bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring the Air-fuel Ratio (AFR) of a Biomass Gasification Process with an Arduino Uno 3 and a Narrow Band Lambda Oxygen Sensor
Authors: Salou Hamidou , Fidele Nzihou Jean , Ousmane Zoundi , Frederic Ouattara , Gerard Segda Bila 
Published: January 2024

The Air-Fuel Ratio is one of the keys parameters for driving the gasification process. Monitoring of oxygen percentage in flue gases is one of various ways of controlling efficiency and emissions of industrial combustion. Biomass gasification is a thermochemical degradation of the biomass that is accomplished with the Air-Fuel Ratio less than the stochiometric one that is used in the combustion.
Unfortunately, flue gases analyzers in combustion processes are expensive and not accessible to small scale industries. This is particularly true in developing countries. The Lambda sensor used in the automotive industry is an oxygen sensor which controls the electronic injection of the modern internal combustion vehicles.
The aim of this study is to present one simple method of measuring the oxygen concentration and calculate the Air-Fuel Ratio in synthesis gas produced by a downdraft biomass gasifier by the use of an Arduino Uno 3 microcontroller and an automotive Lambda sensor. This method use the voltage signals developed by a heated 4 wires Lambda sensor and the Nernst Equation to calculate oxygen concentration in the producer gas and derive the Air-Fuel Ratio.
Results presented in this article show that this method is a simple and cost-effective way to monitor Air-Fuel Ratio in a biomass gasifier.
Impacts of Long-Term Nutrient Management Based on Soil Test and Crop Response on Soil Health and Yield Sustainability in Typic Haplustalf
Authors: Haokip Immanuel Chongboi , Devi M Homeshwari , BH Sunil , Srivastava Sanjay , Subhash  , Santhi R 
Published: January 2024

We studied the effect of soil tests and crop response-based long-term nutrient management on yield sustainability and soil health under rice-rice system in a Typic Haplustalf. The experiment was designed in randomized block design having five treatments, viz, control, the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), STCR–NPK for target yield of 6 t ha–1 for kharif rice and 5 t ha–1 for rabi rice (STCR–NPK6), STCR–NPK for 7 t ha–1 for kharif rice and 6 t ha–1 for rabi rice (STCR–NPK7), and STCR–IPNS for 7 t ha–1 for kharif rice and 6 t ha–1 for rabi rice (STCR–IPNS7), and these treatments were replicated thrice. The 10-year mean data suggested that minimum yield was observed from control whereas highest was achieved in STCR–IPNS7 in both kharif as well as rabi seasons. The highest sustainable yield index (SYI) was 0.93 in kharif and 0.77 in rabi rice was observed under STCR–IPNS7, and lowest in control. Soil fertility status revealed that disregard for external application of nutrients resulted in depletion of 108 kg N, 11.6 kg P, and 200 kg K ha-1 and intensity of nutrient depletion was lowest in STCR–IPNS followed by STCR–NPK7, STCR–NPK6, and RDF. The urease, phosphatase, and dehydrogenase activities and microbial biomass C were found to be higher in STCR–IPNS when compared with other nutrient management practices while minimum values were recorded in the control.
Long‐lasting fever of unknown origin preceding the diagnosis of intravascular lymphomatosis: A further case stimulates some remarks
Authors: Fozza Claudio , Bonfigli Silvana , Conti Maurizio , Dore Fausto , Longinotti Maurizio 
Published: October 2003

AbstractNeurological and skin involvements usually dominate the clinical presentation of intravascular lymphomatosis (IL), while fever is the most frequent general sign. However, an onset only characterized by fever of unknown origin (FUO) has been rarely reported. We would like to describe a further case of IL, which presented a long‐lasting FUO before the diagnosis. At admission, physical examination detected hepatosplenomegaly without lymph nodes enlargement or dermatological or neurological abnormalities. Significant laboratory data included severe anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and increased serum LDH. Moreover, a chest CT evidenced bilateral multiple pulmonary infiltrates and pleural effusion. After the development of proteinuria, a diagnosis of large B‐cell intravascular lymphoma was made with a renal biopsy 10 months after the onset of the clinical manifestations. So far, more than 100 cases of IL have been reported and the diagnosis often turned out to be difficult, as clinical signs did not point to a lymphoproliferative disorder. This report confirms that FUO is not only frequently associated with IL but that it even marks the real onset of the disease. We are then tempted to conclude that undiagnosed fever is not so rare in IL and if we call it FUO, it is only because diagnosis is necessarily elusive and hence time‐consuming. Am. J. Hematol. 74:211–213, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pro CR Global: An effective screening test for thrombophilia
Authors: Gupta P.K. , Ahmed R. , Kannan M. , Dwivedi S.N. , Choudhry V.P. , Saxena R. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractIn the present study, the Pro CR Global test was evaluated as a screening test for estimation of the activity of the main plasma components of the anticoagulant protein C (PC) / protein S (PS) pathway; 300 patients with a history of thrombosis were investigated for Pro CR Global. It was positive in 74 patients. Tests for estimation of PC, PS, activated protein C resistance (APCR), and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) were performed in all the patients with abnormal Pro CR Global and in 10 patients with normal Pro CR Global. In all, 66 of the 74 patients had a defect in PC/PS/APCR or LAC; 18 patients had both PC and PS deficiency, 25 had PS deficiency alone, 10 had PC deficiency alone, one had APCR alone, eight had PS, PC deficiency with APCR, and four had PS deficiency with APCR. In the 10 patients who tested negative with the Pro CR Global test, PC, APCR, and LAC were negative in all. However, PS deficiency was seen in two of them. The sensitivity and specificity of Pro CR Global, calculated with respect to positivity of PC, PS, LAC, or APCR as the gold standard, were 97% and 50%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the assay was 88.1%. It is thus recommended that Pro CR Global can be used effectively as a screening test to detect abnormality in the PC/PS/APCR/LAC pathway. Am. J. Hematol. 74:208–210, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thalidomide and dexamethasone therapy of myeloma in a patient with previously untreated B‐chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Barton James C. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractA 67‐year‐old woman with previously untreated lambda‐positive B‐chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) had kappa‐positive myeloma develop that was treated with daily thalidomide and intermittent dexamethasone. After 4 months, there was a marked reduction in marrow plasmacytosis, urine kappa chains, and peripheral blood and marrow lymphocytosis. She reduced her thalidomide (but not dexamethasone) doses after 6 months, because she had symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Although blood lymphocyte concentrations remained normal, she had progression of myeloma and died. Thalidomide and dexamethasone therapy similar to that administered for myeloma alone may be effective treatment for myeloma in patients with preexisting B‐CLL and may also have anti‐B‐CLL activity. Am. J. Hematol. 74:205–207, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rhinolalia as a presenting sign of pneumomediastinum complicating post peripheral blood stem cell transplantation bronchiolitis obliterans
Authors: Bitan M. , Resnick I.B. , Or R. , Rokach A. , Laxer U. , Ackerstein A. , Elad S. , Slavin S. , Shapira M.Y. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractA 26‐year‐old male with graft vs. host disease (GVHD) presented with rhinolalia (a squeaky voice of nasal quality) as a presenting sign for pneumonasopharynx and pneumomediastinum secondary to bronchiolitis obliterans. The patient underwent HLA‐identical related peripheral blood stem cells transplantation 8 months before the diagnosis. Three weeks after transplantation he began to suffer from GVHD Grade III that involved the gut, liver, and skin and later on the lungs. Due to severe obstructive bronchiolitis obliterans the patient developed intensive cough evolving into pneumomediastinum and pneumonasopharynx with rhinolalia. The patient was treated conservatively with complete resolution. Although rare, pneumomediastinum and pneumonasopharynx can be a life‐threatening event, and one should be aware of the signs and symptoms on physical examination, which may be as subtle as rhinolalia alone. Am. J. Hematol. 74:182–186, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proteolytic cleavage of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor and its receptor by neutrophil elastase induces growth inhibition and decreased cell surface expression of the granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor receptor
Authors: Hunter Melissa G. , Druhan Lawrence J. , Massullo Pam R. , Avalos Belinda R. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractNeutrophil elastase (NE) is a serine protease stored in the primary granules of neutrophils that proteolytically cleaves multiple cytokines and cell surface proteins on release from activated neutrophils. Recent reports of mutations in the gene encoding this enzyme in some patients with neutropenic syndromes prompted us to investigate whether granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) and its receptor (G‐CSFR) are also substrates for NE. To further address this, we examined the effect of NE on G‐CSF and the G‐CSFR both in solution and on intact cells. Incubation of recombinant G‐CSF or a G‐CSFR form corresponding to its extracellular domain with purified NE resulted in rapid proteolytic cleavage of both proteins. Addition of NE to tissue culture medium or pretreatment of G‐CSF with NE before its addition to media suppressed the growth of G‐CSF–responsive cells. NE also cleaved the G‐CSFR on the surface of intact cells resulting in a time‐dependent reduction in cell surface expression of the G‐CSFR. Notably, decreased G‐CSFR surface expression resulting from treatment of cells with NE was also associated with a reduction in cell viability and proliferation in response to G‐CSF. These results are the first to demonstrate that G‐CSF and G‐CSFR are proteolytically cleaved by NE and that NE‐induced degradation of these proteins correlates with a reduction in the biologic activity of the cytokine and a decrease in the signaling function of the receptor because of decreased G‐CSFR surface expression. These findings provide additional insights into mechanisms by which G‐CSF/G‐CSFR interactions may be modulated. Am. J. Hematol. 74:149–155, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Body size and shape and glycemic control among Maya women in rural Yucatán
Authors: Mclorg Penelope A. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractStudies on relationships between aspects of physique and glucose physiology generally focus on clinical glucose tolerance or on fasting glucose or insulin assays showing glycemic status at the time of testing. Little work has examined the associations between body variables and glycemic control, or average past glucose levels in regular living conditions. The aim of this research was to investigate connections between body size and shape and glycemic control. The sample consists of 60 nondiabetic Maya women, ages 40–85 years, residing in 16 rural villages around Mérida, Yucatán. Body morphology was assessed through anthropometric and derived measures of size and shape, including indicators of fat distribution and general adiposity. Glycemic control was measured through microvenous samples analyzed for glycated blood proteins HbA1c and fructosamine to demonstrate average circulating glucose under customary living conditions during the previous several months and weeks. Four‐variable regression models explain 17% of the variance in HbA1c and 25% of the variance in fructosamine. Arm circumference has the largest positive effect on HbA1c, while weight has the greatest positive impact on fructosamine. The predictor with the largest negative effect on both glycated blood proteins is calf circumference. In general, variables reflecting overall adiposity and central adiposity demonstrate positive associations with HbA1c and fructosamine, whereas lean body measures exhibit negative associations. Findings support the value of glycated blood proteins and of less common anthropometric measures, such as calf circumference, in population research on morphological relations with glycemia. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:746–757, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Growth status and obesity of Hopi children
Authors: Eisenmann Joey C. , Arnall David A. , Kanuho Verdell , McArel Heather 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the growth status and prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity in Hopi children. Subjects were 263 (117 males, 146 females) Hopi children 6–12 years of age. Stature and mass were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Body size variables were plotted relative to age‐ and sex‐specific reference data and the prevalence rates for underweight, overweight, and obesity were estimated using the BMI as the criterion. Age‐specific sex differences were compared using independent samples t‐tests. In both sexes, mean age‐specific stature appeared to be relatively stable around the 50th percentile of reference values. Mean age‐specific mass appeared to be relatively stable between the 50th and 90th percentiles of the reference values, while the mean BMI tended to fluctuate about the 85th percentile. Approximately 23% of Hopi children were classified as overweight and an additional 24% were classified as obese. Only two subjects were categorized as underweight. The results are consistent with other reports that childhood obesity is a serious public health concern among Native Americans. Further study is warranted to examine the causes of the high prevalence rates of pediatric obesity among Native Americans and the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:741–745, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enzyme polymorphisms, smoking, and human reproduction. A study of human placental alkaline phosphatase
Authors: Magrini A. , Bottini N. , Gloria‐Bottini F. , Stefanini L. , Bergamaschi A. , Cosmi E. , Bottini E. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractWe investigated the possible effects of placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) genotype on the deleterious action of maternal smoke on intrauterine survival and birthweight. PLAP is a highly polymorphic enzyme with several alleles associated with different enzymatic activities. PLAP is produced by the embryo and is found in maternal blood, where it is responsible for the rise of serum alkaline phosphatase during pregnancy. Two hundred and fourteen Caucasian consecutive newborn infants delivered in the Maternity Department of the University of Rome La Sapienza Hospital were studied. Infants from smoking women 28 years or older show a strong decrease of both PLAP*1/*1 and *2/*2 homozygous types and a marked deviation from Hardy‐Weinberg expectation, thus suggesting a different lethal effect of smoke depending on PLAP genotype and maternal age. In infants from smoking mothers there is a decrease of birthweight that is much less evident and statistically not significant in infants carrying the PLAP*1/*1 genotype as compared to other genotypes. The difference between PLAP genotypes concerning birthweight is more marked in women older than 28 years than in younger ones. This suggests that the effects of smoke on birthweight are also dependent on PLAP and maternal age. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:781–785, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Secular trends in variables associated with the metabolic syndrome of North American children and adolescents: A review and synthesis
Authors: Eisenmann Joey C. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe aim of this article is to summarize and critique reports from selected large‐scale population health surveys (U.S. and Canada national health surveys (e.g., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and Canada Fitness Survey), and active research programs in preventive pediatric cardiology (i.e., Bogalusa Heart Study, Princeton Lipids Study, and Minneapolis Blood Pressure Study)) pertaining to the secular trend in variables associated with the metabolic syndrome of North American youth. These surveys were chosen since they have published peer‐reviewed articles on the topic and consist of relatively large samples. The increased body mass index and prevalence of overweight and obesity are clear, particularly over the past two decades. The secular increase in overweight and obesity cannot be linked to available self‐report data on physical activity or diet, although measurement issues need to be considered. The emergence of Type II diabetes in adolescents parallels the increase in obesity; however, subsequent changes in blood lipids and blood pressure are less clear. There is some evidence to suggest adverse changes in the blood lipid profile. Aerobic fitness, as determined by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), has not appeared to change in youth except perhaps for adolescent females. The results suggesting the emergence of metabolic syndrome X during childhood and adolescence are discussed in the context of perturbation and dysregulation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis. It can be suggested that a subsistent lifestyle consisting of increased lifestyle activity (not exercise per se), a prudent diet, adequate sleep and rest, and stress reduction be advocated to combat diseases of Western Civilization/metabolic syndrome that have affected North American children (and adults) in recent years. The results also highlight the importance of population surveillance of obesity, physical activity, and dietary intake and cardiovascular health of children into the 21st century. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:786–794, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Locus‐specific genetic diversity between human populations: An analysis of the literature
Authors: Garte Seymour 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe debate over classification of the human species according to racial or continental lines has involved reports on genetic differences in allele frequencies of a number of loci with important biomedical functions. Such differences are in contrast with the fact that, for human beings, intrapopulation genetic diversity is larger than that seen between populations. In an attempt to address the hypothesis that certain genes show high interpopulation diversity due to selective pressure, the literature was surveyed to quantify such diversity using Wrights Fst statistic. The gene‐specific Fst values were then compared to pairwise population values of Fst taken over a large number of genes, which presumably reflect mostly neutral mechanisms of genetic diversity such as drift. The results showed that the majority of pairwise population values of Fst for over 30 genes of biomedical significance were either below or within the expected limits of Fst based on published values. These results do not support the idea that positive or diversifying natural selection plays an important role in increasing genetic diversity, even in genes that might be expected to be subject to selection pressure. Balancing selection, whereby the degree of genetic diversity is actually lower than that expected, appears to occur more frequently for these genes. The fact that allele frequency differences between populations might be “statistically significant” does not therefore necessarily imply a degree of genetic diversity greater than would be expected due to nonselective mechanisms. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:814–823, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Urban–rural contrasts in the physical fitness of school children in Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: Peña Reyes Maria Eugenia , Tan Swee Kheng , Malina Robert M. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe physical fitness of school children resident in an urban colonia and in a rural indigenous community in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, was compared. Two measures of performance‐related fitness (standing long jump, 35‐yard dash [32 m]) and four measures of health‐related fitness (grip strength, sit and reach, timed sit‐ups, distance run) were taken on 355 rural (175 boys, 184 girls) and 324 urban (163 boys, 161 girls) school children, 6–13 years of age. Urban children were significantly taller and heavier than rural children. Absolute grip strength did not consistently differ between rural and urban children, but when adjusted for age and body size, strength was greater in rural children. Explosive power (standing long jump) and abdominal strength and endurance (timed sit‐ups) were better in urban than in rural children without and with adjustment for age and body size. Urban–rural differences in running speed (dash) and flexibility (sit and reach) varied by age group and sex. Younger rural children and older urban girls performed better in the distance run, whereas older rural and urban boys did not differ in endurance. The size advantage of urban children does not necessarily translate into better levels of performance‐ and health‐related physical fitness. The observed differences may be related to activity habits associated with school physical education and lifestyle in the respective communities. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:800–813, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing the net effect of young maternal age on birthweight
Authors: Borja Judith B. , Adair Linda S. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractPregnancy during adolescence presents an increased risk for low birthweight, which is attributed not only to physiologic immaturity but also to socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors associated with adolescence. The independent effect of maternal age on birthweight is difficult to ascertain because age is closely entangled with these risks. We first examined the effect of being an adolescent mother on these risk pathways and then estimated the net effect of maternal age on birthweight (weight in grams or low birthweight (<2,500 g)) after controlling for these risks. We used data on 214 adolescent and 415 adult primiparae and their infants from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, a community‐based survey in Metro Cebu, Philippines. Consistent with findings from other studies, adolescents in this sample were more socioeconomically disadvantaged, had poorer nutritional status during pregnancy, and received less prenatal care than adults. Bivariate analyses showed that infants of adolescents had a lower mean birthweight and were more at risk of low birthweight compared to those born to older mothers. When socioeconomic, biological, and behavioral risk factors were controlled for, young maternal age ceased to have an effect on birthweight in grams but remained a significant predictor of low birthweight. The common pathways through which maternal age influenced both birthweight variables were through its effects on maternal height and weight‐for‐height during pregnancy. In the model predicting birthweight in grams the maternal age effect was further manifested through prenatal care utilization. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:733–740, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Ethylene Polymerization with Ziegler Catalysts: Fifty Years after the Discovery
Authors: Böhm Ludwig L. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractFifty years ago, Karl Ziegler and his co‐workers discovered the synthesis of polyethylenes at low pressures and moderate high temperatures with transition‐metal catalysts of the 4th group and aluminum organic compounds as cocatalysts. The last 50 years represent a story of innovations in science and industry in the development of high‐activity catalysts and processes based on a detailed understanding of all relevant chemical and physical processes on all scales. Catalysts, technologies, and products are still under further development, which shows that the potential of this polymerization process is not fully exploited. Today's targets include achieving better product properties at lower production costs and the substitution of other materials, such as glass, paper, steel, and concrete in certain fields because polyethylenes deliver better resource‐saving solutions.