Time series-based bibliometric analysis of a systematic review of multidisciplinary care for opioid dose reduction: exploring the origins of the North American opioid crisis

Scientometrics - Bibliometric analyses of systematic reviews offer unique opportunities to explore the character of specific scientific fields. In this time series-based analysis, dynamics of...     

Studies on photodegradation of two commercial dyes in aqueous phase using different photocatalysts

The present study involves the photocatalytic degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) and Rhodamine 6G (R6G), employing heterogeneous photocatalytic process. Photocatalytic activity of various semiconductors such as titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), zinc oxide (ZnO), stannic oxide (SnO(2)), zinc sulphide (ZnS) and cadmium sulphide (CdS) has been investigated. An attempt has been made to study the effect of process parameters viz., amount of catalyst, concentration of dye and pH on photocatalytic degradation of MO and R6G. The experiments were carried out by irradiating the aqueous solutions of dyes containing photocatalysts with UV and solar light. The rate of decolorization was estimated from residual concentration spectrophotometrically. Similar experiments were carried out by varying pH (2-10), amount of catalyst (0.25-2.0g/l) and initial concentration of dye (5-200mg/l). The experimental results indicated that the maximum decolorization (more than 90%) of dyes occurred with ZnO catalyst and at basic pH and the maximum adsorption of MO was noticed at pH 4 and of R6G at pH 10. The percentage reduction of MO and R6G was estimated under UV/solar system and it was found that COD reduction takes place at a faster rate under solar light as compared to UV light. In case of R6G, highest decolorizing efficiency was achieved with lower dose of catalyst (0.5g/l) than MO (1g/l) under similar conditions. The performance of photocatalytic system employing ZnO/solar light was observed to be better than ZnO/UV system.     

Pathophysiology and Molecular Imaging of Diabetic Foot Infections

Diabetic foot infection is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations worldwide. In addition, diabetes mellitus and sequela of the disease are increasing in prevalence. In 2017, 9.4% of Americans were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). The growing pervasiveness and financial implications of diabetic foot infection (DFI) indicate an acute need for improved clinical assessment and treatment. Complex pathophysiology and suboptimal specificity of current non-invasive imaging modalities have made diagnosis and treatment response challenging. Current anatomical and molecular clinical imaging strategies have mainly targeted the host’s immune responses rather than the unique metabolism of the invading microorganism. Advances in imaging have the potential to reduce the impact of these problems and improve the assessment of DFI, particularly in distinguishing infection of soft tissue alone from osteomyelitis (OM). This review presents a summary of the known pathophysiology of DFI, the molecular basis of current and emerging diagnostic imaging techniques, and the mechanistic links of these imaging techniques to the pathophysiology of diabetic foot infections.     

Seasonal variations in theaflavins,thearubigins, total colour and brightness of Kangra orthodox tea (Camellia sinensis (L) O Kuntze) in Himachal Pradesh

Variations in theaflavins, thearubigins, total colour and brightness of orthodox black tea were studied for four consecutive years (1993–1996) with a view to evaluating the effects of changing weather conditions on the quality of Kangra tea. A degree of withering of 600–650 mg g⁻¹ during the first, second and fourth seasons was optimal for the development of significantly higher brightness and total colour characteristics. The quality of rainy season teas suffered owing to high chlorophyll content and low degree of withering. Hot air circulation through the withering troughs to assist evaporation of leaf moisture increased the brightness and total colour of rainy season teas. High atmospheric demand during the dry season assisted loss of green leaf moisture, but withering and brightness exhibited significant negative correlations with high relative humidity and rainfall. Summer season teas were superior in their total colour and brightness. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of weather conditions on concentration of calcium,manganese, zinc,copper and iron in green tea (Camellia sinensis (L) O kuntze) leaves of North-Western India

Variations of calcium, manganese, zinc, copper and iron contents in green tea leaves due to weather conditions were studied for three cropping seasons with a view to provide information on nutritional requirements to boost productivity. The concentrations of these micronutrients were related to the uptake capability of tea plants as affected by different weather parameters. High temperature and high atmospheric evaporative demand assisted calcium uptake whereas high humidity and high rainfall reduced it. Low temperature and high humidity reduced manganese uptake. High weekly evaporation, weekly relative humidity and accumulated rainfall depressed the uptake of zinc, copper and iron in green tea shoots.     

Cleavage in the K8 glass under submicrosecond impact loading

The dynamic strength of an optical glass of the K8 type was studied under submicrosecond impact loading conditions. A 80-ns-long pressure impact was generated by a laser radiation pulse acting upon an aluminum foil. The free sample surface velocity was measured by a laser differential interferometer. The onset of fracture at the free surface was detected using a He-Ne laser radiation reflected from a crack appearing as a result of the glass cleavage. The experimental data on the dynamic strength of a glass under submicrosecond impact loading conditions are obtained for the first time. For the K8 glass studied, the critical cleavage stress amounts to 0.45±0.03 GPa. Experimental investigations of the time characteristics of the fracture process, as well as the results of a fractographic analysis of the cleavage zone, do not unambiguously confirm the existence of the stage of damage accumulation during the fracture of inorganic glasses.     

The use of hybrid lenses in management of the irregular cornea.

The use of SoftPerm hybrid lenses was investigated as part of a 10 year retrospective audit of keratoconus in the Contact Lens Service at Nottingham University Hospital which serves a population of approximately one million. During this period, nine patients (14 eyes) were fitted with SoftPerm a lenses for keratoconus. Two further patients (two eyes) were included with a diagnosis of irregular astigmatism and one patient (one eye) was fitted post-corneal graft. Seven patients were regarded as successful hybrid lens wearers and five were regarded as unsuccessful wearers. Of the unsuccessful cases, one patient managed satisfactorily using a rigid gas permeable corneal on the unaffected eye, two patients subsequently had successful corneal grafts, one patient continued with restricted rigid gas permeable lens wear and one patient defaulted.     

Optimization of extraction of bulk enzymes from spent mushroom compost

The profiling of ligninase, hemicellulase and cellulase of Pleurotus sajor‐caju after inoculation of spawn in bags containing sawdust was done at monthly intervals for a period of 6 months. Xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) was produced throughout the 6 months studied with the productivity range from 5.60 to 7.51 U g^?1. Cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4) and β‐glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) productivities were highest at 4 months, producing 3.31 U g^?1 and 121.13 U g^?1 respectively. Laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) productivity was highest at 2 months with a value of 7.59 U g^?1. Lignin peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.14) productivity was highest at 5 months with a value of 206.20 U g^?1. Total soluble proteins were highest at 4 months with a value of 0.139 mg cm^?3. The profiling of lignin peroxidase in 5‐month‐old spent mushroom compost was monitored over a period of 10 months. It was observed that lignin peroxidase was produced throughout the period but productivity was variable. The average lignin peroxidase productivity ranged from 30 to 110 U g^?1. The activities of the enzymes extracted in tap water at pH 8.4 were comparable to that extracted in 50 mmol sodium citrate buffer at pH 4.8 and distilled water at pH 5.2 at 4 °C using an incubator shaker at 200 rpm for 18 h. The optimum extraction time was 1 h using an incubator shaker at 4 °C. When an incubator shaker was used, there was no significant difference in the recovery of xylanase, cellulase and laccase at different pH values at 4 °C and 28 °C. No significant difference was observed in the recovery of β‐glucosidase using an incubator shaker at different pH values at 4 °C although the enzyme recovery was slightly higher at pH 8.12, with a value of 29.27 U g^?1. The optimum extraction of β‐glucosidase was at pH 4 at room temperature using an incubator shaker. For the lignin peroxidase enzyme, the optimum pH for extraction was 6 at 4 °C and pH 7 at room temperature using an incubator shaker at 200 rpm for 1 h. Homogenization for 8 min at 8000 rpm using tap water at pH 4 had an advantage over the use of the incubator shaker for the extraction as high titers of enzymes were recovered. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry