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The present study investigated the phycoremediation efficacy of two freshwater green microalgae Chlorella ellipsoidea and Desmodesmus opoliensis for treatment of water of Ellenga beel, a wetland lo...

Time-limited exposure of electrode-free optically rewritable electronic paper is essential for applications, but performance characteristics can be modest. In this study we investigate whether imag...

In this study, the removal of UV254, phenol, and calcium from paper industry wastewater by persulfate oxidation was investigated. Fe2+ addition and heat application methods were used for persulfate...

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.

Plant fiber classified as environmentally friendly material is a promising renewable engineering material rich in lignocellulose that can be employed in the pulp and paper industry as a substitutio...

The pulp and paper industry has significant sustainability implications and necessarily requires a careful consideration of direct and lower-tier suppliers for effective sustainable supply chain ma...

The paper industry wastewater even after bio-treatment at industrial scale is a major source of aquatic and soil pollution due to various unknown compounds. Hence, the study has focused on the detection of residual organic pollutants from the bleached and unbleached paper mill wastewater and both sources showed endocrine-disrupting compounds. The toxicity test with Phaseolus aureus seed germination showed inhibition of seed germination and alpha-amylase activity >25% in bleached and unbleached paper mill wastewater. The LC50 of Tubifex tubifex was noted of >50% after 48 hours incubation test. This revealed that the wastewater discharged from bleached paper mill is more toxic than unbleached paper mill waste this might be due to the use of more chemicals during bleaching and pulping process. This study has revealed that there is need to treat both paper mill wastewaters adequately prior to discharge.

The thriving development of the paper industry leaves behind a great amount of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), which constitutes a considerable source of pollution. Experts estimate that...

This article discusses a scoping review of position papers aimed at enhancing the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. It describes the approach taken to conducting the scoping...

In this study, the viability of acetylation in cellulose fibers waste (CFW) from pulp and paper mill sludge was investigated in comparison to bleached cellulose fibers (BCF). Four acetylation metho...

Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) are widely used in the food industry for applications such as printing inks, additives, adhesives, and processing aids for food additives. Recently, the migration of MOH from food contact paper and board into foods has raised public health concerns. In this study, a total of 110 food contact paper and board samples, including baking and cooking paper (23), baking cups (28), food packaging bags (22), lunch boxes (8), party plates (26), and straws (3) were evaluated to quantify the content and short-term migration levels of MOH. The MOH were separated into mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH)/polyolefin oligomeric saturated hydrocarbons (POSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) via a validated on-line liquid chromatography-gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection (LC-GC-FID) technique. The coating materials of the sample products comprised polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and silicone. The effects of the coating materials on the content and migration of MOH/POSH were evaluated. Quantitative analysis of the MOH in the samples showed that the MOSH/POSH and MOAH content varied widely, ranging from 16 to 5626 mg kg

An improved lab-scale anaerobic baffled reactor was developed to treat recycled paper mill effluent (RPME). In this study, analysis of modified anaerobic baffled reactor (MABR) performance in RPME ...

The built environment of an older person’s home can reduce or promote the possibility of a fall or other injury. A user-friendly tool can help the residents to evaluate their home environment withi...

Emergency Medical Services provider agencies and programs for systems of care for time-sensitive conditions in many communities and regions struggle with hospitals to obtain feedback data regarding patient outcomes and hospital processes relevant to EMS quality programs. EMS provider agencies also have issues in providing information to hospitals at the time of patient transfer to support continuity of care. The paper presents a position statement and supporting rationale from the National EMS Management Association on the bi-lateral exchange of data between EMS and hospitals. It examines the underlying issues and offers recommendations for how the various barriers to bi-lateral information exchange can be resolved.

A two-step process involving coagulation-flocculation followed by solar photocatalysis – based Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) using TiO2-Reduced Graphene Oxide (TRGO) nanocomposite as catalyst ha...

Purpose To determine the measurement equivalence of computer touch screen assessment (CTSA) and paper based assessment (PBA) of the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14). Patients and Methods A randomized crossover trial was conducted. Sixty participants were randomized to either i) Arm A: completed CTSA then PBA of OHIP-14, or ii) Arm B: PBA and then CTSA of OHIP-14 within the same day. User preference and time taken to complete the assessments were recorded. Agreement between CTSA and PBA was determined using directional difference (DD), absolute difference (AD), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results There was no significant difference in CTSA and PBA OHIP-14 scores (P>0.05). The magnitude of the DD in scores between assessment methods was small for overall scores and all domains (

We developed a portable device for blood detection as well as blood typing assay, using a microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) which proves to be sensitive, cost-effective, user-frie...

In 1973 Sweden entered into a free-trade agreement with the EEC. This meant that the EEC principle of prohibition of cartels met with the Swedish principle of abuse. Paper production was heavily ca...

Reflective liquid crystal displays are attracting attention as portable information systems because of zero- or extremely low power consumption. In this study, we deal with an electrode-free reflec...

The performance of an asphalt mixture does not only rely on its engineering properties. Yet, the service characteristics of an asphalt mixture do play an important role on the durability of pavemen...

EMS personnel in the U.S. continue to be overwhelmingly Caucasian and male, with 75% being male and 85% identifying as nonminority. While the population of the United States becomes more diverse in ethnicity, religion, and race, the EMS workforce remains largely homogenous and does not reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Given the growing diversity across the country, EMS personnel will increasingly be responding to calls for service involving patients with different cultural backgrounds than their own. This growing gap between providers and the population they serve may exacerbate already existing disparities in care.

This study comprises the production and characterization of biodiesel, synthesized from the microbial oil of oleaginous yeast Pichia kudriavzevii NCIM 3653 which was cultivated using paper mill slu...

Paper patching, a method that places cigarette paper over the most mobile quadrants of the tympanic membrane, is one of the treatment options for patulous eustachian tube (PET).The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of two different treatment strategies for PET.Twenty-three patients underwent paper patching of the tympanic membrane and 16 patients were treated with nasal saline irrigation with or without ipratropium bromide nasal spray. Medical records were reviewed for resolution of PET symptoms as categorical variables (complete remission, partial remission, or no improvement) with a minimum follow-up of 3 months.Immediately after undergoing paper patching, 20 of the 23 patients (87.0%) reported complete remission (CR). The percentage of CR after paper patching was 82.6% at 1 month and 65.2% at 3 months. A greater percentage of patients reported CR of aural symptoms in the paper patching group than in the nasal irrigation group at both 1 and 3 months after treatment (p .05).Repetitive paper patching resolves aural discomfort in most PET patients for at least 3 months and can be considered as a first-line treatment option for PET in the outpatient setting.

The present study is concerned usage of paper mill sludge (PMS) as an effective adsorbent to remove the two cationic character dyes (Basic Blue 3 [BB3] and Basic Yellow 28 [BY28]) from aque...

A novel, simple and low-cost method for fabricating paper-based microfluidic device was presented. A soldering wire was used for making a template with specific pattern, and transfer printing to a ...

Recently, the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) published a White Paper on a multidimensional understanding of organizational structures for counseling cent...

As the 2019 Online Harms White Paper (OHWP) notes, the Internet is an increasingly integral part of our lives, and can offer ‘significant benefits’.1 In order to ensure these benefits are not under...

Following an analysis of national EMS agendas, National Association of EMS Educators developed a position supporting educator degree requirements in EMS. This position provided a framework for degree requirements at varying levels of EMS education. Identified support and appreciation for interprofessional approaches as well as EMS specific education was included in the position. The need for an educational workforce capable of providing robust degree options and innovative education emerged in response to the growing academic needs and professional complexities within EMS.

Thermal switches control thermal circuits and are widely used in electronics and engineering. Shape-memory alloys can be deformed by heating, which is widely used as a driving part for ther...

Visible-to-near-infrared reflectance imaging spectroscopy (417–2500 nm), the collection of hundreds of images in contiguous narrow spectral bands calibrated to reflectance, was employed to characte...

A consensus has formed that the negative social externalities of online harms combined with huge market power of internet intermediaries justify regulation of online service providers.1 Fake news, ...

The paper describes the production, in single fast firing, of tiles containing 30 wt% of a natural red clay and a mixture of 42 wt% of paper mill sludge and 28 wt% of glass cullet which were coated with a commercial ‘matt white’ glaze. Fired materials have been characterized as a function of the top temperature (1090 or 1140 °C) reached at the top of the fast sintering process made by an industrial roller kiln. It has been observed that tiles fired at 1090 °C display the best overall performances because the matt glaze well covers the substrate, thus ensuring that the mechanical and physical properties of the tiles conform to the official standard.

I review the existing literature in international trade that uses Indonesian firm-level data, particularly the Survei Tahunan Perusahaan Industri Pengolahan (Annual Manufacturing Survey) compiled b...

This paper introduces the background, concept and definition of the Industry Commons. It initiates a discussion on the positioning of the Industry Commons Ecosystem (ICE) with respect to current research directions in advanced manufacturing and production systems that shape advances in engineering and technology, novel business models and innovation breakthroughs. The potential value of data sharing across industrial domains is estimated at over $100 billion, particularly in view of optimising manufacturing processes. Data sharing across domains however faces a series of well-documented challenges associated with the lack of semantic interoperability and related standards, management of trust and sustainability. Solving bottlenecks in data sharing requires a systemic approach to data management, which can account for all aspects of data use, levels of application, attribution and dynamic exchanges. In this paper we propose a high-level ecosystem approach that integrates societal values with digital affordances of industry's cognitive-assisted processes, remote interfacing, hybrid applications and large-scale value networks. Early development of an Ontology Commons EcoSystem (OCES) is presented as the key enabling framework for Industry Commons interoperability and a series of enabling frameworks form the basis of future research directions in Trusted Data Sharing and Closed-Loop Lifecycle Management for greater sustainability.

icrofluidic paper-based analytical devices (mu PADs) have attracted much attention over the past decade because they offer clinicians the ability to deliver point-of-care testing and onsite analysis. Many of the advantages of mu PADs, however, are limited to work in a laboratory setting due to the difficulties of processing data when using electronic devices in the field. This review focuses on the use of mu PADs that have the potential to work without batteries or with only small and portable devices such as smartphones, timers, or miniaturized detectors. The mu PADs that can be operated without batteries are, in general, those that allow the visual judgment of analyte concentrations via readouts that are measured in time, distance, count, or text. Conversely, a smartphone works as a camera to permit the capture and processing of an image that digitizes the color intensity produced by the reaction of an analyte with a colorimetric reagent. Miniaturized detectors for electrochemical, fluorometric, chemiluminescence, and electrochemiluminescence methods are also discussed, although some of them require the use of a laptop computer for operation and data processing.

A new paper-based microfluidic device is fabricated on a piezoelectric substrate. A polydimethylsiloxane channel filled with cotton threads is mounted on the piezoelectric substrate with an interdigital transducer. A testing filter paper with dried reaction solution is coated on the end of the cotton thread. Sample solution is driven to the cotton thread channel and transported to testing area for microfluidic analysis. Red ink solution and color development reaction of starch are demonstrated for microfluidic operation and analysis. Results show that the linear velocity of microfluidic transportation in the cotton thread channel is 4.558 mm/s, and color development reaction of starch is successfully implemented.

In China, master's students in humanities and social sciences (HSS) are becoming the main target of Chinese-language predatory journals. Existing research has not paid enough attention to why these students publish papers in Chinese-language predatory journals. This research interviewed 30 HSS master's students with different majors using semi-structured interviews and Grounded Theory to analyze the data; it found that research discrimination, research context, self-awareness, and individual demand are the main reasons why students publish papers in Chinese-language predatory journals. This study provides the following suggestions in an effort to solve the problem of Chinese-language predatory journals. First, the Chinese government should draw up a blacklist of Chinese-language predatory journals. Second, the research evaluation departments of Chinese universities and research institutions should evaluate the research results of HSS master's students based on this list. Third, Chinese universities or scientific research institutions should strengthen the training of HSS master tutors and increase their awareness of Chinese-language predatory journals. And finally, Chinese HSS master's students should be taught about the hazards of Chinese-language predatory journals in research integrity and ethics courses, and refuse to publish papers in Chinese-language predatory journals.

BACKGROUND Several cross-sectional studies have investigated the incidence of urinary Congo-red dye positivity in women with preeclampsia (PE), compared to unaffected pregnancies, and reported very high sensitivity and low false positive rate in the diagnosis of PE. OBJECTIVE To determine the performance of the urinary Congo-red dot paper test at 35-37 weeks' gestation in the prediction of delivery with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks after assessment. METHODS This was a prospective observational study in women attending for a routine hospital visit at 35+0 to 36+6 weeks' gestation in a maternity hospital in England. Urine samples were collected and the Congo-red dot paper test was used to assess the degree of Congo-red dye positivity. The test uses a scoring system from 1 to 8 and the higher the score the greater the degree of Congo-red dye positivity. We examined and compared the degree of Congo-red dye positivity in the groups that delivered with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks with those that remained normotensive. Reproducibility was assessed by examining the inter- and intra-observer reliability of scoring on stored images with the researchers blinded to previous results. RESULTS The study population of 2140 women included 46 (2.1%) that subsequently developed PE (2.1%). The urinary Congo-red dot test was positive in 8.3% (1/12) and 2.9% (1/34) that delivered with PE at ≤2 and >2 weeks from assessment and in 0.2% (4/2094) of the unaffected pregnancies when the cutoff for Congo-red dye positivity was ≥5. The respective values when the cutoff used was ≥3 were 66.7%, 23.5%, and 16.5%, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the inter-observer reliability was 0.926 (95% CI 0.890-0.953, p

Digitization of operations and processes and technology adoption by small and medium scale enterprise in the less developed and emerging economies (LDEE) has been slow or non-existent. Technology needs to guide new business creation, sustain competitive advantage, and survive in the post-COVID-19 pandemic and the interconnected global economy. Entrepreneurs need an awakening to the current transformation as the digital era is now, to create business ventures that can compete in the fourth industrial revolution engineered by advanced technologies. This paper doubles as a research note and a call for papers for a special issue to address these urgent needs in the face of current realities. © 2021 Journal of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship/Conseil Canadien de la PME et de l’entrepreneuriat.

The use of respondent quotes to headline qualitative research papers is a popular literary device found in many academic journals. This practice has increased over the last four decades and now appears normalised within qualitative research writing. This article provides a critical analysis of this trend in academic writing and concomitant publishing. Content and framework analyses of 40 papers employing this literary device to summarise the respective studies identified (i) a lack of methodological rigor, (ii) incomplete analysis, (iii) an overall mis-representation of the wider qualitative dataset, and (iv) possible investigator bias associated with using respondent quotes as titles of qualitative research papers. This article questions the credibility of purposely selecting a single experience that reduces the wider collective experience into one deterministic statement. This article contends that such practice is antithetical to the principles of qualitative research. Recommendations are provided to better monitor this practice throughout the academy.

Clinical research relies on patients being willing to participate in research projects, and making this possible for patients with mental health problems can be a particular challenge. In the modern era, many countries have seen a movement to give a stronger voice to patients both in choices around their care and in how research is conducted. How to achieve effective patient and public involvement (PPI) and to make the patients real partners in this effort is itself a subject of research evaluation. This opinion piece—based on a keynote lecture given at the European General Practice Research Network 2017 autumn meeting in Dublin—describes both the reasons for expanding PPI, how it can usefully be achieved, and how this may relate to the particular context of mental health. There can be moral, methodological or policy reasons for PPI. The three commonest models of good practice in PPI are the ‘one off,’ the ‘fully embedded’ and the ‘outreach’ models. In research into common mental health problems in family practice, ‘outreach’ approaches that minimize commitment over time may work best. ‘Expert patients’ from mental health charities can sometimes play this role. PPI may be challenging and involve extra effort, but the gains for all may be considerable. Wonca Europe networks including EGPRN can extend this message and findings.

The position of the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) is that critical care paramedicine is a specialty area of EMS practice that, when fully developed, includes the following:Critical...

In the present study, pre-treated paper mill sludge (PMS) was evaluated extensively as a substrate for production of acetone-butanol-ethanol using Clostridium sporogenes NCIM 2337. The PMS was subj...

Laboratory investigations provide physicians with objective data to aid in disease diagnosis, clinical decision making, and patient follow up. Clinical interpretation of laboratory test results relies heavily on the availability of appropriate population-based reference intervals (i.e. normative values) or decision limits developed through clinical outcome studies. Although reference intervals are fundamental to accurate laboratory test interpretation, and thus critically important to healthcare, the need for sound evidence-based reference intervals has been largely overlooked, particularly in the pediatric population. In the field of pediatric laboratory medicine, accurate age- and sex-specific reference intervals established using samples from healthy children and adolescents have not been readily available, forcing many clinical laboratories to report adult reference intervals with pediatric test results. When pediatric reference intervals are available, they have often been established with a small sample size, inpatient or outpatient samples, outdated methodologies, and/or inappropriate statistical procedures. To address these unacceptable limitations, several national and global initiatives have begun to close the critical evidence gaps in pediatric reference intervals. Notably, the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals (CALIPER) has made significant strides towards improving pediatric healthcare in Canada and globally. The present report is a white paper summarizing CALIPER, and provides a comprehensive compendium of the data generated through this project over the past decade as a single resource for clinical laboratory specialists, clinicians, and other healthcare workers. CALIPER launched an outreach campaign in 2008 to recruit healthy community children and adolescents, and developed a robust statistical algorithm, in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines, to develop accurate age- and sex-specific pediatric reference intervals. The first CALIPER direct reference interval study was published in 2012, with age- and sex-specific reference intervals reported for 40 common biochemical markers. To date, CALIPER has collected health information and blood samples from over 9700 community children and adolescents, and has established a comprehensive database of age- and sex-specific reference intervals for over 100 biomarkers of pediatric disease. CALIPER has also performed a series of transference and verification studies to expand the applicability of the CALIPER database to five major analytical platforms, including Abbott, Beckman, Ortho, Roche, and Siemens. Through novel knowledge translation initiatives, the CALIPER Reference Interval Database has been made freely available online ( www.caliperproject.ca ) as well as on a mobile application (CALIPER Reference App), and it is used by clinical laboratories across Canada, the United States, and globally. In addition to establishing this comprehensive pediatric reference interval database, CALIPER has also performed a series of sub-studies, including examining how reference intervals are affected by pre-analytical factors (i.e. sample stability at specific storage conditions, fasting status and time of sample collection), biological variation (i.e. intraindividual and interindividual biological variation, reference change values), and ethnicity and pubertal development stage. In this white paper, extensive tables of pediatric reference intervals are provided for easy reference for clinical laboratories worldwide. All data reported have been published in over 20 peer reviewed publications and are also available through the CALIPER Reference Interval Database as well as the CALIPER Reference App for mobile devices.

In the present work, the physicochemical, mineralogical, and morphological characteristics of coal combustion residues (CCRs) collected from two different Pulp and Paper Mills of Assam, India, have been investigated. CCRs from both the sources were mechanically sieved to obtain various size-classified fractions and their physical properties were determined using standard methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) etc. techniques were employed to study the mineralogical and morphological characteristics of each size classified fraction. The loss on ignition (LOI) values of the coarser fractions were found to be unexceptionally high, implying the presence of a huge amount of unburned carbon, and indicating the incomplete combustion of feed coal. From the utilization point of view, coarser fractions may be recycled (as domestic fuels) and less-coarse fractions may be used as adsorbents of toxic organic chemicals. Due to th...

In January 2017, China released its first ever White Paper on Asia-Pacific security cooperation, which sought to embolden Beijing’s (littoral) leadership in the region. Highlighting maritime security in the Asia-Pacific as a regional hotspot, the policy paper called for the establishment of a favourable regional order by underlining the merits of cooperative security. Simultaneously, it also sought to entrench China’s sovereign interests by displaying a ‘reactive assertiveness’ in the maritime domain. Referring to the South China Sea (SCS) dispute in particular, the paper declared that while China remained committed to upholding freedom of navigation in the SCS, it would also not shy away from making a “necessary response" to violation of its territorial integrity. Beijing’s desire to enhance its economic and military influence in the maritime domain understandably has an effect on the security calculus of the Asia-Pacific. In response to China's growing military capabilities and assertiveness in ...

This paper focuses on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic library operations. In the quest to render fast, effective and efficient s...

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a valuable fiber and medicinal plant from the Malvaceae family. It is an alternative crop that may be a feasible source of cellulose which is economically viable and ecologically friendly. This plant is cultivated for its fiber although its leaves and seeds have also been used in traditional medicine in India and Africa for the treatment of various disease conditions. Kenaf fibers are commonly used for paper pulp and cordage, but it is also a promising lignocellulosic feedstock for bioenergy production. The kenaf seed oil can be used for cooking and in different industrial applications. The present paper is an overview on its ethnobotanical and phytochemical properties reported in the literature that we have investigated and its great potential as a valuable multipurpose crop due to numerous uses.

Introduction: Current guidelines recommend prophylactic treatment of hemophilia B with the missing coagulation factor IX, either with standard half-life or extended half-life products. Extended half-life products have half-lives three to six times longer than the former, allowing a reduction in the number of weekly injections and therefore, potentially impacting on treatment adherence and quality of life. Albutrepenonacog alfa is an extended half-life fusion protein of coagulation factor IX with recombinant human albumin, indicated for both on-demand and prophylactic treatment for bleeding in patients with hemophilia B of all ages.Areas covered: The authors review the clinical and pharmacokinetic characteristics of albutrepenonacog alfa, as well as the available information regarding trough levels and real-world evidence. Given the availability of other factor IX products in the market, indirect comparisons of clinical and pharmacokinetic characteristics are presented.Expert opinion: The authors exhibit their expert opinion on which patient profiles are candidates for prophylactic treatment with albutrepenonacog alfa, and on the management of patients in terms of dosing, regimens of administration and protocols for switching the treatment.

The effects of varying concentrations of urea, phosphogypsum and paper mill sludge (PMS) on the morphology, histology, tissue protein content, lipid peroxidation (LPX), activities of lactat...