bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive analysis of thermophysical properties of a binary stearyl alcohol and benzamide eutectic phase change material and determination of thermal performance of a solar dryer integrated with phase change material
Authors: Duraipandi Sruthi , Somkunwar Sandeep , Appukuttan Sreekumar 
Published: March 2023

AbstractA thermal energy storage system must integrate with a solar thermal collector for continuous energy delivery. This article focuses on the identification, preparation, thermo‐physical characteristic studies, and experimental investigation of a novel eutectic hot storage material for solar dryer applications. The identified organic novel eutectic mixture comprises stearyl alcohol and benzamide (SA‐B) with a molar ratio of 70:30. From the differential scanning calorimetry analysis, the melting point and enthalpy of the developed eutectic mixture were found to be 54. 26°C and 157.45 kJ kg−1 respectively. The melting temperature of the eutectic phase‐change material (PCM) fits the drying application. The corrosion analysis test confirms that the prepared eutectic mixture is compact with stainless steel (SS 316) heat exchanger material. Further, the eutectic PCM were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermo‐gravimetric analysis, which confirms the material is chemically and thermally stable. The thermal reliability of the eutectic PCM was evaluated through 1000 thermal charge and discharge cycling. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the identified material was found to be 0.18 W m−1 K−1. Thus, the specified material ascertained its suitability for thermal application. Further, 5 kg of eutectic PCM‐filled rectangular heat exchanger was integrated into the solar dryer. The use of eutectic PCM extended the drying time by more than 4 h, which can be helpful to run continuously on intermittent solar days and in the evening after sunset. Hence, the prepared eutectic SA‐B material is irresistible for hot storage dryer application.
Chemical and microbiological characterization of two traditional Mongolian high‐fat dairy products produced in Xilin Gol, China
Authors: Guo Liang , Xu Wei‐Liang , Li Chun‐Dong , Guo Yuan‐Sheng , Ya Mei 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMongolian butter and Tude are traditional high‐fat dairy products produced in Xilin Gol, China, which have unique chemical and microbiological characteristics. Mongolian Tude is made from Mongolian butter, dreg, and flour. In this study, the traditional manufacturing process of Mongolian butter and Tude was investigated for the first time. Mongolian butter was characterized by high‐fat content (99.38 ± 0.63%) and high acidity (77.09 ± 52.91°T), whereas Mongolian Tude was considered a high‐fat (21.45 ± 1.23%) and high‐protein (8.28 ± 0.65%) dairy product obtained by butter, dreg, and flour. Mongolian butter and Tude were proven to be safe for human consumption in terms of benzopyrene content. In addition, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, coliforms, and aflatoxin M1 were not detected in the samples. Bacteria and molds were not isolated from Mongolian butter; in contrast, the total count of bacteria and molds in Mongolian Tude was within the range of 4.5 × 102 to 9.5 × 104 and 0 to 2.2 × 105, respectively. Moreover, Lactococcus (41.55%), Lactobacillus (11.05%), Zygosaccharomyces (40.20%), and Pichia (12.90%) were the predominant bacterial and fungal genera, and Lactobacillus helveticus (15.6%), Lactococcus raffinolactis (9.6%), Streptococcus salivarius (8.5%), Pantoea vagans (6.1%), Bacillus subtilis (4.2%), Kocuria rhizophila (3.5%), Acinetobacter johnsonii (3.5%), Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (46.2%), Pichia fermentans (14.7%), and Dipodascus geotrichum (11.7%) were the predominant species in the microbiota of Mongolian Tude. Thus, it can be stated that the microbiota of food products produced by different small families varied significantly. Collectively, the findings presented herein are the first report of chemical and microbiological characterization of products of geographical origin and highlight the need for standardization of manufacturing procedures of Mongolian butter and Tude in the future.
Opioid prescription trends among American Head and Neck Society fellowship graduates
Authors: Patel Rushi , Nguyen Julia , Choudhry Hannaan S. , Lemdani Mehdi S. , Park Richard Chan Woo 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundOpioids are commonly used to manage the pain of head and neck (HN) cancer patients.MethodsRetrospective cohort of graduates from American Head and Neck Society accredited fellowships from 1997 to 2018. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Part D Provider Utilization and Payment database 2014–2019 was cross‐referenced with provider names to identify opioid prescription trends.ResultsFrom 2014 to 2019, there was no significant difference in the average number of opioid beneficiaries per provider (18.02 vs. 18.10, p = 0.586) or opioid claims per provider (28.06 vs. 26.73, p = 0.708). The average total opioid day supply per beneficiary declined from 11.09 to 7.05 days from 2014 to 2019 (p < 0.001). In 2019, providers in the Northeast had the lowest prescribed opioid day supply (3.67 days) compared to those from the South who had the highest (10.32 days).ConclusionsOpioid prescription length has significantly declined among HN surgeons, with variations across geographic regions.
The impact of health reform on poverty estimates in Iran: Implications for monitoring the first goal of Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Ahmadnezhad Elham , Dastan Ilker , Alvandi Rezvaneh , Abdi Zhaleh 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIntroductionIran launched a series of health reforms called Health Transformation Plan (HTP) in order to improve financial protection and access to health care in 2014. This study aimed to investigate the extent of impoverishment due to out of pocket (OOP) payments during 2011–2016 and to assess the implications of health expenditures to overall national poverty rate before and after the HTP implementation, with a focus on monitoring the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).MethodsThe study relied on data from a nationally representative household income and expenditure survey. Two measures of poverty were estimated in this study: the prevalence (poverty headcount) and the intensity of poverty before and after OOP health payments (poverty gap). Proportion of the population fell into poverty due to OOP spending for health care from total poor population calculated for 2 years before and after the HTP implementation using three poverty lines suggested by the World Bank for global poverty comparison ($1.90, $3.2 and $5.5 per day in 2011 purchasing power parity (PPP) $).ResultsOur results indicate that the incidence of impoverishing health expenditures has remained relatively low during 2011–2016. At the 2011 PPP $5.5 daily poverty line, the average incidence rate at the national level was 1.36% during the period. The percentage of population impoverished due to OOP health expenditures increased after HTP implementation, irrespective of the poverty line used. However, the proportion of individuals that pushed further into poverty decreased after HTP implementation. It was estimated that around 12.5% of total poor population fell below poverty line due to paying OOP payments in 2016.ConclusionAlthough health care costs are not major causes of impoverishment in Iran, the relative impact of OOP spending for health is not negligible. To attain SDG 1, pro‐poor interventions that aim to reduce the burden of OOP payments should be advocated and implemented with an inter‐sectoral approach.
Prediction of drug amount in Parkinson's disease using hybrid machine learning systems and radiomics features
Authors: Salmanpour Mohammad R. , Hosseinzadeh Mahdi , Bakhtiyari Mahya , Maghsudi Mehdi , Rahmim Arman 
Published: March 2023

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is progressive and heterogeneous. Levodopa is widely prescribed to control PD, and its long‐term‐treatment leads to dyskinesia in a dose‐dependent manner. Interpretation of clinical trials comparing different drug treatments for PD is complicated by different dose intensities employed: higher doses of levodopa produce better symptomatic control but more late complications. Thus, the dose must be recalibrated and reduced gradually. Since recommendations for gradually reducing Levodopa are currently lacking and estimation of Levodopa amount can help doctor to correctly prescribe drug amount, this study aims to predict Levodopa amount and incremental doses using Hybrid Machine Learning Systems (HMLS) and a mixture of radiomics and clinical features. We selected 264 patients from PPMI and obtained 950 features including imaging and nominating features. We generated seven datasets constructed from the dataset in years 0 and 1, which linked with outcomes, (O1) patients being on/off drug in year 1, (O2) dose amount in year 1, and (O3‐8) incremental dose from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th, 4th to 5th, 1st to 4th, 1st to 5th year. HMLSs included 10 feature extraction/9 feature selection algorithms followed by 10 prediction algorithms. To predict O1, timeless dataset + Random Forest + ReliefA had the highest accuracy~88.5% ± 2.2%, and external testing~91.6%. Furthermore, to predict O2, timeless dataset + Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance Algorithm (MRMR) + K Nearest Neighbor Regressor (KNN‐R) achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) ~ 47.5 ± 13.6 ([30.3:850 milligram]) and external testing~31.9. To predict dose increments (O3‐8), HMLSs: Unsupervised Feature Selection with Ordinal Locality + KNNR, ReliefA + KNNR, ReliefA + KNNR, Local Learning‐based Clustering Feature Selection + KNNR, MRMR + KNNR, and MRMR + KNNR applied to timeless datasets resulted in MAEs ~ 0.42 ± 0.18, 0.10 ± 0.09, 0.04 ± 0.01, 0.24 ± 0.15, 0.25 ± 0.05, and 0.33 ± 0.26 ([0.23:29.7]), respectively. Moreover, their external testing confirmed our findings. We demonstrated that timeless datasets including a mixture of clinical and imaging features, linked with appropriate HMLSs, significantly improve prediction performances.
Parental substance use and home visiting programs: Implementation considerations for relationship‐based treatment
Authors: Lowell Amanda F. , Suchman Nancy E. , Byatt Nancy , Feinberg Emily , Friedmann Peter D. , Peacock‐Chambers Elizabeth 
Published: March 2023

AbstractHome visiting programs can provide critical support to mothers in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) and young children prenatally exposed to substances. However, families impacted by maternal SUDs may not benefit from traditional child‐focused developmental home visiting services as much as families not impacted by SUDs, suggesting the need to adjust service provision for this population. Given the need to implement tailored services within home visiting programs for families impacted by SUDs, we sought to investigate the implementation barriers and facilitators to inform future integration of a relationship‐based parenting intervention developed specifically for parents with SUDs (Mothering from the Inside Out) into home visiting programs. We conducted nine interviews and five focus groups with a racially diverse sample (N = 38) of parents and providers delivering services for families affected by SUDs in the USA. Qualitative content analysis yielded three most prominent themes related to separate implementation domains and their associated barriers and facilitators: (1) engagement, (2) training, and (3) sustainability. We concluded that the home visiting setting may mitigate the logistical barriers to access for families affected by SUDs, whereas relationship‐based services may mitigate the emotional barriers that parents with SUDs experience when referred to home visiting programs.
Envisioning motherhood: Mental‐state language in caregiving narratives across the perinatal period
Authors: Rutherford Helena J. V. , Yatziv Tal , Vess Matthew , Brooker Rebecca J 
Published: March 2023

AbstractNancy Suchman's work highlighted the fundamental role of maternal mentalization in maternal addiction, mental health, and caregiving challenges. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of mental‐state language (MSL) as a measure of mentalization in prenatal and postnatal narratives and their sentiment in a sample of 91 primarily White mothers from the western United States, followed from the second trimester of pregnancy, through the third trimester, to 4 months postpartum. Specifically, we investigated the use of affective and cognitive MSL in prenatal narratives when mothers visualized caring for their baby and postnatal narratives when mothers compared their prenatal visualization to the current caregiving reality. Results indicated moderate consistency in MSL between the second and third trimesters, but prenatal and postnatal MSL was not significantly correlated. Across all time points, higher use of MSL was related to more positive sentiment, indicating an association between mentalization and positive caregiving representations across the perinatal period. Women used more affective than cognitive MSL in prenatal imagination of caregiving, but this pattern was reversed in their postpartum reflection. Implications on assessing parental mentalization prenatally and considering the relative dominance of affective and cognitive mentalizing are discussed while considering study limitations.
Water resource management for irrigated agriculture in China: Problems and prospects
Authors: Ju Qianqian , Du Lijuan , Liu Changshun , Jiang Shan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAgriculture underpins the continuous development and progress of society. As water resources impose a major constraint on economic and social development, strengthened management and scientific allocation of water resources for agricultural purpose has become a hot issue of concern for countries around the world. This is particularly important for China, a large, populous country, to safeguard its food security. In 2010, irrigation, on which China's crop production is highly dependent, contributed 32.4% of the national grain yield. With rapid economic development, however, agriculture has always faced competition for water with nonagricultural sectors. Given water and land shortage and growing rigid grain demand in China and based on the decoupling theory, this paper analyses the relationship between grain yield and irrigation water use from 2000 to 2020. The paper examines the impacts on grain yield brought by such factors as irrigation water use, effective irrigation area, fertilizer application and labour input and explores China's agricultural water security mechanism. The results show that grain yield has been significantly affected by irrigation water use, but such dependence is gradually reducing at this stage. China tries to guarantee agricultural water use by developing farmland water conservation and water‐saving irrigation, but future agricultural water use will be affected by a variety of factors, including the intensified constraint of adversely distributed water and land resources, poor operation and management of irrigation works, transfer of water rights from agriculture to industry and potential conversion of irrigated areas. This calls for red lines that define the lower and upper limits of agricultural water use to ensure agricultural water security.
Elastin‐like protein hydrogels with controllable stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial cell function
Authors: Shayan Mahdis , Huang Michelle S. , Navarro Renato , Chiang Gladys , Hu Caroline , Oropeza Beu P. , Johansson Patrik K. , Suhar Riley A. , Foster Abbygail A. , LeSavage Bauer L. , Zamani Maedeh , Enejder Annika , Roth Julien G. , Heilshorn Sarah C. , Huang Ngan F. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate vascular endothelial cell (EC) morphology and function. Since naturally derived ECMs are viscoelastic, cells respond to viscoelastic matrices that exhibit stress relaxation, in which a cell‐applied force results in matrix remodeling. To decouple the effects of stress relaxation rate from substrate stiffness on EC behavior, we engineered elastin‐like protein (ELP) hydrogels in which dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) was used to crosslink hydrazine‐modified ELP (ELP‐HYD) and aldehyde/benzaldehyde‐modified polyethylene glycol (PEG‐ALD/PEG‐BZA). The reversible DCC crosslinks in ELP‐PEG hydrogels create a matrix with independently tunable stiffness and stress relaxation rate. By formulating fast‐relaxing or slow‐relaxing hydrogels with a range of stiffness (500–3300 Pa), we examined the effect of these mechanical properties on EC spreading, proliferation, vascular sprouting, and vascularization. The results show that both stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial spreading on two‐dimensional substrates, on which ECs exhibited greater cell spreading on fast‐relaxing hydrogels up through 3 days, compared with slow‐relaxing hydrogels at the same stiffness. In three‐dimensional hydrogels encapsulating ECs and fibroblasts in coculture, the fast‐relaxing, low‐stiffness hydrogels produced the widest vascular sprouts, a measure of vessel maturity. This finding was validated in a murine subcutaneous implantation model, in which the fast‐relaxing, low‐stiffness hydrogel produced significantly more vascularization compared with the slow‐relaxing, low‐stiffness hydrogel. Together, these results suggest that both stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial behavior, and that the fast‐relaxing, low‐stiffness hydrogels supported the highest capillary density in vivo.
Pilot clinical trial of macimorelin to assess safety and efficacy in patients with cancer cachexia
Authors: Herodes Megan , Anderson Lindsey J. , Shober Samuel , Schur Ellen A. , Graf Solomon A. , Ammer Nicola , Salas Ramiro , Marcelli Marco , Garcia Jose M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundCancer cachexia is associated with reduced body weight, appetite and quality of life (QOL) with no approved treatments. Growth hormone secretagogues like macimorelin have potential to mitigate these effects.MethodsThis pilot study assessed the safety and efficacy of macimorelin for 1 week. Efficacy was defined a priori as 1‐week change in body weight (≥0.8 kg), plasma insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 (≥50 ng/mL) or QOL (≥15%). Secondary outcomes included food intake, appetite, functional performance, energy expenditure and safety laboratory parameters. Patients with cancer cachexia were randomized to 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg macimorelin or placebo; outcomes were assessed non‐parametrically.ResultsParticipants receiving at least one of either macimorelin dose were combined (N = 10; 100% male; median age = 65.50 ± 2.12) and compared with placebo (N = 5; 80% male; median age = 68.00 ± 6.19). Efficacy criteria achieved: body weight (macimorelin N = 2; placebo N = 0; P = 0.92); IGF‐1 (macimorelin N = 0; placebo N = 0); QOL by Anderson Symptom Assessment Scale (macimorelin N = 4; placebo N = 1; P = 1.00) or Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Fatigue (FACIT‐F; macimorelin N = 3; placebo N = 0; P = 0.50). No related serious or non‐serious adverse events were reported. In macimorelin recipients, change in FACIT‐F was directly associated with change in body weight (r = 0.92, P = 0.001), IGF‐1 (r = 0.80, P = 0.01), and caloric intake (r = 0.83, P = 0.005), and inversely associated with change in energy expenditure (r = −0.67, P = 0.05).ConclusionsDaily oral macimorelin for 1 week was safe and numerically improved body weight and QOL in patients with cancer cachexia compared with placebo. Longer term administration should be evaluated for mitigation of cancer‐induced reductions in body weight, appetite and QOL in larger studies.
Effect of genetic variations in drug transporters, metabolizing enzyme and regulatory genes on the development of HIV‐associated lipodystrophy
Authors: Shyamveer  , Khan Abdul Arif , Singh HariOm 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAdipocytes play a crucial role in the metabolism of lipids and sugars. Their response varies depending on the circumstances or other factors influenced by physiological and metabolic stresses. People living with HIV (PLWH) experience different effects of HIV and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on their body fat. Some patients respond well to antiretroviral therapy (ART), while others taking similar regimens do not. The genetic makeup of patients has been strongly linked to the variable responses to HAART among PLWH. The cause of HIV‐associated lipodystrophy syndrome (HALS) is not well understood, but it may be influenced by genetic variations in the host. The metabolism of lipid effectively modulates plasma triglyceride and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in PLWH. Genes related to drug metabolism and transport play an important role in the transportation and metabolism of ART drugs. Genetic variation in metabolizing enzyme genes of antiretroviral drugs, lipid transport and transcription factor‐related genes could interfere with fat storage and metabolism, contributing to the development of HALS. Hence we examined the impact of genes associated with transport, metabolism and various transcription factors in metabolic complications, and their impact on HALS. A study using databases such as PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar was conducted to understand the impact of these genes on metabolic complications and HALS. The present article discuss the changes in the expression and regulation of genes and their involvement in the lipid metabolism, lipolysis and lipogenesis pathways. Moreover, alteration of the drug transporter, metabolizing enzyme and various transcription factors can lead to HALS. Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms in genes that play an essential role in drug metabolism and drug and lipid transportation may also contribute to individual differences in the emergence of metabolic and morphological alterations during HAART treatment.
Comparing endoscopic ultrasound‐guided antegrade treatment and balloon endoscopy‐assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the management of bile duct stones in patients with surgically altered anatomy: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Iwashita Takuji , Iwasa Yuhei , Senju Akihiko , Tezuka Ryuichi , Uemura Shinya , Okuno Mitsuru , Iwata Keisuke , Mukai Tsuyoshi , Yasuda Ichiro , Shimizu Masahito 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundEndoscopic ultrasound‐guided antegrade treatment (EUS‐AG) and balloon endoscopy‐assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (BE‐ERCP) have emerged as useful procedures for managing bile duct stones (BDS) in patients with surgically altered anatomy. However, the comparison between these two procedures has not been well studied.The aim of our study was to compare the clinical outcomes of EUS‐AG and BE‐ERCP for managing BDS in patients with surgically altered anatomy.MethodsThe database was retrospectively evaluated at two tertiary care centers to identify patients with surgically altered anatomy who underwent either EUS‐AG or BE‐ERCP for BDS. Clinical outcomes were compared between the procedures. The success rate of each procedure was evaluated in three steps: endoscopic approach, biliary access, and stone extraction.ResultsAmong the 119 identified patients, 23 had EUS‐AG, and 96 had BE‐ERCP. The overall technical success rates of EUS‐AG and BE‐ERCP were 65.2% (15/23) and 69.8% (67/96), respectively (P = .80). The comparison of each step between the procedures EUS‐AG versus BE‐ERCP was as follows: endoscopic approach, 100% (23/23) versus 88.5% (85/96) (P = .11); biliary access, 73.9% (17/23) versus 80.0% (68/85) (P = .57); stone extraction, 88.2% (15/17) versus 98.5% (67/68) (P = .10). The overall adverse event rate was 17.4% (4/23) versus 7.3% (7/96) (P = .22).ConclusionsBoth EUS‐AG and BE‐ERCP are effective and relatively safe procedures in the management of BDS in patients with surgically altered anatomy. The challenging steps of each procedure might be different, which could help decide which one to use to manage BDS in patients with surgically altered anatomy.