bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determination of chromium (VI) in the dust of gas treatment plants in steelmaking plants.
Authors: Makarov V. A. , Savosteenko T. K. 
Published: June 2020

The requirements for the content of hexavalent chromium in cements and raw materials for its manufacture are described. The problem with the utilization of dust from gas treatment plants of metallurgical plants at metallurgical enterprises is given. The influence of the chemical composition of the dust of gas cleaning plants of metallurgical plants on the determination of hexavalent chromium is established. A method for measuring the hexavalent chromium in the dust of gas cleaning plants of metallurgical plants by the photometric method is described. A method has been developed for extracting hexavalent chromium from dust at the cleaning units of metallurgical plants for subsequent photometric determination. An extraction method has been established to prevent underestimation of the hexavalent chromium content. The determination of hexavalent chromium was based on the formation of a blue-violet complex with diphenylcarbazide. Calibration was carried out on aque solutions with a known concentration of hexavalent chromium. For the preparation of calibration solutions, potassium dichromate of chemical purity was used. The concentration of hexavalent chromium in each calibration solution was carried out by a calculation method, overlapping the entire measurement range. The measurement of optical density was carried out on a photoelectric colorimeter type KFK-3, at a wavelength of 540 nm. Analysis of the obtained calibration dependence showed a good correlation. The calibration factor was calculated using the least square method. Extraction of hexavalent chromium from the sample to be analyzed was performed with water. The reducing effect of iron was eliminated with a solution of phosphoric acid. The developed technique is used when conducting certification control of dust from gas cleaning units of metallurgical plants, as well as during research.A validation procedure was carried out. Obtained acceptable limits of repeatability and reproducibility of the method.
Quantifying the Impact of 2D and 3D Fractures on Permeability in Wellbore Cement after Uniaxial Compressive Loading
Authors: Yang Xinxiang , Kuru Ergun , Gingras Murray , Iremonger Simon , Taylor Jared , Lin Zichao , Chase Preston 
Published: June 2020

Summary
Stress-induced fractures in wellbore cement can form high-risk pathways for methane or carbon dioxide leakage, yet little to no quantitative information on the impact of these fractures has been reported. To investigate this, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) techniques were used to quantify the 2D and 3D geometrical parameters of cement fractures in mature thermal thixotropic cement samples that were subjected to pre- and post-peak compressive stress. A novel simulation method was also proposed to quantify the impact of the stress-induced realistic 3D fractures on the cement permeability.
Results show that, for prepeak samples, 90% of the 2D fractures have length and width smaller than 100 and 5 µm, respectively. Although higher compressive stress reshaped the 3D fractures and increased the fracture length and width, no well-propagated fractures were observed. For post-peak samples, distinctly visible (&gt;0.1 mm) well-propagated fractures were generated but failed to penetrate the entire sample; therefore, the effect of stress-induced fractures (up to 1.0% strain) on cement sample's permeability is limited. CT-based 3D visualization and simulation both show that inclusion of a correctly engineered fiber additive can blunt the fracture propagation in cement samples.
We conclude that the fractures in cement matrix created by the monotonic compressive stress (up to the limit of uniaxial compressive strength) are not likely to form continuous leakage pathways. This is because the 2D fractures in cement matrix as shown by SEM images are in limited dimensions, whereas the 3D fractures in cement matrix observed from CT-based 3D models have poor connectivity, generally indicating that leakage pathways of significant permeability would not form as a result of compressing the cement samples up to their uniaxial compressive strength limit. Inclusion of a fiber additive is expected to enhance cement integrity by limiting the fracture propagation.
The efficacy of allograft bone using titanium mesh in the posterior-only surgical treatment of thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis
Authors: Wang Bingjin , Hua Wenbin , Ke Wencan , Zhang Yukun , Zeng Xianlin , Yang Cao 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: The bony fusion of allograft bone using titanium mesh in the posterior-only surgical treatment of thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis has not been explained in detail. We aimed to analyze the efficacy of bony fusion of allograft bone using titanium mesh in the posterior-only surgical treatment of thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis.Methods: We treated 32 thoracic or thoracolumbar tuberculosis patients by one-stage posterior debridement, allograft bone graft using titanium mesh, posterior instrumentation, and fusion from May 2011 to September 2015. The American Spinal Injury Association neurological classification, visual analog scale, and Oswestry disability index scores were analyzed preoperatively, postoperatively, and at final follow-up. The Cobb angles were recorded to evaluate the kyphosis correction and the loss of correction. The bony fusion was evaluated by X-ray and computed tomography images, and the bony fusion classifications were recorded.Results: All patients had pain relief. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-response protein, and hepatorenal function were normal at final follow-up. The American Spinal Injury Association neurological classification, visual analog scale, and Oswestry disability index scores were improved in all the patients. All patients achieved bone fusion. Twenty-eight patients achieved complete fusion (Grade I), whereas only four patients achieved partial fusion (Grade II). The preoperative Cobb angle was 33.6±9.3°. The Cobb angle was reduced to 10.6±2.6° postoperatively and was found to be 11.4±3.1° at the final follow-up. The mean angle correction was 23.0±8.9°, and the correction rate was 66.2±12.2%. The mean angle lost was 0.8±0.9°, and the lost rate was 5.8±5.4% at the final follow-up.Conclusions: Allograft bone using titanium mesh in the posterior-only surgical treatment is effective for patients with thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis. It can correct kyphosis, and most patients can achieve complete bony fusion.
Public trust and Global Biobank Networks
Authors: Dive Lisa , Critchley Christine , Otlowski Margaret , Mason Paul , Wiersma Miriam , Light Edwina , Stewart Cameron , Kerridge Ian , Lipworth Wendy 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background Biobanks provide an important foundation for genomic and personalised medicine. In order to enhance their scientific power and scope, they are increasingly becoming part of national or international networks. Public trust is essential in fostering public engagement, encouraging donation to, and facilitating public funding for biobanks. Globalisation and networking of biobanking may challenge this trust. Methods We report the results of an Australian study examining public attitudes to the networking and globalisation of biobanks. The study used quantitative and qualitative methods in conjunction with bioethical analysis to in order to determine factors that may contribute to, and threaten, trust.Results Our results indicate a generally high level of trust in biobanks and in medical research more broadly. Key factors that can reduce perceived trustworthiness of biobanks are commercialisation and involvement in global networking. Conclusions We conclude that robust ethical oversight and governance standards can both promote trust in global biobanking and ensure that this trust is warranted.
Contribution of major food companies and their products to household dietary sodium purchases in Australia
Authors: Coyle Daisy Hannah , Shahid Maria , Dunford Elizabeth K , Mhurchu Cliona Ni , Mckee Sarah , Santos Myla , Popkin Barry M , Trieu Kathy , Marklund Matti , Taylor Fraser , Neal Bruce , Wu Jason HY 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: The Australian federal government will soon release voluntary sodium reduction targets for 30 packaged food categories through the Healthy Food Partnership. Previous assessments of voluntary targets show variable industry engagement, and little is known about the extent that major food companies and their products contribute to dietary sodium purchases among Australian households. Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relative contribution that food companies and their products made to Australian household sodium purchases in 2018, and to examine differences in sodium purchases by household income level. We used one year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households who reported their grocery purchases (the Nielsen Homescan panel), combined with database that contains product-specific sodium content for packaged foods and beverages (FoodSwitch). The top food companies and food categories were ranked according to their contribution to household sodium purchases. Differences in per capita sodium purchases by income levels were assessed by 1-factor ANOVA. All analyses were modelled to the Australian population in 2018 using sample weights. Results: Sodium data were available from 7,188 households who purchased 26,728 unique products and purchased just under 7.5 million food product units. Out of 1,329 food companies, the top 10 accounted for 35% of unique products and contributed to 58% of all sodium purchased from packaged foods and beverages. The top three companies were grocery food retailers each contributing 12-15% of sodium purchases from sales of their private label products, particularly processed meat, cheese and bread. Out of the 67 food categories, the top 10 accounted for 73% of sodium purchased, particularly driven by purchases of processed meat (14%), bread (12%) and sauces (11%). Low-income Australian households purchased significantly more sodium from packaged products than high-income households per capita (452mg/d, 95%CI: 363-540mg/d, P<0.001). Conclusions: A small number of food companies and food categories account for most of the dietary sodium purchased by Australian households. Prioritizing government engagement with these groups could deliver a large reduction in population sodium intake.
Hepcidin and GDF-15 are potential biomarkers of Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in South Africa
Authors: NALADO AISHATU MUHAMMAD , Olorunfemi Gbenga , Dix-Peek Therese , Dickens Caroline , Khambule Lungile , Snyman Tracy , Paget Graham , Mahlangu Johnny , Duarte Raquel , George JAYA , Naicker Saraladevi 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundIron deficiency anaemia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. There is a paucity of information on the role of hepcidin and growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) as potential biomarkers of iron deficiency anaemia among non-dialysis CKD patients. This study aimed to determine the utility of hepcidin and GDF-15 as biomarkers of iron deficiency among non-dialysis CKD patients at an academic hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.MethodA cross-sectional study of 312 consecutive consenting non-dialysis CKD patients and 184 controls at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital was conducted from June 2016 to December 2016. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. Plasma hepcidin and GDF-15 were measured using mass spectrometry and ELISA, respectively. Spearman rank correlation, linear and logistic regression and receiver operator curves were utilised to evaluate the predictive and diagnostic/reference values of hepcidin and GDF-15 in absolute and functional iron deficiency anaemia.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 49.7 ±15.8 years, and 50.6% of them were females. The predictive value of diagnosing absolute iron deficiency anaemia among CKD patients using GDF-15 was 74.02% (95% CI: 67.62% - 80.42%) while the predictive value of diagnosing functional iron deficiency anaemia among CKD patients using hepcidin was 70.1% (95% CI: 62.79% - 77.49%).There was a weak negative correlation between hepcidin levels and GFR (r=-0.19, p=0.04) in anaemic CKD patients, and between serum GDF-15 and haemoglobin (r=-0.34, p=0.001). Serum ferritin (β=0.00389, P-value<0.001), was a predictor of log hepcidin. MCHC (β= -0.0220, P-value 0.005) and CKD stage (β=0.4761, P-value <0.001), race (β = 0.3429, P-value = 0.018) were predictors of log GDF-15. Both GDF-15 (adj OR: 1.0003, 95%CI: 1.0001 – 1.0005, P=0.017) and hepcidin (adj OR: 1.003, 95%CI: 1.0004 – 1.0055, P=0.023) were associated with iron deficiency anaemia after multiple linear regression modelling. Subgroup analysis showed that GDF-15 predicted absolute iron deficiency, while hepcidin predicted functional iron deficiency anaemiaConclusionGDF-15 and hepcidin are potential predictors of iron deficiency anaemia among CKD patients.
Financial risk protection of Thailand’s Universal Health Coverage: results from series of national household surveys between 1996 and 2015
Authors: Tangcharoensathien Viroj , Tisayaticom Kanjana , Suphanchaimat Rapeepong , Vongmongkol Vuthiphan , Viriyathorn Shaheda , Limwattananon Supon 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Thailand, an upper-middle income country, has demonstrated exemplary outcomes of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The country achieved full population coverage and a high level of financial risk protection since 2002, through implementing three public health insurance schemes. UHC has two explicit goals of improved access to health services and financial protection where use of these services does not create financial hardship. Prior studies in Thailand do not however provide evidence of long-term UHC financial risk protection. This study assessed financial risk protection as measured by the incidence of catastrophic health spending and impoverishment in Thai households prior to and after UHC in 2002.Methods: We used data from a fifteen-year series of annual national household socioeconomic surveys between 1996 and 2015, which were conducted by the National Statistical Office. The survey covered about 52,000 nationally representative households in each round. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the incidence of catastrophic payment as measured by the share of out-of-pocket payments for health by households exceeding 10% and 25% of household total consumption expenditure, and the incidence of impoverishment as determined by the additional number of non-poor households falling below the national and international poverty lines after making health payments. Results: Using the 10% threshold, the incidence of catastrophic spending dropped from 6.0% in 1996 to 2% in 2015. This incidence reduced more significantly when the 25% threshold was applied from 1.8% to 0.4% during the same period. The incidence of impoverishment against the national poverty line reduced considerably from 2.2% in 1996 to approximately 0.3% in 2015. When the international poverty line of US$ 3.1 per capita per day was applied, the incidence of impoverishment was 1.4% and 0.4% in 1996 and 2015 respectively; and when US$ 1.9 per day was applied, the incidence was negligibly low. Conclusion: The significant decline in the incidence of catastrophic health spending and impoverishment was attributed to the deliberate design of Thailand’s UHC, which provides a comprehensive benefits package and zero co-payment at point of services. The well-founded healthcare delivery system and favourable benefit package concertedly support the achievement of UHC goals of access and financial risk protection.
Correlates of Ghanaian households’ use of clean cooking fuels: insight from the 2014 demographic and health surveys
Authors: Dadzie Seth Sylvester , Kenney Paul Lawer , Emmanuel Nakua Kweku , Herman Agboh Nuake Kofi , Henry Duah Ofori , Veronica Dzomeku Millicent , Pascal Agbadi 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Globally, about 2.9 billion persons, the majority of whom are from low and middle-income countries, depend on poorly combusted biomass and coal for cooking and heating. Given the negative toll the use of poorly combusted fuels have on people’s health and quality of life, homes are admonished to use for cooking clean fuels that promote optimal health such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gases, electricity, and improved biomass cook-stoves. The use of clean cooking fuels has other co-benefits such as reduce deforestation and lower climate-changing emissions. Although information on the prevalence of access to clean cooking energy is known, studies on the social, economic, and geographic factors that may explain the low adoption in households are rare. In this paper, we aim to determine the major covariates of households’ access to clean cooking energy in Ghana.Methods: The study used the data of the cross-sectional demographic and health surveys conducted in 2014. Chi-square test of independence was used to identify the covariates that were statistically significant related to households’ use of CF&HPFs for the multivariable model. In the multivariable model, we reported prevalence ratios using the generalized linear model (glm), setting the family to “Poisson” and the link to “log.” The estimation adjusted for the study designed and the household sampling weights.Results: The main finding was that rich households were 8.85 times likely to use CF&HPFs compared to poor households. We further found that the following factors were associated with a higher probability of a Ghanaian household to use climate-friendly and health-promoting fuels for cooking: male-headed households, households’ headed by persons between 24years and 55 years, households with heads that were currently married or never married, households with heads that have attained at least a primary level education, households with less than eight members, households with at least two women, and households in Western, Central, Greater Accra, Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Upper East region. Conclusion: In view of these findings, we recommend: a national effort to subsidize and make affordable the purchase of LPG and the stoves that burn it even to the poorest household; education on efficient and sustainable consumption must be intensified and incorporated in the basic school’s curriculum to ensure the future generation are more environmental sustainability and health-conscious; creation of multiple LPG refilling outlets in all the regions in Ghana.
Down regulating PHGDH affects the lactate production of Sertoli cells in varicocele
Authors: Guo Wen-bin , Huang Zhen-hui , Yang Cheng , Lv Xian-yuan , Xia Hui , Tian Hu , Yang Jian-kun , Zhou Qi-zhao , Chen Ming-kun , Xue Kang-yi , Liu Cun-dong 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Although varicocele is considered to be one of the leading causes of male infertility, the precise mechanism underlying how varicocele leads to male infertility is not completely understood. We found the lactate concentration on the varicocele side of the patients was decreased compare with peripheral venous blood. In the testicles, the lactate produced by the sertoli cells through the glycolysis pathway provides most of the energy needed for spermatogenesis, the reduction of lactate will affect spermatogenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of this abnormal energy metabolism phenomenon in varicocele.Methods: In this study, we collected the testicular tissue from patients with varicocele, the glycolysis related proteins PHGDH was identified by iTRAQ proteomics technology. Experimental rat varicocele model was constructed according to our new clip technique, the mRNA and protein expression levels of PHGDH were examined with qRT-PCR and Western blotting. We constructed a sertoli cell of PHGDH down-regulation model, and then detected the glucose consumption, LDH activities and lactate production in the sertoli cells. Western blot was conducted to investigate the effects of PHGDH on the expression of phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH) and Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis and cell cycle in sertoli cells.Results: The results showed that testicular protein PHGDH was down-regulated in patients with varicocele and in experimental rat varicocele model. Down-regulation of PHGDH in sertoli cells significantly decreased the glucose consumption, LDH activities and lactate production in the sertoli cells, indicating that the low expression of PHGDH ultimately led to a decrease in lactate production by affecting the glycolysis. The Western blot results showed that the down-regulation of PHGDH significantly reduced the expression of pathway protein PSPH and PKM2, leading to the reduction of lactate production. Moreover, PHGDH knockdown can promote apoptosis and inhibit cell cycle to affect cell growth.Conclusions: Overall, we conformed that varicocele lead to the decreasing of testis lactate production. Down-regulation of PHGDH in sertoli cells may mediate the process of abnormal glucose metabolism. Our study provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying metabolism-associated male infertility and suggests a novel therapeutic target for male infertility.
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) findings in Serpiginous Choroiditis
Authors: Macedo Sergio , Pohlmann Dominika , Lenglinger Matthias , Pleyer Uwe , Joussen Antonia M. , Winterhalter Sibylle 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background. To describe changes in the retina/choroid in patients with Serpiginous Choroiditis (SC) by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) in a multimodal imaging approach.Methods. Prospective, monocentric study of 24 eyes of 12 consenting patients diagnosed with SC, who underwent OCTA, which was analyzed and compared to other methods such as enhanced depth imaging-OCT, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and fundus autofluorescence. Results. The study group consisted of 9 patients with peripapillary SC, 1 macular SC, and 2 atypical cases. All eyes presented an inactive SC confirmed by standard imaging. OCTA demonstrated the lesions tridimensionally in great detail. There was no difference in the angioarchitecture among the 3 forms of SC. A loss of the choriocapillaris/retinal pigment epithelium left a “window-defect”, where the vessels of larger caliber of the choroid became recognizable and their appearance inverted (“white-on-black”). A relationship between the presence of segmentation errors (SE) in the slabs and low visual acuity was established with a one-way ANOVA.Conclusions. OCTA was able to non-invasively assess vascular lesions of the choroid/retina in patients with SC with a high degree of correlation to other diagnostic modalities. Consequent long-term assessments could lead to a better understanding of disease progression.