bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Sarawak State of Malaysia and the Way Forward
Authors: Tang Kuok Ho Daniel 
Published: April 2020

Aims/ Objectives: This study examines the current municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Sarawak and recommends measures for its improvement.Study Design: This study adopts a qualitative approach involving targeted in-depth interviews guided by a questionnaire.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted among 18 local authorities (LAs) in the Sarawak state of Malaysia between January 2019 to June 2019.Methodology: This study is a qualitative survey conducted among 18 LAs in Sarawak, namely Kuching, Limbang, Marudi, Bau, Lundu, Betong, Dalat and Mukah, Kapit, Lubok Antu, Matu and Daru, Maradong and Julau, Serian, Sri Aman, Simunjan, Miri, Saratok, Subis and Lawas. Staff members in the public health section of the LAs were interviewed via phone calls and face-to-face mode. This represents a sampling size of approximately 64% which is deemed sufficient to providean adequate picture of the MSW management practice in Sarawak.Results: Smaller and remote LAs have lower MSW collection coverage than larger and more developed LAs. MSW is collected generally from 2 times a week to daily using compactors or trucks equipped with bin-lifters. Bins smaller than 240L are usually emptied manually. Waste collection is zoned in each LA and contracted to qualified contractors. Collected MSW is sent to dumpsites or landfills. Currently there are one level-4, two level-3 and three level-2 landfills in Sarawak. Organic waste particularly food residues form the bulk of MSW received at landfills. Waste segregation and recycling is not as widely practiced in Sarawak as the Peninsular Malaysia.Conclusion: The study shows that MSW management in Sarawak is equipped with the basic infrastructure but faces challenges in coverage due to the large area of the state. To improve MSW management, the recommendations comprise continuous road network development, decentralized administration of MSW management, composting, creation of ’recycling ecosystem’, education as well as research and development, backed by the state and federal governments’commitment and funding.
Effect of Iron and Phytohormones Application on Antioxidant Enzymes Activity, Chlorophyll and Grain Yield of Maize in Iron-deficient Soil
Authors: . Kavita , Kumar Vipin 
Published: April 2020

The study investigated the effect of foliar application of gibberellic acid (GA3) and cytokinin on antioxidative enzymes, chlorophyll content and grain yield of maize. Three factor randomized block design (RBD) was used to carry out the investigation in experimental farm of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar during 2012-13.
The field experiment was laid out in Fe-deficient soil (Fe < 0.5 ppm) with contrasting cultivars of maize. The factors were: i) Fe-efficient (Suwan) vs. inefficient cultivar (Shaktiman-3); ii) ‘control’ (no Fe-spray) vs. one soil application of Fe (20 kg ha-1) + two foliar spray of Fe as 0.5% ferrous sulphate at pre-flowering and 7-days after flowering; and iii) foliar application of phytohormones viz., GA3 at10 and 20 ppm; cytokinin at10 and 20 ppm and their combinations.
Application of Fe and phytohormones significantly increased enzymes activity like catalase, peroxidise and superoxide dismutase. The highest activity was observed with combined application of cytokinin + GA3 at10 ppm. For example, the value of catalase increased from 196.0 to 217.0 µmol/min/g fresh protein, and peroxidase from 90.0 to 103.0 Units mg-1 fresh protein. There were significant increases in chlorophyll content of leaves, and grain yield with combined application of cytokinin + GA3 at 10 ppm. The maximum chlorophyll content was recorded in ‘Suwan’ (32.7 SPAD value) having treatment Fe application plus GA3 + cytokinin at10 ppm each. Grain yield increased significantly from 58.6 to 64.6 q ha-1 in ‘Suwan’ provided with Fe application and GA3+ cytokinin at10 ppm each compared to control (50.3 q ha-1). Results indicated that phytohormones were involved in regulation of nutrient availability and conversely mineral nutrients influenced hormone biosynthesis suggesting a relationship between hormones and nutritional homeostasis.
Conclusion: Exogenous application of phytohormones could alleviate Fe deficiency stresses in maize and application of Fe and phytohormones acted synergistically. Hence, application of GA3 + cytokinin at 10 ppm may be done to alleviate Fe stress and to improve grain yield of maize.
Phyto-toxic Influence of an Atrazine-based Selective Herbicide – Arda-force® on Onions (Allium cepa L)
Authors: Ogeleka Doris Fovwe , Obasi Esther 
Published: April 2020

Introduction: The constant impact on the environment occasioned by pollution, indiscriminate application of agricultural chemicals, security challenges and crisis in the Niger Delta ecological area of Nigeria has caused severe damage to plants, soil organisms and humans.
Aim and Methodology: In this research, onions (Allium cepa L) was exposed to varying concentrations of an atrazine-based selective herbicide Arda-force® to estimate the phyto-toxic effects on the plant species using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD) protocol #208.
Results: The mean effective concentration (EC50) using root growth inhibition produced indications of phyto-toxicity to the exposed species at a concentration of 0.55 ± 0.06 mg/L. Similarly, the maximum root growth inhibition efficiency relative to the control was 65% as recorded in the highest test concentration of 1.25 mg/L.
Discussion: The study indicated that constant application / indiscriminate use of the herbicide Arda-force® could cause deleterious influence on these plant and vegetable species, daily consumed by humans as a rich source of anti-oxidants.
Conclusion: This study concluded that atrazine-based herbicide Arda-force® used in this assessment resulted in phyto-toxic effects to Allium cepa L. At the exposed concentrations of the herbicide to non-target specie – Allium cepa L. that are integral parts of the ecosystems, the ‘‘harmless’’ status of atrazine acclaimed by the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is still very much in doubt.
Health-related Quality of Life among Community Pharmacists
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad Shahid , Al-Saikhan Fahad I. , Ahmed Nehad J. , Iqbal Muhammad Zahid 
Published: April 2020

Introduction: The role of community pharmacists (CPs) has kept on changing. Due to the evolving role of CPs, it is important to know its impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among CPs. Besides, the literature on the HRQoL of CPs is not being enriched, there is an urge to carry out a study to evaluate the HRQoL among CPs. This study aimed to examine the association between the socio-demographic factors and the HR QoLamong CPs.
Methodology: A set of questions related to the HRQoL has been adopted from a pre-validated questionnaire, the Duke Health Profile and contextualized it to measure study outcomes. The target population in this study was the registered CPs that were practicing. The site of the study included all the chain and independent pharmacies. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0 was used to analyze the data and the significance level was set at p≤ 0.05. Various domains of the Duke Health Profile (DHP) were calculated using the provided formula.
Results: A total of 172 respondents were included in this study. Several HRQoL domains were significantly associated with socio-demographic factors. The univariate analysis illustrated that mental and general health state had significant associations with age, practice setting was significantly associated with the mental health state, the salary was significantly associated with self-esteem and mental health was significantly associated with length of service and practice setting. Dysfunction dimensions of anxiety, anxiety-depression, and pain were significantly associated with gender.
Conclusion: Gender, age, length of service, salary and practice setting were the risk factors for HRQoL among CPs.
Green-Spinach, Red-Spinach, and Tree-Spinach (‘Three-Fold Spinach’ in Sri Lanka): An Insight into Phylogenetics and Consumer Preference
Authors: Gayathree T. H. I. , Karunarathne S. I. , Ranaweera L. T. , Jayarathne H. S. M. , Kannangara S. K. , Ranathunga A. P. D. T. , Weebadde C. , Sooriyapathirana S. S. 
Published: April 2020

Three types of spinach, green spinach (GS), red spinach (RS), and tree spinach (TS) are consumed in Sri Lanka. GS, RS, and TS are referred to as Basella alba, Basella rubra, and Talinum fruticosum respectively. However, some taxonomists categorize GS and RS under B. alba causing an ambiguity. Due to the poor sanitation, consumers prefer to purchase greenhouse-grown spinach over field grown material. However, the taste parameters of field grown and greenhouse-grown spinach have not been assessed. The objectives of the present study were to resolve the taxonomic ambiguity between GS and RS, identify the evolutionary relationship of TS to other two species and to assess the organoleptic preference on the dishes prepared using greenhouse and field-grown shoot-tops of three spinach. The genomic DNA extracted from GS, RS, and TS, PCR amplified and sequenced for the barcoding markers rbcL, ITS, matK-trnT and atpB-rbcL. The sequences obtained along with other reported related sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. A sensory test was carried out using the shoot-tops of three species grown under greenhouse and field conditions. The taste panelists were asked to rank the dishes for preferred levels of color, aroma, texture, bitterness, and overall taste and the data were subjected to the association analysis. The rbcL and ITS markers separate GS and RS into two well -supported clades, B. alba and B. rubra respectively. The polymorphisms of atpB-rbcL and matK-trnT markers support the definition of two species. The monophyly of B. alba and B. rubra with T. fruticosum must be the reason for the same palate in dishes and designation of all three species under “spinach” in Sri Lanka. The taste panel data demonstrated that there is no specific fondness for greenhouse or field grown materials enabling the popularization of greenhouse-grown spinach to answer the safety concerns.
Expert‐level automated malaria diagnosis on routine blood films with deep neural networks
Authors: Manescu Petru , Shaw Michael J. , Elmi Muna , Neary‐Zajiczek Lydia , Claveau Remy , Pawar Vijay , Kokkinos Iasonas , Oyinloye Gbeminiyi , Bendkowski Christopher , Oladejo Olajide A. , Oladejo Bolanle F. , Clark Tristan , Timm Denis , Shawe‐Taylor John , Srinivasan Mandayam A. , Lagunju Ikeoluwa , Sodeinde Olugbemiro , Brown Biobele J. , Fernandez‐Reyes Delmiro 
Published: April 2020

AbstractOver 200 million malaria cases globally lead to half a million deaths annually. Accurate malaria diagnosis remains a challenge. Automated imaging processing approaches to analyze Thick Blood Films (TBF) could provide scalable solutions, for urban healthcare providers in the holoendemic malaria sub‐Saharan region. Although several approaches have been attempted to identify malaria parasites in TBF, none have achieved negative and positive predictive performance suitable for clinical use in the west sub‐Saharan region. While malaria parasite object detection remains an intermediary step in achieving automatic patient diagnosis, training state‐of‐the‐art deep‐learning object detectors requires the human‐expert labor‐intensive process of labeling a large dataset of digitized TBF. To overcome these challenges and to achieve a clinically usable system, we show a novel approach. It leverages routine clinical‐microscopy labels from our quality‐controlled malaria clinics, to train a Deep Malaria Convolutional Neural Network classifier (DeepMCNN) for automated malaria diagnosis. Our system also provides total Malaria Parasite (MP) and White Blood Cell (WBC) counts allowing parasitemia estimation in MP/μL, as recommended by the WHO. Prospective validation of the DeepMCNN achieves sensitivity/specificity of 0.92/0.90 against expert‐level malaria diagnosis. Our approach PPV/NPV performance is of 0.92/0.90, which is clinically usable in our holoendemic settings in the densely populated metropolis of Ibadan. It is located within the most populous African country (Nigeria) and with one of the largest burdens of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Our openly available method is of importance for strategies aimed to scale malaria diagnosis in urban regions where daily assessment of thousands of specimens is required.
The management of periorbital cellulitis secondary to sinonasal infection: a multicenter prospective study in the United Kingdom
Authors: Mahalingam Sridhayan , Hone Robert , Lloyd Gareth , Grounds Robert , Shamil Eamon , Wong Gentle , Al‐Lami Ali , Pervez Anum , Rudd James , Poon Jia Shin , Riley Peter , Hopkins Claire 
Published: April 2020

BackgroundPeriorbital cellulitis is a potential sight‐threatening complication of sinusitis. The majority of patients improve with medical management. Previous studies have suggested significant variations in practice and lack of evidence regarding the optimal management of this condition.MethodsA prospective study was conducted over a 12‐month period at 8 centers in the United Kingdom assessing the management of patients requiring inpatient treatment for periorbital cellulitis secondary to sinonasal infections.ResultsA total of 143 patients were recruited, of whom 40 were excluded. Of the remaining 103 patients, 5 (4.9%) were diagnosed with neurosurgical complications. This resulted in 98 patients admitted with periorbital cellulitis secondary to an upper respiratory tract infection/sinusitis. A total of 72 were children, of whom 12 (16.7%) required surgical intervention; and of 26 adults, 5 (19.2%) required surgery: the most common antimicrobial regimes administered were intravenous ceftriaxone (with or without metronidazole), and co‐amoxiclav. The use of both ceftriaxone and metronidazole from admission was associated with the shortest duration of inpatient stay (3.8 days) in comparison to ceftriaxone alone (5.8 days) or co‐amoxiclav (4.5 days) and a reduction in number of patients requiring surgical intervention. There was also an association between the early use of intranasal decongestants and steroids and reduction in requirement for surgical intervention.ConclusionFor a condition where swab and blood cultures are often negative, this study supports the use of ceftriaxone in combination with metronidazole. The administration of intranasal decongestants and corticosteroids correlated with a smaller percentage of those progressing to surgery in those with and without periorbital abscesses.
A multi‐institutional review of outcomes in biopsy‐proven chronic invasive fungal sinusitis
Authors: Humphreys Ian M. , Wandell Grace M. , Miller Craig , Rathor Aakanksha , Schmidt Rodney A. , Turner Justin H. , Hwang Peter H. , Davis Greg E. 
Published: April 2020

BackgroundChronic invasive fungal sinusitis (CIFS) is a rare, life‐threatening infection of the nose and sinuses. This study aims to identify factors that impact survival in 1 of the largest cohorts to date.MethodsPathology records were reviewed for biopsy‐proven CIFS from 3 tertiary academic institutions from 1995 to 2016. Variables were analyzed using log‐rank survival analysis. Univariate Cox regression was performed at 1 and 12 months.ResultsThirty‐eight patients were included. Hematologic malignancy and diabetes were the most common underlying diseases (32% each). Aspergillus was the most common fungus (63%). Greater than 75% of the patients had an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >1000 at the time of diagnosis. Overall survival at 1, 6, and 12 months was 89%, 68%, and 48%, respectively. In univariate analysis, factors associated with worse survival included: ANC <500 at 12 months (hazard ratio [HR] 4.8; p = 0.01), ANC <1000 at 12 months (HR 5.8; p = 0.001), and recent chemotherapy (HR 4; p = 0.01). The following factor was associated with improved survival in univariate analysis: ANC as a linear variable in the entire cohort (HR 0.7; p = 0.005).ConclusionWe present a multi‐institutional case‐series of CIFS and long‐term follow‐up. ANC <1000 at time of diagnosis and recent chemotherapy (within 1 month of diagnosis) are associated with poorer survival, whereas a rising ANC >1000 is associated with improved survival at 12 months. Further prospective studies are needed to further define factors that affect outcomes.
Understood? Evaluating the readability and understandability of intranasal corticosteroid delivery instructions
Authors: Lee Saangyoung E. , Brown William C. , Gelpi Mark W. , Kimple Adam J. , Senior Brent A. , Zanation Adam M. , Thorp Brian D. , Ebert Charles S. 
Published: April 2020

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis is a widespread disease that has significant quality‐of‐life ramifications. Symptoms include rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, cough, and postnasal drip. Intranasal corticosteroids are a hallmark of treatment of allergic rhinitis. However, the benefits of treatment are dependent on correct nasal spray technique, of which many patients are not aware. Patient instructions are included with the purchase of these medications. The readability and understandability for these educational materials has been minimally assessed in the medical literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the readability and understandability of commonly used intranasal steroids.MethodsThree readability measures (Gunning Fog, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook [SMOG], and FORCAST) and an understandability assessment (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials [PEMAT‐P]) were used to evaluate the instructions for use of commonly prescribed intranasal steroids. Instructions with 6th grade readability level or lower were considered to meet health literacy experts’ recommendations. Higher understandability values correlate to easier understandability.ResultsInstructions for 10 intranasal corticosteroid brands were reviewed. Gunning Fog consistently estimated easiest readability, whereas FORCAST estimated most difficult readability. Twenty percent (20%) of analyzed instructions met National Institutes of Health and health literacy experts’ recommended reading levels. Understandability of instructions ranged from 33% to 90%, with an average of 66%.ConclusionThe benefit of intranasal corticosteroids is contingent on correct use by patients. However, the prepackaged instructions provided are most often above recommended reading levels and are difficult to understand. Future development of intranasal steroid instructions should meet recommended readability levels and be understandable to maximize their utility.
How to deploy a uniform and simplified acute‐phase management strategy for traumatic pancreatic injury in any situation
Authors: Uchida Kenichiro , Hagawa Naohiro , Miyashita Masahiro , Maeda Toshiki , Kaga Shinichiro , Noda Tomohiro , Nishimura Tetsuro , Yamamoto Hiromasa , Mizobata Yasumitsu 
Published: April 2020

AimManagement of traumatic pancreatic injury is challenging, and mortality and morbidity remain high. Because pancreatic injury is uncommon and strong recommendations for pancreatic injury management are lacking, management is primarily based on institutional practices. We propose our strategy of pancreatic injury management.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients with pancreatic injury and evaluated our strategy and outcomes.ResultsFrom January 2013 to December 2019, 18 patients were included with traumatic pancreatic injury. The median Injury Severity Score was 22 (25–75% interquartile range, 17–34) and probability of survival was 0.87 (25–75% interquartile range, 0.78–0.93). Patients were grouped according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma injury grades: grade I, n = 3 (16.7%); II, n = 6 (33.3%); III, n = 7 (38.9%); and IV, n = 2 (11.1%). All patients underwent endoscopic pancreatic ductal evaluation within 1–2 days after admission. Abbreviated surgery because of hemodynamic instability and subsequent open abdominal management were undertaken in one patient with pancreas head injury and two patients with pancreas body/tail injury. Management was by laparotomy for closed suction drain insertion with main ductal endoscopic drainage in six patients, endoscopic ductal drainage only in six patients, and distal pancreatectomy with closed suction drainage and endoscopic drainage in five patients. One patient with grade I injury underwent observation only. Median length of closed suction drainage was 12 days and that of hospital stay was 36 days. The observed mortality during the study period was 0%. Late formation of pseudo‐pancreatic cyst was observed in two patients (11.1%).ConclusionOur uniform, simplified strategy offers good outcomes for any pancreatic injury site and any concomitant injuries, even in hemodynamically unstable patients.
Frontotemporal Dementia: Correlations Between Psychiatric Symptoms and Pathology
Authors: Scarioni Marta , Gami‐Patel Priya , Timar Yannick , Seelaar Harro , van Swieten John C. , Rozemuller Annemieke J. M. , Dols Annemiek , Scarpini Elio , Galimberti Daniela ,   Netherlands Brain Bank, Hoozemans Jeroen J. M. , Pijnenburg Yolande A. L. , Dijkstra Anke A. 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveThe pathology of frontotemporal dementia, termed frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), is characterized by distinct molecular classes of aggregated proteins, the most common being TAR DNA‐binding protein‐43 (TDP‐43), tau, and fused in sarcoma (FUS). With a few exceptions, it is currently not possible to predict the underlying pathology based on the clinical syndrome. In this study, we set out to investigate the relationship between pathological and clinical presentation at single symptom level, including neuropsychiatric features.MethodsThe presence or absence of symptoms from the current clinical guidelines, together with neuropsychiatric features, such as hallucinations and delusions, were scored and compared across pathological groups in a cohort of 150 brain donors.ResultsOur cohort consisted of 68.6% FTLD donors (35.3% TDP‐43, 28% tau, and 5.3% FUS) and 31.3% non‐FTLD donors with a clinical diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia and a different pathological substrate, such as Alzheimer's disease (23%). The presence of hyperorality points to FTLD rather than non‐FTLD pathology (p < 0.001). Within the FTLD group, hallucinations in the initial years of the disease were related to TDP‐43 pathology (p = 0.02), including but not limited to chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) repeat expansion carriers. The presence of perseverative or compulsive behavior was more common in the TDP‐B and TDP‐C histotypes (p = 0.002).InterpretationOur findings indicate that neuropsychiatric features are common in FTLD and form an important indicator of underlying pathology. In order to allow better inclusion of patients in targeted molecular trials, the routine evaluation of patients with frontotemporal dementia should include the presence and nature of neuropsychiatric symptoms. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:950–961
Photoredox‐Catalyzed Isomerization of Highly Substituted Allylic Alcohols by C−H Bond Activation
Authors: Guo Kai , Zhang Zhongchao , Li Anding , Li Yuanhe , Huang Jun , Yang Zhen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPhotoredox‐catalyzed isomerization of γ‐carbonyl‐substituted allylic alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds was achieved for the first time by C−H bond activation. This catalytic redox‐neutral process resulted in the synthesis of 1,4‐dicarbonyl compounds. Notably, allylic alcohols bearing tetrasubstituted olefins can also be transformed into their corresponding carbonyl compounds. Density functional theory calculations show that the carbonyl group at the γ‐position of allylic alcohols are beneficial to the formation of their corresponding allylic alcohol radicals with high vertical electron affinity, which contributes to the completion of the photoredox catalytic cycle.