| 1. |
- Bravo, L, et al.
(författare)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 2. |
- Tabiri, S, et al.
(författare)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Menkveld, Albert J., et al.
(författare)
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Nonstandard Errors
- 2024
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF FINANCE. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0022-1082 .- 1540-6261. ; 79:3, s. 2339-2390
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty-nonstandard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for more reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants.
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| 5. |
- El-Saadony, Mohamed T., et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of turmeric and its principal bioactive curcumin on human health: pharmaceutical, medicinal, and food applications : a comprehensive review
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Nutrition. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-861X. ; 9
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The yellow polyphenolic pigment known as curcumin, originating from the rhizome of the turmeric plant Curcuma longa L., has been utilized for ages in ancient medicine, as well as in cooking and food coloring. Recently, the biological activities of turmeric and curcumin have been thoroughly investigated. The studies mainly focused on their antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective impacts. This review seeks to provide an in-depth, detailed discussion of curcumin usage within the food processing industries and its effect on health support and disease prevention. Curcumin’s bioavailability, bio-efficacy, and bio-safety characteristics, as well as its side effects and quality standards, are also discussed. Finally, curcumin’s multifaceted uses, food appeal enhancement, agro-industrial techniques counteracting its instability and low bioavailability, nanotechnology and focused drug delivery systems to increase its bioavailability, and prospective clinical use tactics are all discussed.
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| 6. |
- Ibrahim, Mahmoud A. A., et al.
(författare)
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In Silico Mining of Terpenes from Red-Sea Invertebrates for SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (M-pro) Inhibitors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI AG. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 26:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent for the COVID-19 pandemic, which generated more than 1.82 million deaths in 2020 alone, in addition to 83.8 million infections. Currently, there is no antiviral medication to treat COVID-19. In the search for drug leads, marine-derived metabolites are reported here as prospective SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. Two hundred and twenty-seven terpene natural products isolated from the biodiverse Red-Sea ecosystem were screened for inhibitor activity against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M-pro) using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area binding energy calculations. On the basis of in silico analyses, six terpenes demonstrated high potency as M-pro inhibitors with Delta G(binding) <= -40.0 kcal/mol. The stability and binding affinity of the most potent metabolite, erylosides B, were compared to the human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor, lopinavir. Erylosides B showed greater binding affinity towards SARS-CoV-2 M-pro than lopinavir over 100 ns with Delta G(binding) values of -51.9 vs. -33.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Protein-protein interactions indicate that erylosides B biochemical signaling shares gene components that mediate severe acute respiratory syndrome diseases, including the cytokine- and immune-signaling components BCL2L1, IL2, and PRKC. Pathway enrichment analysis and Boolean network modeling were performed towards a deep dissection and mining of the erylosides B target-function interactions. The current study identifies erylosides B as a promising anti-COVID-19 drug lead that warrants further in vitro and in vivo testing.
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| 7. |
- Mohamed, Tarik A., et al.
(författare)
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Plant cell cultures : An enzymatic tool for polyphenolic and flavonoid transformations
- 2022
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Ingår i: Phytomedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0944-7113 .- 1618-095X. ; 100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In the pharmaceutical sector, tissue culture techniques for large-scale production of natural chemicals can be a less expensive alternative to large-scale synthesis. Although recent biotransformation research have used plant cell cultures to target a wide range of bioactive compounds, more compiled information and synopses are needed to better understand metabolic pathways and improve biotransformation efficiencies.Purpose: This report reviews the biochemical transformation of phenolic natural products by plant cell cultures in order to identify potential novel biotechnological approaches for ensuring more homogeneous and stable phenolic production year-round under controlled environmental conditions.Methods: Articles on the use of plant cell culture for polyphenolic and flavonoid transformations (1988 - 2021) were retrieved from SciFinder, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science through electronic and manual search in English. Following that, the authors chose the required papers based on the criteria they defined. The following keywords were used for the online search: biotransformation, Plant cell cultures, flavonoids, phenolics, and pharmaceutical products.Results: The initial search found a total of 96 articles. However, only 70 of them were selected as they met the inclusion criteria defined by the authors. The analysis of these studies revealed that plant tissue culture is applicable for the large-scale production of plant secondary metabolites including the phenolics, which have high therapeutic value.Conclusion: Plant tissue cultures could be employed as an efficient technique for producing secondary metabolites including phenolics. Phenolics possess a wide range of therapeutic benefits, as anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and antiinflammatory properties. Callus culture, suspension cultures, transformation, and other procedures have been used to improve the synthesis of phenolics. Their production on a large scale is now achievable. More breakthroughs will lead to newer insights and, without a doubt, to a new era of phenolics-based pharmacological agents for the treatment of a variety of infectious and degenerative disorders.
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| 8. |
- Alexander, Stephen P. H., et al.
(författare)
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The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24: G protein-coupled receptors
- 2023
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Ingår i: BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. - : British pharmacological society. - 0007-1188 .- 1476-5381. ; 180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at . G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
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| 9. |
- Ibrahim, Mahmoud A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Blue Biotechnology : Computational Screening of Sarcophyton Cembranoid Diterpenes for SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibition
- 2021
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Ingår i: Marine Drugs. - : MDPI. - 1660-3397. ; 19:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The coronavirus pandemic has affected more than 150 million people, while over 3.25 million people have died from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As there are no established therapies for COVID-19 treatment, drugs that inhibit viral replication are a promising target; specifically, the main protease (M-pro) that process CoV-encoded polyproteins serves as an Achilles heel for assembly of replication-transcription machinery as well as down-stream viral replication. In the search for potential antiviral drugs that target M-pro, a series of cembranoid diterpenes from the biologically active soft-coral genus Sarcophyton have been examined as SARS-CoV-2 M-pro inhibitors. Over 360 metabolites from the genus were screened using molecular docking calculations. Promising diterpenes were further characterized by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy calculations. According to in silico calculations, five cembranoid diterpenes manifested adequate binding affinities as M-pro inhibitors with Delta G(binding) < -33.0 kcal/mol. Binding energy and structural analyses of the most potent Sarcophyton inhibitor, bislatumlide A (340), was compared to darunavir, an HIV protease inhibitor that has been recently subjected to clinical-trial as an anti-COVID-19 drug. In silico analysis indicates that 340 has a higher binding affinity against M-pro than darunavir with Delta G(binding) values of -43.8 and -34.8 kcal/mol, respectively throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Drug-likeness calculations revealed robust bioavailability and protein-protein interactions were identified for 340; biochemical signaling genes included ACE, MAPK14 and ESR1 as identified based on a STRING database. Pathway enrichment analysis combined with reactome mining revealed that 340 has the capability to re-modulate the p38 MAPK pathway hijacked by SARS-CoV-2 and antagonize injurious effects. These findings justify further in vivo and in vitro testing of 340 as an antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2.
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| 10. |
- Christopoulos, Arthur, et al.
(författare)
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THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22: G protein-coupled receptors.
- 2021
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Ingår i: British journal of pharmacology. - : Wiley. - 1476-5381 .- 0007-1188. ; 178 Suppl 1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22 is the fifth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of nearly 1900 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes over 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/bph.15538. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2021, and supersedes data presented in the 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
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| 11. |
- Hegazy, Mohamed-Elamir F., et al.
(författare)
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Terpenoid bio-transformations and applications via cell/organ cultures : a systematic review
- 2020
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Ingår i: Critical reviews in biotechnology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0738-8551 .- 1549-7801. ; 40:1, s. 64-82
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structurally diverse natural products are valued for their targeted biological activity. The challenge of working with such metabolites is their low natural abundance and complex structure, often with multiple stereocenters, precludes large-scale or unsophisticated chemical synthesis. Since select plants contain the enzymatic machinery necessary to produce specialized compounds, tissue cultures can be used to achieve key transformations for large-scale chemical and/or pharmaceutical applications. In this context, plant tissue-culture bio-transformations have demonstrated great promise in the preparation of pharmaceutical products. This review describes the capacity of cultured plant cells to transform terpenoid natural products and the specific application of such transformations over the past three decades (1988-2019).
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| 12. |
- Reda, Eman H., et al.
(författare)
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Comparative Study on the Essential Oils from Five Wild Egyptian Centaurea Species : Effective Extraction Techniques, Antimicrobial Activity and In-Silico Analyses
- 2021
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Ingår i: Antibiotics. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-6382. ; 10:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The genus Centaurea is recognized in folk medicine for anti-inflammatory, anti-itch, antitussive, purgative, astringent, and tonic activities. To study the chemical determinant for antimicrobial activity essential oils (EOs), five Centaurea species were analyzed including: C. scoparia, C. calcitrapa, C. glomerata, C. lipii and C. alexandrina. Conventional hydro-distillation (HD) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), as new green technologies, were compared for the extraction of essential oils. GC/MS analysis identified 120 EOs including mostly terpenoid except from C. lipii and C. alexandrina in which nonterpenoids were the major constituents. Major terpenoids included spathulenol, caryophyllene oxide and alloaromadendrene oxide-2. To probe antibacterial activity, potential EO inhibitors of a bacterial type II DNA topoisomerase, DNA gyrase B were screened via an in silico molecular docking approach. Spathulenol and alloaromadendrene oxide-2 possessed the best binding affinity in the ATP- binding pocket of Gyrase B enzyme. Principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical clustering were used for sample classification and revealed that sesquiterpenes contributed the most for accessions classification. In vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Aspergillus niger for all EOs were also evaluated. EOs from C. lipii, C. glomerata and C. calcitrapa exhibited significant MIC against S. aureus with an MIC value of 31.25 µg/mL.
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| 13. |
- Paz Duran, América, et al.
(författare)
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Bringing the Nature Futures Framework to life : creating a set of illustrative narratives of nature futures
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To halt further destruction of the biosphere, most people and societies around the globe need to transform their relationships with nature. The internationally agreed vision under the Convention of Biological Diversity—Living in harmony with nature—is that “By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”. In this context, there are a variety of debates between alternative perspectives on how to achieve this vision. Yet, scenarios and models that are able to explore these debates in the context of “living in harmony with nature” have not been widely developed. To address this gap, the Nature Futures Framework has been developed to catalyse the development of new scenarios and models that embrace a plurality of perspectives on desirable futures for nature and people. In this paper, members of the IPBES task force on scenarios and models provide an example of how the Nature Futures Framework can be implemented for the development of illustrative narratives representing a diversity of desirable nature futures: information that can be used to assess and develop scenarios and models whilst acknowledging the underpinning value perspectives on nature. Here, the term illustrative reflects the multiple ways in which desired nature futures can be captured by these narratives. In addition, to explore the interdependence between narratives, and therefore their potential to be translated into scenarios and models, the six narratives developed here were assessed around three areas of the transformative change debate, specifically, (1) land sparing vs. land sharing, (2) Half Earth vs. Whole Earth conservation, and (3) green growth vs. post-growth economic development. The paper concludes with an assessment of how the Nature Futures Framework could be used to assist in developing and articulating transformative pathways towards desirable nature futures.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Al-Maliki, Laheab A., et al.
(författare)
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Perception of climate change effects on water resources : Iraqi undergraduates as a case study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Arabian Journal of Geosciences. - : Springer. - 1866-7511 .- 1866-7538. ; 15:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing countries suffer from the effects of climate change on water resources more than other countries. This paper aims to specify the undergraduates’ knowledge about climate change effects on water resources. This study was conducted through a questionnaire distributed using Google form in May 2021. Descriptive analysis was used to display the level of awareness, and then the correlation between the respondents’ gender, stage, and scientific specialization were analyzed. The results showed that the general knowledge for all questionaries ranged between 40 and 50 %. Moreover, a weak positive correlation with the highest Spearman’s rho of 0.15 was shown for the students’ gender with their understanding of climate change main cause by 0.06 for the academic stage versus knowledge of climate change causes. Moreover, the results indicated a weak role for university education in exchange for a prominent role for television and social media in raising awareness. The research recommends integrating the Environmental Education (EE) programs into the Iraqi educational systems as it proposes a systematic educational method through which climate change and other environmental problems may be addressed holistically at all educational levels.
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| 16. |
- Alawi, Omer A., et al.
(författare)
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Heat transfer and hydrodynamic properties using different metal-oxide nanostructures in horizontal concentric annular tube : An optimization study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-4991. ; 11:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Numerical studies were performed to estimate the heat transfer and hydrodynamic properties of a forced convection turbulent flow using three-dimensional horizontal concentric annuli. This paper applied the standard k–ε turbulence model for the flow range 1 × 104 ≤ Re ≥ 24 × 103. A wide range of parameters like different nanomaterials (Al2O3, CuO, SiO2 and ZnO), different particle nanoshapes (spherical, cylindrical, blades, platelets and bricks), different heat flux ratio (HFR) (0, 0.5, 1 and 2) and different aspect ratios (AR) (1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3) were examined. Also, the effect of inner cylinder rotation was discussed. An experiment was conducted out using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) to characterize metallic oxides in spherical morphologies. Nano-platelet particles showed the best enhancements in heat transfer properties, followed by nano-cylinders, nano-bricks, nano-blades, and nano-spheres. The maximum heat transfer enhancement was found in SiO2, followed by ZnO, CuO, and Al2O3, in that order. Meanwhile, the effect of the HFR parameter was insignificant. At Re = 24,000, the inner wall rotation enhanced the heat transfer about 47.94%, 43.03%, 42.06% and 39.79% for SiO2, ZnO, CuO and Al2O3, respectively. Moreover, the AR of 2.5 presented the higher heat transfer improvement followed by 3, 2, and 1.5.
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| 17. |
- Basuony, Mohamed A.K., et al.
(författare)
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Big data analytics of corporate internet disclosures
- 2022
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Ingår i: Accounting Research Journal. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1030-9616 .- 1839-5465. ; 35:1, s. 4-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This study aims to investigate the extent and characteristics of corporate internet disclosure via companies’ websites as well via social media and networks sites in the four leading English-speaking stock markets, namely, Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.Design/methodology/approach: A disclosure index comprising a set of items that encompasses two facets of online disclosure, namely, company websites and social media sites, is used. This paper adopts a data science approach to investigate corporate internet disclosure practices among top listed firms in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.Findings: The results reveal the underlying relations between the determining factors of corporate disclosure, i.e. profitability, leverage, liquidity and firm size. Profitability in its own has no great effect on the degree of corporate internet disclosure whether via company websites or social media sites. Liquidity has an impact on the degree of disclosure. Firm size and leverage appear to be the most important factors driving better disclosure via social media. American companies tend to be on the cutting edge of technology when it comes to corporate disclosure.Practical implications: This paper provides new insights into corporate internet disclosure that will benefit all stakeholders with an interest in corporate reporting. Social media is an influential means of communication that can enable corporate office to get instant feedback enhancing their decision-making process.Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is amongst few studies of corporate disclosure via social media platforms. This study has adopted disclosure index incorporating social media as well as applying data science approach in disclosure in an attempt to unfold how accounting could benefit from data science techniques.
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| 18. |
- Fusai, Giuseppe Kito, et al.
(författare)
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Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries
- 2023
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Ingår i: British Journal of Surgery. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0007-1323 .- 1365-2168.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide. Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters. Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries. Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761).
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| 19. |
- Abba, Alia Besma, et al.
(författare)
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Copper and Zinc Removal from Wastewater Using Alum Sludge Recovered from Water Treatment Plant
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 14:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study aimed to determine Aluminum sludge composition and structure for its valorisation as an alternative natural material for heavy metals removal from wastewater for further reuse as treated water in different applications. The study was conducted to investigate the introduction of Al-bearing sludge composition. The physical and chemical properties were examined using X-ray diffraction tests (XRD), scanning electron microscope tests (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared tests (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller tests (BET). Furthermore, the heavy metal concentrations of synthetic wastewater were measured using the spectrophotometry method. The experimental procedure is based on testing different pH limits and amounts of aluminum sludge to find the optimum conditions for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) removal. The results demonstrated a high removal efficiency where its value reached up to 97.4% and 96.6% for Zn and Cu, respectively, in an acidic medium (pH = 6) using a relatively high amount of sludge (1400 mg). Nevertheless, a low efficiency was obtained in the strongly acidic medium (pH = 4) and a smaller sludge amount of about 480 mg.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Al-Maliki, Laheab A, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change impact on water resources of Iraq (a review of literature)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022). - : Institute of Physics (IOP).
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maintaining natural processes and supporting social and economic growth depend heavily on water supplies. However, Future climate is predicted to bring higher temperatures, which will increase evapotranspiration; lower precipitation totals; and changes in the seasonal pattern of precipitation. Iraq is more vulnerable to climate change than other nations due to the underdeveloped and fragile water management systems there, as well as the country's desert and warmer environment and increasing sensitivity to extreme weather events. The present work aims to analyse the literature dealing with climate change's effects on water resources in Iraq. The Scopus database was searched using the keywords (Iraq, models of climate change, and water resources). Most models study the effect of high temperatures and evaporation on water resources using different tools, the most important of which are SWAT, LARS-WG, and HEC-HM. The analysis of previous studies shows that the results of all the literature concordant that Iraq is on the verge of severe water scarcity due to high temperatures and the resulting decrease in rainfall, increase in evaporation, decrease in vegetation cover and increase in desertification.
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| 23. |
- Al-Mamoori, Sohaib Kareem, et al.
(författare)
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Horizontal and Vertical Geotechnical Variations of Soils According to USCS Classification for the City of An-Najaf, Iraq Using GIS
- 2020
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Ingår i: Geotechnical and Geological Engineering. - Switzerland : Springer. - 0960-3182 .- 1573-1529. ; 38:2, s. 1919-1938
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The unified soil classification system (USCS) first proposed by Casagrande and subsequently developed by the Army Corps of Engineers. It widely used in many building codes and books. An-Najaf city is the most important city in Iraq due to its religious and spiritual value in the Muslim world, so it is fast expanding and continuous developing city in Iraq. The data from 464 boreholes in the study area for depths of 0–26 m have been used. 13 Soil samples were collected from each borehole with 13 depths level (0–26) m with 2 m intervals. The USCS was applied to the soil samples from 13 depth levels borehole. This research aims to create a geodatabase for soil properties for An-Najaf. The ArcGIS 10.5 software was used to interpolate the spatial data to produce 33 geotechnical maps for fine soil, coarse soil and USCS for 13 depth levels. For numerical soil data, Ordinary Kriging has been used for interpolation mapping of Fine and Coarse percentage data for each depth. For non-numerical (nominal) soil data (USCS class), the Indicator Kriging method is used. The results show that the coarse soil occupied 85–95% for depth 0–16 m and consist of (SP, SP-SM, SM) while fine soil occupied 5–15% consisting of (OL, CH, ML) subsequently, this soil when compacted has a permeability of pervious to semi impervious, good shearing strength, low to very low compressibility and acceptable workability as a construction material. The results also show that after 16 m depths until 26 m, the fine soil percentage increased to 40% with a coarse soil percentage of 60%, indicating changes in soil characteristics as the permeability became semi-pervious to impervious, fair shearing strength, medium compressibility and fair workability as a construction material. The study results will provide help and saving time, efforts and money in preliminary engineering designs.
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| 24. |
- Al-Soubaihi, Rola, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of palladium catalysts in mesoporous silica support for CO oxidation and CO2 adsorption
- 2023
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier BV. - 2405-8440. ; 9:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The oxidation of Carbon monoxide (CO) to Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most extensively investigated reactions in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, and it occurs via molecular rearrangements induced by catalytic metal atoms with oxygen intermediates. CO oxidation and CO2 capture are instrumental processes in the reduction of green-house gas emissions, both of which are used in low-temperature CO oxidation in the catalytic converters of vehicles. CO oxidation and CO2 adsorption at different temperatures are evaluated for palladium-supported silica aerogel (Pd/SiO2). The synthesized catalyst was active and stable for low-temperature CO oxidation. The catalytic activity was enhanced after the first cycle due to the reconditioning of the catalyst's pores. It was found that the presence of oxide forms of palladium in the SiO2 microstructure, influences the performance of the catalysts due to oxygen vacancies that increases the frequency of active sites. CO2 gas adsorption onto Pd/SiO2 was investigated at a wide-ranging temperature from 16 to 120 degrees C and pressures similar to 1 MPa as determined from the isotherms that were evaluated, where CO2 showed the highest equilibrium adsorption capacity at 16 degrees C. The Langmuir model was employed to study the equilibrium adsorption behavior. Finally, the effect of moisture on CO oxidation and CO2 adsorption was considered to account for usage in real-world applications. Overall, mesoporous Pd/SiO2 aerogel shows potential as a material capable of removing CO from the environment and capturing CO2 at low temperatures.
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| 25. |
- Al Soubaihi, Rola Mohammad, et al.
(författare)
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CO Oxidation Efficiency and Hysteresis Behavior over Mesoporous Pd/SiO2 Catalyst
- 2021
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Ingår i: Catalysts. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4344. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation is considered an important reaction in heterogeneous industrial catalysis and has been extensively studied. Pd supported on SiO2 aerogel catalysts exhibit good catalytic activity toward this reaction owing to their CO bond activation capability and thermal stability. Pd/SiO2 catalysts were investigated using carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation as a model reaction. The catalyst becomes active, and the conversion increases after the temperature reaches the ignition temperature (T-ig). A normal hysteresis in carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation has been observed, where the catalysts continue to exhibit high catalytic activity (CO conversion remains at 100%) during the extinction even at temperatures lower than T-ig. The catalyst was characterized using BET, TEM, XPS, TGA-DSC, and FTIR. In this work, the influence of pretreatment conditions and stability of the active sites on the catalytic activity and hysteresis is presented. The CO oxidation on the Pd/SiO2 catalyst has been attributed to the dissociative adsorption of molecular oxygen and the activation of the C-O bond, followed by diffusion of adsorbates at T-ig to form CO2. Whereas, the hysteresis has been explained by the enhanced stability of the active site caused by thermal effects, pretreatment conditions, Pd-SiO2 support interaction, and PdO formation and decomposition.
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| 26. |
- Al-Sulttani, Ali Omran, et al.
(författare)
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Thermal effectiveness of solar collector using Graphene nanostructures suspended in ethylene glycol–water mixtures
- 2022
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Ingår i: Energy Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-4847. ; 8, s. 1867-1882
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs) are the most often used as solar collectors due to their easiness of installation and usage. The current research investigates the energy efficiency of FPSC using different mass concentration with varied base fluids containing Graphene nanofluids (T-Gr). Mass concentration of 0.1%-wt., 0.075%-wt., 0.050%-wt. and 0.025%-wt. were mixed with ethylene glycol (EG) and distilled water (DW) in different rations. The operating conditions were volumetric flowrate (1.5, 1 and 0.5) LPM 50 °C-input fluid temperature and 800 W/m2-global solar irradiation. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used to synthesize the thermally treated nanomaterial. The theoretical investigation indicated that using T-Gr nanosuspensions increased the FPSC efficiency in comparison with the host fluid for all examined mass concentrations and volumetric flowrates. In quantitative terms, the maximum thermal effectiveness improvement for the EG, (DW:70 + EG:30) and DW:EG (DW:50 + EG:50) and using flowrates of (1.5, 1 and 0.5) LPM were 12.54%, 12.46% and 12.48%. In addition, the research results pointed that the essential parameters (i.e., loss energy (FRUL)) and gain energy (FR (τα)) of the T-Gr nanofluids were increased significantly.
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| 27. |
- Al-Yahri, Omer, et al.
(författare)
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First ever case report of co-occurrence of hobnail variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma and intrathyroid parathyroid adenoma in the same thyroid lobe
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. - : Elsevier. - 2210-2612. ; 70, s. 40-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: The hobnail variant of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is rare. Intrathyroid parathyroid adenoma (ITPA) is also rare. Co-ocurrence of PTC and ITPA in the same thyroid lobe is extremely rare. Likewise, primary hyperparathyroidism with such non-medullary thyroid carcinoma is rare. The specific molecular profile of hobnail PTC (HPTC) is different from the classic, poorly differentiated and anaplastic variants and may contribute to its aggressive behavior. HPTC's genetic profile remains unclear. Presentation of case: A 61-year-old woman presented to our endocrine clinic with generalized aches, bone pain, polyuria, and right neck swelling of a few months’ duration. Laboratory findings revealed hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroidism. Ultrasound of the neck showed 4.6 cm complex nodule within the right thyroid lobe. Sestamibi scan suggested parathyroid adenoma in the right thyroid lobe. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) revealed atypical follicular lesion of undetermined significance. She underwent right lobectomy, which normalized the intraoperative intact parathyroid hormone levels. Final pathology with immunohistochemical stains demonstrated HPTC and IPTA (2 cm each). Next-generation sequencing investigated the mutation spectrum of HPTC and detected BRAFV600E mutation. Conclusions: A parathyroid adenoma should not exclude the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid evaluation is needed for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism to prevent missing concurrent thyroid cancers. Cytomorphologic features to distinguish thyroid from parathyroid cells on FNA cytology must be considered. Immunohistochemical stains are important. BRAFV600E is the most common mutation in HPTC. This is possibly the first reported case of HPTC and ITPA co-occurring within the same thyroid lobe. Studies that define other molecular abnormalities may be useful as therapeutic targets. © 2020 The Author(s)
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| 28. |
- Al‑Mamoori, Sohaib Kareem, et al.
(författare)
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Statistical analysis of the best GIS interpolation method for bearing capacity estimation in An-Najaf City, Iraq
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Earth Sciences. - : Springer. - 1866-6280 .- 1866-6299. ; 80:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The presence of an economical solution to predict soil behaviour is essential for new construction areas. This paper aims to investigate the ultimate interpolation method for predicting the soil bearing capacity of An-Najaf city-Iraq based on field investigation information. Firstly, the engineering bearing capacity was calculated based on the in-site N-SPT values using dynamic loading for 464 boreholes with depths of 0–2 m, using the Meyerhof formula. The data then were classified and imported to the GIS program to apply the interpolation methods. Four deterministic and two geostatistical interpolation methods were applied to produce six bearing capacity maps. The statistical analyses were performed using two methods: the common cross-validation method by the coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE), where the results showed that ordinary kriging (OK) is the ultimate method with the least RMSE and highest R2. These results were confusing so, the backward elimination regression (BER) procedure was applied to gain the definite result. The results of BER show that among all the deterministic methods, the IDW is the optimal and most significant interpolation method. The result of geostatistical methods shows that EBK is the best method in our case than the OK method. BER also applied to all six methods and shows that IDW is the ultimate significant method. The results indicate no general ultimate interpolation method for all cases and datasets type; therefore, the statistical analyses must be performed for each case and dataset.
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| 29. |
- Ammanath, Aparna Viswanathan, et al.
(författare)
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From an Hsp90 - binding protein to a peptide drug.
- 2022
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Ingår i: microLife. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2633-6693. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Lpl proteins represent a class of lipoproteins that was first described in the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, where they contribute to pathogenicity by enhancing F-actin levels of host epithelial cells and thereby increasing S. aureus internalization. The model Lpl protein, Lpl1 was shown to interact with the human heat shock proteins Hsp90α and Hsp90ß, suggesting that this interaction may trigger all observed activities. Here we synthesized Lpl1-derived peptides of different lengths and identified two overlapping peptides, namely, L13 and L15, which interacted with Hsp90α. Unlike Lpl1, the two peptides not only decreased F-actin levels and S. aureus internalization in epithelial cells but they also decreased phagocytosis by human CD14+ monocytes. The well-known Hsp90 inhibitor, geldanamycin, showed a similar effect. The peptides not only interacted directly with Hsp90α, but also with the mother protein Lpl1. While L15 and L13 significantly decreased lethality of S. aureus bacteremia in an insect model, geldanamycin did not. In a mouse bacteremia model L15 was found to significantly decreased weight loss and lethality. Although the molecular bases of the L15 effect is still elusive, in vitro data indicate that simultaneous treatment of host immune cells with L15 or L13 and S. aureus significantly increase IL-6 production. L15 and L13 represent not antibiotics but they cause a significant reduction in virulence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains in in vivo models. In this capacity, they can be an important drug alone or additive with other agents.
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| 30. |
- Belal, Amany, et al.
(författare)
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A Novel Hydroxyapatite/Vitamin B-12 Nanoformula for Treatment of Bone Damage: Preparation, Characterization, and Anti-Arthritic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activities in Chemically Induced Arthritic Rats
- 2023
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Ingår i: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI. - 1424-8247. ; 16:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The usage of nanomaterials for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment can improve bioavailability and enable selective targeting. The current study prepares and evaluates the in vivo biological effects of a novel hydroxyapatite/vitamin B-12 nanoformula in Complete Freunds adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. The synthesized nanoformula was characterized using XRD, FTIR, BET analysis, HERTEM, SEM, particle size, and zeta potential. We synthesized pure HAP NPs with 71.01% loading weight percentages of Vit B12 and 49 mg/g loading capacity. Loading of vitamin B-12 on hydroxyapatite was modeled by Monte Carlo simulation. Anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of the prepared nanoformula were assessed. Treated arthritic rats showed lower levels of RF and CRP, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, IL-17, and ADAMTS-5, but higher IL-4 and TIMP-3 levels. In addition, the prepared nanoformula increased GSH content and GST antioxidant activity while decreasing LPO levels. Furthermore, it reduced the expression of TGF-beta mRNA. Histopathological examinations revealed an improvement in joint injuries through the reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration, cartilage deterioration, and bone damage caused by Complete Freunds adjuvant. These findings indicate that the anti-arthritic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of the prepared nanoformula could be useful for the development of new anti-arthritic treatments.
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| 31. |
- Brout, Dillon, et al.
(författare)
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The Pantheon+ analysis : cosmological constraints
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 938:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present constraints on cosmological parameters from the Pantheon+ analysis of 1701 light curves of 1550 distinct Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) ranging in redshift from z = 0.001 to 2.26. This work features an increased sample size from the addition of multiple cross-calibrated photometric systems of SNe covering an increased redshift span, and improved treatments of systematic uncertainties in comparison to the original Pantheon analysis, which together result in a factor of 2 improvement in cosmological constraining power. For a flat ΛCDM model, we find ΩM = 0.334 ± 0.018 from SNe Ia alone. For a flat w0CDM model, we measure w0 = −0.90 ± 0.14 from SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.5 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including the Cepheid host distances and covariance (SH0ES), and w0 = -0.978-+0.0310.024 when combining the SN likelihood with Planck constraints from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO); both w0 values are consistent with a cosmological constant. We also present the most precise measurements to date on the evolution of dark energy in a flat w0waCDM universe, and measure wa = -0.1-+2.00.9 from Pantheon+ SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.3 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including SH0ES Cepheid distances, and wa = -0.65-+0.320.28 when combining Pantheon+ SNe Ia with CMB and BAO data. Finally, we find that systematic uncertainties in the use of SNe Ia along the distance ladder comprise less than one-third of the total uncertainty in the measurement of H0 and cannot explain the present “Hubble tension” between local measurements and early universe predictions from the cosmological model.
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| 32. |
- Haneef, Tahir, et al.
(författare)
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Recent progress in two dimensional Mxenes for photocatalysis : a critical review
- 2023
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Ingår i: 2D Materials. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2053-1583. ; 10:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transition metal carbides and nitrides, generally known as MXenes have emerged as an alternative to improve photocatalytic performance in renewable energy and environmental remediation applications because of their high surface area, tunable chemistry, and easily adjustable elemental compositions. MXenes have many interlayer groups, surface group operations, and a flexible layer spacing that makes them ideal catalysts. Over 30 different members of the MXenes family have been explored and successfully utilized as catalysts. Particularly, MXenes have achieved success as a photocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction, nitrogen fixation, hydrogen evolution, and photochemical degradation. The structure of MXenes and the presence of hydrophilic functional groups on the surface results in excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. In addition, MXenes' surface defects provide abundant CO2 adsorption sites. Moreover, their highly efficient catalytic oxidation activity is a result of their excellent two-dimensional nanomaterial structure and high-speed electron transport channels. This article comprehensively discusses the structure, synthesis techniques, photocatalytic applications (i.e. H-2 evolution, N-2 fixation, CO2 reduction, and degradation of pollutants), and recyclability of MXenes. This review also critically evaluates the MXene-based heterostructure and composites photocatalyst synthesis process and their performance for organic pollutant degradation. Finally, a prospect for further research is presented in environmental and energy sciences.
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| 33. |
- Hardt, Uta, et al.
(författare)
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Integrated single cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal autoreactive differentiated B cells in joints of early rheumatoid arthritis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- B cells play a significant role in established Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, it is unclear to what extent differentiated B cells are present in joint tissue already at the onset of disease. Here, we studied synovial biopsies (n = 8) captured from untreated patients at time of diagnosis. 3414 index-sorted B cells underwent RNA sequencing and paired tissue pieces were subjected to spatial transcriptomics (n = 4). We performed extensive bioinformatics analyses to dissect the local B cell composition. Select plasma cell immunoglobulin sequences were expressed as monoclonal antibodies and tested by ELISA. Memory and plasma cells were found irrespective of autoantibody status of the patients. Double negative memory B cells were prominent, but did not display a distinct transcriptional profile. The tissue architecture implicate both local B cell maturation via T cell help and plasma cell survival niches with a strong CXCL12-CXCR4 axis. The immunoglobulin sequence analyses revealed clonality between the memory B and plasma cell pools further supporting local maturation. One of the plasma cell-derived antibodies displayed citrulline autoreactivity, demonstrating local autoreactive plasma cell differentiation in joint biopsies captured from untreated early RA. Hence, plasma cell niches are not a consequence of chronic inflammation, but are already present at the time of diagnosis.
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| 34. |
- Hussien, Abdelazim, et al.
(författare)
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Recent Advances in Harris Hawks Optimization : A Comparative Study and Applications
- 2022
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Ingår i: Electronics. - : MDPI. - 2079-9292. ; 11:12
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Harris hawk optimizer is a recent population-based metaheuristics algorithm that simulates the hunting behavior of hawks. This swarm-based optimizer performs the optimization procedure using a novel way of exploration and exploitation and the multiphases of search. In this review research, we focused on the applications and developments of the recent well-established robust optimizer Harris hawk optimizer (HHO) as one of the most popular swarm-based techniques of 2020. Moreover, several experiments were carried out to prove the powerfulness and effectivness of HHO compared with nine other state-of-art algorithms using Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC2005) and CEC2017. The literature review paper includes deep insight about possible future directions and possible ideas worth investigations regarding the new variants of the HHO algorithm and its widespread applications.
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| 35. |
- Kadri, Abdelaziz, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of Groundwater Suitability for Agricultural Purposes: A Case Study of South Oued Righ Region, Algeria
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Groundwater in the Touggourt region—or as its named, Oued Righ—in southeastern Algeria, is the only source of irrigation. To assess its suitability for agricultural purposes, we collected 72 samples from wells at this region, physical and chemical measurements were carried out for each water sample, and calculations of the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), soluble sodium percent (SSP), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard ratio (MHR) and Kelley’s ratio (KR) were carried out, as these indices are often used to assess the suitability of groundwater for irrigation uses. Based on the irrigation water quality index (IWQI) values, a spatial distribution map for each parameter using the inverse interpolation technique (IDW) was produced by Geographical Information System (GIS). According to the IWQI map, about 35% of the water samples analyzed fall into the Severe Restriction category (SR), making it unsuitable for irrigation under normal circumstance. Again, the remaining 65% of the groundwater has a high restriction (HR) for use. Groundwater in the study area could be used for irrigation in highly permeable soils where salt-tolerant crops are grown. Adequate drainage and continuous monitoring of water quality are recommended.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Mahdy, Nasser M., et al.
(författare)
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Combined zircon U-Pb dating and chemical Th-U-total Pb chronology of monazite and thorite, Abu Diab A-type granite, Central Eastern Desert of Egypt : Constraints on the timing and magmatic-hydrothermal evolution of rare metal granitic magmatism in the Arabian Nubian Shield
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemie der Erde. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2819 .- 1611-5864. ; 80:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first chemical age determination of monazite from a geochemically-specialized rare metal granite of the Central Eastern Desert (CED), Egypt. The Abu Diab composite A-type granite of the CED divides into three co-magmatic phases: two mica granite (TG), garnet-bearing muscovite granite (GMG), and muscovite granite (MG). The GMG granitic phase is a typical example of a rare metal, volatile-rich aqueous silicate magma. Its zircon has extremely high U-concentration (up to 45,000 ppm) and intense metamictization, resulting in significant radiogenic Pb-loss, as well as common Pb contamination, along fractures and other imperfections. Laser ablation (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb results yield imprecise to meaningless dates. On the other hand, the GMG exhibits two texturally and chemically distinct varieties of monazite, pristine (Mnz1) and altered (Mnz2), that yield similar electron microprobe (EMP) chemical ages of 587 +/- 8 Ma (2 sigma) for Mnz1 and 587 +/- 9 Ma (2 sigma) for Mnz2. These ages, combined with the inferred alteration temperature (T > 400 degrees C), indicate monazite alteration/replacement occurred during or soon after crystallization of the pluton, in response to expelled magmatic-hydrothermal fluids inferred to be F-rich, late-staged deuteric fluids. The alteration and elemental substitution of zircon and monazite reflect coupled dissolution-recrystallization processes during late-staged deuteric alteration when zircon and thorite were relatively vulnerable to post-magmatic hydrothermal effects because of their extremely metamict state. The ca. 587 Ma age is typical of A-type granite intrusion across the CED and the post-collisional stage of the Arabian Nubian Shield (ANS; 610 - 560 Ma), and is within analytical error of associated magmatic thorite (592 +/- 8 Ma). These two ages agree with the timing of rare metal-rich intrusions (0.6-0.4 Ga) related to the Pan-African orogeny. Future research using the monazite chronometer may better constrain the timing of rare metal granitic magmatism of the ANS.
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| 38. |
- Mansouri, Zina, et al.
(författare)
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Hydro-Geochemistry and Groundwater Quality Assessment of Ouargla Basin, South of Algeria
- 2022
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Ingår i: Water. - : MDPI. - 2073-4441. ; 14:15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to evaluate the hydro-chemical characteristics of Ouargla, Algeria basin groundwaters harvested from the Mio Pliocene aquifer. The study covered 70 samples; the physical parameters, potential of hydrogen (pH), and electrical conductivity EC μS.cm−1 were determined in situ, using a multiparameter; the laboratory analysis included dry residuals DR (mg/L), calcium Ca2+ (mg/L), magnesium Mg2+ (mg/L), sodium Na+ (mg/L), potassium K+ (mg/L), bicarbonates HCO3− (mg/L), sulfates SO42− (mg/L), and chloride Cl− (mg/L). The piper diagram shows that the Ouargla basin ground waters divided into two facies, sodic chlorinated in 93% and sodic sulphated in 7% of samples. The United States Salinity Laboratory Staff (USSL) diagram was used to detect the suitability of groundwater in irrigation where the results show that the groundwater was classed into two classes, poor water (C4 S4) and bad water (C4 S4). Furthermore, indices such as the Kelly index (KI), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium solubility percentage (Na%), and magnesium hazards (MH) confirm the negative effect of groundwater on soil permeability in 96%, 80%, 89%, and 53% of samples. The permeability index (PI) shows that the analyzed samples were considered as doubtful (71%) and safe (29%), otherwise there is no risk related to residual sodium carbonate (RSC). The geo-spatial distribution of deferent indices shows that all the study area has poor groundwater for irrigation, except the south-west part, where the groundwaters of this sub-area do not form a problem related to RSC.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Pham, Quoc Bao, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison among fuzzy multi-criteria decision making, bivariate, multivariate and machine learning models in landslide susceptibility mapping
- 2021
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Ingår i: Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1947-5705 .- 1947-5713. ; 12:1, s. 1741-1777
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Landslides are dangerous events which threaten both human life and property. The study aims to analyze the landslide susceptibility (LS) in the Kysuca river basin, Slovakia. For this reason, previous landslide events were analyzed with 16 landslide conditioning factors. Landslide inventory was divided into training (70% of landslide locations) and validating dataset (30% of landslide locations). The heuristic approach of Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (FDEMATEL)-Analytic Network Process (ANP) was applied first, followed by bivariate Frequency Ratio (FR), multivariate Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest Classifier (RFC), Naive Bayes Classifier (NBC) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), respectively. The results showed that 52.2%, 36.5%, 40.7%, 50.6%, 43.6% and 40.3% of the total basin area had very high to high LS corresponding to FDEMATEL-ANP, FR, LR, RFC, NBC and XGBoost model, respectively. The analysis revealed that RFC was the most accurate model (overall accuracy of 98.3% and AUC of 97.0%). Besides, the heuristic approach of FDEMATEL-ANP model (overall accuracy of 93.8% and AUC of 92.4%) had better prediction capability than bivariate FR (overall accuracy of 86.9% and AUC of 86.1%), multivariate LR (overall accuracy of 90.5% and AUC of 91.2%), machine learning NBC (overall accuracy of 76.3% and AUC of 90.9%) and even deep learning XGBoost (overall accuracy of 92.3% and AUC of 87.1%) models. The study revealed that the FDEMATEL-ANP outweighed the NBC and XGBoost machine learning models, which suggests that heuristic methods should be tested out before directly applying machine learning models.
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| 41. |
- Rasool, Kashif, et al.
(författare)
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Comprehensive insights into sustainable conversion of agricultural and food waste into microbial protein for animal feed production
- 2023
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Ingår i: Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology. - : Springer. - 1569-1705 .- 1572-9826. ; 22:2, s. 527-562
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The growing global population and higher living standards instantly demand the transition in the direction of a sustainable food system. A substantial section of means and agricultural lands are presently committed to protein-rich feed production to rear livestock for human consumption. Conversely, accelerated farming activities and the food industry have rendered a drastic increase in waste which impair the economic and environmental sustainability of the ecosystem. This situation emerges the need for developing an integrated technology for waste management and to improve sustainability footprints. Microbial protein (MP) production based on renewable electron and carbon sources has the potential as a substitute protein source. MP production for animal feed use is growing fast and is derived from bacteria, algae, and fungi including yeast. MP produced from all types of microbes is currently commercialized and in use. However, novel methods and processes are also under investigation to make MP production more economical and sustainable. Current research on MP has concentrated on the valorization of waste materials by using high protein content-containing microorganisms, which can then be used in animal feed. Using such kind of integrated approach, the agroindustry waste resources upcycling can contribute towards finding sustainable, cheaper, and environment-friendly protein sources. This review first describes the potential waste feedstock for MP production and summarizes the recent progress in the application of MP-producing microorganisms including fungus, yeast, bacteria, and phototrophic microbes. Bioprocesses, and production technology advances for MP production have been explored and discussed in detail. Finally, the MP application as animal feed, its challenges, and future perspectives in research have been evaluated.
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Sallam, Malik, et al.
(författare)
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The Role of Psychological Factors and Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs in Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake among Jordanian Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2022
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Ingår i: Vaccines. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-393X. ; 10:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vaccination to prevent influenza virus infection and to lessen its severity is recommended among healthcare workers (HCWs). Health professionals have a higher risk of exposure to viruses and could transmit the influenza virus to vulnerable patients who are prone to severe disease and mortality. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the levels of influenza vaccine acceptance and uptake as well as its determinants, among Jordanian HCWs over the last influenza season of 2021/2022. This study was based on a self-administered electronic survey that was distributed in March 2022. Psychological determinants of influenza vaccine acceptance and vaccine conspiracy beliefs were assessed using the previously validated 5C scale questionnaire (confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation and collective responsibility) and the vaccine conspiracy beliefs scale. The study sample comprised a total of 1218 HCWs: nurses (n = 412, 33.8%), physicians (n = 367, 30.1%), medical technicians (n = 182, 14.9%), pharmacists (n = 161, 13.2%) and dentists (n = 87, 7.1%), among others. About two-thirds of the study sample expressed willingness to receive influenza vaccination if provided free of charge (n = 807, 66.3%), whereas less than one-third were willing to pay for the vaccine (n = 388, 31.9%). The self-reported uptake of the influenza vaccine in the last influenza season was 62.8%. The following factors were significantly associated with higher acceptance of influenza vaccination if provided freely, as opposed to vaccine hesitancy/rejection: male sex; physicians and dentists among HCW categories; higher confidence and collective responsibility; and lower complacency, constraints and calculation. Higher influenza vaccine uptake was significantly correlated with nurses and physicians among HCW categories, older age, a higher monthly income, higher confidence and collective responsibility, lower complacency and constraints and lower embrace of general vaccine conspiracy beliefs. The results of the current study can provide helpful clues to improve influenza vaccine coverage among HCWs in Jordan. Consequently, this can help to protect vulnerable patient groups and reserve valuable resources in healthcare settings. Psychological determinants appeared to be the most significant factors for vaccine acceptance and uptake, whereas the embrace of general vaccine conspiracy beliefs was associated with lower rates of influenza vaccine uptake, which should be considered in educational and interventional measures aiming to promote influenza vaccination.
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| 44. |
- Shokry, Mostafa, et al.
(författare)
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CORAS Model for Security Risk Assessment in Advanced Metering Infrastructure Systems
- 2023
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems and Informatics 2022. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 449-459
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The risk assessment process is one of the most important tasks that must be performed on critical infrastructure systems to detect security vulnerabilities and risks. The risk assessment task is used to evaluate the likelihood and the impact of the potential threats on the critical assets of any system by determining the threats, the unwanted incidents, and the mitigation techniques to reduce these risks. The advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system is considered one of the critical infrastructure systems and part of the smart grid system. AMI collects electricity consumption data from the customer’s residence to the electricity data center through bidirectional communication channels to be analyzed. This paper conducts a risk assessment process on the AMI system using the CORAS risk assessment model and CORAS risk assessment tool v1.4 to identify possible risks. The study applies the eight steps of the CORAS model to the AMI system from determining the critical assets in the AMI system to determining the mitigation techniques that can be applied to overcome the existing security vulnerabilities. In the end, this study provides a better understanding of the AMI security risks toward identifying adequate security perimeters for AMI systems.
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| 45. |
- Shokry, Mostafa, et al.
(författare)
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Systematic survey of advanced metering infrastructure security: Vulnerabilities, attacks, countermeasures, and future vision
- 2022
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Ingår i: Future Generation Computer Systems. - : Elsevier. - 0167-739X .- 1872-7115. ; 136, s. 358-377
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a paradigm shift from traditional power distribution systems to smart grids (SGs) due to advances in information and communication technology. An advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is one of the main components in an SG. Its relevance comes from its ability to collect, process, and transfer data through the internet. Although the advances in AMI and SG techniques have brought new operational benefits, they introduce new security and privacy challenges. Security has emerged as an imperative requirement to protect an AMI from attack. Currently, ensuring security is a major challenge in the design and deployment of an AMI. This study provides a systematic survey of the security of AMI systems from diverse perspectives. It focuses on attacks, mitigation approaches, and future visions. The contributions of this article are fourfold: First, the vulnerabilities that may exist in all components of an AMI are described and analyzed. Second, it considers attacks that exploit these vulnerabilities and the impact they can have on the performance of individual components and the overall AMI system. Third, it discusses various countermeasures that can protect an AMI system. Fourth, it presents the open challenges relating to AMI security as well as future research directions. The uniqueness of this review is its comprehensive coverage of AMI components with respect to their security vulnerabilities, attacks, and countermeasures. The future vision is described at the end.
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| 46. |
- Visser, Gerard H A, et al.
(författare)
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FIGO opinion paper: Drivers and solutions to the cesarean delivery epidemic with emphasis on the increasing rates in Africa and Southeastern Europe.
- 2023
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Ingår i: International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. - 1879-3479. ; 163:Suppl 2, s. 5-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cesarean delivery rates are rapidly increasing in Southeastern Europe (to more than 60%), North Africa (with a rate as high as 72% in Egypt), and in urban areas in Southern Africa (a rate of over 50% in Lagos, Nigeria). Data on the background to these increases are scarce, but likely to include poor birthing facilities in general hospitals, convenience for the doctor, private medicine, fear of litigation, socioeconomic status, shortage of midwives and nurses, and disappearance of vaginal instrumental deliveries. Options to reverse cesarean delivery trends are discussed. In this context there is a need to be better informed about how women are being counseled regarding vaginal or cesarean delivery. The long-term consequences in subsequent pregnancies for mothers and children may well be largely ignored, while these risks are highest in LMICs where higher birth numbers are desired. FIGO has begun discussions with obstetric and gynecologic societies, healthcare bodies, and governments in several countries discussed in this article, to find ways to lower the cesarean delivery rate. The requests came from the countries themselves, which may prove beneficial in helping advance progress.
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