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Two major problems challenge the world of food today: the constantly growing demand for meat products and dealing with the volumes of waste produced by the industry. The volume of slaughterhouse derivatives produced when generating meat products threatens the health of humans and the environment. The need to feed a growing population sustainably and to find more sustainable and circular alternative treatment technologies for handling and disposing of slaughtering derivatives undoubtedly creates opportunities for several role players. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was undertaken to identify such processes, considering the different slaughterhouse derivatives generated by red meat and poultry slaughterhouse facilities. The literature search and refinement process identified 130 scientific documents for analysis. The results highlight an increase in the scientific literature on the sustainable recovery of slaughterhouse derivatives, and a diverse range of available treatment technologies to dispose of such derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Point‐of‐care International Normalised Ratio (INR) testing is used frequently. We evaluated the microINR® POC system for accuracy, precision and measurement repeatability, and investigated instrument and test chip variability and error rates. Methods: Venous blood INRs of 210 patients on warfarin were obtained with Thromborel® S on the Sysmex CS‐2100i® analyser and compared with capillary blood microINR® values. Precision was assessed using control materials. Measurement repeatability was calculated on 51 duplicate finger‐prick INRs. Triplicate finger‐prick INRs using three different instruments (30 patients) and three different test chip lots (29 patients) were used to evaluate instrument and test chip variability. Results: Linear regression analysis of microINR® and Sysmex CS2100i® values showed a correlation coefficient of 0.96 (P < .0001) and a positive proportional bias of 4.4%. Dosage concordance was 93.8% and clinical agreement 95.7%. All acceptance criteria based on ISO standard 17593:2007 system accuracy requirements were met. Control material coefficients of variation (CV) varied from 6.2% to 16.7%. The capillary blood measurement repeatability CV was 7.5%. No significant instrument (P = .93) or test chip (P = .81) variability was found, and the error rate was low (2.8%). Conclusion: The microINR® instrument is accurate and precise for monitoring warfarin therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of lucerne hay quality on the milk production potential and milk composition of Jersey cows was investigated. Three different grades of lucerne hay (Prime, Grade 1, Grade 2; selected according to the New Lucerne Quality Index) were included in a total mixed ration (TMR) and fed to lactating cows. The three dietary treatments consisted of the same basal diet (53% lucerne hay, 7% wheat straw and 40% concentrate), differing only with respect to the lucerne hay quality. Fifty-seven lactating Jersey cows (389 ± 39.07 kg) were selected and blocked according to production potential (milk production, days in lactation, as well as lactation number) and randomly allocated to each of the dietary treatments (n = 19 animals per treatment). After a dietary adaptation period of 14 days, each treatment received their respective diets for the remaining period of 54 days. Average dry matter intake (DMI) and individual milk production was measured on a daily basis and production parameters were calculated accordingly. Milk composition samples were collected every second week. Grade 2 lucerne hay significantly decreased the voluntary DMI of the cows. However, the Prime lucerne hay significantly increased the metabolizable energy intake (MEI), as well as both the protein and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) content of the Jersey milk, compared to the Grade 1 and Grade 2 treatments. In contrast, the efficiency with which ME is utilized for milk production was significantly decreased following Prime lucerne hay inclusion. Milk yield as such was not affected by dietary treatment. Results of the present study seem to indicate that lucerne hay quality does affect the production performance, milk composition and efficiency of energy utilized for milk production purposes of Jersey cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine fast food consumption patterns, socio-economic characteristics and other factors that influence the fast food intake of young adults from different socio-economic areas in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was undertaken, using an interviewer-administered, validated questionnaire to elicit the characteristics of the study population (adults aged from 19 to 30 years), their reasons for and frequency of fast food consumption, their specific fast food choices, and their attitudes towards health. Results: The study population (n = 341) consisted primarily of young working adults (n = 242) with at least a secondary education. Almost half (42%, n = 102) of the employed participants earned less than R5 000 per month, but spent more than R200 on fast food per month. Twenty-one per cent of all participants had fast food at least once a week, while 27.6% had it two to three times a week. Socio-economic group (SEG) and gender were significantly related to fast food intake (p < 0.01), with a larger proportion of participants (65%, n = 76) in the lower socio-economic group (LSEG) showing more frequent use. Males consumed fast food more frequently than females. The most popular fast foods consumed were burgers (69.5%), pizza (56.6%) and fried chicken (38.4%). Soft drinks were the most popular beverage consumed (56%). The main reasons for choosing fast food were time limitations (58.9%), convenience (58.2%) and taste (52.5%). The majority of the participants were concerned about their health (93.3%) and indicated a fear of becoming overweight (44.3%). Seventy-eight per cent of all the participants would have chosen a healthier option if it had been available on the menu. Television was reported to be the most effective medium influencing their food choices. Conclusion: Fast food intake appears to be very common in this group of young South African adults. Various factors that influence fast food intake were identified that provide health educators and policy makers with useful information for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The obtaining of a representative sample is crucial for the application of an accurate and uniform lucerne hay grading system in South Africa. There is currently limited data available on the effect of the inside diameter of the coring probe on the chemical composition of the lucerne hay samples. A study was therefore undertaken to determine the influence of the inside diameter of a coring probe on the chemical composition of unground lucerne hay samples using the Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) technique. Ten lucerne bales (total 40), randomly chosen from four different grades (Prime, Grade 1, 2 and 3 according to the National Lucerne Trust quality and grading system), were sampled with both a large probe (35 mm inside diameter and 520 mm long) and a small probe (12 mm inside diameter and 450 mm long). The samples with each probe were taken at approximately the same location in the bale. The samples were analysed with the NIRS for crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), ash and lignin. The model to calculate the new lucerne quality index (NLQI) from the ADF, ash and lignin, according to the National Lucerne Trust quality and grading scheme was used. Regression analysis revealed a significant relationship (r²) between the results of the large and small probe namely CP = 0.77, ADF = 0.95, NDF = 0.94, ash = 0.92, lignin = 0.87 and NLQI = 0.97. Sampling of lucerne hay with a large and small probe was irrelevant as resulted in similar chemical composition results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the general mathematical framework of variational Hirshfeld partitioning, wherein the best possible approximation to a molecule's electron density is obtained by minimizing the f -divergence between the molecular density and a non-negative linear combination of (normalized) basis functions. This framework subsumes several existing methods that variationally optimize their pro-atoms, like (Gaussian) iterative stockholder analysis (ISA and GISA) and minimal basis iterative stockholder partitioning (MBIS), and provides a solid foundation for developing mathematically rigorous partitioning schemes. In this paper, we delve into the mathematical underpinnings of Hirshfeld-inspired partitioning schemes and show that among all the valid f -divergence measures only the extended Kullback-Leibler is a suitable choice. This led us to develop a novel partitioning scheme, called additive variational Hirshfeld (AVH), which constructs the pro-molecular density as a convex linear combination of the densities from selected states of isolated atoms and atomic ions. The AVH method is size-consistent with a unique solution and provides a straightforward approach for adding constraints for fragment properties. It also results in an intuitively appealing valence-bond-like decomposition of the molecular density as a weighted average of the densities of the atomic states in the molecule; that is, the AVH atomic density is a minimal deformation of the corresponding isolated atomic reference state's density. Compared to other variational Hirshfeld variants, our numerical results show that AVH yields chemically interpretable and sensible atomic charges that are not excessively large and demonstrate computational robustness.

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Mayo Clinic has pursued protection of intellectual property, including in the form of patents and patent applications, naming Dr Asirvatham as inventor, related to the information disclosed herein, and licensed to AtriAN Medical Ltd. Dr De Groot has received research grants through his institution from Atricure, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Daiichi Sankyo, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic; and honoraria/consultancy/speaker fees from AtriaN, Atricure Inc, Bayer, Berlin Chemie, Biotronik, CVOI, Daiichi Sankyo, Medtronic, Menarini, Novartis, and Servier. Dr Reddy has received consulting fees (and equity, now divested) from Farapulse Inc; has served as a consultant for Boston Scientific Inc; unrelated to this paper, has also served as a consultant for and has equity in Ablacon, Acutus Medical, Affera-Medtronic, Anumana, Apama Medical–Boston Scientific, APN Health, AquaHeart, AtaCor, AtriAn, Autonomix, Axon Therapies, Backbeat, BioSig, CardiaCare, CardioFocus, CardioNXT/AFTx, Circa Scientific, CoRISMA, Corvia Medical, Dinova-Hangzhou DiNovA EP Technology, East End Medical, EPD-Philips, EP Frontiers, EPIX Therapeutics–Medtronic, EpiEP, Eximo, Field Medical, Focused Therapeutics, HRT, InterShunt, Javelin, Kardium, Keystone Heart, Laminar Medical, LuxMed, MedLumics, Middlepeak, Neutrace, Nuvera–Biosense Webster, Oracle Health, Restore Medical, Sirona Medical, SoundCath, and Valcare; unrelated to this work, has served as a consultant for Abbott, Adagio Medical, Append Medical, AtriAN, Biosense Webster, BioTel Heart, Biotronik, Cardiac, Cardionomic, CoreMap, Fire1, Gore & Associates, Impulse Dynamics, Medtronic, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Philips, Pulse Biosciences; and unrelated to this work, has equity in Atraverse, DRS Vascular, Manual Surgical Sciences, Newpace, Nyra Medical, SoundCath, Surecor, and VizaraMed. Petr Neuzil and Dr Shaburishvili have received grant support from AtriAN. Dr O’Brien, Mr Coffey, and Mr Reilly are employees of AtriAN. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Atrial Deganglionation as a Therapy for Cardiac Surgery Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [NEURAL-AF-2]; NCT05426759).

Kidney transplantation remains the gold standard for patients with end-stage renal disease, but severe donor organ shortage has led to long waiting lists. The utilization of expanded criteria donor kidneys within the category of deceased donors has enlarged the pool of available kidneys for transplantation; however, these grafts often have an increased risk for delayed graft function or reduced graft survival following transplantation. During brain or circulatory death, neutrophils are recruited to the vascular beds of kidneys where a proinflammatory microenvironment might prime the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), web-like structures, containing proteolytic enzymes, DNA, and histones. NETs are known to cause tissue damage and specifically endothelial damage while activating other systems such as coagulation and complement, contributing to tissue injury and an unfavorable prognosis in various diseases. In lung transplantation and kidney transplantation studies, NETs have also been associated with primary graft dysfunction or rejection. In this review, the role that NETs might play across the different phases of transplantation, already initiated in the donor, during preservation, and in the recipient, will be discussed. Based on current knowledge, NETs might be a promising therapeutic target to improve graft outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose as described by the American Journal of Transplantation., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Abnormal substrate on invasive electroanatomic mapping (EAM) correlates with areas of myocardial thinning and fibrofatty replacement in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM). However, EAM parameters are absent from all sets of diagnostic criteria for ACM., Case Summary: A 41-year-old female with no significant family history was referred for evaluation of frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). Twelve-lead ECG showed diffuse low-voltage QRS complexes. Holter monitor showed 28% burden of PVCs with various morphologies consistent with right ventricular (RV) inflow and outflow tract exits. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed normal biventricular function and dimension. Cardiac magnetic resonance revealed a mildly increased indexed RV end-diastolic volume with normal RV systolic function and no dyssynchrony, akinesia, dyskinesia, or late gadolinium enhancement. Electrophysiologic study demonstrated 2 predominant PVC morphologies that were targeted with ablation, in addition to extensive abnormality with low-voltage and fractionated electrograms in the peri-tricuspid and right ventricular outflow tract free wall regions with septal sparing, suggestive of RV cardiomyopathy. Subsequent genetic testing revealed two pathogenic variants in the desmoplakin and plakophilin-2 genes, confirming the diagnosis of ACM., Conclusion: Advanced RV electropathy can precede RV structural changes in ACM. Invasive evaluation of the electroanatomic substrate should be considered in select cases even when imaging findings are not diagnostic. Future iterations of ACM guidelines may need to consider EAM substrate as one of the diagnostic criteria. A high index of diagnostic suspicion for ACM should be maintained in patients with multifocal RV ectopy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 de Melo, Shabtaie, van Zyl, Collins and Siontis.)

Purpose: This study aims to examine the transformative learning experiences of medical students participating in home visits to persons living with disabilities in rural areas of South Africa, in order to explore the potential of such experiences to shape their beliefs about their professional development and clinical practice., Methods: Qualitative data was collected from the students through written reflections and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed thematically using a phenomenological approach guided by Mezirow's theory of transformative learning., Results: The findings reveal a three-stage process of transformative learning for the students. Firstly, students held predominantly negative views towards the learning activity, prior to the home visits. Secondly the role of critical reflection facilitated a change in students' perspectives. Finally, there was a change in perspective towards a predominantly positive valuing of the activity to their learning and approach to clinical practice., Discussion: This study highlights the significance of incorporating home visits and structured critical reflection into undergraduate medical curricula. It underscores the need for further research in this area and contributes to the understanding of transformative learning in healthcare education. The findings emphasize the potential of community-based activities to shape inclusive practices and foster holistic patient care.

GBasis is a free and open-source Python library for molecular property computations based on Gaussian basis functions in quantum chemistry. Specifically, GBasis allows one to evaluate functions expanded in Gaussian basis functions (including molecular orbitals, electron density, and reduced density matrices) and to compute functionals of Gaussian basis functions (overlap integrals, one-electron integrals, and two-electron integrals). Unique features of GBasis include supporting evaluation and analytical integration of arbitrary-order derivatives of the density (matrices), computation of a broad range of (screened) Coulomb interactions, and evaluation of overlap integrals of arbitrary numbers of Gaussians in arbitrarily high dimensions. For circumstances where the flexibility of GBasis is less important than high performance, a seamless Python interface to the Libcint C package is provided. GBasis is designed to be easy to use, maintain, and extend following many standards of sustainable software development, including code-quality assurance through continuous integration protocols, extensive testing, comprehensive documentation, up-to-date package management, and continuous delivery. This article marks the official release of the GBasis library, outlining its features, examples, and development., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Background: In light of the FDA's Project Optimus initiative, there is fresh interest in leveraging Patient-reported Outcome (PRO) data to enhance the assessment of tolerability for investigational therapies within early phase dose-finding oncology trials. Typically, dose escalation in most trial designs is solely reliant on clinician assessed adverse events. Research has shown a disparity between patients and clinicians when assessing whether an investigational therapy is tolerable, leading to the recommendation of potentially intolerable doses for further investigation in subsequent trials. It is also increasingly recognized that patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) plays a pivotal role in enriching trial design and conduct. However, to our knowledge, no PPIE has explored the optimal integration of PROs in the development of advanced statistical trial designs within early phase dose-finding oncology trials., Methods: A virtual PPIE session was held with nine participants on 18th October 2023 to discuss the incorporation of PROs within a dose-finding trial design. This cross disciplinary session was developed and led by a team of statisticians, clinical specialists, qualitative experts, and trial methodologists. Following the session, in-depth perspectives were provided by two patient advocates who actively engaged in the PPIE session. We discuss the importance of PPIE in shaping advanced dose-finding trial designs, share insights from patients on integrating PROs to inform treatment tolerability, and present a template for meaningful patient involvement in trial design development., Results: Participants generally supported the introduction of PROs within dose-finding trials but showed some apprehensiveness as to how PROs may reduce the size of the recommended dose (and potentially efficacious effect). Some participants shared that they may be reluctant to record the real severity of their symptoms via PROs if it would mean that they would have to discontinue treatment. They discussed that PROs could be used to assess tolerability rather than toxicity of a dose., Conclusions: Amplifying patient voice in the development of patient-centric dose-finding trial designs is now essential. This paper offers an exemplary illustration of how trialists and methodologists can effectively incorporate patient voice in the future development of advanced dose-finding trial designs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)