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Introduction: Lipodystrophy is an important complication of HIV and has different clinical manifestations, such as lipoatrophy of the face, buttocks, and limbs and accumulation of fat in the abdominal and cervical regions. Lipodystrophy has aesthetic and psychosocial consequences, stigmatizing and affecting patients’ quality of life. The objective is to evaluate the epidemiology and treatments performed in patients treated at the HIV-related Lipodystrophy Outpatient Clinic at Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu. Method: The study was conducted retrospectively, with port analysis of patients treated between June 2012 and December 2019, at Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, in Botucatu, S P, Brazil. Results: The medical records of 153 individuals were analyzed, 79 male and 74 female patients. The mean age was 45.6 years. The referrals came from 48 cities in four states. Caucasian patients accounted for 74.5% of the consultations. The complaint of facial lipodystrophy was reported by 52.9% of the patients. The most common invasive procedure was facial filling with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in 62 patients. Gluteal implants were the most common surgery on six occasions. Conclusion: The data found show a higher proportion of female patients with complaints of lipodystrophy when compared to general data of patients with HIV. The white race was predominant, and the main complaint of lipodystrophy was facial atrophy. Facial filling with PMMA was the most common procedure.

3D printers are no longer found only in industry, universities or makerspaces but now are increasingly used in domestic settings. Personal fabrication will increase in the coming years, and 3D printing will play an important role in this process. Due to technology and price development, 3D printers are becoming established among casual users at home. However, there are still many hurdles in the use of 3D printers that interfere with their appropriation in everyday life. In this paper, we investigate how chatbots can overcome these hurdles and support onboarding to 3D printing. Furthermore, we explore how chatbots can be used as a human–machine interface and facilitate interaction with 3D printers for both novice and expert users. In a research-through-design approach, we have created a fully functional chatbot that introduces users to 3D printing and helps them perform typical tasks when operating 3D printers.

In recent years, emerging approaches to chatbot-guided food coaching and dietary management, while innovative and promising in nature, have often lacked long-term studies. Therefore, with this work, we pursued a participatory approach within a design case study to the co-design and development of a nutrition chatbot for elderly people. Overall, 15 participants were directly involved in the study, of which 12 participated in the initial co-design phase, seven in the first real-world evaluation study over four weeks, and three in the second evaluation study over seven weeks. We contribute to the fields of Human-Computer Interaction by showing how the long-term use of such a chatbot in the area of nutrition looks like, which design implications arise for the development of nutrition chatbots, and how a participatory design approach can be realized to design, evaluate and develop nutrition chatbots.

The text explores the connections and tensions between culture, law, and peace. It contemplates culture's relationship with law, ranging from 'high culture' as art to broader definitions of culture as all things made by humans. The author defines culture as extra-legal norms. While many cultural norms don't clash with law, conflicts emerge where they coincide but differ. The text examines instances of conflicts between legal and cultural norms and their resolutions, focusing on German legal and cultural developments. The author offers examples that demonstrate how conflicts between law and culture can be resolved through legislative changes, external influences, and gradual shifts in societal attitudes. The author concludes that peace prevails where legal and cultural rules align.

With the aim of investigating the relationship between the funding of public basic education and the educational results achieved, this study analyzed a pre-selected set of foreign academic works and identified elements that can be used to encourage debate about the Brazilian model of educational financing. The study used the scoping review technique expanded by elements of the systematic literature of review to analyze the selected foreign studies. The study demonstrated that the availability of financial resources capable of providing an adequate set of inputs, accompanied by an efficient, responsible management process and subject to social control methods, is a crucial requirement for improving educational results and reducing the negative effects generated by low socioeconomic status (SES). It was also observed that although socioeconomic status is an important predictor of educational results, it can be mediated by actions carried out inside and outside school. Additionally, this study demonstrates that educational results need to be measured using indicators other than those obtained through standardized tests, such as: access; school performance; frequency; school dropout; student involvement; completion; progress between stages; improvement in social indicators/social mobility; compliance with the rights provided for in legislation, among others.

The ability to interact or engage with the instructor, other students, and the content i.e., to experience online student engagement, is one main difference between traditional and digital media employed in teaching and learning processes. As literature on this topic in the Turkish context has proliferated, to date, virtually no systematic reviews of this research have been carried out in order to identify potential gaps in the literature. To address this issue, this study investigated previously conducted research in chronological order on student engagement at the post-secondary level in the Turkish context using a PRISMA-based systematic review screening process. The results show that online engagement research and practices have clearly increased and diversified over time. Specifically, online engagement research in the Turkish context has tended to focus on computer science students studying in online-only, LMS-supported environments where their behavioral engagement has been investigated quantitatively. Considering these findings, this systematic review suggests that future studies in the Turkish context should examine other fields besides computer science education, focus more on collaborative tools and the social dimension of engagement, use more qualitative methods, and investigate blended environments as well as online-only.

Discussions of the resiliency, sustainability, and agility of supply chains are important in the research and management of supply chains in these difficult times, considering the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. A viable supply chain is often characterized by resiliency, sustainability, and agility in its network design. Resiliency is essential because disruption and demand fluctuations are forced upon SCs, and the effects of these for many managerial supply chains are unknown. In addition, applying novel technology in the supply chain, such as blockchain, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) as agility tools can assist and enable the transition to lean production. This special issue of the Foundations of Computing and Decision Sciences is dedicated to advancements in this fields. Besides, the special issue covers instructional information about OR techniques which are useful for addressing real-world applications on such challenges.

Abstract The saturated hydraulic conductivity, k sat , is a crucial variable to describe the hydromechanical behavior of soils. The value of k sat of lateritic soils that are typically found in tropical regions is highly affected by the soil’s structure, void ratio, and fine particle aggregation. As a result, the determination of k sat in the field or in the laboratory is complex and involves greater variability, depending on the type of test and on the spatial location of sampling. This paper presents a study of k sat values of lateritic soils, analyzing them using Statistic, Multilayer Perceptron Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Decision Trees (CHAID). This study aims to support decision-making regarding the type of test and depth chosen for sampling in laterite soils and understanding the factors influencing the permeability of such soils. An extensive literature review on the k sat values of lateritic soils was performed, providing data for the establishment of a database comprise of 722 registries. According to agronomic and geotechnical soil classifications, the Brazilian lateritic soils presents a “moderate” hydraulic conductivity. A significant variation of permeability values along the depth was identified, particularly for depths between 0.1 and 0.2 m. Regarding the importance of testing variables, the ANN indicated a high dependency on the type of test. The decision tree divided field test and laboratory test automatically, inferring the relevance of the type of test to the determination of k sat .

Abstract Introduction Video consultations have proven to be a powerful support tool for patient–doctor interactions in general, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzed the feasibility and usefulness of orthopedic telemedical consultations (OTCs) for orthopedic patients at the interface of a clinic and general practitioners. Methods The study was carried out at an orthopedic department of a German hospital between April 2020 and October 2020. After written informed consent was obtained, general practitioners (GPs) of a large adjunct health region could present their patients with orthopedic pathologies to specialists at the hospital via OTCs instead of the usual live consultation (LC). The patients, specialists and GPs were evaluated for their OTC experience and attitude (5-point Likert-scale and open questions, 19 to 27 items). Results A total of 89 video consultations took place with 76 patients, 16 GPs and six specialists. The average distance between the GPs/patients and the hospital was 141.9 km. The OTCs were rated as pleasant, and the experience was rated as very satisfying (average Likert-Scale rating, with 5 as strong agreement: specialists = 4.8; GPs = 4.9; patients = 4.7). Following the OTC, a LC was not necessary in 76.4% of cases. Patients with a necessary LC after an OTC showed significantly lower satisfaction with the OTC (p = 0.005). Time savings, the elimination of travel and quick contact with orthopedic consultants were positively highlighted by the participants. A total of 123 recommendations for further treatment were given, such as the initiation of physiotherapy/medication and the use of imaging diagnostics. Different technical and organizational challenges could be identified and addressed. Discussion The vast majority of the participants stated they had a very positive impression. In particular, the potential savings in travel and time as well as straightforward contact with specialists were rated positively. However, limitations in the assessment of initial presentations of complex medical conditions were also highlighted. Further studies on OTCs with a consultative health professional may show other fields of use for this mode of interdisciplinary remote communication.