bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of introduction of an inflammatory bowel disease nurse position on healthcare use
Authors: Martinez-Vinson Christine , Le Sebastien , Blachier Audrey , Lipari Maud , Hugot Jean-Pierre , Viala Jerome 
Published: May 2020

ObjectiveInflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic relapsing remitting diseases which potentially result in hospitalisation, requiring long-term outpatient follow-up, ideally by a dedicated, multidisciplinary team. In this team, the IBD nurse is the key point of access for education, advice and support.The aim of this study was to assess the impact of introduction of an IBD nurse position on healthcare use and costs in a tertiary IBD centre.MethodsAn IBD nurse was instituted in September 2017 in our multidisciplinary IBD team. We compared differences in healthcare use 1 year before and 1 year after the introduction of an IBD nurse position for all the patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD attending the Robert Debre Hospital via two information sources: Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d’Information and Centre des Maladies Rares.Results252 patients (78.5% of patients with IBD followed up in our centre) were included in the patient education programme. After the introduction of an IBD nurse position, fewer patients were hospitalised for a flare, with less hospital stays: 56 before vs 28 after (p=0.002). An estimated saving of €35 070 was achieved through the decrease of hospitalisations for flare.More patients were also hospitalised for diagnosis: 32 hospitalisations before vs 54 hospitalisations after (p=0.001). All other hospitalisation categories were comparable, and the same reasons for hospitalisation were found before and after.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that the IBD nurse position reduces hospital admissions. Instead of the traditional model, the IBD nurse provides accessible advice and allows patients to be outpatients.
Bacteremia Antibiotic Length Actually Needed for Clinical Effectiveness (BALANCE) randomised clinical trial: study protocol
Authors: Daneman Nick , Rishu Asgar H , Pinto Ruxandra L , Arabi Yaseen M , Cook Deborah J , Hall Richard , McGuinness Shay , Muscedere John , Parke Rachael , Reynolds Steven , Rogers Benjamin , Shehabi Yahya , Fowler Robert A 
Published: May 2020

IntroductionBloodstream infections are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity; the duration of treatment for these infections is understudied.Methods and analysisWe will conduct an international, multicentre randomised clinical trial of shorter (7 days) versus longer (14 days) antibiotic treatment among hospitalised patients with bloodstream infections. The trial will include 3626 patients across 60 hospitals and 6 countries. We will include patients with blood cultures confirming a pathogenic bacterium after hospital admission. Exclusion criteria will include patient factors (severe immunosuppression), infection site factors (endocarditis, osteomyelitis, undrained abscesses, infected prosthetic material) and pathogen factors (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Candida and contaminant organisms). We will leave the selection of specific antibiotics, doses and route of delivery to the discretion of treating physicians; no placebo control will be used given the diversity of pathogens and sources of bacteraemia. The intervention will be assignment of treatment duration to be 7 versus 14 days. We will minimise selection bias via central randomisation with variable block sizes, with concealed allocation until day 7 of adequate antibiotic treatment. The primary outcome is 90-day survival; we will test whether 7 days is non-inferior to 14 days of treatment, with a non-inferiority margin of 4% absolute mortality. Secondary outcomes include hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, relapse rates of bacteraemia, hospital and ICU length of stay, mechanical ventilation and vasopressor duration, antibiotic-free days, Clostridium difficile infection, antibiotic allergy and adverse events and colonisation/infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the ethics review board at each participating site. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is the central ethics committee. We will disseminate study results via the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group and other collaborating networks to set the global paradigm for antibiotic treatment duration for non-staphylococcal Gram-positive, Gram-negative and anaerobic bacteraemia, among patients admitted to hospital.Trial registration numberThe BALANCE (Bacteremia Antibiotic Length Actually Needed for Clinical Effectiveness) trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (registration number: NCT03005145).
Norethisterone and its acetate – what’s so special about them?
Authors: Huvinen Emilia , Holopainen Elina , Heikinheimo Oskari 
Published: May 2020

IntroductionProgestogens (progestins) are widely used for contraception, in postmenopausal hormone therapy, and in treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding and endometriosis. Norethisterone (NET) and its acetate (NETA) differ from other progestogens by their partial conversion to ethinylestradiol (EE). We review their special characteristics and focus on the clinically relevant risk factors associated with estrogen action, such as migraine with aura and risk of thrombosis.MethodsNarrative review based on a medical literature (OvidMedline and PubMed) search.ResultsNET converts to significant amounts of EE; 10–20 mg NET corresponds to 20–30 µg EE. The effects of NET on the endometrium are pronounced, making it a good choice for treating abnormal uterine bleeding, endometriosis, and endometrial hyperplasia. NET also has beneficial effects on bone mineral density and positive or neutral effects on cardiovascular health. Conversely, long-term use of NET is associated with a slightly increased breast cancer risk, and the risk of venous thromboembolism is moderately increased. This risk seems to be dose-dependent; contraceptive use carries no risk, but therapeutic doses might be associated with an increased risk. Studies suggest an association between combinations of EE and progestogens and ischaemic stroke, which in particular concerns women with migraine. No studies have, however, assessed this risk related to the therapeutic use of NET.ConclusionsNET is a potent progestogen, especially when considering the endometrium. Its partial conversion to EE, however, is important to remember. Clinical consideration is required with women at high risk for either breast cancer or thromboembolism, or experiencing migraine with aura.
Lipid parameters and vitamin A modify cardiovascular risk prediction by plasma neopterin
Authors: Dhar Indu , Siddique Sumia , R Pedersen Eva , F T Svingen Gard , Lysne Vegard , Olsen Thomas , Nilsen Dennis W , Nordrehaug Jan Erik , Midttun Øivind , M Ueland Per , S Tell Grethe , K Nygård Ottar 
Published: May 2020

ObjectivesOxidised cholesterol metabolites are linked to increased production of the active vitamin A (Vit-A) form and monocyte/macrophage activation, which may be reflected by neopterin, a marker of both interferon-γ–mediated immune activation and coronary artery disease risk. We examined the influence of serum lipid parameters and Vit-A on the risk association between neopterin and incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI).MethodsWe included 4130 patients with suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP), of whom 80% received lipid-lowering treatment with statins. Risk associations between plasma neopterin and AMI are given as HRs per SD increase in log-transformed neopterin.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 7.5 years, 530 (12.8%) patients experienced an AMI. In age-adjusted and sex-adjusted analysis, plasma neopterin was positively associated with incident AMI (HR (95% CI) per SD: 1.26 (1.17 to 1.35)). However, the estimates were most pronounced in patients with serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or apolipoprotein (apo) B100 below-median (HR (95% CI) per SD: 1.35 (1.24 to 1.48) and 1.42 (1.27 to 1.58), respectively; both pinteraction≤0.03). We also observed a particularly strong risk association in those with above-median Vit-A (HR (95% CI) per SD: 1.32 (1.21 to 1.44); pinteraction=0.03). The estimates were slightly modified after multivariable adjustment.ConclusionsIn patients with suspected SAP, the majority of whom receiving statin therapy, high plasma neopterin was associated with increased risk of AMI particularly among those with low LDL-C and apoB100 or high Vit-A levels. The particularly strong relationship of plasma neopterin with residual cardiovascular risk in patients with low lipid levels should be further investigated.
Decay constant of $$B_s$$ and $$B^*_s$$ mesons from $$\mathrm{N_f}=2$$ lattice QCD
Authors: Balasubramamian Rahul , Blossier Benoît 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe report on a two-flavor lattice QCD estimate of the$$B_s$$Bsand$$B^*_s$$Bs∗leptonic decays parameterized by the decay constants$$f_{B_s}$$fBsand$$f_{B^*_s}$$fBs∗. In addition to their relevance for phenomenology, their extraction has allowed us to investigate whether the “step scaling in mass” strategy is suitable with Wilson–Clover fermions to smoothly extrapolate quantities of the heavy-strange sector up to the bottom scale. From the central value of$$f_{D_s}$$fDsquoted by FLAG at$$N_f=2$$Nf=2and our ratio$$\frac{f_{B_s}}{f_{D_s}}$$fBsfDs, we obtain$$f_{B_s}=215(10)(2)(^{+2}_{-5})$$fBs=215(10)(2)(-5+2)MeV and$$f_{B^*_s}/f_{B_s}=1.02(2)(^{+2}_{-0})$$fBs∗/fBs=1.02(2)(-0+2).
Minimally deformed anisotropic dark stars in the framework of gravitational decoupling
Authors: Tello-Ortiz Francisco 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this work an analytic fluid sphere built on the well-known Tolman IV space–time is obtained. This toy model is sourced by an imperfect fluid distribution with a dark matter component. The anisotropic behavior is introduced into the system via gravitational decoupling by means of minimal geometric deformation. In this regard, the temporal component of the $$\theta $$θ-sector has been interpreted as the dark side of the matter distribution. To validate the feasibility of the salient model a detailed graphical analysis is performed, supported by real observational data corresponding to some strange star candidates. Besides, the impacts of minimal geometric deformation approach on the main macro physical observables ı.e, the total mass M, compactness factor u and surface gravitational red-shift $$z_{s}$$zs are discussed.
Scientific scripting in Java with JShellLab and application to deep learning using DeepLearning4j
Authors: Papadimitriou Stergios 
Published: May 2020

JShellLab is an easy to use MATLAB-like environment for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It implements scientific scripting based on the JShell Application Programming Interface (API) of modern Java.The paper illustrates that JShellLab can significantly facilitate and simplify the development of complex computational demanding scientific software at the JVM. The novelty at the JShellLab is that it completely hides the complexity and the intricate dependencies of optimized scientific software. As an example, the demanded field of deep learning is exploited. Specifically, the implementation of effective practical deep learning-based systems using the JShellLab environment and the Deeplearning4j Java library is considered.
Utilizing 2D Graphite Carbon Nitride for Industrial Applications – from Supercapacitors to Biosensors
Authors: Mandal Debabrata , Biswas Sudipta , Chowdhury Ananya , Chandra Amreesh 
Published: May 2020

2D materials are slowly overcoming the critical drawbacks of stability, low conductivity, reproducibility and cost. Therefore, with their intrinsic advantages of: ultra-large specific surface areas, well-defined layered architecture, tuneable redox activity and material hybridization, many 2D materials beyond graphene are being discovered. Few such 2-D materials, which have been reported are WS2, MoS2, h-BN, etc. Recently, 2D nano-sized graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been reported, with prediction that it can become an excellent candidate for miniaturized energy storage and optoelectronic devices. Graphite carbon nitride is a 2-D layered structure, where the tris-triazine unit are connected with planner amino groups in each layer, and weak van der Waal force acts between the layers. The quantum size effect are quite prominent along the inplane direction, which leads to interesting modulations in electrical and chemical properties. The nitrogen functional groups-rich frame-work is also expected to synergistically contribute in enhancing the electrochemical response of the material. Large synthesis of this material has remained a challenging task.
In this paper, using a low-cost pyrolysis synthesis protocol, it is established that 2D nano-sized graphite carbon nitride can be produced in large quantities, with reproducible characteristics. The preliminary characterization of graphite carbon nitride was performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, Raman, FTIR, AFM, and BET techniques. The sizes of the nanosheets was found to be in the range of 200-300 nm, while the thickness of these sheets was ~90 nm. The performance of 2D nano-sized graphite carbon nitride in supercapacitors was investigated in detail. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge measurements in 3 M KOH. The results clearly indicated improved cyclic stabilities up to 2500 cycles, with a specific capacitance of 84 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 current density. A typical charge-discharge profile (as a function of current density) for the synthesized g-C3N4 is shown in Fig. 1. A symmetric supercapacitor was also fabricated using this material as an active electrode, which showed ~ 11Wh Kg-1 energy and 500 W Kg-1 power density. The versatilaty of the material is established by extending its application to biosensing and catalytic applications. The results of electrochemical sensor for the detection of hydrogen peroxide is also presented in the paper. The result of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric experiments showed that the linear response ranges are 0-80 nM, with a detection limit of 0.42 nM. The materials also shows excellent capability to catalytically reduce p-nitrophenol, which is a common pollutant in industrial waste water.

Figure 1
(Invited) Ferromagnetism and Exchange Coupling with Fe-Doped WSe2
Authors: Hinkle Christopher 
Published: May 2020

The incorporation of magnetic dopants is a way to realize magnetism in semiconductors. The 2D material WSe2 is a semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.3 eV, and Fe-doped WSe2 is predicted to have room temperature, long-range ferromagnetism. Moreover, WSe2 has been extensively studied for applications in electronic devices, and can be prepared by deposition methods that are compatible with semiconductor fabrication processes. 2D magnetic films are particularly intriguing in technologies that rely on exchange coupling since the efficiency of the exchange with the magnet is inversely proportional to the magnet thickness 1/tFM. Chalcogenide-based TMD magnets can also have ideal interfaces with chalcogenide-based topological insulators (like Bi2Se3), enabling efficient spin torque devices and potentially realizing the quantum Hall effect without an external magnetic field.
In this work, we demonstrate the growth of Fe-doped WSe2 and report on its up to room temperature ferromagnetic properties. The evolution of Fe-doped WSe2 films under different doping levels indicates that strain from the impurity atom itself coupled with strain imparted by the substrate can drive phase separation at high Fe concentrations. We find that suppressing that film strain helps promote more Fe incorporation (and higher Curie temperatures).
Cr2O3 has only 0.2% lattice mismatch with WSe2 and is a magnetoelectric that can couple with ferromagnetic films. By using seed-layer techniques, we successfully prepared layered Fe-WSe2 on Cr2O3 and demonstrate magnetic coupling between the two, a potentially promising route toward realizing electric field control of 2D magnets. Magnetic measurements show a clear hysteresis loop at 100 K in a 2 Tesla cooling field, from which a large negative bias field of 600 Oe is resolved. The bias field vs temperature mesurements, where a negative bias field emerges below 250 K, indicates the existence of ferromagnetic exchange coupling in this heterostructure.
This work is supported in part by NEWLIMITS, a center in nCORE, a Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) program sponsored by NIST through award number 70NANB17H041. This work is also supported by the National Science Foundation under awards 1917025 and 1921818.
Production of High-Quality Graphene Using a Novel Electrochemical Intercalation-Exfoliation Approach
Authors: Singh Ashutosh Kumar , Perez-Page Maria , Yasri Nael , Holmes Stuart , Roberts Edward P.L. 
Published: May 2020

Large scale production of graphene has recently received a great deal of attention because of its interesting properties and wide range of potential applications. Conventional chemical exfoliation approaches, such as Hummer’s method,provides cost-effective pathway for large scale production, however, the method suffers from several key challenges such as the usage of corrosive and toxic solution, high processing temperature, long duration, and the poor quality of graphene produced which severely affects its potential applications. Recently, electrochemical exfoliation of graphene has been proposed for a high production yield with better quality. The electrochemical method involves two steps: 1) intercalation of ionic species between the graphene layers, followed by 2) oxidation of these ionic species under an anodic voltage into gas molecule enabling exfoliation of graphene flakes from the graphite electrode.1 In this study we examine a new approach to the intercalation, using an intercalating ion that has received very little attention and has not been evaluated for electrochemical exfoliation. The intercalation was followed by exfoliation in (NH4)2SO4 solution leading to the production of graphene flakes. The resultant graphene was found to have less disrupted sp2 lattice structure, with a high yield of about 95 % of graphene, along with high electrical conductivity and a low oxidation level (with a C:O ratio of about 15, determined by XPS). In addition, the presence of nitrogen and sulfur moieties in the resulting graphene structure can act as an electrocatalyst2 for applications such as the oxygen reduction reaction. Thus, the as-prepared graphene could be used for a range of electrochemical applications.

References:

(1) Sharif, F.; Zeraati, A. S.; Ganjeh-Anzabi, P.; Yasri, N.; Perez-Page, M.; Holmes, S. M.; Sundararaj, U.; Trifkovic, M.; Roberts, E. P. L. Synthesis of a High-Temperature Stable Electrochemically Exfoliated Graphene. Carbon
2019.
(2) Singh, A.; Yasri, N.; Karan, K.; Roberts, E. P. L. Electrocatalytic Activity of Functionalized Carbon Paper Electrodes and Their Correlation to the Fermi Level Derived from Raman Spectra. ACS Appl. Energy Mater.
2019, acsaem.9b00180.
Advanced Single Cell Thermal Runaway Initiation Techniques
Authors: Lamb Joshua , Torres-Castro Loraine , Stanley June , Grosso Christopher 
Published: May 2020

The evaluation of lithium ion battery safety has traditionally focused on the performance of single cells exposed to abusive conditions. As lithium ion batteries are fielded in increasingly large and complex systems, the system level safety performance is becoming of greater concern. Testing laboratories and battery end users have begun to consider the hazards associated with a localized thermal runaway event, a single cell or small group of cells, propagating to the bulk of a large battery system. Evaluating this propagating failure requires initiating thermal runaway of a single cell or group of cells and observing how that failure affects the surrounding system.
Ultimately, testing cell to cell propagation requires a method for initiating or simulating single cell runaway while adding a minimum of excess energy into the system. Traditionally single cell failure is initiated with standard battery abuse tests, such as overcharge, thermal ramp and nail penetration tests. However, nail penetration tests can be difficult to perform in fully developed battery systems while overcharge and thermal ramp add a significant amount of excess energy into the battery system. Recent work at Sandia has looked at non-traditional thermal runaway triggers that can be applied to off-the-shelf cells. Single cells were initiated using a fiber coupled laser to create a localized failure on a cell. The ability to initiate single cell failure in both pouch and cylindrical cells is in multiple orientations is demonstrated. Limited cell to cell propagation initiated by the laser is performed as well, demonstrating the technique as a low energy initiation source for propagation testing.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
Estimation of the Entropy Coefficient of Lithium-Ion Batteries Via a Temperature and Open-Circuit Voltage Kernel Function
Authors: Widanage Widanalage Dhammika , Prosser Ryan , Paarmann Sabine , Queisser Oliver , Shahjalal Mohammad 
Published: May 2020

Lithium-ion battery temperature is driven by two key heat source terms – irreversible and reversible heat. The reversible heat generation term is often neglected when characterising and simulating battery temperature. This is primarily due to the long experimental time (~20 hours) associated with the widely followed potentiometric technique used to quantify reversible heat. Reversible heat can however contribute to around 70% of the total heat generation, when a battery is subjected to low charge and discharge currents, and it is quantified via a coefficient termed as the entropy coefficient.
Robust techniques are therefore required that can significantly reduce the experimental time and quantify the entropy coefficient to improve battery temperature prediction and subsequent design of battery pack thermal management systems. In this abstract a bespoke experimental rig using a Peltier element is built that allows a user-defined thermal profile to be applied on to the surface of a coin cell (Figure 1). The applied temperature profile is designed in a manner that perturbs the cell open-circuit-voltage (OCV) to identify the underlying dynamics between the measured OCV response (at a given state-of-charge, SoC) and applied cell surface temperature profile. This dynamic relationship is characterised by a kernel function relating temperature and OCV. Using system identification techniques, the temperature profile can be designed to minimise the experimental time required to estimate the underlying open-circuit voltage and temperature kernel function and robustly determine the entropy coefficient at the particular cell SoC.
The approach is applied on a coin cell consisting of Kokam 5 Ah electrodes and the entropy coefficient, is estimated as -0.57 ± 0.02 mV/K (when at 30% SoC) within an experimental time interval of 8 hours. The initial results are encouraging and further work is in progress to compare and validate the procedure against the default potentiometric technique.
Figure 1: Experimental rig design for the thermal excitation and open-circuit voltage (OCV) measurement of the coin cell under test.

Figure 1