Search

Summary: Background: Mucositis is a common and highly impactful side effect of conventional and emerging cancer therapy and thus the subject of intense investigation. Although common practice, mucositis assessment is heterogeneously adopted and poorly guided, impacting evidence synthesis and translation. The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Mucositis Study Group (MSG) therefore aimed to establish expert recommendations for how existing mucositis assessment tools should be used, in clinical care and trials contexts, to improve the consistency of mucositis assessment. Methods: This study was conducted over two stages (January 2022–July 2023). The first phase involved a survey to MASCC-MSG members (January 2022–May 2022), capturing current practices, challenges and preferences. These then informed the second phase, in which a set of initial recommendations were prepared and refined using the Delphi method (February 2023–May 2023). Consensus was defined as agreement on a parameter by >80% of respondents. Findings: Seventy-two MASCC-MSG members completed the first phase of the study (37 females, 34 males, mainly oral care specialists). High variability was noted in the use of mucositis assessment tools, with a high reliance on clinician assessment compared to patient reported outcome measures (PROMs, 47% vs 3%, 37% used a combination). The World Health Organization (WHO) and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) scales were most commonly used to assess mucositis across multiple settings. Initial recommendations were reviewed by experienced MSG members and following two rounds of Delphi survey consensus was achieved in 91 of 100 recommendations. For example, in patients receiving chemotherapy, the recommended tool for clinician assessment in clinical practice is WHO for oral mucositis (89.5% consensus), and WHO or CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (85.7% consensus). The recommended PROM in clinical trials is OMD/WQ for oral mucositis (93.3% consensus), and PRO-CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (83.3% consensus). Interpretation: These new recommendations provide much needed guidance on mucositis assessment and may be applied in both clinical practice and research to streamline comparison and synthesis of global data sets, thus accelerating translation of new knowledge into clinical practice. Funding: No funding was received.

Abstract Post-pandemic health operations have become a near-term reality, discussions around wearables are on the rise. How do wearable health solutions effectively deploy and use this opportunity to fill the gap between wellness and healthcare? In this paper, we will talk about wearable healthcare diagnosis, with a particular focus on monitoring skin hydration using optical multi-wavelength sensor fusion. Continuous monitoring of human skin hydration is a task of paramount importance for maintaining water loss dynamics for fitness lovers as well as for skin beauty, integrity and the health of the entire body. Preserving the appropriate levels of hydration ensures consistency of weight, positively affects psychological state, and proven to result in a decrease in blood pressure as well as the levels of “bad” cholesterol while slowing down the aging processes. Traditional methods for determining the state of water content in the skin do not allow continuous and non-invasive monitoring, which is required for variety of consumer, clinical and cosmetic applications. We present novel sensing technology and a pipeline for capturing, modeling and analysis of the skin hydration phenomena and associated changes therein. By expanding sensing capabilities built into the SmartWatch sensor and combining them with advanced modeling and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, we identified several important characteristics of photoplethysmography (PPG) signal and spectral sensitivity corresponding to dynamics of skin water content. In a hardware aspect, we newly propose the expansion of SmartWatch capabilities with InfraRed light sources equipped with wavelengths of 970 nm and 1450 nm. Evaluation of the accuracy and characteristics of PPG sensors has been performed with biomedical optics-based simulation framework using Monte Carlo simulations. We performed rigorous validation of the developed technology using experimental and clinical studies. The developed pipeline serves as a tool in the ongoing studies of the next generation of optical sensing technology.

Investigating effective language learning methods has become increasingly relevant in the modern educational environment. This study aimed to examine the impact of using the mobile applications Duolingo and Memrise on vocabulary expansion, lexical retention, and increasing language confidence among students. A total of 203 students from Kazan Federal University participated in the study and were divided into three groups. Each group was given access to a specific mobile application (Duolingo, Memrise, or traditional teaching methods) for six weeks. The findings indicate that students who used Duolingo demonstrated significantly better outcomes in terms of vocabulary expansion, lexical retention, and increased language confidence compared to the other groups. These results can be valuable for teachers and students aiming to enhance the efficiency of acquiring new language skills. Prospects for further research involve expanding the analysis to include other mobile applications and their influence on the language learning process, as well as considering additional factors. Future studies will provide valuable insights into the influence of mobile applications on language acquisition and identify effective approaches to improve students’ language skills.

This study presents a newly released algorithm for smartwatches – Sweat loss estimation for running activities. A machine learning model (polynomial Kernel Ridge Regression) is used to estimate the sweat loss in milliliters. A clinical dataset of 748 running tests of 568 people was collected and used for training / validation. The data presents a diversity of factors playing an important role in sweat loss: anthropometric parameters of users, distance, ambient temperature and humidity. The data augmentation technique was implemented. One of the key points of the algorithm is an accelerometer-based model for running distance estimation. The model we developed has a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 7.7% and a coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.95 (at distances in the range of 2–20 km). The performance of the fully automatic sweat loss estimation algorithm provides an average root mean square error (RMSE) = 236 ml; more fundamentally, health-related parameter body weight percentage RMSE (RMSEBWP) = 0.33% and R2 = 0.79. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the algorithm provides the best performance of any existing solution or described in the literature.

The article examines display methods of Christian art in museums and showrooms. The history of exposition of religious art dates back about 150 years. Throughout museum existence the social role of religious art and museum was understood differently because the demonstration purposes, problems and methods were very different. Recently museum researchers define a museum as an ideological institute where ideology is the process of producing meanings and fixing them as norms. Display methods are described as the methods of creating meanings. When the museum displays certain objects, it shows not only the translation of the dominant knowledge, but also the principles of perception of reality. The analysis of the variety of museum interpretations of the Christian art throughout the entire time of its exhibition allows distinguishing three main approaches: Christian art as an illustration of ideas and concepts, as an artistic work and as a sacred object. Each of them has its own conceptualization, history of application and use in modern practice. The purpose of this article is to study the already developed techniques, sometimes slightly modified, which are used in museum expositions of the last two or three decades. One approach to displaying icons, temple sculptures and objects of decorative and applied art for liturgical purposes in a modern museum considers them as illustrations of certain scientific or cultural concepts, as well as historical documents. One of the versions of this approach is the representation of the religious art as an ethnographic material. Another approach to exhibiting is based on treating icons and liturgical items as works of art. They are considered as recognized masterpieces that should bring the viewer aesthetic pleasure. An important manifestation of artistic and aesthetic positions in such art is the use of specific art concepts for its description: the picturesque features of the region or school, the manner of writing. In modern exhibition practice, this type of demonstration is one of the leading and most common. The third type of display is based on understanding of the Christian art as a sacred object. In this case, with the help of exposition techniques the space of the temple is reconstructed in the halls of museums, the objects of display are symbolically returned to their original surroundings. Moreover, there is a complete reconstruction of the interior of the Church, as well as of its elements, even if they are only a hint of associative reference to the sacred spaces. As a result of the analysis of three main methods of exhibiting the Christian art, the author comes to conclusion that the modern practice of museum demonstration combines previously developed methods of display. The three main techniques described in the article only allow dividing the variety of existing expositions into parts. The actual museum activity is much more complex and in the same exhibition there are sometimes elements of different techniques that complement each other. В статье рассматриваются современные способы показа церковного искусства в музеях и выставочных залах. История его экспонирования насчитывает около 150 лет. На всём протяжении своего музейного бытования роль церковного искусства по-разному понималась обществом и самим музеем. Поэтому цели и задачи, а также методы демонстрации были весьма различны. Современные музейные исследования определяют музей как идеологическую инстанцию; при этом идеологией называется процесс производства смыслов и закрепления их в статусе норм. В качестве одного из методов формирования смыслов выступают способы показа. По тому, как музей показывает те или иные объекты, можно судить не только о трансляции доминирующих знаний, но и о самих принципах восприятия реальности. Анализ разнообразия музейных интерпретаций церковного искусства на протяжении всего времени его экспонирования позволяет выделить три основные подхода: церковное искусство понимается (1) как иллюстрация идей и концепций, (2) как художественное произведение и (3) как сакральный объект. Каждый из подходов имеет свои концептуализацию, историю применения и примеры использования в современной практике. Задача данной статьи – попытаться проследить, как уже наработанные приёмы, иногда несколько видоизменяясь, находят применение в экспозициях музеев последних двух-трёх десятилетий. Один из подходов к демонстрации икон, храмовых скульптур и предметов декоративно-прикладного искусства богослужебного назначения в современном музее рассматривает их в качестве иллюстраций некоторых мировоззренческих или социокультурных концепций, а также как исторические документы. Одним из вариантов такого подхода является представление церковного искусства как этнографического материала. Другой подход к экспонированию базируется на отношении к иконе и богослужебным предметам как к произведениям искусства. Они рассматриваются в качестве признанных шедевров, которые должны вызвать у зрителя эстетическое наслаждение. Важным проявлением художественно-эстетических позиций при рассмотрении такого искусства является использование для его описания характерных искусствоведческих понятий: живописные особенности региона или школы, манера письма. В современной экспозиционной практике этот тип демонстрации является наиболее распространённым. В основе третьего типа экспонирования лежит понимание произведения церковного искусства как сакрального объекта. В этом случае с помощью экспозиционных приёмов в залах музея реконструируется пространство храма, а предметы показа символически возвращаются в их изначальное окружение. В результате анализа трёх основных приёмов экспонирования церковного искусства автор приходит к выводу, что современная практика музейной демонстрации совмещает в себе ранее наработанные способы показа. Три основные приёма, описанные в статье, позволяют лишь достаточно условно разделить всё многообразие существующих экспозиций. Реальная музейная деятельность значительно сложнее, и подчас в одной выставке сочетаются элементы разных приёмов, которые взаимно дополняют друг друга.

The following article contains critical notes about the possibility of using the observation of biogenic nanoparticles growth (OBNG) methodology to control the living cells’ physiological state during their cultivation in agarose gel and its volume. The methodology’s main idea is to add a low-concentrated silver nitrate solution to the immobilized cells. Cells are able to inhibit the negative effects of silver ions recovering them and forming nanoparticles are being detected by spectrometric methods. It is experimentally proved that the successful use of this methodology for cells state monitoring can only be applicable after choosing a special agarose with a low level of electroendoosmosis (EEO). This type of agarose itself does not lead to the silver nanoparticles formation. All the obtained nanoparticles are only the interaction product of silver nitrate with living cells. It was found that agarose gel layers containing silver nanoparticles prevent the migration of immobilized cells by division.

Renewable energy sources (RES) are gradually becoming one of the key elements in the process of achieving energy efficiency worldwide. This trend can be observed in many developed Western economies—for example, in the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom. Hence, the role of innovative policies for promoting energy efficiency is becoming crucial in transition to the post-carbon economy. The shift to the carbon-free future make all actors to face forgoing commitments Nevertheless, customers and residential households are the first and the most important players in the pursuit of the energy-efficient future. Without them, carbon-free economy based on RES would never take the shape as envisaged. Our paper focuses on the innovative strategies and policies studying the effect and the scope of RES penetration into the households. We employ and empirical analysis of the effects from using RES in households using an example of the residential households in the northwest region of the United Kingdom (UK) with and without solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and electric vehicles (EV). We analyse the four scenarios that are aimed at analysing the system dynamics and providing differentiation between systems in terms of the varying values of the gross demand, tariffs, metered import, and the total revenue. Our results demonstrate that the solar PV leads to the transfer of costs and wealth regardless of the ownership of PV and EVs. Solar energy generation reduces the share of UK solar PV households per kWh costs of the distribution system which causes the augmenting of the per unit charges as well as to the changes in payments for the electricity that impoverishes less wealthy customer groups. It also becomes clear that with the increase of EV penetration, the existing energy efficiency schemes would have to be revised.

This research reports the ongoing design of the HISMACITY (Historical Small Smart City) Protocol, a planning tool with a certification system. The tool is designed for small municipalities in Europe. Through the award-winning certification system, the Protocol supports the fulfillment of best practices. Such practices can enhance town attractiveness. It also counteracts excessive land use that results from urban growth, and reduces demographic decline in internal areas of each country. The research methodology is grounded on building a dynamic dataset using geo big data, local data, and mobile data via information communications technology (ICT), and real-time data through sensors. The tool aims to build algorithms to calculate indicators that measure quality standards of integrated interventions. The aim is to reach specific goals within defined priority areas of the Historical Small Smart City Protocol. Being highly adaptive, the framework follows urban responsive design principles based on weighted suitability models that can be calibrated by changing the input data and the weights of the linear combination formula. The results highlight varying framework data, including the tool’s development procedures and practicality.