published: March 2023

Chemical herbicides are the primary weed management tool, although several incidences of herbicide resistance have emerged, causing serious threat to agricultural sustainability. Plant derived phenolic acids with herbicidal potential provide organic and eco-friendly substitute to such harmful chemicals. In present study, phytotoxicity of two phenolic compounds, ferulic acid (FA) and gallic acid (GA), was evaluatedin vitroandin vivoagainst three prevalent herbicide-resistant weed species (Sinapis arvensis,Lolium multiflorumandParthenium hysterophorus). FA and GA not only suppressed the weed germination (80 to 60% respectively), but also negatively affected biochemical and photosynthetic pathway of weeds. In addition to significantly lowering the total protein and chlorophyll contents of the targeted weed species, the application of FA and GA treatments increased levels of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation. Photosynthetic gene (psbA) expression was downregulated (10 to 30 folds) post 48 h of phenolic application.In silicoanalysis for receptor identification of FA and GA in psbA protein (D1) showed histidine (his-198) and threonine (thr-286) as novel receptors of FA and GA. These two receptors differ from the D1 amino acid receptors which have previously been identified (serine-264 and histidine-215) in response to PSII inhibitor herbicides. Based on its toxicity responses, structural analogs of FA were also designed. Four out of twelve analogs (0.25 mM) significantly inhibited weed germination (30 to 40%) while enhancing their oxidative stress. These results are unique which provide fundamental evidence of phytotoxicity of FA and GA and their analogs to develop cutting-edge plant based bio-herbicides formulation in future.
Characterization of methylation profiles in spontaneous preterm birth placental villous tissue
Authors: Brockway Heather M. , Wilson Samantha L. , Kallapur Suhas G. , Buhimschi Catalin S. , Muglia Louis J. , Jones Helen N.
Published: March 2023

Preterm birth is a global public health crisis which results in significant neonatal and maternal mortality. Yet little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms of idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth, and we have few diagnostic markers for adequate assessment of placental development and function. Previous studies of placental pathology and our transcriptomics studies suggest a role for placental maturity in idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth. It is known that placental DNA methylation changes over gestation. We hypothesized that if placental hypermaturity is present in our samples, we would observe a unique idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth DNA methylation profile potentially driving the gene expression differences we previously identified in our placental samples. Our results indicate the idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth DNA methylation pattern mimics the term birth methylation pattern suggesting hypermaturity. Only seven significant differentially methylated regions fitting the idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth specific (relative to the controls) profile were identified, indicating unusually high similarity in DNA methylation between idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth and term birth samples. We identified an additional 1,718 significantly methylated regions in our gestational age matched controls where the idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth DNA methylation pattern mimics the term birth methylation pattern, again indicating a striking level of similarity between the idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth and term birth samples. Pathway analysis of these regions revealed differences in genes within the WNT and Cadherin signaling pathways, both of which are essential in placental development and maturation. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the idiopathic spontaneous preterm birth samples display a hypermature methylation signature than expected given their respective gestational age which likely impacts birth timing.
FOXP1 inhibits pancreatic cancer growth by transcriptionally regulating IRF1 expression
Authors: Wang Le , Luo Ping , Yang Zhiwen , Zhong Xiaoming , Ji Changxue
Published: March 2023

FOXP1, known as a Forkhead-box (FOX) family protein, plays an important role in human tumorigenesis. However, the function and molecular mechanism of FOXP1 in pancreatic cancer (PC) remain unclear. Here, we report that PC patients with FOXP1 overexpression had a higher survival rate compared to patients with low- FOXP1 expression. Additionally, high expression of FOXP1 can markedly inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer in vivo and in vitro, whereas low expression of FOXP1 effectively promoted the tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, FOXP1 could directly bind the IRF1 promoter, which triggered the transcriptional activity of IRF1. Taken together, FOXP1 suppressed PC growth via IRF1-dependent manner, serving as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with PC.