The 5G ecosystem is comprised of the cellular 5G System, as well as a managed and orchestrated infrastructure providing virtualized network and service functions. The automotive industry with its stringent requirements for connected vehicles is a promising and yet challenging consumer of such 5G ecosystem. Deployment of service instances at distributed cloud resources of cellular network infrastructure edges enables localized low-latency access to these services from moving vehicles but comes along with challenges, such as the need for fast reconfiguration of the distributed deployment according to mobility pattern and associated service and resource demand. In this paper, we investigate a solution for the collaborative orchestration of services for Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) within such 5G ecosystem. A key objective is the service continuity for a highly dynamic automotive scenario, achieved by the associated management and orchestration of these services in distributed edge clouds. The proposed solution leverages a multi-tier orchestration system as well as localized management and protocol operations for collaborative edge resources. By means of both analytical and experimental evaluations, the paper draws conclusions on the gain in accelerating orchestration decisions and enforcements, while balancing associated protocol and computational load over the highly distributed and multi-layered orchestration system.

The study aimed to investigate differences in anthropometry, body composition (BC), and somatotype in young football players of the same chronological age according to the maturity stage. Overall, 64 elite players (age: 14.28 ± 0.46 years) were evaluated for standing and sitting body height, girth measures, and BC using the bioelectric impedance scale and skinfold thickness. In total, two-thirds (73.44%, n = 47) of football players were classified as on-time maturers, 12.50% (n = 8) were early maturing, and 14.06% (n = 9) were late maturing. Standing and sitting height, leg length, fat-free mass, and muscle mass were significantly different (p < 0.001) across maturity groups. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) with maturity progression was seen for subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds along with a girth increase at all sites (p < 0.05). Early maturers were balanced ectomorphs, while on-time and late maturers featured mesomorph–ectomorph characteristics. The obtained results suggested that mature players have better BC presented as a lower fat percentage along with higher muscle mass, advantages in circumferences, and longitudinal dimensions of the body with highlighted mesomorph features. Maturity can have a substantial influence on body measures, thereby affecting sport-specific performance. Early maturers can use their anthropometric advantages and compensate for a lack of talent, consequently preventing even participation of physically undeveloped players in training. A better understanding of maturity, BC, and somatotypes can help in the selection of young talented players.

Background: A higher frequency of premature ventricular complexes is associated with a higher risk of premature ventricular complex-induced cardiomyopathy. Although there are several studies on the systolic functions of the left ventricle in this patient group, it is clearly not known how the diastolic functions of the left ventricle are affected. This study examined the effect of premature ventricular complex on left ventricle diastolic functions using diastolic strain rate. Methods: The trial included 57 patients with frequent premature ventricular complexes and 54 healthy volunteers. The patient was evaluated using echocardiography in its entirety. The vendor-independent software system determined systolic and diastolic strain parameters via 2-dimensional speckle tracking analysis. Using the auto strain 3P semi-automated endocardial boundary tracking instrument, the global longitudinal strain was measured from the apical 4-chamber, 2-chamber, and long axis. The diastolic strain rate was determined by averaging the strain rates of 17 cardiac segments at 2 distinct periods of diastole. Results: In the patient group, early diastolic strain rate was significantly lower than that in the control group (1.62 ± 0.58 vs. 1.25 ± 0.38, P < .001). There were found to be significant negative connections between PVC's electrocardiographic QRS wave length and early diastolic strain rate and coupling interval and early diastolic strain rate. Significant positive associations between coupling interval and early diastolic strain rate were discovered (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Conclusions: Patients with premature ventricular complex exhibited a lower early diastolic strain rate than healthy individuals. The early diastolic strain rate can be used to predict left ventricle diastolic dysfunction, and persons with premature ventricular complex may have a higher risk of left ventricle diastolic dysfunction than the general population.

Objective. The aim of this study was to present data on the prevalence of seropositive children tested in the laboratory of the Eurofarm polyclinic in Sarajevo, from September 2020 to May 2021. Material and Methods. Peripheral blood samples were collected and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results. In the total of 762 tested children, 187 were positive (24.5%), based on cut-off value. Of all the positive cases 42.8% were female while 57.2% were male. There were 10.1% of positive children in the first age group (0-5 years), 44.4% in the second group (6-13 years), and 45.5% in the third group (14-18 years). There was no statistically significant difference in seroprevalence between age groups and gender. The lowest seroprevalence (3.6%) was observed in October 2020 after the first pandemic wave, and the highest seroprevalence (60.3%) was observed in April 2021, corresponding to the third pandemic wave. Conclusion. The results of our study showed that the seroprevalence in children was low, especially during the first year of the pandemic. In the second year of the pandemic, there was an evident statistically significant increase in the number of seropositive children. Similar data have been shown in studies for adults.

International interest in development of treat-to-target (T2T) in both childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) and adult-onset SLE (aSLE) is increasing. T2T could facilitate more effective and structured use of treatments, aggressively controlling disease activity, preventing organ damage, and improving health-related quality of life. The first step is the selection of an appropriate target. Remission is deemed the ultimate target, but may not be attainable by all. Low disease activity (LDA), based on the principle of “tolerable” disease activity on stable treatment, with low corticosteroid dosage, may be more appropriate for some patients. The aim of this study was to derive a consensus-based cSLE appropriate definition of LDA, building upon existing aSLE definitions to improve applicability to cSLE, whilst maintaining sufficient unity to ensure that future T2T studies including adolescents and adults together are possible. The International cSLE T2T Task Force, including 18 specialists from paediatric rheumatology/nephrology, and adult rheumatology undertook a series of Delphi surveys, exploring views on aSLE LDA targets. Two virtual consensus meetings were held, utilising a modified nominal group technique to debate, modify, and vote upon topics underpinning the cSLE LDA target and its criteria. Agreement of > 80% was considered consensus. The task force agreed that the LDA target should encompass cSLE as a whole and be based upon the aSLE Lupus Low Disease Activity State definition (LLDAS), with modifications to make it more applicable to cSLE (cLLDAS, all 100% agreement). A conceptual definition of cLLDAS was defined: ‘A state, which if sustained, is associated with a low likelihood of adverse outcome (considering disease activity, damage, and medication toxicity)’ (100% agreement). Five cLLDAS criteria were agreed, as detailed within Table 1. The final cLLDAS definition was endorsed by the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) Executive Council and PReS cSLE Working Party Chair, on behalf of the Society. A cSLE, age-appropriate definition of cLLDAS has been generated, preserving sufficient unity with the aSLE LLDAS definition to encourage life-course research. The development and validation of targets has been a key enabler for T2T trials, therefore this initiative represents a significant step forward for cSLE. Disclosure E.M.D. Smith: None. A. Aggarwal: None. J. Ainsworth: None. E. Al-Abadi: None. T. Avcin: None. L. Bortey: None. J. Burnham: None. C. Ciurtin: None. C.M. Hedrich: None. S. Kamphuis: None. D. Levy: None. L. Lewandowski: None. N. Maxwell: None. E. Morand: None. S. Ozen: None. C. Pain: None. A. Ravelli: None. C. Saad Magalhaes: None. C. Pilkington: None. D. Schonenberg: None. C. Scott: None. K. Tullus: None. M.W. Beresford: None.

Simple Summary The aim of the study was to determine the morphological and morphometrical features of the auditory ossicles in the red fox. Moreover, for the first time, shape analysis was performed on all the middle ear bones by geometric morphometry. The auditory ossicles play a vital role in transmitting sound waves through the middle ear. The malleus was considered to be the largest bone, with three distinctive processes. The overall shape of the incus was found to be similar to that in other mammals. The presence of a prominent muscular process was noted on the head of the stapes and the convex base which closes the window of the inner ear. Abstract The use of carnivores as experimental models in auditory biology has led to a significant improvement regarding our understanding of the structure and function of the ear. Considering that data regarding the anatomy of the middle ear in the red fox are rare, this study aimed to describe the morphological and morphometrical features of the auditory ossicles in the red fox, as well as to provide their shape characteristics by geometric analysis. Nine adult red foxes were used in the study. The malleus, incus and stapes were extracted from the middle ear, prepared, photographed and measured using the software. For the geometric analysis, 19 landmarks were used. Following Principal Component Analysis (PCA), PC1 was found to explain approximately half of all variance (incus: 49.97%; malleus: 49.93%; stapes: 58.49%). The study demonstrated the similar anatomical organization of the auditory ossicles in line with important morphometric and basic geometric data, which can contribute to this field and add a useful perspective to the literature.