bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anemia and its association with Helicobacter pylori infection among adult dyspeptic patients attending Wachemo University Nigist Eleni Mohammad Memorial Referral Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Haile Kassahun , Yemane Tilahun , Tesfaye Girum , Wolde Deneke , Timerga Abebe , Haile Admasu 
Published: January 2021

Background
Anemia is a worldwide public health problem and also associated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Determining the association of anemia with H. pylori infection is important to develop evidence-based decision and intervention strategies, which is not well known in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to determine the association between anemia and H. pylori infection among adult dyspeptic patients attending Wachemo University Nigist Eleni Mohammad Memorial Referral Hospital in Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2019 involving 362 consecutive adult dyspeptic patients who came to the hospital during the study period. Socio-demographic, clinical and other related data were collected by structured questionnaires. Four milliliters of the venous blood sample was collected for hematological parameters analysis and blood film preparation. A stool sample was collected to detect H. pylori antigen and intestinal parasites. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21. Logistic regression analyses were performed and p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results
The overall prevalence of anemia among dyspeptic patients was 24.3% (95%CI: 19.9–28.7). Among H.pylori infected participants 29.2% were anemic, of which 69.2% had mild anemia and 63.5% had normocytic normochromic anemia. Rural residence (AOR: 1.9, 95%CI: 1.1–3.3), H. pylori infection (AOR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.05–2.98) and intestinal parasitic infection (AOR: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.14–4.03) were significantly associated with anemia.

Conclusion
The prevalence of anemia in this study indicated that it is a moderate public health problem. Rural residence, H. pylori and intestinal parasitic infection were significantly associated with anemia. The findings of this study should be taken into account for the prevention and control of anemia among dyspeptic adults.
Effect of shift work on fatigue and sleep in neonatal registrars
Authors: Anvekar Ajay P. , Nathan Elizabeth A. , Doherty Dorota A. , Patole Sanjay K. 
Published: January 2021

Objective
We aimed to study fatigue and sleep in registrars working 12-hour rotating shifts in our tertiary neonatal intensive unit.

Methods and participants
This study involved neonatal registrar’s working day (08:00–21:00) and night (20:30–08:30) shifts. Participants maintained a sleep diary, answered a self-reported sleepiness questionnaire assessing subjective sleepiness, and performed a 10-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) at the start and end of each shift. Primary outcomes: (1) Fatigue at the (i) “start vs end” of day and night shifts, (ii) end of the “day vs night” shifts, and (iii) end of “first vs last shift” in block of day and night shifts. (2) Duration and quality of sleep before the “day vs night” shifts. Mean reaction time (RTM), relative coefficient of variation (RTCV), and lapses (reaction time > 500ms) were used as measures of fatigue on PVT. Secondary outcome: Subjective sleepiness (self-reported sleepiness questionnaire) at the ‘start vs end” of day and night shifts.

Results
Fifteen registrars completed the study. Acuity was comparable for all shifts. (1) Psychomotor responses were impaired at the end vs start of day shifts [RTM (p = 0.014), lapses (p = 0.001)], end vs start of night shifts [RTM (p = 0.007), RTCV (p = 0.003), lapses (p<0.001)] and end of night vs day shifts [RTM (p = 0.007), RTCV (p = 0.046), lapses (p = 0.001)]. Only lapses were significantly increased at the end of the last (p = 0.013) vs first shift (p = 0.009) in a block of day and night shifts. (2) Duration of sleep before the night (p = 0.019) and consecutive night shifts was decreased significantly (p = 0.034). Subjective sleepiness worsened after day (p = 0.014) and night shifts (p<0.001).

Conclusion
Fatigue worsened after the 12-hour day and night shifts with a greater change after night shifts. Lapses increased after block of day and night shifts. Sleep was decreased before night shifts. Our findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.
Comparison of Prognostic Scores in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated With Sorafenib
Authors: Sansone Vito , Tovoli Francesco , Casadei-Gardini Andrea , Di Costanzo Giovan Giuseppe , Magini Giulia , Sacco Rodolfo , Pressiani Tiziana , Trevisani Franco , Rimini Margherita , Tortora Raffaella , Nardi Elena , Ielasi Luca , Piscaglia Fabio , Granito Alessandro 
Published: January 2021

INTRODUCTION:
Prognostic classifications for patients treated with sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) facilitate stratification in trials and inform clinical decision making. Recently, 3 different prognostic models (hepatoma arterial-embolization prognosis [HAP] score, sorafenib advanced HCC prognosis [SAP] score, and Prediction Of Survival in Advanced Sorafenib-treated HCC [PROSASH]-II) have been proposed specifically for patients treated with sorafenib. This study aimed to compare the prognostic performance of different scores.

METHODS:
We analyzed a large prospective database gathering data of 552 patients treated with sorafenib from 7 Italian centers. The performance of the HAP, SAP, and PROSASH–II models were compared with those of generic HCC prognostic models (including the Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer and Italian Liver Cancer staging systems, albumin–bilirubin grade, and Child-Pugh score) to verify whether they could provide additional information.

RESULTS:
The PROSASH-II model improved discrimination (C-index 0.62) compared with existing prognostic scores (C-index ≤0.59). Its stratification significantly discriminated patients, with a median overall survival of 21.5, 15.3, 9.3, and 6.0 months for risk group 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The HAP and SAP score were also validated but with a poorer performance compared with the PROSASH-II.

DISCUSSION:
Although suboptimal, PROSASH-II is the most effective prognostic classification model among other available scores in a large Italian population of patients treated with sorafenib.
Local Labor Markets and Child Learning Outcomes in India
Authors: Tsaneva Magda , Balakrishnan Uttara 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This paper uses data from rural India to study the relationship between local labor market opportunities and child education outcomes. We construct a Bartik index as a measure of exogenous changes in district-level labor demand and find that an increase in predicted overall employment growth is associated with higher years of education and better test scores for both boys and girls of primary school age. The effects on test scores of older boys are smaller and less statistically significant. Older girls, however, do benefit from better labor market opportunities. We do not find evidence for changes in school quality or district-level investment. Instead, we find support for increases in household education spending, possibly because of overall higher wages, or re-allocation of resources.
Alzheimer‘s disease: exploring nature’s ‘medicinal chest’ for new therapeutic agents
Authors: Tsarbopoulos Anthony 
Published: January 2021

AbstractNatural products have served humanity as a valuable source for the discovery and development of therapeutic agents. In addition, these phytochemicals can function as lead compounds for the development of synthetic analogs aimed at treating human diseases. In our aging society, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, which is characterized by a significant and progressive loss of memory and other cognitive functions. As society demographics change, the predominance of AD and other age-related dementias is increasing, with concurrent financial and societal costs.AD represents one of the most remarkable scientific challenges for drug discovery as the search for effective disease-modifying agents has been unsuccessful. Medicinal plants have been used for their “anti-aging” properties, and cognitive enhancing properties. In the past decades, natural products have been studied for their anti-AD properties, and their potential for developing therapeutic agents against several molecular targets has been evaluated. This insight evaluates the prospects of medicinal plants for providing disease-modifying, as well as disease-preventing, agents for AD.
Evaluation of the ARKRAY HA-8190V instrument for HbA1c
Authors: van der Hagen Eline A.E. , Leppink Sanne , Bokkers Karin , Siebelder Carla , Weykamp Cas W. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a valuable parameter in the monitoring of diabetic patients and increasingly in diagnosis of diabetes. Manufacturers continuously optimize instruments, currently the main focus is to achieve faster turnaround times. It is important that performance specifications remain of high enough standard, which is evaluated in this study for the new ARKRAY HA-8190V instrument.

Methods
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) protocols EP-5, EP-9 and EP-10 were applied to investigate imprecision, bias and linearity. In addition potential interferences, performance in External Quality Assessment (EQA) and performance against the HA-8180V instrument in 220 clinical samples was evaluated.

Results
The HA-8190V demonstrates a CV of ≤0.8% in IFCC SI units (≤0.6% National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program [NGSP]) at 34 and 102 mmol/mol levels (5.3 and 11.5% NGSP) and a bias of −0.1 mmol/mol (−0.01% NGSP) at a concentration of 50 mmol/mol (6.7% NGSP), but with a significant slope as compared to target values. This results in a bias of −1.0 and 0.9 mmol/mol (−2.0 and 0.9% NGSP) at the 30 and 70 mmol/mol (4.9 and 8.6% NGSP) concentration level. Simulation of participation in the IFCC certification programme results in a Silver score (bias −0.1 mmol/mol, CV 1.1%). Interference in the presence of the most important Hb variants (AS, AC, AE, AD) and elevated HbA2 and HbF concentrations is less than 3 mmol/mol (0.3% NGSP) at a concentration of 50 mmol/mol (6.7% NGSP).

Conclusions
Analytical performance of the HA-8190V is very good, especially with respect to precision and HbA1c quantification in the presence of the most common Hb variants.
Dynamic modeling of fouling over multiple biofuel production cycles in a membrane reactor
Authors: Huynh Thien An , Zondervan Edwin 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In this paper, a novel mathematical model that combines a membrane filtration model, component balances and reaction kinetics models for an intensified separation-reaction process in membrane reactor producing biofuels was developed. A unique feature is that the proposed model can capture the dynamics of membrane fouling as function of both reversible and irreversible fouling; which leads to cyclic behavior. Fouling leads to the decline of the reactor productivity. With an appropriate fouling-model, the operational strategy can be optimized. In the case study of biodiesel production, the developed model was validated with experimental data. The model was in good agreement with the data, where R-squared are 0.96 for the permeate flux and 0.95 for the biodiesel yield. From a further analysis, the efficiency of membrane reaction system in term of productivity can be significantly improved by changing the backwashing frequency under specific operating conditions. As the backwashing frequency increased eight times, the biodiesel yield increased to more than two to three times before the permeate flux dropped under a predetermined limit due to the increase of irreversible membrane fouling.
Bringing the clinical laboratory into the strategy to advance diagnostic excellence
Authors: Lubin Ira M. , Astles J. Rex , Shahangian Shahram , Madison Bereneice , Parry Ritchard , Schmidt Robert L. , Rubinstein Matthew L. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Clinical laboratory testing provides essential data for making medical diagnoses. Generating accurate and timely test results clearly communicated to the treating clinician, and ultimately the patient, is a critical component that supports diagnostic excellence. On the other hand, failure to achieve this can lead to diagnostic errors that manifest in missed, delayed and wrong diagnoses.

Content
Innovations that support diagnostic excellence address: 1) test utilization, 2) leveraging clinical and laboratory data, 3) promoting the use of credible information resources, 4) enhancing communication among laboratory professionals, health care providers and the patient, and 5) advancing the use of diagnostic management teams. Integrating evidence-based laboratory and patient-care quality management approaches may provide a strategy to support diagnostic excellence. Professional societies, government agencies, and healthcare systems are actively engaged in efforts to advance diagnostic excellence. Leveraging clinical laboratory capabilities within a healthcare system can measurably improve the diagnostic process and reduce diagnostic errors.

Summary
An expanded quality management approach that builds on existing processes and measures can promote diagnostic excellence and provide a pathway to transition innovative concepts to practice.

Outlook
There are increasing opportunities for clinical laboratory professionals and organizations to be part of a strategy to improve diagnoses.
Zum Status von Intuitionen in Gedankenexperimenten
Authors: Huber Jakob 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIntuition-based argumentation is ubiquitous across most philosophical subfields. Moral and political philosophers in particular frequently justify normative principles on the basis of thought experiments that evoke judgments about specific (hypothetical) cases. Lately, however, intuitions have come under attack and their justificatory force is being questioned. This essay asks whether we can acknowledge the epistemic fallibility of intuitions, while nevertheless reaching reliable normative conclusions. To that effect I investigate three different strategies of relating specific intuitions and more general normative principles: the intuitionist, coherentist, and foundationalist methods. Showing that none of them succeeds in making up for the problematic epistemic status of intuitions in the justificatory process, I conclude that normative principles are unreliable to the extent that they are based on thought-experiments.
Technische Form und Konstruktion
Authors: Tamborini Marco 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In this paper, I delineate the first pages of a philosophical genealogy which outlines the cornerstones of a philosophy of bio-technical forms. In so doing, the essay contributes to the philosophical understanding of some key scientific concepts. In particular, it analyses the philosophical and historical preconditions, the epistemic assumptions, as well as the ontological commitments of the concept of form as used in digital design and in bionics. In the first section, I investigate Ernst Kapp’s philosophy of technical forms. In the second section, I analyse the emergence of biotechnology, today’s bionics, as an independent technical discipline. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Austro-Hungarian botanist Raoul Heinrich Francé (1874–1943) founded this discipline with the aim of imitating the technical solutions chosen by nature. In the conclusion, I draw broader conclusions about the philosophy of bio-technical forms. Particularly, I argue, first, that the role of materiality and form-intrinsic propriety is of central importance in processes of form design. Second, I define morphology as a theory of possible constructions of forms in space and not, as in evolutionary biology, a science of the changes of forms in time. This characterises what I have called the ontological turn in form-design disciplines: nature operates technically to conceive new forms.
ReGenesis
Authors: Gramelsberger Gabriele 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Inspired by the success of synthesising organic substances by Friedrich Wöhler in 1828, the vision of creating life in the laboratory synthetically has become increasingly accessible for today’s synthetic biology and synthetic genomics, respectively. The engineering of biology – a contemporary version of the liaison of technology and organic form – creates cellular machines, biobricks, biomolecular ‘borgs’, and entire synthetic genomes of artificial organisms. Besides major ethical concerns, the shift in scientific epistemology is of interest. Unlike classical analytical science, synthetic science understands by a process of generation, through which myriads of new things are created, dramatically changing the living environment.
Fabrication and characterization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) modified with nano-montmorillonite biocomposite
Authors: Yan Xu , Zhou Wanru , Ma Xiaojun , Sun Binqing 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In this study, a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) modified with nano-montmorillonite biocomposite (MMT/PHBH) was fabricated by solution-casting method. The results showed that the addition of MMT increased the crystallinity and the number of spherulites, which indicated that MMT was an effective nucleating agent for PHBH. The maximum decomposition peak of the biocomposites moved to a high temperature and residue presented an increasing trend. The biocomposites showed the best thermal stability at 1 wt% MMT. Compared with PHBH, 182.5% and 111.2% improvement in elastic modulus and tensile strength were obtained, respectively. Moreover, the oxygen permeability coefficient and the water vapor permeability of MMT/PHBH biocomposites decreased by 43.9% and 6.9%, respectively. It was also found that the simultaneous enhancements on the crystallizing, thermal stability, mechanical, and barrier properties of biocomposites were mainly caused by the formation of intercalated structure between PHBH and MMT.
Preparation, characterization, and catalytic performance of Pd–Ni/AC bimetallic nano-catalysts
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liao Yalong , Shi Gongchu , Wang Wei , Su Bowen 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPalladium–nickel (Pd–Ni) bimetallic nano-catalysts supported on activated carbon (Pd–Ni/AC) have been successfully prepared by impregnation method enhanced with ultrasonic. The prepared Pd–Ni/AC catalysts were used for the catalytic hydrodechlorination reaction of bleached shellac and characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscope, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results show that Pd–Ni bimetallic structures in catalytic particles with the diameter of 4 and 14 nm were distributed uniformly on AC support, and the lattice fringe spacing in catalytic particles was measured as 0.213 nm which is lying in the region between monometallic Pd (111; 0.225 nm) and Ni (111; 0.203 nm), and that Pd1–Ni1/AC catalyst exhibits the best catalytic hydrodechlorination performance with the dechlorination efficiency of 92.58 wt% while it is used for the hydrodechlorination of bleached shellac, and the optimum catalytic performance is related to the synergistic electronic effect and bimetallic structure of the Pd1–Ni1/AC sample.
A review of end-point carbon prediction for BOF steelmaking process
Authors: Wang Zhou , Liu Qing , Liu Haitao , Wei Shizhong 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe precise prediction of end-point carbon content in liquid steel plays a critical role in increasing productivity as well as energy efficiency that can be achieved in the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking process. Due to numerous and diversity of the studies on BOF end-point carbon prediction, it seems necessary to provide a comprehensive literature review on state-of-the-art developments in end-point carbon prediction for BOF steelmaking. This paper presents the characteristics of different end-point carbon prediction models. The end-point carbon prediction for BOF steelmaking has initially relied on the experience and skill of the operators. With the development of information technology and auto-detection methods, BOF end-point carbon prediction mainly has gone through three stages, such as static prediction, dynamic prediction, and intelligent prediction. Future contributions to the development and application of intelligent end-point carbon prediction in BOF steelmaking are still arduous tasks. However, it is envisaged that the intelligent end-point carbon prediction will witness more frequent applications and greatly improve the high-quality, high-efficiency, and stable production for BOF steelmaking in the future.
Design optimization of permanent magnet synchronous motor using Taguchi method and experimental validation
Authors: Gope Deepayan , Goel Sandeep Kumar 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The critical dimensions of magnet and its positional parameters in a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) are optimized using Taguchi method. L16 Orthogonal Array (OA) was used in Taguchi method to optimize the magnet width w and thickness t, and magnet position parameters i.e., D1, O1, and Rib. Using the D-optimal design criterion, 52 data points for five factors were selected for optimization of power factor and efficiency using response surface methodology to perform the sensitivity analysis. Regression model for efficiency and power factor are modeled using analysis of variance results. A 1.07 kW capacity PMSM was designed based on the optimized parameters and making use of efficient computational resource, i.e., RMxprt tool of the ANSYS Maxwell software and drive system in ANSYS Simplorer for real time results and performance study. The performance of PMSM in terms of line current, load torque, and efficiency has been verified with the experimental results and the efficiency data available in literature. The results were found to be in a good agreement. Confirmation test results showed that the Taguchi method is very successful in the optimization of permanent magnet synchronous motor dimensions.
Impact of high-pressure homogenization on the microstructure and rheological properties of citrus fiber
Authors: Su Dianbin , Zhu Xin-Di , Wang Yong , Li Dong , Wang Li-Jun 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Citrus fiber dispersion with different concentrations (5–25 g/kg) was treated by high-pressure homogenization (90 and 160 MPa) for two cycles. The particle size distribution, hydration properties of powders, morphology and rheological measurements were carried out to study the microstructure and rheological properties changes by high-pressure homogenization (HPH). In conclusion, the HPH can reduce the particle size of fiber, improve the water holding capacity and water binding capacity. Furthermore, fiber shape can be modified from globular cluster to flake-like slices, and tiny pores can be formed on the surface of citrus fiber. The apparent viscosity, storage modulus and loss modulus were increased by HPH whereas the activation energy was reduced. The Hershcel–Bulkley model, Carreau model and Power Law mode were selected to evaluate the rheological properties.