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2. Chronic pancreatitis for the clinician. Part 2: Treatment and follow-up. Interdisciplinary position paper of the Societat Catalana de Digestologia and the Societat Catalana de Pàncrees
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Xavier Molero, Àngels Ginès, Lucas Ilzarbe, Teresa Serrano, Juli Busquets, Anna Casteràs, Carme Loras, Juan Ramón Ayuso, Gloria Fernàndez Esparrach, Mar Concepción, Esther Fort, Silvia Salord, Jorge J. Olsina, Miquel Masachs, Borobia Fg, Xavier Merino, Eva Cristina Vaquero, Joaquim Balsells, Jaume Boadas, Valentí Puig-Diví, and Míriam Cuatrecasas
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Abdominal pain ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency ,Interventional radiology ,General Medicine ,Evidence-based medicine ,medicine.disease ,Genetic mutations ,Therapeutic approach ,Diabetes mellitus ,Quality of life (healthcare) ,Health care ,medicine ,Pancreatitis ,Position paper ,Intensive care medicine ,business ,Chronic pancreatitis - Abstract
Chronic pancreatitis is associated with impaired quality of life, high incidence of comorbidities, serious complications and mortality. Healthcare costs are exorbitant. Some medical societies have developed guidelines for treatment based on scientific evidence, but the gathered level of evidence for any individual topic is usually low and, therefore, recommendations tend to be vague or weak. In the present position papers on chronic pancreatitis from the Societat Catalana de Digestologia and the Societat Catalana de Pàncrees we aimed at providing defined position statements for the clinician based on updated review of published literature and on multidisciplinary expert agreement. The final goal is to propose the use of common terminology and rational diagnostic/therapeutic circuits based on current knowledge. To this end 51 sections related to chronic pancreatitis were reviewed by 21 specialists from 6 different fields to generate 88 statements altogether. Statements were designed to harmonize concepts or delineate recommendations. Part 2 of these paper series discuss topics on treatment and follow-up. The therapeutic approach should include assessment of etiological factors, clinical manifestations and complications. The complexity of these patients advocates for detailed evaluation in multidisciplinary committees where conservative, endoscopic, interventional radiology or surgical options are weighed. Specialized multidisciplinary units of Pancreatology should be constituted. Indications for surgery are refractory pain, local complications, and suspicion of malignancy. Enzyme replacement therapy is indicated if evidence of exocrine insufficiency or after pancreatic surgery. Response should be evaluated by nutritional parameters and assessment of symptoms. A follow-up program should be planned for every patient with chronic pancreatitis. © 2021 Elsevier España, S.L.U.
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- 2022
3. Soil phosphorus fractionation after co-applying biochar and paper mill biosolids
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Bernard Gagnon, Xiangru Zhang, Noura Ziadi, and Eric Manirakiza
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Soil conditioner ,Biosolids ,business.industry ,Biochar ,Soil phosphorus ,Soil Science ,Environmental science ,Paper mill ,Fractionation ,business ,Pulp and paper industry - Abstract
In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the recycling of organic materials such as paper mill biosolids (PB) and biochar for use as soil amendments. However, the benefits of co-application of PB and biochar and its effects on soil phosphorus (P) availability remain unknown. An incubation study was conducted on two acidic soils to assess the effect of two PB types (2.5% w/w) co-applied with three rates (0%, 2.5%, and 5% w/w) of pine (Pinus strobus L.) biochar on soil P fractions. An unfertilized control and a mineral NP fertilizer were used as a reference. Soil P fractions were determined by Hedley procedure after 2 and 16 wk of incubation. Material fractionation indicated that the PB containing the highest total P and the lowest Al content had the highest proportion of labile P, whereas most P in the biochar was in a stable form. The incubation study revealed that the P-rich PB increased P availability in both soils to a level comparable to mineral fertilizer at the end of the incubation. The addition of biochar to PB, however, did not affect soil P availability, but the highest rate induced a conversion of P fixed to Al and Fe oxides towards recalcitrant forms, particularly in the sandy loam soil. We conclude that co-applying biochar and PB could be more beneficial than application biochar alone and soils amended with such a mixture would be expected to release part of their P slowly over a longer period of time.
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- 2022
4. Management of Incidental Thyroid Nodules on Chest CT: Using Natural Language Processing to Assess White Paper Adherence and Track Patient Outcomes
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Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner, Steven Dondlinger, and Ryan G. Short
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Thyroid nodules ,Chest ct ,Thyroid ultrasound ,computer.software_genre ,030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,White paper ,Chart review ,medicine ,Humans ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Thyroid Nodule ,Natural Language Processing ,Retrospective Studies ,Incidental Findings ,business.industry ,Ultrasound ,Nodule (medicine) ,medicine.disease ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Artificial intelligence ,medicine.symptom ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,business ,computer ,Natural language processing - Abstract
Objective The purpose of this study was to develop a natural language processing (NLP) pipeline to identify incidental thyroid nodules (ITNs) meeting criteria for sonographic follow-up and to assess both adherence rates to white paper recommendations and downstream outcomes related to these incidental findings. Methods 21583 non-contrast chest CT reports from 2017 and 2018 were retrospectively evaluated to identify reports which included either an explicit recommendation for thyroid ultrasound, a description of a nodule ≥ 1.5 cm, or description of a nodule with suspicious features. Reports from 2018 were used to train an NLP algorithm called fastText for automated identification of such reports. Algorithm performance was then evaluated on the 2017 reports. Next, any patient from 2017 with a report meeting criteria for ultrasound follow-up was further evaluated with manual chart review to determine follow-up adherence rates and nodule-related outcomes. Results NLP identified reports with ITNs meeting criteria for sonographic follow-up with an accuracy of 96.5% (95% CI 96.2-96.7) and sensitivity of 92.1% (95% CI 89.8-94.3). In 10006 chest CTs from 2017, ITN follow-up ultrasound was indicated according to white paper criteria in 81 patients (0.8%), explicitly recommended in 46.9% (38/81) of patients, and obtained in less than half of patients in which it was appropriately recommended (17/35, 48.6%). Discussion NLP accurately identified chest CT reports meeting criteria for ITN ultrasound follow-up. Radiologist adherence to white paper guidelines and subsequent referrer adherence to radiologist recommendations showed room for improvement.
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- 2022
5. A Distance-Based Microfluidic Paper-Based Biosensor for Glucose Measurements in Tear Range
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Mohsen Rabbani and Samira Allameh
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Paper ,Materials science ,business.industry ,Microfluidics ,Glucose Measurement ,Bioengineering ,Biosensing Techniques ,General Medicine ,Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Biochemistry ,Glucose Oxidase ,Paper based biosensor ,Glucose ,Range (statistics) ,Optoelectronics ,business ,Molecular Biology ,Horseradish Peroxidase ,Distance based ,Biotechnology - Abstract
The prevalence of diabetes has increased over the past years. Therefore, developing minimally invasive, user-friendly and cost-effective glucose biosensors is necessary especially in low-income and developing countries. Cellulose paper-based analytical devices have attracted the attention of many researchers due to affordability, not requiring trained personnel, and complex equipment. This paper describes a microfluidic paper-based analytical device for the detection of glucose in tear with the naked eye. The paper-based biosensor fabricated by laser CO2, and GOx/HRP enzymatic solution coupled with TMB was utilized as reagents. A sample volume of 10 µl was needed for the biosensor operation and the results were observable within 5 minutes. To evaluate the device performance, color intensity-based and distance-based results were analyzed by ImageJ and Tracker. Distance-based results showed a linear behavior in the range of 0.1–0.6 mM with an R2 = 0.967 and LOD of 0.2 mM. The results could be perceived by the naked eye without any need to further equipment or trained personnel in a relatively short time (3–5 minutes). Moreover, glucose concentration could be obtained non-invasively by tears collected by this µPAD.
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- 2022
6. Application of spruce wood flour as a cellulosic-based wood additive for recycled paper applications— A pilot paper machine study
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Sandro Zier and Klaus Dölle
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Paper machine ,business.product_category ,Cellulosic ethanol ,Mechanical Engineering ,General Chemical Engineering ,Media Technology ,Environmental science ,General Materials Science ,Wood flour ,General Chemistry ,business ,Pulp and paper industry - Abstract
This study gives a first insight into the use of wood flour as a plant-based and cellulosic-based alter-native additive for newsprint and paperboard production using 100% recycled fibers as a raw material. The study compares four varieties of a spruce wood flour product serving as cellulosic-based additives at addition rates of 2%, 4%, and 6% during operation of a 12-in. laboratory pilot paper machine. Strength properties of the produced newsprint and linerboard products were analyzed. Results suggested that spruce wood flour as a cellulosic-based additive represents a promising approach for improving physical properties of paper and linerboard products made from 100% recycled fiber content. This study shows that wood flour pretreated with a plant-based polysaccharide and untreated spruce wood flour product with a particle size range of 20 μm to 40 μm and 40 μm to 70 μm can increase the bulk and tensile properties in newsprint and linerboard applications.
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- 2021
7. Co-application of wood biochar and paper mill biosolids affects yield and short-term nitrogen and phosphorus availability in temperate loamy soils
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Eric Manirakiza, Bernard Gagnon, and Noura Ziadi
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Biosolids ,business.industry ,Phosphorus ,Land management ,Soil Science ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Paper mill ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Nitrogen ,Agronomy ,chemistry ,Loam ,Biochar ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,Temperate climate ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Environmental science ,business ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Amending croplands with forest residues may help in restoring soil properties in fields subject to intensive land management. Despite their known benefits when applied separately, co-application of wood biochar with paper mill biosolids (PB) has seen little investigation under field conditions. A study was initiated in Québec, QC, Canada, to determine the effect of a single application of wood biochar with and without PB on the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability of two pH-neutral to alkaline loamy soils. Biochar at 0, 10, and 20 Mg dry weight·ha−1 and PB at 30 Mg wet weight·ha−1 were applied before planting of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in 2018. Residual effect of this co-application was determined under soybean and corn in the subsequent year. In both years, corn received supplemental N and P from mineral fertilizers according to local agronomic recommendations. Co-applying biochar and PB reduced soil NO3-N availability in the year of application and decreased corn yield by 1.0 Mg·ha−1 compared with biochar or PB applied alone, but these amendments did not affect soybean yields. In the following year, the previous biochar addition increased soybean yield by 0.6 Mg·ha−1 but had little effect on corn. For both years, biochar addition induced a large increase in soil Mehlich-3 P. This study revealed that wood biochar positively impacted P status of these soils but was not a source of N to crops even when co-applied with PB.
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- 2022
8. Changes in soil pH and nutrient extractability after co-applying biochar and paper mill biosolids
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Noura Ziadi, Hani Antoun, Antoine Karam, Mervin St. Luce, Eric Manirakiza, and Chantal Hamel
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Nutrient ,Biosolids ,business.industry ,Soil pH ,Environmental chemistry ,Biochar ,Soil Science ,Environmental science ,Paper mill ,business - Abstract
Acidification and metal mobility may present challenges in soil receiving paper mill biosolids (PB). Co-applying biochar and PB could help prevent these issues, but its effect must be assessed. The objective of this 224 d incubation study was to evaluate the effect of amending two acidic soils, a clay and sandy loam, with two PB types varying in pH (PB1, pH = 7.80; and PB2, pH = 4.51) co-applied with three rates (0%, 2.5%, and 5% w/w) of pine (Pinus strobus L.) biochar on soil pH and macro- (P, K, Ca, and Mg) and micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn). In both soils, co-applying biochar and PB significantly increased soil pH and extractable K concentration compared with PB-only application, whereas amending with PB significantly increased soil extractable P concentration compared with the unamended soil. In comparison with PB only, co-applying 5% biochar and PB decreased extractable Cu concentration in both soils and extractable Fe concentration in the sandy loam soil. This study showed that co-applying biochar and PB can be more beneficial to agricultural soils than application of PB alone by supplying nutrients and helping prevent metal toxicity by raising pH, especially in acidic sandy soils.
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- 2022
9. In-situ joule heating-triggered nanopores generation in laser-induced graphene papers for capacitive enhancement
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Fu Liu, Guantao Wang, Meihong He, Yanan Wang, Yuxiang Zhu, and Sida Luo
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Fabrication ,Materials science ,business.industry ,Graphene ,Capacitive sensing ,General Chemistry ,Capacitance ,law.invention ,Nanopore ,Amorphous carbon ,law ,Optoelectronics ,General Materials Science ,business ,Joule heating ,Graphene oxide paper - Abstract
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology featuring low-cost, high-efficiency and scalability has presented great advantages in micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) fabrication. However, the limited capacitance of LIG based MSCs is still hindering their further development. Herein, we introduce joule heating as a critical in-situ treatment merged with the assembly of laser-induced graphene paper based MSCs (LIGP-MSCs) toward capacitive enhancement. By increasing heating-treatment temperature from ∼20 to 500 °C, the number of nanopores in LIGP continuously increases, attributed to the gradual decomposition of amorphous carbon components. The resulting joule-heated LIGP (J-LIGP) with improved specific surface area (160.97–533.49 m2/g) and pore volume (0.179–0.553 cm3/g) as well as superhydrophilic surface is highly suitable to be employed as J-LIGP-MSCs microelectrodes. By investigating process dependent performance, the J-LIGP-MSCs heated at 500 °C for 60 min delivers a significantly improved specific areal capacitance (CA) of 13.71 mF/cm2 at 10 mV/s, which is approximately six-fold higher than that of unheated LIGP-MSCs. By further exploring and optimizing the process efficiency, J-LIGP-MSCs with a CA of 12.61 mF/cm2 has been achieved by 550 °C heating for only 5 min. Along with superior mechanical flexibility, cyclability and structural modularity, the proposed in-situ joule heating treatment is finally proved to be a universal approach for consistently enhancing the CA of LIG based MSCs processed under various chemical modifications.
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- 2022
10. White paper on antimicrobial stewardship in solid organ transplant recipients
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Deborah Levine, Michael Spinner, Margaret R. Jorgenson, Jennifer Pisano, Dilek Ince, Helen S. Te, Sarah Kabbani, Miranda So, Stephanie M Pouch, Gopi Patel, Darshana Dadhania, Elizabeth C. Verna, Shahid Husain, Jonathan Hand, Linda Ohler, Graeme Forrest, Erika D. Lease, Lilian M. Abbo, Monica I. Ardura, Rachel Bartash, and Jeffrey D. Edelman
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Transplantation ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Risk of infection ,MEDLINE ,Immunosuppression ,Organ Transplantation ,Tissue Donors ,Transplant Recipients ,United States ,Article ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Antimicrobial Stewardship ,White paper ,medicine ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Antimicrobial stewardship ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Stewardship ,Antibiotic prophylaxis ,Solid organ transplantation ,Intensive care medicine ,business - Abstract
Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have made immense strides in optimizing antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral use in clinical settings. However, although ASPs are required institutionally by regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada, they are not mandated for transplant centers or programs specifically. Despite the fact that solid organ transplant recipients in particular are at increased risk of infections from multidrug-resistant organisms, due to host and donor factors and immunosuppressive therapy, there currently are little rigorous data regarding stewardship practices in solid organ transplant populations, and thus, no transplant-specific requirements currently exist. Further complicating matters, transplant patients have a wide range of variability regarding their susceptibility to infection, as factors such as surgery of transplant, intensity of immunosuppression, and presence of drains or catheters in situ may modify the risk of infection. As such, it is not feasible to have a “one-size-fits-all” style of stewardship for this patient population. The objective of this white paper is to identify opportunities, risk factors, and ASP strategies that should be assessed with solid organ transplant recipients to optimize antimicrobial use, while producing an overall improvement in patient outcomes. We hope it may serve as a springboard for development of future guidance and identification of research opportunities.
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- 2022
11. Pulp and paper industry in energy transition: Towards energy-efficient and low carbon operation in Finland and Sweden
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Satu Lipiäinen, Ekaterina Sermyagina, Esa Vakkilainen, and Katja Kuparinen
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Environmental Engineering ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,business.industry ,020209 energy ,Fossil fuel ,02 engineering and technology ,Energy security ,Energy consumption ,010501 environmental sciences ,Energy transition ,Pulp and paper industry ,7. Clean energy ,01 natural sciences ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,Renewable energy ,Climate change mitigation ,13. Climate action ,Biofuel ,8. Economic growth ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Environmental Chemistry ,Environmental science ,business ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Efficient energy use - Abstract
Mitigation of global warming, energy security and industrial competitiveness urge the energy-intensive pulp and paper industry (PPI) to transform energy use practices. This study investigates how the PPI has responded to the need for the energy transition in the 2000s. Finland and Sweden as forerunners of energy-efficient operation and decarbonization of the PPI are used as target countries. Understanding of changes in energy consumption is complemented using decomposition analysis (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index Method) and the energy efficiency index approach. Analysis of companies’ investments in energy technologies is used for explaining changes in energy production. Evidence of significant development towards the more sustainable operation of the PPI was found. Energy consumption per produced unit has decreased, i.e., energy efficiency has improved. Fossil fuels have been partially replaced with bio-based alternatives. Thus, the CO2 intensity has decreased substantially. The generation of renewable electricity has increased in both countries. Examples of Finland and Sweden indicate that the PPI has great potential to contribute to CO2 emission reduction worldwide in the future as energy efficiency can be further improved, and the share of fossil fuels can be decreased increasing the use of biofuels and self-generated green electricity at least in kraft pulp mills.
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- 2022
12. How Different Carryover Pitch Extractive Components are Affecting Kraft Paper Strength
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Jussi Antero Lahti, Roman Poschner, Andrea Hochegger, Ulrich Hirn, Stefan Spirk, Werner Schlemmer, and Erich Leitner
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Softwood ,business.industry ,Chemistry ,Starch ,General Chemical Engineering ,Papermaking ,Pulp (paper) ,Paper mill ,General Chemistry ,engineering.material ,Pulp and paper industry ,Article ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Kraft process ,engineering ,business ,QD1-999 ,Kraft paper ,Unsaturated fatty acid - Abstract
We present how harmful different wood extractives carried over to paper mill with unbleached softwood Kraft pulp are for the strength of packaging papers and boards. The investigations were done by simulating industrial papermaking conditions in laboratory-scale trials for handsheet production. It was found that fatty acids are the most relevant compounds in the carryover pitch extractives (CPEs), as they readily interfere in fiber–fiber bonding strength, control the properties of CPE micelles, and are furthermore the most abundant compounds. Addition of cationic starch improved strength and evened out the strength differences of handsheets with different CPE compounds. Oleic acid (unsaturated fatty acid) was an exception, as it was above average harmful for paper strength without cationic starch and also heavily impaired the functioning of cationic starch. As a whole, these findings demonstrate that fatty acids, especially unsaturated ones, are the most relevant CPE compounds contributing to the reduced efficiency of cationic starch and decreased strength of unbleached softwood Kraft paper. This makes the cleaning of process waters by precipitating CPEs on the pulp fibers harmful for paper strength.
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- 2021
13. Eucalyptus Pulp Fibers with In-Situ Precipitated Calcium Carbonate – A 12-Inch Laboratory Paper Machine Study
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Bardhyl Bajrami and Klaus Dölle
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In situ ,Materials science ,business.product_category ,Pulp (paper) ,engineering.material ,Pulp and paper industry ,Eucalyptus ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Calcium carbonate ,Paper machine ,chemistry ,Filler (materials) ,engineering ,Precipitated calcium carbonate ,business ,Refining (metallurgy) - Abstract
Paper manufacturing on a global scale is a highly competitive market which requires to constantly improve the manufacturing process to be competitive. To decrease production cost paper manufactures, add filler material prior to sheet forming to replace costly wood fiber based raw material. This research project investigates the use of in-situ precipitated calcium carbonate produced in the presence of eucalyptus fiber material at a 41.0% filler level prior to beating. The in-situ filler containing eucalyptus fiber suspension was used on a 12’ (304mm) wide Laboratory Fourdrinier Paper Machine together with non-filler containing eucalyptus fiber material, and a commercial precipitated calcium carbonate filler material. The manufactured in-situ fiber suspension resulted in a higher ash retention compared to the addition of the powdered commercial PCC filler material. In addition to commercial filler material retention is improved at higher filler addition above 30%. The increased ash retention is linked to the increased micro fibrillation fiber material of the in-situ filler-fiber suspension forming neckless like particles on the fibers microfibrils. Mechanical paper properties showed an improvement for in-situ precipitated filler material compared to commercial filler material addition. Optical properties could be improved in comparison to the eucalyptus fiber without filler addition for in-situ precipitated filler material and a combination of in-situ and commercial filler material.
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- 2021
14. The palliative clinical specialist radiation therapist: A CAMRT White Paper
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Nicole Harnett, Natalie Rozanec, and Carrie Lavergne
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Radiological and Ultrasound Technology ,Palliative Radiation Therapy ,business.industry ,Radiation Therapist ,media_common.quotation_subject ,medicine.medical_treatment ,food and beverages ,Cancer ,medicine.disease ,Radiation therapy ,White paper ,Health care ,medicine ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Quality (business) ,Incurable cancer ,Intensive care medicine ,business ,media_common - Abstract
Palliative radiation therapy (pRT) is an effective tool for people with incurable cancer, in the treatment of many cancer-related symptoms such as pain, bleeding and dyspnea. As utilization rates for palliative radiation therapy increase, the demands on the healthcare system continue to grow. Radiation Therapists with advanced knowledge, skills and judgements began demonstrating their ability to practice autonomously in 2004, with the development of the Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT) role. Since this time, CSRTs with a specific focus in pRT (pCSRT) have been increasing in both numbers as well as their positive effects on the cancer care system. Integrating a pCSRT into the existing pRT system has resulted in increased access to and quality of pRT being delivered to palliative cancer patients. The benefits of the addition of pCSRTs to the cancer care system include increasing system capacity and increasing quality of care. This white paper provides information related to the improvements that can be realized in a RT program related to the care and treatment of its palliative patients by adding a pCSRT to the interprofessional healthcare team and suggest it as one of many strategies that can be undertaken to make improvements to access and quality of care.
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- 2021
15. Diagnostic approach to neonatal and infantile cholestasis: A position paper by the SIGENP liver disease working group
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Maurizio Fuoti, Mara Cananzi, Giulia Paolella, Manila Candusso, Paola Francalanci, Lidia Monti, Emanuele Nicastro, Lorenzo D'Antiga, Carlo Dionisi Vici, Michele Pinon, Lorenza Matarazzo, Irene Degrassi, P. Gaio, Angelo Di Giorgio, Giusy Ranucci, Pier Luigi Calvo, Giuseppe Indolfi, Claudia Mandato, Fabio Mosca, Pietro Vajro, Maria Pia Bondioni, Maria Iascone, Maria Grazia Clemente, Federica Nuti, Marco Sciveres, Jean de Ville de Goyet, Claudia Della Corte, Marco Spada, Chiara Grimaldi, Federica Ferrari, Gabriella Nebbia, Giuseppe Maggiore, Fabio Fusaro, Daniele Serranti, Daniele Alberti, Fabiola Di Dato, Paola Roggero, Raffaele Iorio, and Giovanni Boroni
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Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Genetic liver disease ,Alagille syndrome ,Biliary atresia ,Diagnosis ,Inborn errors of metabolism ,Jaundice ,Monogenic liver disease ,Newborn ,Female ,Gastroenterology ,Humans ,Infant ,Infant, Newborn ,Cholestasis ,Evidence-Based Medicine ,Infant, Newborn, Diseases ,Practice Guidelines as Topic ,Diseases ,Disease ,Liver disease ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Intensive care medicine ,Hepatology ,business.industry ,medicine.disease ,Etiology ,Position paper ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Neonatal and infantile cholestasis (NIC) can represent the onset of a surgically correctable disease and of a genetic or metabolic disorder worthy of medical treatment. Timely recognition of NIC and identification of the underlying etiology are paramount to improve outcomes. Upon invitation by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), an expert working grouped was formed to formulate evidence-based positions on current knowledge about the diagnosis of NIC. A systematic literature search was conducted to collect evidence about epidemiology, etiology, clinical aspects and accuracy of available diagnostic tests in NIC. Evidence was scored using the GRADE system. All recommendations were approved by a panel of experts upon agreement of at least 75% of the members. The final document was approved by all the panel components. This position document summarizes the collected statements and defines the best-evidence diagnostic approach to cholestasis in the first year of life.
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- 2022
16. Cash Holdings, Commercial Paper and Liquidity
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Kelly Oniha
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Commercial paper ,Cash holdings ,Business ,Monetary economics ,Market liquidity - Abstract
Managing Liquidity has seldom been being as vital as it has during the Covid-19 era. The financial impact of Covid-19 has left many firms on the brink of liquidation. This paper explores the effect cash holdings has had on Profitability of the firm and how it compares with commercial paper between the pre-Covid-19 era and the Covid-19 era. This paper employs and compares the ordinary least square regression between these eras. I find that firms are less liquid during the Covid-19 period compared to the pre-covid period. More importantly, I find that Liquidity has been more critical to a firm's Profitability during Covid-19 era compared to pre-covid 19 periods. Furthermore, Cash holdings represent a significant chunk of Liquidity. However, these Cash holdings dropped by a little in the covid-19 era. Finally, I find that both commercial paper and cash holdings are used as complements. However, this result is weakly supported during the pre-covid period.
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- 2021
17. Energy efficiency challenges in pulp and paper manufacturing: A tutorial review
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Martin A. Hubbe
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Exergy ,Environmental Engineering ,business.industry ,Computer science ,Pulp (paper) ,Bioengineering ,engineering.material ,Product (business) ,Cellulosic ethanol ,Process integration ,Pinch analysis ,engineering ,Electricity ,Process engineering ,business ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Efficient energy use - Abstract
The pulp and paper industry is highly energy-intensive. In mills that use chemical pulping, roughly half of the higher heating value of the cellulosic material used to manufacture the product typically is incinerated to generate steam and electricity that is needed to run the processes. Additional energy, much of it non-renewable, needs to be purchased. This review considers publications describing steps that pulp and paper facilities can take to operate more efficiently. Savings can be achieved, for instance, by minimizing unnecessary losses in exergy, which can be defined as the energy content relative to a standard ambient condition. Throughout the long series of unit operations comprising the conversion of wood material to sheets of paper, there are large opportunities to more closely approach a hypothetical ideal performance by following established best-practices.
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- 2021
18. Importance of public‐private partnerships for nutrition support research: An ASPEN Position Paper
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Van S. Hubbard, Elizabeth J. Dye, Faith Ottery, Mary E. Russell, Seema Kumbhat, Allison Blackmer, Charles M. Mueller, Justine M. Turner, Sandra Wolfe Citty, Satya Jonnalagadda, Yimin Chen, Wes Cetnarowski, Gordon S. Sacks, and Krysmaru Araujo Torres
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Adult ,Parenteral Nutrition ,Government ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,business.industry ,Research ,Conflict of interest ,Infant ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Public relations ,Public-Private Sector Partnerships ,Transparency (behavior) ,United States ,Public–private partnership ,Enteral Nutrition ,Parenteral nutrition ,Development studies ,Public trust ,Humans ,Position paper ,Child ,business ,health care economics and organizations - Abstract
Parenteral and enteral nutrition support are key components of care for various medical and physiological conditions in infants, children, and adults. Nutrition support practices have advanced over time, driven by the goals of safe and sufficient delivery of needed nutrients and improved patient outcomes. These advances have been, and continue to be, dependent on research and development studies. Such studies address aspects of enteral and parenteral nutrition support: formulations, delivery devices, health outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and related metabolism. The studies are supported by public funding from the government and by private funding from foundations and from the nutrition support industry. To build public trust in nutrition support research findings, it is important to underscore ethical research conduct and reporting of results for all studies, including those with industry sponsors. In 2019, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition's (ASPEN's) Board of Directors established a task force to ensure integrity in nutrition support research that is done as collaborative partnerships between the public (government and individuals) and private groups (foundations, academia, and industry). In this ASPEN Position Paper, the Task Force presents principles of ethical research to guide administrators, researchers, and funders. The Task Force identifies ways to curtail bias and to minimize actual or perceived conflict of interests, as related to funding sources and research conduct. Notably, this paper includes a Position Statement to describe the Task Force's guidance on Public-Private Partnerships for research and funding. This paper has been approved by the ASPEN Board of Directors.
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- 2021
19. Ireland's White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Support Service (2021) and the ‘sticky’ discourse of control
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Liam Coakley
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Service (business) ,Direct Provision ,Government ,White paper ,Control (management) ,General Social Sciences ,Business ,Plan (drawing) ,Public administration - Abstract
The Government of Ireland has published its plan to reorder the infrastructure it uses to accommodate and support migrants seeking International Protection (IP) in Ireland. This policy document - entitled The White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Support Service - was published on 26th February, 2021. The White Paper proposes to replace Ireland's current but discredited system with a new IP accommodation and support process – to be entitled Ireland's International Protection Support Service. This new system is intended to “treat all applicants to the process with dignity and respect” (Government of Ireland, 2021: 7). Dissonances exist, however. The discursive framing of the IPSS and the spatialities inherent in the proposals suggest a potential rearticulation of state control rather that a diminution of same. I turn to the work of scholars inspired by Giorgio Agamben to help situate the spatialities of this shift, and suggest that the current ‘white paper’ should simply be seen as a mechanism deployed the Government of Ireland to ensure that its bio-political command and control processes can migrate from the spatially-defined set of control environments currently in effect to a diffuse construction of a spatially networked series of deterritorialised indistinctions.
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- 2021
20. Vaccination against COVID-19 for patients with primary immunodeficiency and hereditary angioedema: the position paper of the Russian Association of Allergology, Clinical Immunology, and the National Association of Experts in Primary Immunodeficiencies
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Elena A. Latysheva, Anna Shcherbina, Tatiana V. Latysheva, Musa R. Khaitov, Daria Fomina, Natalya I. Ilyina, Evgeniya V. Nazarova, Irina Kondratenko, and Irina A. Manto
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Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Angioedema ,business.industry ,Context (language use) ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,Vaccination ,Hereditary angioedema ,Pandemic ,Primary immunodeficiency ,Medicine ,Position paper ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Coronavirus - Abstract
Since the end of 2019, the whole world has been seized by the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. To date, the infection has led to more than 4 million deaths worldwide, and to more than 140 thousand deaths in Russia. COVID-19 (abbreviation for COronaVIrus Disease 2019) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Vaccination against COVID-19 plays a key role in stopping the pandemic. According to existing experience in infections prevention, mass vaccination will reduce the virus’s expansion and the risk of vaccine-resistant strains’ development. In the context of the COVID-19 the question of the feasibility and safety of vaccination of patients with Primary Immunodeficiency and Hereditary Angioedema arises. The Russian Association of Allergists and Clinical Immunologists and the National Association of Experts in Primary Immunodeficiencies have developed and approved a position paper on vaccination of patients with Primary Immunodeficiency and Hereditary Angioedema against COVID-19. This position paper provides answers to key questions regarding the vaccination of patients with these diseases.
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- 2021
21. DYNAMICS OF THE BACTERIOPLANKTON STATE IN THE SHCHUCHIY BAY OF LAKE LADOGA AFTER THE CLOSURE OF THE PRIOZERSKY PULP AND PAPER MILL
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L. L. Kapustina, G. G. Mitrukova, and E. A. Kurashov
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Hydrology ,Ecology ,business.industry ,Pulp (paper) ,Closure (topology) ,Paper mill ,Bacterioplankton ,engineering.material ,engineering ,Environmental science ,business ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Bay ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
Introduction. The Shchuchiy Bay is located in the western part of the skerry area of Lake Ladoga near the town of Priozersk. For almost 20 years, the bay has experienced an anthropogenic impact from the ingress of untreated wastewater from the Priozersk Pulp and Paper Mill (PPM). Systematic microbiological studies of the Shchuchiy Bay ecosystem were started in the middle of the 1970s by the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and continued after the PPM closure in 1986. Materials and methods. The ecosystem of the bay was studied in detail during the growing season of 2013–2014; periodic studies were carried out in 2015–2018. Retrospective data were also used for the analysis. Water samples were taken at four stations from the surface horizon. The following microbiological indicators were determined: the abundance of bacterioplankton and the percentages of various morphological types of bacterial cells. Results and discussion. A comparison of the quantitative level of development of the bacterial community in the bay in different periods showed a gradual decrease in the abundance of bacterioplankton as the anthropogenic impact weakened after the closure of the Priozersky PPM from 12.40 million cells ml–1 in 1987 to an average value of 2.62±1.03 million cells ml–1 in 2013–2018. A positive correlation was found between the concentration of bacteria and water temperature. The percentage of rod-shaped microorganisms in the water of the bay also decreased as the anthropogenic impact weakened from 73.4 % in 1987 to 53.1±7.6 % in 2013–2018, which indicated an improvement in water quality. Conclusion. A stable decrease in the abundance of bacteria from the level characteristic of highly polluted and eutrophic water bodies to the level characteristic of mesotrophic and mesotrophic-eutrophic water bodies is a reliable criterion for the restoration of the ecosystem of the Shchuchiy Bay to the state characteristic of similar bays of Lake Ladoga.
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- 2021
22. Performance of Modified Anaerobic Hybrid Baffled (MAHB) bioreactor treating recycled paper mill effluent: Effects of organic loading rates
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Siti Roshayu Hassan and Irvan Dahlan
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business.industry ,Bioreactor ,Environmental science ,Paper mill ,business ,Pulp and paper industry ,Anaerobic exercise ,Effluent - Abstract
The performance of modified anaerobic hybrid baffled (MAHB) bioreactor treating recycled paper mill effluent (RPME) was investigated at various organic loading rates (OLR) of 1, 2, 3 and 4 g COD/ L.day. The bioreactor was operated continuously at constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of a day without effluent recycled and chemicals adjustment/addition. Throughout 70 days of operation, a maximum removal efficiency up to 97% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 98% of volatile fatty acid, biogas production of 12.51 L/day equivalent to methane (CH4) yield of 0.108L CH4/ g COD and a stable pH system between 6.6 to 7.2 were achieved. Additionally, alkalinity of the bioreactor system shows a stable profile that indicates the whole system was well buffered with a quit high degradation of volatile solid (VS) up to 18%. These results indicated that MAHB bioreactor has been successfully treated RPME at various OLR.
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- 2021
23. Recommendations for photoprotection of parenteral nutrition for premature infants: An ASPEN position paper
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Austin Michalski, Liliia Gutsul, Phil Ayers, Gordon S. Sacks, Daniel T. Robinson, Barbara Fleming, Beverly Holcombe, and Kathleen M. Gura
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Parenteral Nutrition ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Infant, Premature, Diseases ,Health outcomes ,Patient safety ,Enteral Nutrition ,medicine ,Humans ,Child ,Intensive care medicine ,Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,business.industry ,Infant, Newborn ,Infant ,Retinopathy of prematurity ,medicine.disease ,United States ,Parenteral nutrition ,Bronchopulmonary dysplasia ,Photoprotection ,Necrotizing enterocolitis ,Position paper ,business ,Infant, Premature - Abstract
Although crucial in improving health outcomes in the preterm infants, parenteral nutrition (PN) is not without risk, especially if handled improperly. A growing body of evidence suggests that components of PN admixtures, including lipid injectable emulsions (ILEs), are susceptible to degradation, including oxidation when exposed to light (ie, photo-oxidation), resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species. Infants, especially those born preterm, are considered more susceptible to consequences of oxidative stress than children and adults. Oxidative stress is associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and intestinal failure-associated liver disease. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) assembled a working group to provide recommendations on clinical practice surrounding photoprotection of PN.This Position Paper reviews the scientific literature on the formation of quantifiable peroxides and other degradation products when PN admixtures and ILEs are exposed to light and reports adverse clinical outcomes in premature infants exposed to PN. Recommendations for photoprotection of PN admixtures and ILEs are provided, as well as the challenges in achieving complete photoprotection with the equipment, supplies, and materials currently available in the US. ASPEN and the authors understand that the full implementation of complete photoprotection may not currently be feasible given current product availability; recommendations provided in this paper serve to represent the goal to which to strive as well as to highlight the importance of product availability to achieve these practices. This paper has been approved by the ASPEN Board of Directors.
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- 2021
24. Water Quality Assessment of Paper Mills Effluent Discharge Areas
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Md. Shakilur Zaman Shakil and M. G. Mostafa
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Pollution ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Aquatic ecosystem ,General Engineering ,Environmental engineering ,Paper mill ,Bioaccumulation ,Environmental science ,Water quality ,business ,Effluent ,Surface water ,Groundwater ,media_common - Abstract
The study attempted to assess the water quality around paper mill effluents discharge areas. Several physicochemical parameters and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Water Quality Index (WQI) were considered to determine the pollution level of surface and groundwater in the selected paper mills areas located in Saidpur, Gobindaganj, and Dupchanchia Upazilas of Bangladesh. Physicochemical characterization of the surface water around the paper mills areas showed that the concentration of EC, TSS, BOD5, COD, phenols, NO3−-N, and K+were exceeded the surface water standard, whereas the DO level ranged from 1.63 to 3.5 were found below the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR), 1997 standard. Besides, the BOD, COD, and Mn ion concentrations of groundwater exceeded the drinking water standard. In most sampling sites, the WQI of the surface water showed ‘marginal’ category, and the groundwater quality showed 'fair' category. The study observed that the toxic effluents discharged from the paper mills caused harm to the aquatic ecosystem.
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- 2021
25. Preparation of paper-based conductive pattern for 3D printing
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Zhang Zhuoqing, Zhao Chenfei, Bo Qian, and Jun Wang
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Materials science ,business.industry ,General Physics and Astronomy ,3D printing ,Nanotechnology ,Paper based ,business ,Electrical conductor - Abstract
With the development of printed electronics technology, the demand for printed conductive inks had also put forward higher standards. The shortcomings of traditional printed circuit boards, such as complex technology, consumables, and pollution, had also been resolved with the development of 3D printing technology. In this paper, low-content silver nanoparticles were blended with graphene alcohol slurry and dissolved in a non-polluting solvent such as absolute ethanol. The synergistic effect of the composite of the hexagonal structure of the graphene sheet and the silver nanoparticles improved the ink’s performance of electrical conductivity, adding water-based polyurethane/acrylic resin system to improve the adhesion between ink and paper. The conductive ink can be used to 3D print circuit circuits on paper. After drying, the resistance was measured. After the battery, diode, and switch were connected, a circuit diagram was made. After pressing the diode emits was lighted. This work is expected to be applied to flexible circuit boards to provide basic research.
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- 2023
26. Pulling-Force Spinning Top for Serum Separation Combined with Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices in COVID-19 ELISA Diagnosis
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Ji Qi, Anyuan Sun, Dan Zhao, Haopeng Fang, Baolong Wang, Jianping Weng, Fanwu Gong, Bofeng Li, Huan Ma, Qiangsheng Li, Lianxin Liu, Jinglong Han, Bowei Li, Tengchuan Jin, Hua-xing Wei, Liu Liu, Hongliang He, Cuichen Ma, and Xucai Zheng
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COVID-19 diagnosis ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Microfluidics ,anti-RBD antibody ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Bioengineering ,Antibodies, Viral ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Article ,COVID-19 Testing ,Lab-On-A-Chip Devices ,serum separation ,medicine ,Humans ,Pull force ,microfluidic devices ,Instrumentation ,Spinning ,Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Human blood ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Process Chemistry and Technology ,COVID-19 ,Paper based ,Immunoassay ,business ,paper-based ELISA ,Biomedical engineering - Abstract
The spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), resulting in a global pandemic with around four million deaths. Although there are a variety of nucleic acid-based tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2, these methods have a relatively high cost and require expensive supporting equipment. To overcome these limitations and improve the efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, we developed a microfluidic platform that collected serum by a pulling-force spinning top and paper-based microfluidic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative IgA/IgM/IgG measurements in an instrument-free way. We further validated the paper-based microfluidic ELISA analysis of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgA/IgM/IgG antibodies from human blood samples as a good measurement with higher sensitivity compared with traditional IgM/IgG detection (99.7% vs 95.6%) for early illness onset patients. In conclusion, we provide an alternative solution for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in a portable manner by this smart integration of pulling-force spinning top and paper-based microfluidic immunoassay.
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- 2021
27. Agricultural Residues as an Alternative Source of Fibre for the Production of Paper in Kenya-A Review
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Morelly Adalla, Boniface Oure, Fredrick Onyango Ogutu, John Odhiambo Otieno, and Treezer Nelly Okumu
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stomatognathic diseases ,stomatognathic system ,Chemistry ,Agriculture ,business.industry ,Management of Technology and Innovation ,Pulp (paper) ,engineering ,Production (economics) ,engineering.material ,Pulp and paper industry ,business - Abstract
The pulp and paper industry is primarily dependent on fibrous wood for pulp and paper production. However, this over-dependence on fibrous wood poses serious environmental challenges such as the diminishing of the fibrous wood stocks, deforestation, emission of greenhouse gases, and global warming. Therefore, to mitigate these environmental challenges associated with its utilization for paper and pulp production, other sustainable raw material sources can also be considered for the production of paper and pulp. There are enormous benefits associated with the utilization of non-wood fibres as an alternative and sustainable raw materials source for the production of paper and pulp. These benefits have in the recent past prompted millers in China, India, Brazil, and the USA to consider the utilization of non-wood fibres in paper and pulp production. In Kenya, the pulp and paper industry is very much dependent on fibrous wood for production and the industry is yet to fully embrace the utilization of nonwood fibres for paper and pulp production. Further, the dependence on fibrous wood has contributed significantly to the decline of paper pulp and paper production, deforestation, and rise in paper importations due to insufficient raw material supplies. The importation of paper and pulp products has further led to the collapse of the paper industry in Kenya. The sector stands a chance of revival and vibrancy through the utilization of the abundant agricultural residues and feedstocks lying in the agricultural fields across the country. Similar experiences elsewhere have proved that the abundance of agricultural waste can be utilized for the production of paper and pulp due to their excellent fibre content for specialty papers, and easy pulpability. The agricultural residues are therefore considered a quintessential alternative and sustainable source of raw materials for the pulp and paper industry. Moreover, their utilization will mitigate environmental impacts such as deforestation, climate change, and pollution .
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- 2021
28. From wastes to functions: A paper mill sludge-based calcium-containing porous biochar adsorbent for phosphorus removal
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Rongrong Miao, Zhijuan Wang, Qingqing Guan, Liang He, and Ping Ning
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Langmuir ,Municipal solid waste ,chemistry.chemical_element ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Biomaterials ,Colloid and Surface Chemistry ,Adsorption ,Biochar ,Sewage ,Carbonization ,Chemistry ,business.industry ,Phosphorus ,Paper mill ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pulp and paper industry ,0104 chemical sciences ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Kinetics ,Wastewater ,Charcoal ,Calcium ,0210 nano-technology ,business ,Porosity ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
With the increased awareness of reusing solid wastes for higher sustainability and the concern of water pollution associated with phosphorus over-emission, there are strong interests in developing solid waste based adsorbents for purifying phosphorus-containing wastewater. As a rich calcium resource, paper mill sludge (i.e., a major solid waste from pulping industry) can be used as phosphorus removal adsorbent after calcination. Thus, in this work, a simple and clean thermally treating route has been proposed for preparing calcium-containing biochar from paper mill sludge. The effect of the physicochemical properties of paper mill sludge and its carbonization condition on phosphorus adsorption has been analyzed. Moreover, the influence of some key adsorption parameters, e.g., biochar dosage, initial pH of solution, co-existing anions, initial phosphorus concentration and contact time has also been investigated. The results showed that the phosphorus adsorption data could be fitted well with pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal models. The calculated maximum adsorption capacity of the as-prepared optimal calcium-containing biochar could reach to 68.49 mg·g−1 at 25 °C. Combined with the characterization results, it can be reasonably inferred that the adsorption process was chemisorption-dominated. Lastly, the application of this spent adsorbent in agriculture field has also been discussed. In brief, this work provided a feasible strategy for converting paper mill solid waste to an environmental functional material (i.e., calcium-rich biochar) for remediation of eutrophic water.
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- 2021
29. Valorization of pulp and paper industry wastewater using sludge enriched with nitrogen‐fixing bacteria
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Ben D. Allen, Carolina Ospina-Betancourth, Janeth Sanabria, Thomas P. Curtis, Kishor Acharya, and Ian M. Head
- Subjects
Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria ,Paper ,Nitrogen ,Biofertilizer ,Industrial Waste ,chemistry.chemical_element ,02 engineering and technology ,Wastewater ,010501 environmental sciences ,Waste Disposal, Fluid ,complex mixtures ,01 natural sciences ,Bioreactors ,020401 chemical engineering ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,Environmental Chemistry ,0204 chemical engineering ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Effluent ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Sewage ,business.industry ,Ecological Modeling ,food and beverages ,Paper mill ,Pulp and paper industry ,Pollution ,Activated sludge ,chemistry ,Nitrogen fixation ,Sewage treatment ,business - Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) can reduce nitrogen at ambient pressure and temperature. In this study, we treated effluent from a paper mill in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) and monitored the abundance and activity of NFB with a view to producing a sludge that could work as a biofertilizer. Four reactors were inoculated with activated sludge enriched with NFB and fed with a high C/N waste (100:0.5) from a paper mill. Though the reactors were able to reduce the organic load of the wastewater by up to 89%, they did not have any nitrogen-fixing activity and showed a decrease in the putative number of NFB (quantified with qPCR). The most abundant species in the reactors treating high C/N paper mill wastewater was identified by Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing as Methyloversatilis sp. (relative abundance of 4.4%). Nitrogen fixation was observed when the C/N ratio was increased by adding sucrose. We suspect that real-world biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) will only occur where there is a C/N ratio ≤100:0.07. Consequently, operators should actively avoid adding or allowing nitrogen in the waste streams if they wish to valorize their sludge and reduce running costs. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Efficient biological wastewater treatment of low nitrogen paper mill effluent was achieved without nutrient supplementation. The sludge was still capable of fixing nitrogen although this process was not observed in the wastewater treatment system. This high C/N wastewater treatment technology could be used with effluents from cassava flour, olive oil, wine and dairy industries.
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- 2021
30. Implementation of lean tools and techniques in an ethical papers production industry
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Bhuvanesh Kumar M and Kukhan S
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Engineering ,Engineering management ,5S ,Kaizen ,business.industry ,Lean manufacturing ,Production (economics) ,Continuous production process ,Paper manufacturing industry ,business - Abstract
Lean manufacturing (LM) is established as a best practice to improve the performance of manufacturing industries. Not all the manufacturing industries realize the benefits of LM practices specifically continuous process industries. The present research work is intended to study the advantages of implementing LM practices in an ethical paper industry which is a continuous production industry. Presently, the industry suffers with the problems such as lack of productivity, raw material wastes, underutilized resources, and lack of standard practices in the production. Gemba technique is adapted to record the information related to the present manufacturing environment. Based on the current state analysis, the feasible lean tools are selected and implemented such as 5S, Kaizen, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). The improvements have been noted as reduced tool change over time, reduced material wastes, effective utilization of resources and provide safety guidelines to workers and operations. The implications of these improvements increased the productivity also.
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- 2021
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31. Hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapy: an EAACI Position Paper
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Patrizia Bonadonna, Emilio Alvarez-Cuesta, Adile Berna Dursun, Soledad Sanchez Sanchez, Mariana Castells, Josefina Cernadas, Mauro Pagani, Hamadi Sahar, Anca M. Chiriac, Ricardo Madrigal-Burgaleta, and Sevim Bavbek
- Subjects
Drug ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Allergy ,media_common.quotation_subject ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Immunology ,Provocation test ,Drug allergy ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Disease ,Drug Hypersensitivity ,Neoplasms ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Medicine ,Intensive care medicine ,Anaphylaxis ,Skin Tests ,media_common ,Desensitization (medicine) ,business.industry ,medicine.disease ,Desensitization, Immunologic ,Position paper ,business - Abstract
Chemotherapeutic drugs have been widely used in the treatment of cancer disease for about 70 years. The development of new treatments has not hindered their use, and oncologists still prescribe them routinely, alone or in combination with other antineoplastic agents. However, all chemotherapeutic agents can induce hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs), with different incidences depending on the culprit drug. These reactions are the third leading cause of fatal drug-induced anaphylaxis in the United States. In Europe, deaths related to chemotherapy have also been reported. In particular, most reactions are caused by platinum compounds, taxanes, epipodophyllotoxins and asparaginase. Despite their prevalence and relevance, the ideal pathways for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these reactions are still unclear, and practice remains considerably heterogeneous with vast differences from center to center. Thus, the European Network on Drug Allergy and Drug Allergy Interest Group of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology organized a task force to provide data and recommendations regarding the allergological work-up in this field of drug hypersensitivity reactions. This position paper aims to provide consensus on the investigation of HSRs to chemotherapeutic drugs and give practical recommendations for clinicians that treat these patients, such as oncologists, allergologists and internists. Key sections cover risk factors, pathogenesis, symptoms, the role of skin tests, in vitro tests, indications and contraindications of drug provocation tests and desensitization of neoplastic patients with allergic reactions to chemotherapeutic drugs. Statements, recommendations and unmet needs were discussed and proposed at the end of each section.
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- 2021
32. Peripheral blood RNA biomarkers for cardiovascular disease from bench to bedside: a position paper from the EU-CardioRNA COST action CA17129
- Author
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Stephanie Bezzina Wettinger, Maarten Vanhaverbeke, Costanza Emanueli, Johannes Grillari, Rosienne Farrugia, Monika Bartekova, Barbora Kalocayova, Soumaya Ben-Aicha, EU-CardioRNA Cost Action Ca, Markus Scholz, R. Attard, Yvan Devaux, Matthias Hackl, Fabio Martelli, David de Gonzalo-Calvo, Timo Brandenburger, and EU-CardioRNA COST Action (CA17129)
- Subjects
Cardiovascular system -- Diseases ,Physiology ,business.industry ,RNA ,Genomics ,Disease ,Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Diagnosis ,Bioinformatics ,medicine.disease ,Transcriptome ,Physiology (medical) ,Heart failure ,Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Treatment ,Gene expression ,medicine ,Biomarker (medicine) ,Position paper ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business - Abstract
Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, recent calls have emphasized the unmet need to improve precision-based approaches in cardiovascular disease. Although some studies provide preliminary evidence of the diagnostic and prognostic potential of circulating coding and non-coding RNAs, the complex RNA biology and lack of standardization have hampered the translation of these markers into clinical practice. In this position paper of the CardioRNA COST action CA17129, we provide recommendations to standardize the RNA development process in order to catalyse efforts to investigate novel RNAs for clinical use. We list the unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular disease, such as the identification of high-risk patients with ischaemic heart disease or heart failure who require more intensive therapies. The advantages and pitfalls of the different sample types, including RNAs from plasma, extracellular vesicles, and whole blood, are discussed in the sample matrix, together with their respective analytical methods. The effect of patient demographics and highly prevalent comorbidities, such as metabolic disorders, on the expression of the candidate RNA is presented and should be reported in biomarker studies. We discuss the statistical and regulatory aspects to translate a candidate RNA from a research use only assay to an in-vitro diagnostic test for clinical use. Optimal planning of this development track is required, with input from the researcher, statistician, industry, and regulatory partners., peer-reviewed
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- 2021
33. Vaccination of patients with allergic disease against novel coronavirus infection: position paper of the Russian Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology
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O M Kurbacheva, N V Shartanova, Natalya I. Ilyina, Elena A. Latysheva, Musa R. Khaitov, Tatiana V. Latysheva, Evgeniya V. Nazarova, Natalia M. Nenasheva, and Elena S. Fedenko
- Subjects
Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Allergy ,Clinical immunology ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,Disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,Virus ,Vaccination ,Pandemic ,Medicine ,Position paper ,business ,Coronavirus - Abstract
One of the key tasks of the previous year is to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which became a pandemic that led to the deaths of more than 4 million people worldwide and more than 140 thousand deaths in Russia. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (2019-nCoV) virus of the coronavirus family. Vaccination plays a leading role in ending the pandemic. Currently, five vaccines against COVID-19 have been registered in Russia, namely, Sputnik V, Sputnik light, EpiVacCorona, EpiVacCorona-Н, and СoviVak. The short follow-up period and absence of randomized placebo-controlled trials of COVID-19 vaccines in certain patients with chronic diseases lead to several questions about the effectiveness/safety of vaccination in these patients. Given the wide spread of allergic diseases and the heterogeneity of patients with allergopathology, experts of the Russian Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology have developed and approved a position paper on vaccination of patients with allergopathology.
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- 2021
34. Oral corticosteroids stewardship for asthma in adults and adolescents: A position paper from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Author
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John Gornall, Laurence Ruane, Li Ping Chung, Anne E Holland, Helen K. Reddel, Philip G. Bardin, Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich, Trudy Hopkins, Christopher Barton, Mark Hew, Vanessa M. McDonald, Peter G. Gibson, Lata Jayaram, John Blakey, John W. Upham, and John Harrington
- Subjects
Adult ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Harm reduction ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Administration, Oral ,medicine.disease ,Asthma ,Harm ,Adrenal Cortex Hormones ,Chronic Disease ,medicine ,Humans ,Position paper ,Smoking cessation ,Anti-Asthmatic Agents ,Stewardship ,Medical prescription ,Intensive care medicine ,business ,Adverse effect ,New Zealand - Abstract
Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are frequently used for asthma treatment. This medication is highly effective for both acute and chronic diseases, but evidence indicates that indiscriminate OCS use is common, posing a risk of serious side effects and irreversible harm. There is now an urgent need to introduce OCS stewardship approaches, akin to successful initiatives that optimized appropriate antibiotic usage. The aim of this TSANZ (Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand) position paper is to review current knowledge pertaining to OCS use in asthma and then delineate principles of OCS stewardship. Recent evidence indicates overuse and over-reliance on OCS for asthma and that doses >1000 mg prednisolone-equivalent cumulatively are likely to have serious side effects and adverse outcomes. Patient perspectives emphasize the detrimental impacts of OCS-related side effects such as weight gain, insomnia, mood disturbances and skin changes. Improvements in asthma control and prevention of exacerbations can be achieved by improved inhaler technique, adherence to therapy, asthma education, smoking cessation, multidisciplinary review, optimized medications and other strategies. Recently, add-on therapies including novel biological agents and macrolide antibiotics have demonstrated reductions in OCS requirements. Harm reduction may also be achieved through identification and mitigation of predictable adverse effects. OCS stewardship should entail greater awareness of appropriate indications for OCS prescription, risk–benefits of OCS medications, side effects, effective add-on therapies and multidisciplinary review. If implemented, OCS stewardship can ensure that clinicians and patients with asthma are aware that OCS should not be used lightly, while providing reassurance that asthma can be controlled in most people without frequent use of OCS.
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- 2021
35. Protocols for multi‐site trials using hyperpolarized 129 Xe MRI for imaging of ventilation, alveolar‐airspace size, and gas exchange: A position paper from the 129 Xe MRI clinical trials consortium
- Author
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Jonathan H. Rayment, Bastiaan Driehuys, Chase S. Hall, G. Wilson Miller, Zackary I. Cleveland, Sarah Svenningsen, Rachel L. Eddy, Jim M. Wild, John P. Mugler, Ho-Fung Chan, Peter Niedbalski, Mario Castro, Neil J. Stewart, Sean B. Fain, Giles E. Santyr, Brandon Zanette, Jason C. Woods, Guilhem Collier, Grace Parraga, Robert P. Thomen, Matthew M. Willmering, and Jaime F. Mata
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Image quality ,Multi site ,Clinical trial ,Lung structure ,Breathing ,Medicine ,Image acquisition ,Position paper ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Medical physics ,business ,Pulmonary disorders - Abstract
Hyperpolarized (HP) 129 Xe MRI uniquely images pulmonary ventilation, gas exchange, and terminal airway morphology rapidly and safely, providing novel information not possible using conventional imaging modalities or pulmonary function tests. As such, there is mounting interest in expanding the use of biomarkers derived from HP 129 Xe MRI as outcome measures in multi-site clinical trials across a range of pulmonary disorders. Until recently, HP 129 Xe MRI techniques have been developed largely independently at a limited number of academic centers, without harmonizing acquisition strategies. To promote uniformity and adoption of HP 129 Xe MRI more widely in translational research, multi-site trials, and ultimately clinical practice, this position paper from the 129 Xe MRI Clinical Trials Consortium (https://cpir.cchmc.org/XeMRICTC) recommends standard protocols to harmonize methods for image acquisition in HP 129 Xe MRI. Recommendations are described for the most common HP gas MRI techniques-calibration, ventilation, alveolar-airspace size, and gas exchange-across MRI scanner manufacturers most used for this application. Moreover, recommendations are described for 129 Xe dose volumes and breath-hold standardization to further foster consistency of imaging studies. The intention is that sites with HP 129 Xe MRI capabilities can readily implement these methods to obtain consistent high-quality images that provide regional insight into lung structure and function. While this document represents consensus at a snapshot in time, a roadmap for technical developments is provided that will further increase image quality and efficiency. These standardized dosing and imaging protocols will facilitate the wider adoption of HP 129 Xe MRI for multi-site pulmonary research.
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- 2021
36. Three-dimensional visualization and characterization of paper machine felts and their relationship to their properties and dewatering performance
- Author
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John Xu, Shri Ramaswamy, and Caroline Frischmon
- Subjects
Materials science ,Paper machine ,business.product_category ,Mechanical Engineering ,General Chemical Engineering ,Three dimensional visualization ,Media Technology ,Mechanical engineering ,General Materials Science ,General Chemistry ,business ,Dewatering ,Characterization (materials science) - Abstract
Polymeric felts are commonly used in the papermaking process on the paper machine wet end, in the press section, and in the dryer section. They provide an important function during paper manufacturing, including as a carrier or support; as a filter media assisting with water removal on the paper machine; in retention of fibers, fines, and fillers; and in some applications, such as tissue and towel, to impart key structural features to the web. These felts can have highly interwoven complex internal structures comprised of machine direction and cross-machine direction yarns of varying sizes and chemical compositions. Here, we present a non-intrusive three-dimensional (3D) image visualization method using advanced X-ray computed tomography (XRCT). This method was used to characterize the complex 3D felt structure and determine the water removal characteristics of some commonly used paper machine felts. The structural features analyzed include porosity; specific pore-yarn interfacial surface area; 3D pore size distribution; 3D fiber or yarn-size distribution; and their variations through the thickness direction. The top, middle, and bottom layers of the felt have very different structures to assist with water removal and impart paper properties. The size distribution of the yarns, as well as the pores in the different layers of the felt, are also inherently different. These structural features were non-intrusively quantified. In addition, variation in the structural characteristics through the thickness of the felts and its potential role in papermaking is explored. In addition to the 3D structural characteristics, permeability characteristics and water removal characteristics, including rewetting of select felt samples, have also been experimentally determined. It is interesting to observe the relationship between key structural features and permeability and water removal characteristics. These relationships can provide additional insights into press felt design, as well as ways to improve product properties and the dewatering efficiency and productivity of the paper machine.
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- 2021
37. ESC working group on cardiac cellular electrophysiology position paper: relevance, opportunities, and limitations of experimental models for cardiac electrophysiology research
- Author
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Dierk Thomas, Milan Stengl, Dobromir Dobrev, Matteo E. Mangoni, Jordi Heijman, Carol Ann Remme, Larissa Fabritz, Katja E. Odening, Godfrey L. Smith, Cristina E. Molina, Leonardo Sacconi, A.M. Gomez, Antonio Zaza, Frank R. Heinzel, Cardiologie, RS: Carim - H01 Clinical atrial fibrillation, RS: Carim - H04 Arrhythmogenesis and cardiogenetics, Cardiology, ACS - Heart failure & arrhythmias, APH - Methodology, University of Bern, Odening, K, Gomez, A, Dobrev, D, Fabritz, L, Heinzel, F, Mangoni, M, Molina, C, Sacconi, L, Smith, G, Stengl, M, Thomas, D, Zaza, A, Remme, C, and Heijman, J
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,TORSADE-DE-POINTES ,Cardiac electrophysiology ,Medizin ,Cardiomyopathy ,Arrhythmias ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,0302 clinical medicine ,BIO/09 - FISIOLOGIA ,Mechanisms ,Position paper ,Induced pluripotent stem cell ,LEFT-VENTRICULAR WALL ,SINOATRIAL NODE ,Atrial fibrillation ,Animal models ,3. Good health ,PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION ,Ion channels ,cardiovascular system ,HEART-FAILURE ,Mechanism ,Ion channel ,Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,Experimental models ,PLURIPOTENT STEM-CELLS ,Arrhythmia ,Myocarditis ,Cellular electrophysiology ,LONG-QT SYNDROME ,03 medical and health sciences ,[SDV.MHEP.CSC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Cardiology and cardiovascular system ,Physiology (medical) ,SINUS NODE DYSFUNCTION ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Animal model ,Experimental model ,business.industry ,TRANSGENIC RABBIT MODEL ,Cardiac arrhythmia ,Models, Theoretical ,medicine.disease ,Electrophysiological Phenomena ,030104 developmental biology ,Heart failure ,ATRIAL-FIBRILLATION ,business ,Neuroscience - Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmias are a major cause of death and disability. A large number of experimental cell and animal models have been developed to study arrhythmogenic diseases. These models have provided important insights into the underlying arrhythmia mechanisms and translational options for their therapeutic management. This position paper from the ESC Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology provides an overview of (i) currently available in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo electrophysiological research methodologies, (ii) the most commonly used experimental (cellular and animal) models for cardiac arrhythmias including relevant species differences, (iii) the use of human cardiac tissue, induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived and in silico models to study cardiac arrhythmias, and (iv) the availability, relevance, limitations, and opportunities of these cellular and animal models to recapitulate specific acquired and inherited arrhythmogenic diseases, including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, sinus node, and conduction disorders and channelopathies. By promoting a better understanding of these models and their limitations, this position paper aims to improve the quality of basic research in cardiac electrophysiology, with the ultimate goal to facilitate the clinical translation and application of basic electrophysiological research findings on arrhythmia mechanisms and therapies.
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- 2021
38. Management of oral leukoplakia: a position paper of the Society of Oral Medicine, Chinese Stomatological Association
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Xiaobo Luo, Hongxia Dan, Xin Zeng, Lu Jiang, Yu Zhou, Weiyi Pan, and Qianming Chen
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China ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Path diagram ,Oral Medicine ,MEDLINE ,Delphi method ,Cochrane Library ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Dentistry (miscellaneous) ,Grading (education) ,business.industry ,030206 dentistry ,Oral leukoplakia ,Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Family medicine ,Position paper ,Surgery ,Leukoplakia, Oral ,Oral Surgery ,business ,Oral medicine - Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to develop the first edition of a Chinese evidence-based position paper on the management of oral leukoplakia (OLK). Study Design The consultant group for drafting the position paper consisted of 31 oral medicine specialists and 2 evidence-based medicine specialists. English studies (searched in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) and Chinese studies (searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang) published before January 2018 were used. The quality of the study was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation grid, and the strength of the recommendations was determined based on the results of 3 rounds of voting among the consultant group members using the Delphi method. Results Twenty-two evidence-based guidelines for clinical management and monitoring of OLK were established in this position paper. A clinical path diagram for oral health practitioners was constructed based on the recommendations. Conclusion Current evidence suggests that management and monitoring of patients with OLK should be performed by experienced clinicians to control the lesion and for early detection of malignant transformation. However, all recommendations are based on evidence of low or extremely low quality and may require further modification as new evidence is produced.
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- 2021
39. ANALYSIS OF LINE EFFICIENCY IN FINISHING DEPARTMENT PT PURA NUSAPERSADA UNIT PAPER MILL 7/8
- Author
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Wahyu Ani Maulidiyah Sari and Bambang Suhardi
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business.industry ,Mechanical engineering ,Environmental science ,Paper mill ,Line (text file) ,business ,Unit (housing) - Abstract
Measuring line efficiency and productivity are very important to do to find out in which level the efficiency and productivity of the business process has been carried out by the company. This paper aims to determine line efficiency analysis and provide suggestions for improvements to increase line efficiency at the finishing department of PT Pura Nusapersada. Measurement of line efficiency in the finishing department of PT Pura Nusapersada paper mill unit 7 has not yet reached the company's line efficiency value target. The initial line efficiency assessment obtained a percentage of 65.14% while the company's target was 70%. In this paper, a fishbone diagram is used to determine the root cause of the problem. Based on the research results, it was found that the most dominant cause of the problem was the inefficient work elements at the cutter, sorting, pollar, and packing work stations. Improvements were made using the eliminate, combine, re-arrange, and simplify (ECRS) method and the results of the line efficiency improvements in the finishing department increased to 71.90% and the company's target can be met.
- Published
- 2021
40. Filtration efficiency improvement of air filter paper for fine particles by electrospinning technology
- Author
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Wan-hong Sun, Lanfeng Hui, Weiyin Su, Qian Yang, and Xiaoyan Ma
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Environmental Engineering ,business.product_category ,Materials science ,Filter paper ,Bioengineering ,Electrospinning ,law.invention ,law ,Nanofiber ,Air permeability specific surface ,Microfiber ,Composite material ,business ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Spinning ,Filtration ,Air filter - Abstract
Due to great advantages, such as simple operation, high porosity, and good fiber continuity, the working principle and research progress of electrospinning technology was studied and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) nanofibers were prepared via this process. Air filter paper was used as the receiving substrate to prepare electrospun nano air filter paper (NAFP). The PVOH concentration, static voltage, and receiving distance, were tested to explore the influence of spinning parameters on the filtration performance. Further, the microfiber morphology of the electrospun NAFP was observed. The performance of filter paper, including air permeability, pore size, initial resistance, filtration efficiency, and dust retention, were tested. The results showed that the electrospun NAFP had better filtration performance compared to the air filter paper, and simultaneously they had lower initial resistance and higher precision filtration efficiency. The nanofiber influenced the surface of the air filter paper, as it sharply reduced the pore size. When the spinning condition was 10%, 21 kV, and 15 cm, the pore size decreased approximately 0.6 times of the original, which meant the electrospun NAFP could capture particles ≥ 0.2 μm in size. Finally, after three repeated uses, the good filtration performance was maintained.
- Published
- 2021
41. The effect of electromagnetic radiation on the reflectance spectra of prints on hemp papers
- Author
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Gabriel Žilić, Irena Bates, Ivana Plazonić, and Vesna Džimbeg-Malčić
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Mechanical drawing. Engineering graphics ,Materials science ,business.industry ,paper ,Computational Mechanics ,hemp ,T351-385 ,Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design ,Reflectivity ,Electromagnetic radiation ,Spectral line ,reflectance spectra ,flexographic inks ,Optics ,artificial ageing ,business - Abstract
From the moment of production, paper as a printing substrate is exposed to the process of natural ageing regardless of the type of cellulose fibres in its composition. Accordingly, the prints produced by the various printing techniques are also exposed to several factors that impair the quality of the print i.e. its colour over time. Therefore, it is very important to properly select the printing substrate for achieving a high quality of graphic products. For that purpose, three types of papers with hemp fibres were used as printing substrates which were printed with laboratory hand-operated instrument Esiproof using flexographic cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) water-based inks. Prints were artificially aged in SunTEST XLS+ test chamber according to standard ASTM D 6789-02 for 48 and 96 hours. Based on changes in the reflectance spectra of each printed ink after exposure to electromagnetic radiation it was noticed how composition of printing substrate strongly influence on colour stability of prints due time. An increase of exposure time to electromagnetic radiation leads to a decrease in the value of the reflectance of the printing substrate and cyan, magenta and yellow prints. It was confirmed how electromagnetic radiation have the greatest impact on the reflectance of yellow print, while the black one is the most stabile regardless of the substrate it was printed on.
- Published
- 2021
42. Mechanical behavior of toilet paper perforation
- Author
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Joana Vieira, Paulo Torrão Fiadeiro, André Vieira, Ana Paula Cabral Seixas Costa, Ana M. M. S. Carta, and António de Oliveira Mendes
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Environmental Engineering ,business.industry ,Limit value ,Perforation (oil well) ,Bioengineering ,Structural engineering ,Finite element method ,Tissue paper ,Line (geometry) ,Ultimate tensile strength ,Toilet paper ,business ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Stress concentration ,Mathematics - Abstract
Perforation is used in multilayer tissue products, such as toilet and kitchen papers, as part of the converting process. Perforation facilitates the detachment of consecutive sheets by the user. The compromise between the strength required to detach a perforated sheet and the strength required to break a sheet affects the perforation efficiency. In this work, the mechanical behaviors of 15 commercial papers from different European producers were studied. A morphological analysis of the materials was performed, followed by the determination of their perforation efficiency (through tensile tests). A qualitative analysis of the cuts quality, along with a quantitative analysis of the same cuts dimensions was performed through an optical system. Finally, the stress concentration in the holes and the influence of the cuts distance were analyzed using a finite element model implemented in Abaqus/Standard finite element software. The results showed that a cut distance of 2.0 mm should not be used in these types of papers, and the perforation efficiency increased with the cut distance, regardless of the number of plies in the toilet paper. The stress concentration factor was also determined to have a limit value of 0.11. Papers above this limit value tear at the perforation line, as desired.
- Published
- 2021
43. Slime control in paper mill using biological agents as biocides
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Nishi Kant Bhardwaj, Chhavi Sharma, Puneet Pathak, and Varun Kumar
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0303 health sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Biocide ,030306 microbiology ,Chemistry ,business.industry ,General Physics and Astronomy ,General Materials Science ,Paper mill ,General Chemistry ,business ,Pulp and paper industry ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
The environmental conditions of paper mills are suitable for the growth of slime-forming microorganisms due to the supply of nutrients, favorable temperature, and moisture. The slime formation causes the spoilage of raw materials & additives, breaks in the paper during papermaking, loss of production, reduces the hygienic quality of the end products, produces off-spec and rejected products, creates microbiological corrosion, and produces harmful gases. The main microorganisms are Bacteria (mainly Bacillus spp., Achromobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Clostridium, etc.), Fungi (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Saccharomyces, etc.), and Algae. Besides the use of conventional toxic chemical biocides or slimicides, slime formation can also be controlled in an eco-friendly way using enzymes, bacteriophages, biodispersants, and biocontrol agents alone or along with biocides to remove the slime. Enzymes have shown their effectiveness over conventional chemicals due to nontoxic and biodegradable nature to provide clean and sustainable technology. Globally enzymes are being used at some of the paper mills and many enzymatic products are presently being prepared and under the trail at laboratory scale. The specificity of enzymes to degrade a specific substrate is the main drawback of controlling the mixed population of microorganisms present in slime. The enzyme has the potential to provide the chemical biocide-free solution as a useful alternative in the future with the development of new technologies. Microorganisms control in the paper mill may appear as a costly offer but the cost of uncontrolled microbial growth can be much higher leading to slime production and large economic drain.
- Published
- 2021
44. Multicolorimetric ELISA biosensors on a paper/polymer hybrid analytical device for visual point-of-care detection of infection diseases
- Author
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Lei Ma, Yousef Abugalyon, and Xiujun Li
- Subjects
Paper ,Polymers ,Computer science ,Point-of-Care Systems ,Point-of-care detection ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Biosensing Techniques ,02 engineering and technology ,Communicable Diseases ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Multicolorimetric ELISA ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Analytical Chemistry ,Humans ,Disease biomarker ,Integrated processing ,Paper/polymer hybrid microfluidic device ,Horseradish Peroxidase ,High potential ,Point of care ,Detection limit ,Quantitative biomarker detection ,Infectious disease ,business.industry ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Hydrogen Peroxide ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Visual detection ,Embedded system ,Colorimetry ,Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet ,Hepatitis C virus core Antigen ,0210 nano-technology ,business ,Biosensor ,Biomarkers ,Research Paper - Abstract
Graphical abstract Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is widely used for the detection of disease biomarkers. However, it utilizes time-consuming procedures and expensive instruments, making it infeasible for point-of-care (POC) analysis especially in resource-limited settings. In this work, a multicolorimetric ELISA biosensor integrated on a paper/polymer hybrid microfluidic device was developed for rapid visual detection of disease biomarkers at point of care, without using costly equipment. This multicolormetric ELISA platform was built on multiple distinct color variants resulted from the catalytic oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and the etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs). The vivid color changes could be easily distinguished by the naked eye, and their red mean values allowed quantitative biomarker detection, without using any sophisticated instruments. When this multicolorimetric ELISA was integrated on a paper/polymer hybrid analytical device, it not only provided integrated processing and high portability but also enabled fast assays in about 50 min due to the unique advantages of paper/polymer hybrid devices. The limit of detection of 9.1 ng/μL of the hepatitis C virus core antigen, a biomarker for hepatitis C, was achieved using this multicolorimetric ELISA platform. This multicolor ELISA analytical device provides a new versatile, user-friendly, affordable, and portable immunosensing platform with high potential for on-site detections of various viruses, proteins, and biomarkers for low-resource settings such as at home, public venues, rural areas, and developing nations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00216-021-03359-8.
- Published
- 2021
45. Electrochemical technique for paper mill effluent degradation using concentric aluminum tube electrodes (CATE)
- Author
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Chandrashekhar Basayya Shivayogimath and Prashant Basavaraj Bhagawati
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Environmental Engineering ,Materials science ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,law.invention ,Taguchi methods ,020401 chemical engineering ,law ,0204 chemical engineering ,Turbidity ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Effluent ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Electrolysis ,business.industry ,Chemical oxygen demand ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Paper mill ,Pulp and paper industry ,Pollution ,Electrode ,Orthogonal array ,business ,Research Article - Abstract
In this study, Taguchi experimental design was used to the optimize operating parameters for the degradation of paper mill effluent using electrochemical (EC) process with two-dimensional concentric aluminum tube electrodes (CATE). For this purpose, four significant experimental factors were used in four levels pH (6–9), electrolysis time (10–40 min), voltage (6–12 V) and surface area (357–624 cm(2)). The process parameters were optimized, through performing L16 orthogonal array of Taguchi technique, for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity. The percent COD and turbidity reductions were transferred into an accurate S/N ratio for a larger value is the better (LBT) response. The study presents a unique method of finding optimum combination of process parameters to illustrate their effect on the turbidity and COD reduction. The treatment conditions for the maximum elimination of the pollutants were second level of pH (7), third level of ET (30 min), fourth level of voltage (12 V) and second level of surface area (446 cm(2)). The confirmation experiment results were within the confidence intervals (CI) indicating an acceptable agreement between predicted and observed values. Based on the p-values, the electrolysis time and voltages were found to be the most significant factors for both COD and turbidity reduction. The findings of research indicated, that the Taguchi method can be used successfully for the treatment of paper industry effluent by electrochemical technique.
- Published
- 2021
46. Temperature analysis of a novel MAIB reactor during the treatment of wastewater from recycled paper mill
- Author
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Mohammadtaghi Vakili, Haider M. Zwain, Ahmed Samir Naje, and Irvan Dahlan
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,modified anaerobic inclining-baffled (maib) reactor ,business.industry ,Paper mill ,recycled paper mill wastewater (rpmw) ,010501 environmental sciences ,Pulp and paper industry ,Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,01 natural sciences ,thermophilic temperature ,Wastewater ,010608 biotechnology ,mesophilic temperature ,Environmental science ,business ,anaerobic digestion (ad) ,TD1-1066 ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an essential technology for wastewater management, resource recovery and biogas production, and it is considered as an efficient and reliable treatment method for many wastewaters. Operating parameters have been shown to directly affect the stability and treatment performance of AD, especially temperature. For 180 days, the AD of recycled paper mill wastewater (RPMW) was carried out in a modified anaerobic inclining-baffled (MAIB) reactor under various temperature conditions, i.e. 29 °C (low mesophilic), 37 °C (mesophilic) and 55 °C (thermophilic). It was found that total COD removal of 94, 96 and 76%, and methane yields of 0.125, 0.196 and 0.256 L CH4/g CODremoved were attained at temperatures of 29, 37 and 55 °C, respectively. Throughout the three transition periods, the pH level in the MAIB reactor fluctuated slightly within the range of 5.8–6.5 without affecting the system stability. The results concluded that thermophilic condition strongly influenced the MAIB reactor performance, leading to lower COD removal, higher methane yield and gradually recovered pH level. Highlights Novel modified anaerobic inclining-baffled (MAIB) reactor, which combines the development of attached and settled microorganisms, was operated for the treatment of recycled paper mill wastewater (RPMW).; The operational temperature intensive analysis of MAIB was investigated at thermophilic and mesophilic conditions.; The system compartmental characteristics were also analyzed and discussed.
- Published
- 2021
47. Facile extraction and characterization of calcium hydroxide from paper mill waste sludge of Bangladesh
- Author
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Most. Hosney Ara Begum, Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, Mohammad Robel Molla, Mir Tamzid Rahman, Muhammad Shahriar Bashar, Riyadh Hossen Bhuiyan, Syed Farid Uddin Farhad, Md. Sha Alam, A. S. M. Asadur Rahman, and Nazmul Islam Tanvir
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_compound ,Calcium hydroxide ,Multidisciplinary ,Chemistry ,business.industry ,Extraction (chemistry) ,Paper mill ,business ,Pulp and paper industry - Abstract
Herein, paper mill waste sludge (PMS) from two different sources has been investigated to extract calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2 by a facile and inexpensive extraction process. This green process exploits typical chemical precipitation (CP) in an aqueous medium at room temperature to develop an economically and industrially viable technique for the effective utilization of calcium-containing waste sludge. PMS samples, collected from local paper mill plants of Bangladesh, were the main precursors wherein HCl and NaOH were utilized for chemical treatment. The as-synthesized products were analyzed by a variety of characterization tools including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) elemental analyses. Our studies confirm that the extracted product contains Ca(OH)2 as a major content, albeit it also includes CaCO3 phase formed owing to the inescapable carbonation process from the surrounding environment. The particle size of the synthesized products is in the range of 450 - 500 nm estimated from SEM micrographs. The crystallite domain size of the same estimated from XRD analyses and was found to be ~47 nm and ~31 nm respectively for product-A and product-B considering major (101) Bragg peak of Ca(OH)2. The yield percentage of the isolated products is about 65% for samples collected from both sources.
- Published
- 2022
48. Examining guidelines and new evidence in oncology nutrition: a position paper on gaps and opportunities in multimodal approaches to improve patient care
- Author
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Carla M. Prado, Michael D. Bastasch, Shila M. Newman, Maureen Gardner, Chelsia Gillis, Anthony D. Sung, Martin Chasen, Suayib Yalcin, Abby C. Sauer, Suzanne Dixon, Refaat Hegazi, and Alessandro Laviano
- Subjects
Oncology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Nursing research ,Pain medicine ,Prehabilitation ,Disease ,medicine.disease ,Malnutrition ,Quality of life (healthcare) ,Multidisciplinary approach ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Position paper ,business - Abstract
Malnutrition, muscle loss, and cachexia are prevalent in cancer and remain key challenges in oncology today. These conditions are frequently underrecognized and undertreated and have devastating consequences for patients. Early nutrition screening/assessment and intervention are associated with improved patient outcomes. As a multifaceted disease, cancer requires multimodal care that integrates supportive interventions, specifically nutrition and exercise, to improve nutrient intake, muscle mass, physical functioning, quality of life, and treatment outcomes. An integrated team of healthcare providers that incorporates societies’ recommendations into clinical practice can help achieve the best possible outcomes. A multidisciplinary panel of experts in oncology, nutrition, exercise, and medicine participated in a 2-day virtual roundtable in October 2020 to discuss gaps and opportunities in oncology nutrition, alone and in combination with exercise, relative to current evidence and international societies’ recommendations. The panel recommended five principles to optimize clinical oncology practice: (1) position oncology nutrition at the center of multidisciplinary care; (2) partner with colleagues and administrators to integrate a nutrition care process into the multidisciplinary cancer care approach; (3) screen all patients for malnutrition risk at diagnosis and regularly throughout treatment; (4) combine exercise and nutrition interventions before (e.g., prehabilitation), during, and after treatment as oncology standard of care to optimize nutrition status and muscle mass; and (5) incorporate a patient-centered approach into multidisciplinary care.
- Published
- 2021
49. Bio-mediated improvement process in a reinforced soil with waste paper fiber
- Author
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Hitoshi Matsubara
- Subjects
business.industry ,Process (engineering) ,Environmental science ,Geotechnical engineering ,Waste paper ,Fiber ,Process engineering ,business - Published
- 2021
50. Update on bone health: the International Menopause Society White Paper 2021
- Author
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Steven R. Goldstein and T. J. de Villiers
- Subjects
Gerontology ,Population ageing ,business.industry ,Osteoporosis ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Bone health ,Menopause ,White paper ,Bone Density ,Intervention (counseling) ,Sarcopenia ,medicine ,Global health ,Humans ,business ,Aged - Abstract
Osteoporosis and associated fractures present a major challenge in improving global health outcomes. Key clinical aspects are the definition of osteoporosis and associated fractures, fracture risk prediction, stratification of risk of fracture, intervention thresholds and the most appropriate intervention based on integration of aforementioned. Correct understanding and application of these concepts are essential to stem the increasing tide of fragility fractures associated with an aging population. The role of muscle strength and function, sarcopenia, and the newly emerging concept of osteosarcopenia in maintaining bone health are discussed in detail.
- Published
- 2021
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