bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proximate Composition and Microbiological Quality of “Kunu-Aya”: A Locally Produced Non-Fermented Beverage in Nigeria
Authors: Akubuenyi F. C. , Sylvanus O. H. 
Published: February 2023

Kunu-aya” is non- fermented beverage locally produced from Cyperus esculentus (Tiger nut) and Phoenix dactylifera (Dates) based milk. This study determined the proximate composition and microbial quality of laboratory produced “Kunu-aya” following standard methods. Biochemical characterization method was carried out for identification of associated isolates. The results revealed that the “Kunu-aya” contains; moisture content was 59.44±0.05, Ash content of 5.02±0.07, crude fat 8.108±0.03, Crude fibre 9.16±0.04, crude protein 8.983±0.26, and carbohydrate 9.3±0.05 and the energy content was 182.69kcal. “Kunu-aya” also contains significant amounts of magnesium (Mg) 2.045±0.05, potassium (K) 40.506±0.05, phosphorus (P) 4.506±0.03, copper (Cu) 0.018±0.04, zinc (Zn) 48.001±0.01, iron (Fe) 0.408±0.04, sodium (Na) of 6.031±0.07 and calcium (Ca) 0.196±0.03. The total viable bacteria count of the sample was 4.0 x 104 CFU/ml and the total fungal count was 2.7x 102 CFU/ml. Species of Staphylococcus spp (50%), Bacilli spp. (16.7%) Streptococcus spp. (16.7%) and Micrococcus spp. (16.7%) are predominant bacteria contaminants of the beverage. Besides, fungi species of Aspergillus spp. (60%), Penicillium spp. (20%) and Rhizopus spp. (20%) were also isolated. The microbial load obtained exceeded the acceptable limit stipulated for dairy drinks. Based on the proximate and mineral contents of “Kunu-aya”, its rich essential contents can provide nutrients for human nutrition. Therefore, the production of this beverage under strict hygiene conditions will improve the microbiological quality and reduce the health risk associated with its consumption.
Determination of Microbiological Quality, Proximate Composition and Physicochemical Parameters of Margarine Produced from Oil Blends of Palm Kernel, Coconut and Melon
Authors: Akubuenyi F. C. , Odey B. O. 
Published: February 2023

The potential of margarine production from blends of melon, coconut and palm kernel oil, and the microbiological qualities and physicochemical parameters of the product were studied. The microbiological evaluation was carried out at the Microbiology Laboratory, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria, using pour plate and spread plate methods to ascertain the viable cell counts. The physicochemical composition, proximate properties were determined using standard methods. The enumeration of total heterotrophic bacterial count revealed low microbial count of 2.6 x 103 CFU/g, total coliform count was 2.5 x 102 CFU/g and total fungal count. 2.4 x 102 CFU/g. The value was within permissible limit of 104 CFU/g. The biochemical characterization and identification revealed Staphylococcus spp, Bacillus spp, Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, and Micrococcus spp are the suspected bacterial isolates. While the fungal isolates are Aspergillus spp, Fusarium spp, Penicillium spp and Rhizopus spp. The percentage occurrence revealed that Staphylococcus spp had the highest prevalence of 33.3%, followed by Escherichia coli (26.7%), Salmonella spp (20%), Bacillus spp (13.3%), Micrococcus spp (6.7%). While the fungal isolates had the following prevalence; Aspergillus spp (50%), Penicillium spp (16.7%), Rhizopus spp (16.7%) and Fusarium spp (16.7%). Proximate analysis revealed moisture (15.0±0.5), ash (35.0±0.5), crude (17.50±0.25), lipid (22.50±0.03), protein (2.218±0.01), and carbohydrate (7.78±0.01). Results for physicochemical analyses showed that Iodine value was 0.372, saponification value was 22.103 and acid value, 1.159. This result indicates that palm kernel oil, melon oil and coconut oil had the best potential for the production of margarine which would be acceptable due to the low microbial count. However, the presence of Staphylococcus spp and Salmonella spp renders the product a potential health hazard in line with FDA guidelines. Therefore, maximum hygienic conditions during production is advocated and further analysis recommended on these samples to discover their maximum importance and industrial utilization.
Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Reactivation in COVID-19 Patients: A Mini Systematic Review
Authors: Norberg Antonio Neres , Norberg Paulo Roberto Blanco Moreira , Manhães Fernanda Castro , Mangiavacchi Bianca Magnelli , Filho Aluísio Tinoco de Siqueira , Silva Sandra Tavares da , Souza Ademir Hilário de , Souza Ana Paula Borges de , Filho Renato Mataveli Ferreira , Borges Thaís Rigueti Brasil 
Published: February 2023

Background and Aim: Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) occur worldwide and have a high prevalence. In the context of COVID -19 there are several potential triggers for HSV reactivation, such as functional depletion or imbalance of the immune system, use of immunosuppressive drugs to control cytokine response, and physical or psychological stress in consequence of the disease. The aim of this research is to review, by analysing the current scientific literature, the context of the HSV reactivation or infection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A systematic review of scientific manuscripts was performed using the PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases. The evaluated manuscripts were published between 2019 and January 2023. Systematic studies of groups of patients with COVID-19 that evaluated the incidence of HSV reactivations and infections, as well as case reports of HSV reactivation in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, were analyzed.
Results: Analysis of systematic studies among patients with COVID-19 revealed incidence rates of HSV reactivation detected by PCR technique, which can range from 12% to 83%. The incidence of clinical manifestations was heterogeneous, and the occurence of atypical clinical forms was considered high. HSV reactivations without clinical symptoms were observed in all studies in patients hospitalized with COVID -19. Determining the severity of infection and distinguishing between benign reactivation and true HSV infection concomitant with COVID-19 is a diagnostic challenge. Currently available scientific investigations are controversial regarding the impact on the prognosis of patients with human herpesvirus reactivation and the possible association between HSV infection and mortality rates. The broad spectrum of atypical forms, as well as difficulties in accurately diagnosing real HSV infection, may lead to underestimating the true impact of concurrent reactivation in COVID-19 patients. Patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and corticosteroid therapy are the groups at highest risk for HSV reactivation. Further investigations are needed to clarify the interaction between these two viruses in the context of SARS-CoV-2 disease and treatment.
Analysis of Blood Group Parameters as an Early and Minimally Invasive Method for Susceptibility Prediction of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Batra Akshit , Sequeira Joyce P. 
Published: February 2023

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between ABO blood grouping and oral squamous cell carcinoma and to stratify the patients in accordance with the susceptibility as noted.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included the demographic data of the patients having reported to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Yenepoya Dental College and hospital, and Department of Oncology, Yenepoya Medical college and Hospital, Mangalore, Karnataka between January 2017 to December 2021. A total of 161, histopathologically proven oral squamous cell carcinoma patients, between the above time frame of 5 years, were recruited and were analyzed for the study.
Results: Patients with A Rh positive blood group had the maximum enrollment (80 patients out of 161) i.e. 49.6%, followed by an equal share of O Rh positive and B Rh positive with 31 each, i.e. 19.25% of each group. Only 8 patients had AB Rh positive blood group, followed by O Rh negative in 6 patients, A Rh negative in 3 patients, and least of B Rh negative blood group in only 2 patients.
Conclusion: Our study reflects that as simple as a blood group test, a routine and a regularly followed investigation, can help to sought and stratify the patients, with oral squamous cell carcinoma, who already are on a higher spectrum of falling under the radar of malignancy susceptibility.
Performance on Patient Experience Measures of Former Chief Medical Residents as Physician Exemplars Chosen by the Profession
Authors: Chen Lucy , McWilliams J. Michael 
Published: February 2023

ImportancePhysicians’ knowledge about each other’s quality is central to clinical decision-making, but such information is not well understood and is rarely harnessed to identify exemplars for disseminating best practices or quality improvement. One exception is chief medical resident selection, which is typically based on interpersonal, teaching, and clinical skills.ObjectiveTo compare care for patients of primary care physicians (PCPs) who were former chiefs with care for patients of nonchief PCPs.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsUsing 2010 to 2018 Medicare Fee-For-Service Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey data (response rate, 47.6%), Medicare claims for random 20% samples of fee-for-service beneficiaries, and medical board data from 4 large US states, we compared care for patients of former chief PCPs with care for patients of nonchief PCPs in the same practice using linear regression. Data were analyzed from August 2020 to January 2023.ExposuresReceiving the plurality of primary care office visits from a former chief PCP.Main Outcomes and MeasuresComposite of 12 patient experience items as primary outcome and 4 spending and utilization measures as secondary outcomes.ResultsThe CAHPS samples included 4493 patients with former chief PCPs and 41 278 patients with nonchief PCPs. The 2 groups were similar in age (mean [SD], 73.1 [10.3] years vs 73.2 [10.3] years), sex (56.8% vs 56.8% female), race and ethnicity (1.2% vs 1.0% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.3% vs 1.9% Asian or Pacific Islander, 4.8% vs. 5.6% Hispanic, 7.3% vs 6.6% non-Hispanic Black, and 81.5% vs. 80.0% non-Hispanic White), and other characteristics. The Medicare claims for random 20% samples included 289 728 patients with former chief PCPs and 2 954 120 patients with nonchief PCPs. Patients of former chief PCPs rated their care experiences significantly better than patients of nonchief PCPs (adjusted difference in composite, 1.6 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.4-2.8; effect size of 0.30 standard deviations (SD) of the physician-level distribution of performance; P = .01), including markedly higher ratings of physician-specific communication and interpersonal skills typically emphasized in chief selection. Differences were large for patients of racial and ethnic minority groups (1.16 SD), dual-eligible patients (0.81 SD), and those with less education (0.44 SD) but did not vary significantly across groups. Differences in spending and utilization were minimal overall.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, patients of PCPs who were former chief medical residents reported better care experiences than patients of other PCPs in the same practice, especially for physician-specific items. The study results suggest that the profession possesses information about physician quality, motivating the development and study of strategies for harnessing such information to select and repurpose exemplars for quality improvement.
Predicting the Survival of Patients With Cancer From Their Initial Oncology Consultation Document Using Natural Language Processing
Authors: Nunez John-Jose , Leung Bonnie , Ho Cheryl , Bates Alan T. , Ng Raymond T. 
Published: February 2023

ImportancePredicting short- and long-term survival of patients with cancer may improve their care. Prior predictive models either use data with limited availability or predict the outcome of only 1 type of cancer.ObjectiveTo investigate whether natural language processing can predict survival of patients with general cancer from a patient’s initial oncologist consultation document.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective prognostic study used data from 47 625 of 59 800 patients who started cancer care at any of the 6 BC Cancer sites located in the province of British Columbia between April 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016. Mortality data were updated until April 6, 2022, and data were analyzed from update until September 30, 2022. All patients with a medical or radiation oncologist consultation document generated within 180 days of diagnosis were included; patients seen for multiple cancers were excluded.ExposuresInitial oncologist consultation documents were analyzed using traditional and neural language models.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was the performance of the predictive models, including balanced accuracy and receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (AUC). The secondary outcome was investigating what words the models used.ResultsOf the 47 625 patients in the sample, 25 428 (53.4%) were female and 22 197 (46.6%) were male, with a mean (SD) age of 64.9 (13.7) years. A total of 41 447 patients (87.0%) survived 6 months, 31 143 (65.4%) survived 36 months, and 27 880 (58.5%) survived 60 months, calculated from their initial oncologist consultation. The best models achieved a balanced accuracy of 0.856 (AUC, 0.928) for predicting 6-month survival, 0.842 (AUC, 0.918) for 36-month survival, and 0.837 (AUC, 0.918) for 60-month survival, on a holdout test set. Differences in what words were important for predicting 6- vs 60-month survival were found.Conclusions and RelevanceThese findings suggest that models performed comparably with or better than previous models predicting cancer survival and that they may be able to predict survival using readily available data without focusing on 1 cancer type.
Exceptional Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Sandwich‐Structured Graphene Interlayered Phenolic Resins Nanosheets with Mesoporous Channels
Authors: Tian Qiang , Zeng Xiang‐Kang , Zhao Chen , Jing Ling‐Yan , Zhang Xi‐Wang , Liu Jian 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHarnessing solar energy to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from water (H2O) and dioxygen (O2) via artificial photosynthesis is an attractive route. To achieve high solar‐to‐H2O2 conversion efficiency, herein, an interfacial self‐assembly strategy is adopted to pattern mesoporous resorcinol‐formaldehyde resin (MRF) onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to form sandwich‐structured rGO@MRF polymeric photocatalysts. The internal graphene layer that mimics the electron transport chain of plant leaf, can effectively transfer electrons, and promote the two‐electron reduction of O2. Moreover, the mesoporous channels mimic the stomata, beneficially boost the fluid velocity, enrichment of O2, and diffusion of H2O2. Consequently, the developed metal‐free material can achieve an exceptional solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion efficiency of 1.23%. This ingenious interface engineering brings new opportunities for the design of efficient artificial photocatalysts.
Internal and External Co‐Engineering of Stable Cathode Interface Improves Cycle Performance of Polymer Sodium Batteries
Authors: Pan Jun , Hu Lulu , Zhang Yuchen , Zhang Tao , Wang Nana , Dou Shixue , Fan Hong Jin 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe development of polymer sodium batteries requires cathode materials with stable interfaces to avoid poor interfacial contact and interfacial side reactions during cycling. Here, a co‐engineering strategy is deployed to tailor the cathode internal structure and improve the cathode interface stability through bonding interactions. Internally, the effect of low‐cost Fe substitution in the obtained Na0.67Mn2/3Fe1/3O2 cathode material renders favorable effects in several aspects. First, the increased lattice constant facilitates Na+ intercalation and thereby lowers the diffusion barrier of Na+ ions. Second, it increases the electronic conductivity, thereby improving the reaction reversibility. Third, the MnO bond length is shortened, which alleviates the Jahn‐Taylor effect and improves structural stability. In addition to these internal effects, the FeOB bond interactions due to Fe substitution promote the decomposition of the tris(trimethylsilane)borate additive and the formation of a dense and uniform cathode electrolyte interface film, leading to improved cycling stability. Owing to the co‐engineering of both internal structure and surface modification, the polymer solid‐state sodium battery with a stable interface exhibits a specific capacity of 85.2 mAh g‐1 after 800 cycles at 1 C.
Hygrothermic Wood Actuated Robotic Hand
Authors: Bai Lulu , Zhang Yaoxin , Guo Shuai , Qu Hao , Yu Zhen , Yu Haipeng , Chen Wenshuai , Tan Swee Ching 
Published: February 2023

AbstractStimulus–responsive actuators play a vital role in the new generation of intelligent systems. However, poor mechanical performance, complicated fabrication processes, and the inability to complex deformation limit their practical applications. Herein, these challenges are overcome via designing a strong hygrothermic wood actuator with asymmetric water affinity. The actuator is readily constructed by sandwiching polypyrrole‐coated wood with a Ni complex hygroscopic gel top layer for moisture absorption and a polyimide bottom layer as the water barrier. The resulting hygrothermic wood spontaneously stretches and bends itself in response to moisture and thermal/light stimulation. A robotic hand and a series of grippers made of hygrothermic wood demonstrate dexterous object–hand interactions during grasping and holding, while the reversible hygrothermic property allows the actuator to be potentially applied in fire rescue scenarios to rescue trapped objects. A combination of good mechanical properties, multi‐stimulus‐response, complex deformation, wide working temperature range, low manufacturing cost, and biocompatibility are simultaneously realized by one device. It is thus believed that such a strong wood actuator will open up a new avenue for building intelligent robotic hand systems.
Ultrahigh‐Voltage LiCoO2 at 4.7 V by Interface Stabilization and Band Structure Modification
Authors: Zhuang Zhaofeng , Wang Junxiong , Jia Kai , Ji Guanjun , Ma Jun , Han Zhiyuan , Piao Zhihong , Gao Runhua , Ji Haocheng , Zhong Xiongwei , Zhou Guangmin , Cheng Hui‐Ming 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLithium cobalt oxide (LCO) is widely used in Li‐ion batteries due to its high volumetric energy density, which is generally charged to 4.3 V. Lifting the cut‐off voltage of LCO from 4.3 V to 4.7 V will increase the specific capacity from 150 to 230 mAh g‐1 with a significant improvement of 53%. However, LCO suffers serious problems of H1‐3/O1 phase transformation, unstable interface between cathode and electrolyte, and irreversible oxygen redox reaction at 4.7 V. Herein, interface stabilization and band structure modification are proposed to strengthen the crystal structure of LCO for stable cycling of LCO at an ultrahigh voltage of 4.7 V. Gradient distribution of magnesium and uniform doping of nickel in Li layers inhibit the harmful phase transitions of LCO, while uniform LiMgxNi1−xPO4 coating stabilizes the LCO‐electrolyte interface during cycles. Moreover, the modified band structure improves the oxygen redox reaction reversibility and electrochemical performance of the modified LCO. As a result, the modified LCO has a high capacity retention of 78% after 200 cycles at 4.7 V in the half cell and 63% after 500 cycles at 4.6 V in the full cell. This work makes the capacity of LCO one step closer to its theoretical specific capacity.
Metal–Organic Frameworks Meet Polymers: From Synthesis Strategies to Healthcare Applications
Authors: Bindra Anivind Kaur , Wang Dongdong , Zhao Yanli 
Published: February 2023

AbstractMetal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been at the forefront of nanotechnological research for the past decade owing to their high porosity, high surface area, diverse configurations, and controllable chemical structures. They are a rapidly developing class of nanomaterials that are predominantly applied in batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, sensors, drug delivery, gas separation, adsorption, and storage. However, the limited functions and unsatisfactory performance of MOFs resulting from their low chemical and mechanical stability hamper further development. Hybridizing MOFs with polymers is an excellent solution to these problems, because polymers—which are soft, flexible, malleable, and processable—can induce unique properties in the hybrids based on those of the two disparate components while retaining their individuality. This review highlights recent advances in the preparation of MOF–polymer nanomaterials. Furthermore, several applications wherein the incorporation of polymers enhances the MOF performance are discussed, such as anticancer therapy, bacterial elimination, imaging, therapeutics, protection from oxidative stress and inflammation, and environmental remediation. Finally, insights from the focus of existing research and design principles for mitigating future challenges are presented.
Spiro‐Conjugation in Narrow‐Bandgap Nonfullerene Acceptors Enables Broader Spectral Response and Higher Detectivity for Near‐Infrared Organic Photodetectors
Authors: Shao Lin , Hong Ling , Cao Yunhao , Tang Haoran , Huang Yijun , Xia Xinxin , Bai Yuanqing , Dong Minghao , Zhang Xin , Lu Xinhui , Yang Xiye , Liu Chunchen , Huang Fei , Cao Yong 
Published: February 2023

AbstractNear‐infrared (NIR) organic photodetectors (OPDs) are competitive candidates for flexible electronics in biomedical imaging and optical communications applications. However, current OPDs still suffer from a low detectivity beyond 1000 nm and a high dark current at bias due to the lack of high‐performance narrow‐bandgap non‐fullerene acceptors (NFAs). In this study, spiro‐conjugated core donor (D) unit is adopted to construct NFAs, SPT‐4F andtSPT‐4F. Comparing with PT‐4F without spiro‐conjugation, the orthogonal spiro‐conjugated planes endow SPT‐4F andtSPT‐4F with more rigid conformation and thus superior intermolecular stacking, resulting in the enhanced absorption beyond 1000 nm. Impressively,tSPT‐4F based device gives the best performance with a dark current of 4.52 × 10−10A cm−2under reversed bias of −0.1 V, an external quantum efficiency (EQE) response over 48% at 1010 nm, a detectivity of 1.25 × 1013Jones and a responsibility of 0.40 A W−1at 1010 nm. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the best performed devices reported to date for binary NIR OPDs with response beyond 1000 nm. This study provides a feasible molecular design strategy to develop narrow‐bandgap NFAs with spiro‐conjugation for highly detective NIR OPDs.