bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Path of least recurrence: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of fidaxomicin versus vancomycin for Clostridioides difficile infection
Authors: Liao J. Xin , Appaneal Haley J. , Vicent Martie L. , Vyas Ami , LaPlante Kerry L. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractStudy ObjectiveCurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treatment guidelines recommend either fidaxomicin or vancomycin as first‐line therapy for initial and recurrent CDI. The objective of this study was to compare recurrence rates of fidaxomicin and vancomycin for the treatment of CDI in clinically relevant and real‐world subgroups via systematic review and meta‐analysis.Design & Data SourcesA systematic literature review was performed by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to September 1, 2021, for randomized and observational studies comparing vancomycin and fidaxomicin for CDI treatment in adults. The meta‐analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.4 software (Cochrane Library, Oxford, United Kingdom) using a random‐effects model. The primary end point was CDI recurrence after treatment with fidaxomicin or vancomycin. Subgroup analyses were conducted.Patients, Intervention, Measurements & Main ResultsThe literature search identified six randomized controlled trials and eight observational trials, with a total of 3944 patients (fidaxomicin 32%; vancomycin 68%) included in the meta‐analysis. The mean age of study patients ranged from 46 to 75 years. The CDI recurrence rate was 22.4% (fidaxomicin 16.1%, vancomycin 25.4%). Compared to vancomycin, treatment with fidaxomicin was associated with a 31% reduction in the risk of recurrence (risk ratio 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.52–0.91, I2 = 62%). This reduction in recurrence risk was also seen in subgroup analyses for patients with initial CDI, first recurrent CDI, non‐severe and severe CDI, and in both inpatient and outpatient settings.ConclusionOur systematic review and meta‐analysis found fidaxomicin was consistently associated with a lower risk of CDI recurrence than vancomycin. These results confirm CDI guideline recommendations and indicate that fidaxomicin may be preferred over vancomycin to minimize CDI recurrence across multiple clinical scenarios, although further studies are warranted.
Detection of Ecballium elaterium in hedgerow olive orchards using a low‐cost uncrewed aerial vehicle and open‐source algorithms
Authors: Torres‐Sánchez Jorge , Mesas‐Carrascosa Francisco Javier , Pérez‐Porras Fernando , López‐Granados Francisca 
Published: October 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDEcballium elaterium (common name: squirting cucumber) is an emerging weed problem in hedgerow or superintensive olive groves under no tillage. It colonizes the inter‐row area infesting the natural or sown cover crops, and is considered a hard‐to‐control weed. Research in other woody crops has shown E. elaterium has a patchy distribution, which makes this weed susceptible to design a site‐specific control strategy only addressed to E. elaterium patches. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a methodology based on the analysis of imagery acquired with an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) to detect and map E. elaterium infestations in hedgerow olive orchards.RESULTSThe study was conducted in two superintensive olive orchards, and the images were taken using a UAV equipped with an RGB sensor. Flights were conducted on two dates: in May, when there were various weeds infesting the orchard, and in September, when E. elaterium was the only infesting weed. UAV‐orthomosaics in the first scenario were classified using random forest models, and the orthomosaics from September with E. elaterium as the only weed, were analyzed using an unsupervised algorithm. In both cases, the overall accuracies were over 0.85, and the producer's accuracies for E. elaterium ranged between 0.74 and 1.00.CONCLUSIONThese results allow the design of a site‐specific and efficient herbicide control protocol which would represent a step forward in sustainable weed management. The development of these algorithms in free and open‐source software fosters their application in small and medium farms. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Effects of film tension and contamination on the seal quality of flexible food packaging films made of polypropylene and low density polyethylene blends containing talc filler
Authors: Ilhan Ilknur , ten Klooster Roland , Gibson Ian 
Published: October 2022

Seal integrity and seal strength are important requirements in the heat sealing of flexible packaging. In this article, the influence of talc compounds and different process parameters, such as film tension and contamination on the sealant films consisting of polypropylene and low‐density polyethylene blend were investigated. According to the results, increasing the talc ratio from 0% wt to 30% wt positively influenced both hot and cold seal strength. Among different polymer blends having same talc ratio, the sample having the lowest melt flow index (2.84 dg/min at 230°C and 2.16 kg) showed the highest cold seal strength with 9.07 N/25 mm. On the other hand, in the samples with higher melt flow indexes, less seal integrity issues were observed in the presence of contaminants. Elevated film tensions from 0 to 0.4 N/mm2 enhanced the seal strengths significantly at the seal initiation temperatures of each film. However, this situation changed at higher operating temperatures due to the increased orientation and brittleness. Besides, in the presence of contaminant coffee particles at the seal interphase, high film tensions adversely affected the seal integrity since the average leakage increased 2.7% for samples A and B, and 7.4% for sample C. In summary, it has been shown that talc incorporation can improve seal strength, high MFI can fill the gaps at the seal interphase and the high levels of film tension (above 0.16 N/mm2) during sealing as well as the contamination need to be avoided to ensure integrity sealing.
Remote Phase Sensing by Coherent Single Photon Addition
Authors: Biagi Nicola , Francesconi Saverio , Gessner Manuel , Bellini Marco , Zavatta Alessandro 
Published: October 2022

AbstractA remote phase sensing scheme is proposed, inspired by the high sensitivity of the entanglement produced by coherent multimode photon addition on the phase set in the remote heralding apparatus. By exploring the case of delocalized photon addition over two modes containing identical coherent states, the optimal observable to perform remote phase estimation from heralded quadrature measurements is derived. The technique is experimentally tested with calibration measurements and then used for estimating a remote phase with a sensitivity that is found to scale with the intensity of the local coherent states, which never interacted with the sample.
Collision‐induced dissociation as “mass spectrometric filter” for rapid screening of tetrapyrrole derivatives and their chelated metal species in complex biological and environmental samples
Authors: Liu Xiao‐Lei 
Published: October 2022

RationaleCyclic tetrapyrroles, such as chlorophylls and their diagenetic derivatives, are structurally diverse and often chelated with certain metal species in the natural environment. A high throughput analytical method enabling quick tetrapyrrole screening in complex samples will promote the study of tetrapyrrole biogeochemistry and probably discoveries of new tetrapyrroles.MethodsTotal lipid extracts of biological and environmental samples were injected onto a C18 column to separate compounds with a reverse‐phase gradient. Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) was performed at different energy levels, from 40 to 200 eV, on a quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (QTOF‐MS) to identify cyclic tetrapyrroles in complex matrices.ResultsUnder 200 eV CID cyclic tetrapyrroles exhibit a unique fragmentation behavior, the production of fragments larger than 300 Da. Utilizing such feature as a filter to extract product ions in the range of 300–500 Da, various cyclic tetrapyrrole derivatives are readily recognized in all tested biological and environmental samples. The 200 eV CID setup also dissociates chelated to porphyrin metals, including Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and V, as single‐charged ions for direct MS detection.ConclusionsThe 200 eV CID setup provides an efficient approach for the identification of cyclic tetrapyrroles, such as chlorophylls and fossil metalloporphyrins, in complex environmental samples. The direct detection of chelated to porphyrin metal ions with QTOF‐MS shows the potential for compound‐specific metal isotope analysis.
Is it really paid for sustainable development? The economic significance of firms' green practice
Authors: Liu Chang , Deng Bowen 
Published: October 2022

AbstractFirm's green practices and sustainable development strategies are considered to have controversial impacts on its economic performance. Exploring the precise relationship between them can provide a theoretical dimension to the long‐term development of firms and the achievement of national sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this study, the authors apply the recently developed methods to test the economic significance of Chinese firms' sustainable strategies. Specifically, the authors first adopted the ESG score constructed for corporate environmental sustainability management (ESGEnv) as a proxy variable for corporate sustainability strategies and the firms' stock returns as a proxy for corporate economic effects to investigate the economic significance of firms' strategies for sustainable development. The study then confirmed that there has a positive relationship between ESGEnv and the future stock return of firms in general. Finally, the study concluded that ESGEnv can be explained by stochastic volatility, jump risk, short selling restrictions, and arbitrage risk. Furthermore, the robustness tests based on subsample and scenario grouping analysis confirmed the inconsistency in the relationship between the economic returns for the firms and the firms' green practices based their sustainable development strategies. As a result, the study contributed the literatures by clarifying the circumstances in which the firms' sustainable development strategies do have positive impacts on their economic benefits and also by providing the academy even more fuel to the already fierce debates over the firms' economic significances because of their green practices
Efficient Multi‐walled Carbon Nanotubes/Iron Oxide Nanocomposite for the Removal of the Drug Ketoprofen for Wastewater Treatment Applications
Authors: Badran Ismail , Al‐Ejli Maan Omar 
Published: October 2022

AbstractCurrent environmental restrictions, such as the zero liquid discharge policy, require developing new methods to completely remove micropollutants from wastewater. Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are major component of such pollutants. The adsorptive removal of ketoprofen (KP), a widely prescribed NSAID, was studied using a newly synthesized magnetic adsorbent. The maximum adsorption capacity was determined to be 39.2 mg/g with almost 98 % removal for 50 mg/L KP at neutral pH. The adsorption of KP was found to be pH dependent and more efficient in acidic media. The isothermal behavior of the adsorbent followed a sigmoidal behavior and was best fitted to the corresponding‐states equation (CSE). The adsorption was found to follow second‐order kinetics with a half‐life of 4.4 min. The adsorption was also found to be exothermic and therefore it is favorable at low temperatures. The study also showed that the adsorbent can be regenerated for several adsorption‐desorption cycles. The adsorption mechanism was also explored by state‐of‐the‐art periodic quantum theoretical calculations.
Local‐distortional interaction in cold‐formed steel lipped channel beams: Experimental investigation
Authors: Dias Martins André , Camotim Dinar , Borges Dinis Pedro , Chen Man‐Tai , Young Ben 
Published: October 2022

AbstractNominee Professor Eduardo de Arantes e Oliveira Award 2021This paper reports an experimental investigation on the behaviour and strength of cold‐formed high‐strength steel (G450–G500) lipped channel beams susceptible to local–distortional interaction. The experimental campaign comprised 36 tests involving simply supported beams bent about the major axis, exhibiting various ratios between their distortional and local critical buckling moments (from 1.09 to 1.46) and acted by either uniform (20 tests) or non‐uniform (trapezoidal: 16 tests) bending diagrams. The results presented and discussed consist of equilibrium paths, photos providing the evolution of the beam deformed configurations and failure moments. The paper also includes a few remarks on the design, using the Direct Strength Method, of the beams under consideration.
Alfalfa genomic selection for different stress‐prone growing regions
Authors: Annicchiarico Paolo , Nazzicari Nelson , Bouizgaren Abdelaziz , Hayek Taoufik , Laouar Meriem , Cornacchione Monica , Basigalup Daniel , Monterrubio Martin Cristina , Brummer Edward Charles , Pecetti Luciano 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAlfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) selection for stress‐prone regions has high priority for sustainable crop–livestock systems. This study assessed the genomic selection (GS) ability to predict alfalfa breeding values for drought‐prone agricultural sites of Algeria, Morocco, and Argentina; managed‐stress (MS) environments of Italy featuring moderate or intense drought; and one Tunisian site irrigated with moderately saline water. Additional aims were to investigate genotype × environment interaction (GEI) patterns and the effect on GS predictions of three single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling procedures, 12 statistical models that exclude or incorporate GEI, and allele dosage information. Our study included 127 genotypes from a Mediterranean reference population originated from three geographically contrasting populations, genotyped via genotyping‐by‐sequencing and phenotyped based on multi‐year biomass dry matter yield of their dense‐planted half‐sib progenies. The GEI was very large, as shown by 27‐fold greater additive genetic variance × environment interaction relative to the additive genetic variance and low genetic correlation for progeny yield responses across environments. The predictive ability of GS (using at least 37,969 SNP markers) exceeded 0.20 for moderate MS (representing Italian stress‐prone sites) and the sites of Algeria and Argentina while being quite low for the Tunisian site and intense MS. Predictions of GS were complicated by rapid linkage disequilibrium decay. The weighted GBLUP model, GEI incorporation into GS models, and SNP calling based on a mock reference genome exhibited a predictive ability advantage for some environments. Our results support the specific breeding for each target region and suggest a positive role for GS in most regions when considering the challenges associated with phenotypic selection.
Evaluating the association between blood genotype or phenotype and haemoplasma infection in UK and Italian cats
Authors: Spada Eva , Galluzzo Paola , Torina Alessandra , Loria Guido R. , Perego Roberta , Grippi Francesca , Blanda Valeria , Baggiani Luciana , D'Amico Alessia , Pennisi Maria G. , Helps Chris R. , Malik Richard , Westman Mark , Gandolfi Barbara , Spencer Sarah , Proverbio Daniela , Tasker Séverine 
Published: October 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn humans, blood groups are associated with varying prevalence of infections. The aim of this study was to determine if associations exist between the feline AB blood group system and haemoplasma infection.MethodsData from two studies were combined. In the first study, DNA samples from 131 haemoplasma‐infected and 132 haemoplasma‐uninfected UK cats underwent pyrosequencing to determine their blood genotype asAA,Aborbb. In the second study, blood samples from 160 Italian cats of known blood phenotype A, B or AB underwent PCR testing for feline haemoplasma species DNA.ResultsHaemoplasma infection was demonstrated in cats of all phenotypes and genotypes. A significantly higher number ofAbgenotype cats tested positive for overall haemoplasma infection status (p= 0.04) and forMycoplasma haemofelisinfection (p= 0.03).LimitationsHaemoplasma‐infected Italian cats were few, possibly increasing the chance of type II error, and the presence of purebred cats in the sample population may have had a confounding effect.ConclusionsFeline haemoplasmas do not appear to preferentially use either blood type A or B antigens as attachment sites for erythrocyte colonisation. Further investigations in a larger number of haemoplasma‐infected cats of known blood phenotype are warranted to explain the association between genotypeAband haemoplasma infection.
Makerspace Methodologies & Design Principles
Authors: Bjørn Pernille , Menendez-Blanco Maria , Borsotti Valeria 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThefour FemTech design principleswhich underscore all our work are that design artefacts must (1) produce alternative narratives of computer science, which (2) challenge the taken-for-granted assumptions about computer science, by (3) embedding a story into the design while (4) allowing for surprising interactive opportunities. However, before we dive into the details of these principles, we contextualize the principles in the design practices by which they were made.
Application of ARIMA-LSTM for Manufacturing Decarbonization Using 4IR Concepts
Authors: Adenuga Olukorede Tijani , Mpofu Khumbulani , Modise Ragosebo Kgaugelo 
Published: October 2022

AbstractIncreasing climate change concerns call for the manufacturing sector to decarbonize its process by introducing a mitigation strategy. Energy efficiency concepts within the manufacturing process value chain are proportional to the emission reductions, prompting decision makers to require predictive tools to execute decarbonization solutions. Accurate forecasting requires techniques with a strong capability for predicting automotive component manufacturing energy consumption and carbon emission data. In this paper we introduce a hybrid autoregressive moving average (ARIMA)-long short-term memory network (LSTM) model for energy consumption forecasting and prediction of carbon emission within the manufacturing facility using the 4IR concept. The method could capture linear features (ARIMA) and LSTM captures the long dependencies in the data from the nonlinear time series data patterns, Root means square error (RMSE) is used for data analysis comparing the performance of ARIMA which is 448.89 as a single model with ARIMA-LSTM hybrid model as actual (trained) and predicted (test) 59.52 and 58.41 respectively. The results depicted RMSE values of ARIMA-LSTM being extremely smaller than ARIMA, which proves that hybrid ARIMA-LSTM is more suitable for prediction than ARIMA.
Intelligent Robotic Arm Path Planning (IRAP2) Framework to Improve Work Safety in Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) Workspace Using Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) Algorithm
Authors: Wu Xiangqian , Yi Li , Klar Matthias , Hussong Marco , Glatt Moritz , Aurich Jan C. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractIndustrial robots are widely used in manufacturing systems. The places that humans share with robots are called human-robot collaboration (HRC) workspaces. To ensure the safety in HRC workspaces, a collision-avoidance system is required. In this paper, we regard the collision-avoidance as a problem during the robot action trajectory design and propose an intelligent robotic arm path planning (IRAP2) framework. The IRAP2framework is based on the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm because the path planning is a typical continuous control problem in a dynamic environment, and DDPG is well suited for such problems. To test the IRAP2framework, we have studied a HRC workspace in which the robot size is larger than humans. At first, we have applied a physics engine to build a virtual HRC workspace including digital models of a robot and a human. Using this virtual HRC workspace as the environment model, we further trained an agent model using the DDPG algorithm. The trained model can optimize the motion path of the robot to avoid collision with the human.
Energy Efficiency for Manufacturing Using PV, FSC, and Battery-Super Capacitor Design to Enhance Sustainable Clean Energy Load Demand
Authors: Adenuga Olukorede Tijani , Mpofu Khumbulani , Mathenjwa Thobelani 
Published: October 2022

AbstractEnergy efficiency (EE) are recognized globally as a critical solution towards reduction of energy consumption, while the management of global carbon dioxide emission complement climate change. EE initiatives drive is a key factor towards climate change mitigation with variable renewable technologies. The paper aimed to design and simulate photovoltaic (PV), fuel cell stack (FCS) systems, and battery-super capacitor energy storage to enhance sustainable clean energy load demand and provide significant decarbonization potentials. An integration of high volume of data in real-time was obtained and energy mix fraction towards low carbon emission mitigation pathway strategy for grid linked renewables electricity generation was proposed as a solution for the future transport manufacturing energy supplement in South Africa. The interrelationship between energy efficiency and energy intensity variables are envisaged to result in approximately 87.6% of global electricity grid production; electricity energy demand under analysis can reduce the CO2emissions by 0.098 metric tons and CO2savings by 99.587 per metric tons. The scope serves as a fundamental guideline for future studies in the future transport manufacturing with provision of clean energy and sufficient capacity to supply the demand for customers within the manufacturing.
The Circular Economy Competence of the Manufacturing Sector — A Case Study
Authors: Adlin Nillo , Lanz Minna , Lohtander Mika 
Published: October 2022

AbstractCircular economy refers to the intention to overcome the problems in the current production and consumption model. The current model is based on continuous growth and an increasing efficient resource utilization among the industry. Within the circular economy, an organizations are expected to minimize material and energy use, and by design and action reduce the environmental deterioration without restricting economic growth or social and technical progress. This development has been undertaken in many industries, especially in consumer-related businesses, many examples are well documented. However, there are only few studies available concerning the current circular economy activities in the manufacturing industry or their potential. The main goal of this paper is to identify and validate the circular economy readiness between communication and actual action in the circular economy business in manufacturing companies in a regional context. The results of this study will show the capabilities of the manufacturing industry to do business in regional circular economy activities. Two conclusions can be made. Firstly, the results of regional circular economy activities bring valuable information for academics, policymakers, and manufacturing companies. Secondly, the regional baseline of the circular economy can help highlight the current situation and identify the business areas which the next actions should be targeted at.