BACKGROUND: Prosthetic mechanical valve endocarditis (PVE) can be manifested as early PVE (acquired perioperatively) and late PVE (resulting from infections unrelated to the valve operation). Causes of both are similar but are late PVE are more prone to less virulent microbes. PVE resulting with paravalvular abscess is confirmed through echocardiography (transthoracic or transesophageal), it results with a high mortality rate especially if it is not early recognized. The aim of article was to present a patient with heart failure symptoms caused by PVE. CASE PRESENTATION: Male patient, 44 years old, was admitted because of dyspnea and swelling of lower extremities. The patient is a long-standing heroin addict who had aortic valve replacement done 8 years ago due to endocarditis. The implanted valve was a mechanical aortic valve – Edwards MIRA bi-leaflet valve No 32 (Edwards Lifesciences; Irvine, California). He also was already diagnosed with hepatitis C years before. In multiple occasions were hospitalized on the Department of cardiology due to signs and symptoms of heart failure. On transthoracic echocardiography, dilatation of all heart chambers was found. The left ventricular systolic function was moderately reduced with an ejection fraction of left ventricle of 42% according to Simpson with restrictive filling pattern. Hypoechoic mass along the right side of the mechanical aortic valve was noted measuring 3.57 × 1.03 cm. CONCLUSION: Paravalvular abscess of mechanical heart valves is a very serious complication with a high mortality rate. It is essential to recognize this type of pathology as early as possible, so aggressive parenteral antibiotic therapy could be started, while in many cases, surgical reoperation is needed.

Passive flow control techniques are needed to reduce flow separation and enhance aerodynamic performance. In this work, the effect of a knitted wire mesh on the flow separation of a backward-facing ramp was numerically investigated for a Reynolds number of 3000. A grid independence study and a RANS turbulence model sensitivity analysis were conducted. The CFD simulations exhibited counter-rotating streamwise vortices emerging from the knitted wire mesh, and the reattachment length was significantly reduced. A variation of the knitted wire rows revealed a maximum reduction of the reattachment length of 25.7% for the case of four rows. A comparison with a different knitted wire mesh geometry yielded a decreased reattachment length reduction.

With the widespread use of applications and services supporting audiovisual calls via smartphones, both in business and leisure contexts, a key challenge for service providers is meeting end user Quality of Experience (QoE) expectations and requirements. To successfully meet this challenge, there is a need to identify and analyze the key system-related factors impacting user perceived quality. In this paper, we contribute beyond state-of-the-art by conducting a large scale web-based questionnaire survey to investigate the system-related factors that subjects identify as most influential in contributing to their overall experience and quality perception. We focus in particular on leisure audiovisual calls, established via mobile devices. Our initial survey (Phase 1) was conducted in Feb. 2020, just prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (272 participants). To investigate if the importance of factors has changed due to increased usage of the service caused by the pandemic among the general population, we conducted a second survey (Phase 2) in October 2021 with 249 participants. Based on obtained results, we identify key system-related QoE influence factors belonging to three categories: media quality, functional support, and usability and service design. We observe no significant differences in user opinions and expectations prior to and during the period of increased service usage, despite different participant demographics and study time frames, thus contributing to generalizability of obtained results. Study results contribute to providing insights for designing future user studies investigating QoE, in terms of key factors that should be considered.

Cancelable biometrics is a demanding area of research in which a cancelable template conforming to a biometric is produced without degrading the efficiency. There are numerous approaches described in the literature that can be used to generate these cancelable templates. These approaches do not, however, perform well in either the qualitative or quantitative perspective. To address this challenge, a unique cancelable template generation mechanism based on signcryption and bio hash function is proposed in this paper. Signcryption is a lightweight cryptographic approach that uses hyper elliptic curve cryptography for encryption and a bio hash function for generating signatures in this proposed method. The cancelable templates are generated from iris biometrics. The hybrid grey level distancing method is used for perfect iris feature extraction for the CASIA and IITD datasets. The proposed approach is compared against the existing state-of-the-art cancelable techniques. The resulting analysis reveals that the proposed method is efficient in terms of accuracy of 98.86%, with lower EER of 0.1%. The average minimum TPR and TNR of the proposed method is about 99.81%.

This paper reports a detailed study of crystal structure and dielectric properties of ruthenium-substituted calcium-copper titanates (CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12, CCTRO). A series of three samples with different stoichiometry was prepared: CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12, x = 0, 1 and 4, abbreviated as CCTO, CCT3RO and CCRO, respectively. A detailed structural analysis of CCTRO samples was done by the Rietveld refinement of XRPD data. The results show that, regardless of whether Ti4+ or Ru4+ ions are placed in B crystallographic position in AA’3B4O12 (CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12) unit cell, the crystal structure remains cubic with Im3¯ symmetry. Slight increases in the unit cell parameters, cell volume and interatomic distances indicate that Ru4+ ions with larger ionic radii (0.62 Å) than Ti4+ (0.605 Å) are incorporated in the CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12 crystal lattice. The structural investigations were confirmed using TEM, HRTEM and ADF/STEM analyses, including EDXS elemental mapping. The effect of Ru atoms share in CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12 samples on their electrical properties was determined by impedance and dielectric measurements. Results of dielectric measurements indicate that one atom of ruthenium per CaCu3Ti4−xRuxO12 unit cell transforms dielectric CCTO into conductive CCT3RO while preserving cubic crystal structure. Our findings about CCTO and CCT3RO ceramics promote them as ideal tandem to overcome the problem of stress on dielectric-electrode interfaces in capacitors.

Measurements and searches performed with the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC often involve signatures with one or more prompt leptons. Such analyses are subject to `fake/non-prompt' lepton backgrounds, where either a hadron or a lepton from a hadron decay or an electron from a photon conversion satisfies the prompt-lepton selection criteria. These backgrounds often arise within a hadronic jet because of particle decays in the showering process, particle misidentification or particle interactions with the detector material. As it is challenging to model these processes with high accuracy in simulation, their estimation typically uses data-driven methods. Three methods for carrying out this estimation are described, along with their implementation in ATLAS and their performance.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring cardiac parameters is the fundamental aspect of every diagnostic process and is facilitated by electrocardiography (ECG) devices. This way, continuous state-of-the-art performance of ECG devices can be ensured. The new Medical Device Regulation (MDR) defines medical device post-market surveillance (PMS) as performed by independent, third-party, notified bodies more strategically in hope to improve traceability of device performance. However, there is still an apparent gap in terms of standardised conformity assessment testing methods. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a novel method for conformity assessment testing of ECG devices for post-market surveillance purposes. METHOD: The method was developed on the basis of International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) guidelines and applied in healthcare institutions from 2018 to 2021. RESULTS: The developed method was validated in healthcare institutions of all levels. The results obtained during validation suggest that conformity assessment testing of the ECG device as a method used during PMS contributes to significant improvement in devices’ accuracy and reliability. CONCLUSION: A standardized approach in conformity assessment testing of ECG devices during PMS, besides increasing reliability of the devices, is the first step in the digital transformation of the management of these devices in healthcare institutions opening possibility for use of artificial intelligence.

The recently emerged novel coronavirus, “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2),” caused a highly contagious disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). It has severely damaged the world's most developed countries and has turned into a major threat for low‐ and middle‐income countries. Since its emergence in late 2019, medical interventions have been substantial, and most countries relied on public health measures collectively known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). We aimed to centralize the accumulative knowledge of NPIs against COVID‐19 for each country under one worldwide consortium. International COVID‐19 Research Network collaborators developed a cross‐sectional online survey to assess the implications of NPIs and sanitary supply on the incidence and mortality of COVID‐19. The survey was conducted between January 1 and February 1, 2021, and participants from 92 countries/territories completed it. The association between NPIs, sanitation supplies, and incidence and mortality were examined by multivariate regression, with the log‐transformed value of population as an offset value. The majority of countries/territories applied several preventive strategies, including social distancing (100.0%), quarantine (100.0%), isolation (98.9%), and school closure (97.8%). Individual‐level preventive measures such as personal hygiene (100.0%) and wearing facial masks (94.6% at hospitals; 93.5% at mass transportation; 91.3% in mass gathering facilities) were also frequently applied. Quarantine at a designated place was negatively associated with incidence and mortality compared to home quarantine. Isolation at a designated place was also associated with reduced mortality compared to home isolation. Recommendations to use sanitizer for personal hygiene reduced incidence compared to the recommendation to use soap. Deprivation of masks was associated with increased incidence. Higher incidence and mortality were found in countries/territories with higher economic levels. Mask deprivation was pervasive regardless of economic level. NPIs against COVID‐19 such as using sanitizer, quarantine, and isolation can decrease the incidence and mortality of COVID‐19.

Extremely complex crisis that occurred after the proclamation of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, contributed to the escalation of racism and xenophobia in the international arena. Their current rise must be observed from the perspective of the historically established pattern of connecting minorities, racial groups and certain communities with infectious diseases, which has made racist and xenophobic approaches and narratives indispensable constituents of responses to them. The stigma of the disease, as history confirms, is a permanent companion to the outbreak of infectious diseases, thus the coronavirus pandemic was no exception. The radicalization of public discourse through nativism, hatred and fear during the current health crisis, with the significant support of some mainstream media, was in the forefront contributed to by neo-nationalist forces. They exploited the insecurity and uncertainty generated by the pandemic to project fear of the other and different with their obligatory emanation as potential threats. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic contributed primarily to the reaffirmation of racism and xenophobia against the Chinese and Asians, which was supported by the coronavirus provenance, it undoubtedly paved the way for a general racist and xenophobic discourse.

The aim of the research is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence and magnitude of mental health consequences among students at the University of Sarajevo, which manifest themselves in certain types and levels of psychological distress, as well as to examine various aspects of general mental functioning that are particularly important in an online learning and teaching environment. The research was conducted in July 2021 on a sample of 3439 students at the University of Sarajevo. The following measurement instruments were used: The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), a Stress Coping Strategies Inventory and a Sociodemographic Variables Questionnaire. The results have shown that depression, anxiety and stress were present among students at levels which require additional interventions. Symptoms are significantly more present among female students than among male students. The differences tested between students of distinct faculties indicate that arts students have the highest values of depression, followed by students studying humanities, while social sciences students show the lowest values. The results showed that positive coping with stress is a protective factor for the symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, while negative coping style is a risk factor for students' mental health. The obtained results suggest that the pandemic has a significant psychological impact on students that require interventions in improving their mental health.

Vascular smooth muscle cell plasticity plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of vascular diseases. Despite compelling evidence demonstrating the importance of transcription factor GATA6 in vascular smooth muscle, the functional role of GATA6 remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of GATA6 on cell migration and to gain insight into GATA6-sensitive genes in smooth muscle. We found that overexpression of GATA6 promotes migration of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells in vitro, and that silencing of GATA6 in smooth muscle cells resulted in reduced cellular motility. Furthermore, a complete microarray screen of GATA6-sensitive gene transcription resulted in 739 upregulated and 248 downregulated genes. Pathways enrichment analysis showed involvement of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling which was validated by measuring mRNA expression level of several members. Furthermore, master regulators prediction based on microarray data revealed several members of (mitogen activated protein kinase) MAPK pathway as a master regulators, reflecting involvement of MAPK pathway also. Our findings provide further insights into the functional role of GATA6 in vascular smooth muscle and suggest that targeting GATA6 may constitute as a new approach to inhibit vascular smooth muscle migration.