Search

It is more important to improve and complete the wastewater process in order to reuse and return it to the production line. In this study, the hydrogen peroxide/ozone process (Peroxone) was investigated as a supplementary step in paper mill wastewater treatment to reduce the amount of chemical oxygen demand and remove E. coli. In this regard, using the Box-Behnken Design method based on the response surface method to optimize and investigate the effect of three variables governing the ozonation process, including the amount of hydrogen peroxide consumed (ml), the amount of ozone input (mg/min) and ozonation time (min) were used. The results showed that the amount of ozone and hydrogen peroxide had the greatest effect for reducing COD (up to about 75%). Also, all three variables have played a significant role in increasing the efficiency of the Peroxone process and even completely eliminating E. coli. In determining the optimal conditions, the amount of ozone (146 mg/min), the amount of hydrogen peroxide (2ml) and the duration of ozonation (23 min), the lowest amount of residual COD (73 mg/L) and the highest efficiency (75% removal of E. coli) are predicted. The results showed that due to the interaction of ozone and hydrogen peroxide, the peroxone process performance was less efficient than the ozonation process alone.

In this research, the ozonation process has been used as a supplementary stage of purification to reduce the amount of chemical oxygen demand and remove bacteria, especially E. Coli, from the effluent of the paper industry. Box-Behnken Design statistical method is used to optimize the treatment conditions. In this method, the effect of three variables governing the ozonation process, including the initial pH of the effluent, the amount of input ozone (mg/min) O3 and the duration of ozonation (min) t, was investigated. The results showed that the amount of input ozone and pH had the greatest impact on reducing COD (up to about 80%). Also, the maximum efficiency of the ozonation process for the complete removal of E. Coli was seen in acidic conditions with high amounts of ozone and increasing the duration of ozonation. According to the results, it was found that ozone in molecular form and by direct attack in acidic environments played a role in the destruction of pollutants. Design Expert software was used to determine the optimal conditions, minimize residual COD and maximize the efficiency of the ozonation process. The values of pH=5.2, ozone amount (131mg/min) and duration (23 min) are predicted to reach the lowest residual COD value (48 mg/L) and the highest efficiency (100% removal of E. Coli). According to the investigations carried out in this research, it can be concluded that the use of ozonation process to reduce COD and effectively remove E. Coli from the waste water of paper industry is a promising complementary method.

This paper comprehensively analyzes a company's supply chain design process in the pulp and paper industry. It focuses on the company's supply chain strategy, structure, operations, and performance and highlights the challenges and opportunities specific to the industry. The purpose of this case study is to show how effective supply chain design can improve a company's competitiveness and success. This paper also offers recommendations for improving supply chain design in the pulp and paper industry and other similar industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was performed over the modified cellulose filter paper via a simple filtration set-up. A plain cellulose filter paper was covalently functionalized by silane groups followed by Pd/C NPs. The adsorption-reduction took place completely for 30 min under neutral pH, at 25 °C, for 500 mg/L of Cr(VI) in the presence of formic acid. The best conditions for the reduction were achieved by an experimental design on Design-Expert 13.0.5.0 × 64 software. According to the kinetics studies, the reduction follows a pseudo-second-order kinetics. The positive value of ΔH indicates that the adsorption process of Cr(VI) by the adsorbent was endothermic. Also, negative ΔG indicates that the reaction is spontaneous. The obtained positive ΔS value also indicates an increase in disorder in the reduction and an increase in adsorption in the expected phase of solid and liquid during the adsorption process. Also, a deep study was conducted over the mechanism of the reduction, wherein a consecutive adsorption-reduction was suggested and the Pd sites and formic acid play a crucial role in the electron transfer and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) ions. The recyclability studies revealed that the filter paper could be reactivated and recycled several times without loss of catalytic activity, as well as physical quality of the filter paper in terms of swellability and shrinkage. Applicability of the filter was also studied on a real industrial wastewater, wherein Cr(VI) reduction/adsorption was carried out without the interference of other anions and cations. The results suggest that the catalytic filter paper can be effectively used in purification systems to reliably remove Cr(VI). A new approach has been developed for the efficient reduction of Cr(VI) based on an adsorption-reduction on a modified cellulose filter paper via fast filtration [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are ideal settings to promote adolescent physical activity (PA), yet school-based interventions have shown limited long-term impact. This position paper presents key issues surrounding school-based PA interventions. Collaborative conceptual thinking drawing on multi-author expertise and available evidence advanced our understanding and opinion. Key arguments: 1) the adoption of a systems approach, which maximizes partnership action and leverages policy, is crucial for understanding the complexities of implementing whole-school programs; 2) a reorientation to an assets perspective optimizes existing strengths and resources allowing greater emphasis on the full range of physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits that PA provides, and 3) a move beyond traditional positivist research designs to advance our knowledge of what works better, for whom and in what context is needed for greater progress We provide suggestions, specifically advocating for systems approaches, as a realistic way to improve how we support PA in schools in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweat, as a sample that includes a lot of biochemical information, is good for non-invasive monitoring. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of studies on in situ monitoring of sweat. However, there are still some challenges for the continuous analysis of samples. As a hydrophilic, easy-to-process, environmentally friendly, inexpensive and easily accessible material, paper is an ideal substrate material for making in situ sweat analysis microfluidics. This review introduces the development of paper as a sweat analysis microfluidic substrate material, focusing on the advantages of the structural characteristics of paper, trench design and equipment integration applications to expand the design and research ideas for the development of in situ sweat detection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to determine the order in which science and health researchers read scientific papers, their reasons for doing so and the perceived difficulty and perceived importance of each section. Study design and setting: An online survey open to science and health academics and researchers distributed via existing research networks, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. Results: Almost 90% of respondents self-declared to be experienced in reading research papers. 98.6% of the sample read the abstract first because it provides an overview of the paper and facilitates a decision on continuing to read on or not. Seventy-five percent perceived it to be the easiest to read and 62.4% perceived it to be very important (highest rank on a 5-point Likert scale). The majority of respondents did not read a paper in the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion) format. Perceived difficulty and perceived importance influenced reading order. Conclusion: Science and health researchers do not typically read scientific and health research papers in IMRAD format. The more important a respondent perceives a section to be, the more likely they are to read it. The easier a section is perceived, the more likely it will be read. We present recommendations to those teaching the skill of writing scientific papers and reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We need more theory specific to the sales discipline, and conceptual papers can play a vital role in its development. Conceptual papers can also provide ideas and perspectives that provide the impetus for new research streams in sales. This article calls for a stronger focus on conceptual papers that develop sales-specific theory and frameworks. To facilitate this endeavor, the article presents possible approaches to developing conceptual papers, key points to consider when doing so, and some exemplars that may inspire sales researchers and help them publish impactful conceptual work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregation, as an operation of cartographic generalization, provides an effective means of abstracting the configuration of building features by combining them according to the scale reduction of the 2D map. Automating this design process effectively helps professional cartographers design both paper and digital maps, but finding the best aggregation result from the numerous combinations of building features has been a challenge. This paper presents a novel approach to assist cartographers in interactively designing the aggregation of building features in scale‐aware map visualization. Our contribution is to provide an appropriate set of candidates for the cartographer to choose from among a limited number of possible combinations of building features. This is achieved by collecting locally optimal solutions that emerge in the course of aggregation operations, formulated as a label cost optimization problem. Users can also explore better aggregation results by interactively adjusting the design parameters to update the set of possible combinations, along with an operator to force the combination of manually selected building features. Each cluster of aggregated building features is tightly enclosed by a concave hull, which is later adaptively simplified to abstract its boundary shapes. Experimental design examples and evaluations by expert cartographers demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach to interactive aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a guide on writing original research papers, emphasizing the importance of adhering to international guidelines and journal-specific instructions for successful publication. It also discusses the preparation of research papers from early study phases, the use of guidelines such as CONSORT and STROBE for different research types, and the need for clear, concise scientific language.

Summary: Numerous studies are published on the benefits of electric hand dryers vs paper towels (PT) for drying hands after washing. Data are conflicting and lacking key variables needed to assess infection risks. We provide a rapid scoping review on hand‐drying methods relative to hygiene and health risks. Controlled vocabulary terms and keywords were used to search PubMed (1946–2018) and Embase (1947–2018). Multiple researchers independently screened abstracts for relevance using predetermined criteria and created a quality assessment scoring system for relative study comparisons. Of 293 papers, 23 were included in the final analysis. Five studies did not compare multiple methods; however, 2 generally favoured electric dryers (ED); 7 preferred PT; and 9 had mixed or statistically insignificant results (among these, 3 contained scenarios favourable to ED, 4 had results supporting PT, and the remaining studies had broadly conflicting results). Results were mixed among and within studies and many lacked consistent design or statistical analysis. The breadth of data does not favour one method as being more hygienic. However, some authors extended generalizable recommendations without sufficient scientific evidence. The use of tools in quantitative microbial risk assessment is suggested to evaluate health exposure potentials and risks relative to hand‐drying methods. We found no data to support any human health claims associated with hand‐drying methods. Inconclusive and conflicting results represent data gaps preventing the advancement of hand‐drying policy or practice recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pretest-posttest control group design is one of the most widely used quantitative experimental design models for evaluating the efficacy of programs, treatments, and interventions. Despite the prevalence and utility of this research design, best practices for data analytical procedures are not clearly defined. Invalid results decrease the chance of generalization. Given that Iranian Journals are interested in publishing pretestposttest control group design studies, it is important to denote the accuracy of them. The aim of the current study is to explore the correct procedure for using ANCOVA in pretest-posttest control group designs to mitigate the potential limitations of this approach. This study explores the use of ANCOVA in pretest-posttest control group design. It has been done by analyzing data from experimental studies published in five Iranian journals indexed in PubMed or Scopus between 2011 and 2018. The results indicate that among the 280 published experimental studies in these journals, 53 papers (18.9 percent) used ANCOVA as the statistical test in pretest-posttest studies. The power of the test represents the probability of detecting differences between the groups being compared when such differences exist. Our analysis concludes that ANCOVA, which runs a multiple linear regression, is a suitable method for comparing and examining pretest-posttest study designs. Implications of this study have potential utility for researchers employing the use of pretest-posttest control group designs in various fields in and outside of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-colored wastewater generated during the cellulose bleaching process causes the inhibition of biological activity when released into the environment. This study aimed to evaluate the bacterium's capacity, identified as RGM2262, to degrade a complex phenolic structure such as lignin, which is found in high concentrations in the effluents generated during the production of cellulose, raw material for the manufacture of paper. To determine the values of the experimental variables that allow for a greater degradation of organic matter, an experimental model was carried out through experimental design. Thus, the experimental matrix was obtained with the variables pH 7 (−1) to 9 (+1) and a treatment time of 1 day (−1) to 5 days (+1). The results show that, at pH 8 and pH 9, both treatments—with bacteria in bio-films and without bio-films—were efficient. On the second day of treatment, 100% of the color and the phenolic structure were removed, with a similar rate constant, and at the same time, 80% COD and 70% of TOC, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the electronic Compassion Competence Scale (e-CCS). Methods: A cross-sectional, randomized, two-period crossover design was used. Nursing students from four South Korean universities were surveyed between June 2017 and April 2018. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups-paper/paper, electronic/electronic, and paper/electronic or electronic/paper-and a test-retest procedure was implemented. The reliability and validity of the e-CCS were evaluated using linear weighted kappa coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Internal consistency reliability was verified using linear weighted kappa coefficients and ICCs. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the initial test and retest scores were all statistically significant. Results: The newly developed e-CCS was found to have good reliability and validity. We suggest that future research should increase sample heterogeneity by recruiting diverse age groups, nurses working in different nursing fields, and students from multiple colleges. Conclusion: This electronic instrument will help determine the differences in the level of compassion competence and devise interventions to improve compassion competence in nurses and nursing students. Further studies on enhancing compassion competence among nurses and nursing students may rely on the use of this electronic format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In biomedical papers resulting from the cooperation of a biomedical team and a statistical team, the leader of the statistical team is traditionally placed second-to-last in the authors' list. In many papers, the leader of the statistical team designs, initiates, and supervises the project, so they play a key role in the production of a scientific publication. This key role is not reflected in systems of evaluation of scientific publications in which the second-to-last author receives equal or less credit than the other co-authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study assessed the features of the 100 most‐cited papers on oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods: The 100 most‐cited OHRQoL papers were collected from Web of Science, adopting a combined keyword search strategy. Google Scholar and Scopus databases were searched to compare citations. The following data were extracted from papers: title of the paper, number of citations, authorship, country, year of publication, title of the journal, study design, sample size, topic and OHRQoL instruments used. Graphical bibliometric networks were created using VOSviewer software. Results: The number of citations of the top 100 most‐cited OHRQoL papers ranged from 73 to 949. Fifty‐six papers received at least 100 citations and two received more than 400 citations. Most papers were from Canada (23%) and had been published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (37%). David Locker was the most‐cited author (25 papers; 3,521 citations). The cross‐sectional study design was the most common (68%). The impact of oral health conditions on OHRQoL (43%) was the most frequent topic, and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) was the most commonly used OHRQoL instrument (48%). Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis highlighted the characteristics of the 100 most‐cited OHRQoL papers, demonstrating that this field is far from saturated. This list of the most‐cited articles can provide a reference point to guide oral health research, education and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents the design and fabrication of a semi-automatic paper petal compression machine with a pneumatic system to crease paper petals for making artificial flowers. The description comprises the procedures of defining operating characteristics for the machine, drawing its function diagram, designing the pneumatic circuit and the electrical circuit, calculating and choosing the dimensions of pneumatic components, and studying optimum paper petal compression conditions and appearances of creases on the paper petals. The machine can be used to compress the paper petals in four positions at the same time. The experimental materials were the paper of 55 and 65 gsm which was cut in the petal shape. The experiments were done by rolling 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 pieces of paper petals into hollow cylinders of which four rolls of those with the same number of paper petals were compressed simultaneously at the operating pressure of 0.6 MPa. The results showed that the machine could be used to compress the paper petals of 55 gsm to provide quite noticeable and consistent creases in the range of 6 to 14 pieces per roll, while the paper petals of 65 gsm were in the range of 6 to 12 pieces per roll. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to outline the initial pilot use of the client complexity matrix (CCM), an outcome measure developed for an NHS Adult Intellectual Disabilities Intensive Support Team (IST) in the West Midlands of England. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was used to report the results and evaluate the use of the CCM within this IST. The CCM was trialled for six months between January 2022 and June 2022. CCM scores pre and post IST intervention were analysed via t-test, and qualitative feedback from clinicians is detailed. Findings: Analysis suggests the CCM captures service success showing a significant decrease in complexity and risk post-intervention. Qualitative comments from clinicians were generally positive; however, there were requested changes regarding specific presentations, use of labels/language and for a digital version. Research limitations/implications: The tool is not co-constructed with the client. Because of this IST's caseload, the sample size was small. Only one clinician was asked to complete the CCM pre and post intervention. Future use of the measure will encourage two clinicians to complete the measure to evidence its inter-rater reliability. Each client's specific presentation was not explicitly analysed here. Practical implications: The CCM will be updated using the feedback from clinicians and from the peer review process. Research that examines the generalisability of this measure to other IST services would be beneficial. Originality/value: The CCM appears to fill a gap in outcome measurements for this IST service which looks at breadth and depth of client complexity and risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, the causes leading to the undesired unevenness on the exterior surface of a paper‐based sandwich structure during the manufacturing process are investigated. This provides insight into the manufacturing parameters that need to be adjusted to reduce this waviness. A finite element model of the pressing process is developed in the commercial software ABAQUS and then used to analyze the formation of the surface unevenness. The sandwich structure adopted in the model consists of a decorative layer, an intermediate layer, a corrugated core and a bottom layer. In particular, the core has a sinusoidal structure with various geometry parameters, which are adjusted in the model to investigate the effect on the waviness of the top surface. The results of the quasi‐static process simulation correlate well with the experimental results. A subsequent parameter study based on the design of experiments (DoE) shows the relationship between the material parameters of the intermediate/bottom layer and the resulting waviness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we review the ways in which replication has been and could be featured in consumer behavior, using Journal of Consumer Research as a specific setting. We present a framework for thinking about the generalizability of research findings and differentiate various potential benefits that replication can have for understanding variability in consumer research findings. We then define four different types of replications, describe how researchers can use these approaches to produce distinct benefits, and give guidance regarding conducting, interpreting, and the potential contributions of these different types of replications. We conclude with a discussion of various ways in which replication could be more fully integrated into different phases of the scientific research process, taking into account the contribution necessary for publication. In particular, we identify opportunities to incorporate independent replication into original papers, to increase the replication-based contribution in papers that build on prior work, and to use systematic replication in conjunction with meta-analysis to synthesize and confirm conclusions from a mature research literature. More fully integrating replication into scientific practice can yield a new equilibrium, in which replication is routine, typically consistent with previous results, and recognized as necessary for establishing an empirical generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research is inconclusive regarding the effects of paper and web surveys on response burdens. We conducted an establishment survey with random assignment to paper and web modes to examine this issue. We compare how the actual and perceived response burdens differ when respondents complete a survey in the paper mode, in the web mode and when they are allowed to choose between the two modes. Our results show that in the web mode, respondents have a lower estimated time to complete the questionnaire, while we do not find differences between paper and the web on the perceived response time and perceived burden. Even though the response burden in the web mode is lower, our study finds no evidence of an increased response burden when moving an establishment survey from paper to the web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease characterised by a highly variable disease onset and clinical course. Three main clinical phenotypes have been described. However, distinguishing between the two progressive forms of MS can be challenging for clinicians. This article examines how the diagnostic definitions of progressive MS impact clinical research, the design of clinical trials and, ultimately, treatment decisions. Methods: We carried out an extensive review of the literature highlighting differences in the definition of progressive forms of MS, and the importance of assessing the extent of the ongoing inflammatory component in MS when making treatment decisions. Results: Inconsistent results in phase III clinical studies of treatments for progressive MS, may be attributable to differences in patient characteristics (e.g., age, clinical and radiological activity at baseline) and endpoint definitions. In both primary and secondary progressive MS, patients who are younger and have more active disease will derive the greatest benefit from the available treatments. Conclusions: We recommend making treatment decisions based on the individual patient's pattern of disease progression, as well as functional, clinical and imaging parameters, rather than on their clinical phenotype. Because the definition of progressive MS differs across clinical studies, careful selection of eligibility criteria and study endpoints is needed for future studies in patients with progressive MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portfolios are used in midwifery education to provide students with a central place to store their accumulative evidence of clinical experience for initial registration in Australia. Portfolio formats can be paper-based or electronic. Anecdotal discussion between midwifery students in Queensland debated the best format to document the requirements for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) standard 8.11. Midwifery students using paper-based portfolios envisioned that an ePortfolio would be streamline, simple, safe to use, and able to be used anywhere with WIFI, while some students using an ePortfolio expressed a desire to have a paper-based portfolio as a hard copy. This situation called for evidence of a comparison to resolve the debate. The aim of this study was to investigate midwifery students' experiences of the benefits and challenges between paper-based and ePortfolios when compiling evidence to meet the requirements for initial registration as a midwife in Australia (ANMAC, 2014). • Each type of portfolio had challenges and benefits. • Portfolio completion is time consuming, and stressful due to the need for verification of evidence. • Students require early and regular feedback on portfolio development. • National standards are required for consistency in documentation across universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling of wastepaper is an effective way to achieve the sustainable paper manufacturing regarding sustainable development goals. Focusing on the mixed wastepaper sorting, recovery of suitable papers for deinking purpose and minimizing the impurities were developed in this study. In a wastepaper sorting process, each equipment has its own role in increasing recycling performance. In this study, disc screen was applied and evaluated for sorting of the mixed wastepaper considering independent variables such as inclination, velocity and moisture content. Response surface method was applied for design of the experiments. Sorting efficiency of 100% was achieved in two conditions: 1–20% inclination, 20 Hz velocity and 5% moisture content; 2–10% inclination, 20 Hz velocity and 0% moisture content. It can be concluded that the adverse effect of wastepaper's moisture can be compensated via adjusting the disc screen's inclination and rotation velocity. Indeed, disc screen is a feasible approach for efficient sorting of wet and dry mixed wastepaper increasing the recovery rate and enhancing the performance of the subsequent sorting units. This process can provide a better feed with higher quality for the subsequent steps, e.g. paper spike as well as sensor and manual sorting by decreasing the sorting load and impurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The acquisition and preservation of biological samples from rare and elusive wildlife species poses many challenges. Opportunities for collection are often limited and valuable DNA samples can degrade in unfavorable field conditions. Blood samples on preservation paper are commonly used across a wide range of taxa as a convenient and non-destructive method to obtain and store DNA. Preserved blood samples have been successfully used in a variety of genetic applications, primarily using traditional genetic markers and sequencing methods such as microsatellites and DNA barcoding. However, genomic methods are increasingly used for species of conservation concern. Genomic methods require large quantities of high-quality DNA and paper preservation methods can limit DNA availability, especially for mammals which have non-nucleated blood cells. Thus, high-yield DNA extraction methods are required to providing adequate unfragmented DNA for downstream genomic applications. Using a nested experimental design, we tested multiple DNA extraction methods and method modifications on mammalian blood stored on three common types of preservation paper. Whatman FTA classic cards with a modified extraction protocol using Qiagen QIAamp kits yielded the most DNA. We further tested the DNA extracted from FTA cards in microsatellite and genomic sequencing and found that FTA card samples were not adequate for genomic applications. For future mammalian blood collection efforts and genetic studies, researchers should weigh the need for high quantity, unfragmented DNA against the convenience of preservation paper. We recommend that researchers optimize their extraction methods and consider collecting fresh blood or tissue for genomic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing education research is complex and contextualized. The evaluation and impact of educational innovations on students, educators, and educational outcomes are influenced by the complexity of environments. Most interventional research in nursing is designed and implemented without considering the behavioral and contextual issues affecting educational innovations, uptake and change processes, and outcomes. Implementation science has emerged as a valuable methodology for designing and conducting interventional research that has the potential to translate evidence and innovations quickly into practice. This paper aims to explore the value of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks and hybrid designs for interventional nursing education research and illustrate how these can be used in nursing education research. A brief overview of implementation science, the various types of theories, models and frameworks and Hybrid designs are provided. Illustrative examples demonstrating the incorporation of these methodologies in interventional nursing education research are provided. A brief overview of implementation and its key concepts namely context, implementation strategies, fidelity, outcomes, adaptation, and sustainability is provided. Three types of hybrid designs are discussed with examples in nursing education research. The implications of implementation science for nursing education research are: a) Accelerating uptake of innovations to improve educational outcomes, b) targeting systematic change in individual and organizational behaviour and c) ensuring the sustainability of teaching and learning innovations. Incorporating implementation science in nursing education research can optimize the uptake of educational innovations in practice in a sustainable manner. Nurse educators should equip themselves with implementation science skills and develop competencies to enhance the delivery of effective and quality nursing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tweets are used as alternative metrics (altmetrics) to measure the impact or attention of research. However, Twitter data can only be used for research evaluation purposes, if biases do not influence tweet decisions on papers. The existence of biases can only be reasonably investigated using an experimental design with controlled (marginal) manipulations. In this comment, we propose to undertake an experimental approach to study the decision of scientists to ‘tweet’ on a paper. We describe the design of a study that might allow the experimental investigation of tweet decisions including randomized variations and theoretically derived mechanisms for explaining the empirical results. The described study design should be adaptable to other social media platforms (e.g., Facebook or ResearchGate). This comment is intended to be a plea for using an experimental design to investigate biases in tweet decisions. It is an advantage of tweets –in contrast to citations– that an experimental approach can be applied to investigate the decision of scientists to communicate on papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate reporting of items indicative of bias and weak study design. Literature survey. Papers published in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Reporting of randomization, blinding, sample size estimation and data exclusion were compared for papers published separated by a 10 year interval. A reporting rate of more than 95% was considered ideal. The availability of data supporting results in a publicly accessible repository was also assessed. Selected papers were randomized and identifiers removed for review, with data from 59 (57 in 2009, two in 2008) and 56 (52 in 2019, four in 2018) papers analyzed. Items were categorized for completeness of reporting using a previously published operationalized checklist. Two reviewers reviewed all papers independently. Full reporting of randomization increased over time from 13.6% to 85.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 57.8–86.6%; p < 0.0001], as did sample size estimation (from 0% to 20%; 95% CI, 7.6–32.4%; p = 0.002). Reporting of blinding (49.2% and 50.0%; 95% CI, –18.3% to 20.0%; p = 1.0) and exclusions of samples/animals (39.0% and 50.0%; 95% CI, –8.8% to 30.8%; p = 0.3) did not change significantly. Data availability was low (2008/2009, zero papers; 2018/2019, two papers). None of the items studied exceeded the predetermined ideal reporting rate. These results indicate that reporting quality remains low, with a risk of bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Workplace inspections are applied to facilitate the adherence to the occupational health and safety regulations. The Iranian Ministry of Health introduced a new software system for tablets to inspect workplaces. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to take measurements of the usability, mental workload, and mood of inspectors. METHODS: Inspectors used both pen-and-paper and tablet methods to inspect the automotive industry in a mixed-method procedure. The NASA-TLX score, QUIS score, I-PANAS (SF) situation, inspection time, and number of errors were collected throughout the procedure. The differences were investigated using a paired sample and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. RESULTS: In terms of efficacy, using the tablet resulted in lower error rates, but it took longer to complete the inspection task (P < 0.001). Participants perceived a lower workload when inspecting with a tablet rather than the traditional method. (Mental Demand: p < 0.002, Performance: p < 0.009, Effort: p < 0.012, TLX: p < 0.002 based on various subcomponents of NASA-TLX). The newly introduced system's usability was insufficient. CONCLUSION: Although the use of tablets has improved safety inspections, ergonomic redesign of the system and consideration of a user-centered approach, as well as inspector training, can make the system more likely to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based visual analogue scale (VAS) items were developed 100 years ago. Although they gained great popularity in clinical and medical research for assessing pain, they have been scarcely applied in other areas of psychological research for several decades. However, since the beginning of digitization, VAS have attracted growing interest among researchers for carrying out computerized and paper-based data assessments. In the present study, we investigated the research question "Which different design characteristics of paper-based VAS items are preferred by women and men?" Based on a sample of 115 participants (68 female), our results revealed that the respondents preferred a paper-based VAS item with a horizontal, 8-cm long, 3 DTP ("desktop publishing point") wide, black line, with flat line endpoints, and the ascending numerical anchors "0" and "10", both for women and men. Although we did not identify any gender difference in these characteristics, our findings uncovered clear preferences on how to design paper-based VAS items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users of research databases, such as CiteSeerX, Google Scholar, and Microsoft Academic, often search for papers using a set of keywords. Unfortunately, many authors avoid listing sufficient keywords for their papers. As such, these applications may need to automatically associate good descriptive keywords with papers. When the full text of the paper is available this problem has been thoroughly studied. In many cases, however, due to copyright limitations, research databases do not have access to the full text. On the other hand, such databases typically maintain metadata, such as the title and abstract and the citation network of each paper. In this paper we study the problem of predicting which keywords are appropriate for a research paper, using different methods based on the citation network and available metadata. Our main goal is in providing search engines with the ability to extract keywords from the available metadata. However, our system can also be used for other applications, such as for recommending keywords for the authors of new papers. We create a data set of research papers, and their citation network, keywords, and other metadata, containing over 470 K papers with and more than 2 million keywords. We compare our methods with predicting keywords using the title and abstract, in offline experiments and in a user study, concluding that the citation network provides much better predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the growing need for economically viable sludge processing technologies and associated resource recovery, a novel convective high-velocity pilot cyclone was set-up at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, Sweden. In essence this process entails feeding (⩽900 kg h −1 ) a material to a heated high-velocity air flow (approx. 13 × 10 3 m 3 h −1 ) allowing moisture removal at low temperatures. This equipment is expected to improve drying of challenging industrial sludge materials when used as a pretreatment method prior to further processing. Modeling results based on an experimental campaign on recycled paper mill sludge indicated that efficient drying with a specific energy consumption of ⩽1–1.2 kWh kg −1 H 2 O can be achieved with inlet air temperature levels ⩾40 °C coupled with respective feeding capacity of ⩽750 kg h −1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of individual chromophores that contribute to the overall discoloration of paper or pulp (“yellowing”) is a challenge because these substances are only present in extremely small amounts (ppm to ppb range). In this work, paper spray (PS) coupled with mass spectrometry was used to detect a low-concentrated cellulosic key-chromophore, 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP). Sensitivity was enhanced by derivatization with Girard's reagent T (GT). DHAP was successfully detected in historic paper samples and also was applied to model papers in order to investigate different factors that influence its generation: temperature, time, relative humidity, and the presence of iron ions, by means of a full factorial design. The main factors, temperature and relative humidity, have the most impact on the generation of DHAP, but the interactions between the factors are also significant and are therefore important for the degradation process. The historical papers containing DHAP were then compared to the artificially aged samples. The results were confirmed by independent, accurate mass measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]