Freezing of fresh Barhi dates for quality preservation during frozen storage

AbstractFresh harvested dates are perishable and there is a need for extending their shelf life while preserving their fresh like quality characteristics. This study evaluates three different freezing methods, namely cryogenic freezing (CF) using liquid nitrogen; individual quick freezing (IQF) and conventional slow freezing (CSF) in preserving the quality and stability of dates during frozen storage. Fresh dates were frozen utilizing the three methods. The produced frozen dates were frozen stored for nine months. The color values, textural parameters, and nutrition qualities were measured for fresh dates before freezing and for the frozen dates every three months during the frozen storage. The frozen dates’ color values were affected by the freezing method and the frozen storage period. There are substantial differences in the quality of the frozen fruits in favor of cryogenic freezing followed by individual quick freezing compared to the conventional slow freezing. The results revealed large disparity among the times of freezing of the three methods. The freezing time accounted to 10min for CF, and around 80min for IQF, and 1800min for CSF method

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in educational institutions: a review on risks of poor IAQ, sampling strategies, and building-related health symptoms

Health and academic achievement of students from every level of education are affected by the provision of good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) since the students spend more than 5 hours of a day in school on average. Hence, this paper discusses on issues related to IAQ studies in maintaining a healthy level in educational institution. The presence of indoor pollutants such as VOCs, CO2, and other hazardous elements were assessed in terms of its effects on students’ well-being and health. This paper also examines commonly reported health problems related to poor IAQ such as sick building syndrome (SBS) and asthma. Every measurements and consideration regarding IAQ provision comes with different techniques and strategies, which were highlighted regarding its relative importance and frequency of use by different researchers. The review suggested substitution of natural-based products for indoor cleaning agents and installation of air ventilation and purification systems for a more acceptable indoor air quality

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Agile Beeswax: Agile Development Methodology for Mobile Applications

Mobile applications have seen great development in recent years, and with this growth, tools, phones, and methods of developing these applications have evolved. However, the methods of developing these mobile applications have not seen the same growth as its usage. Software engineering research on mobile application development methodologies is not progressing at the same rate as the adoption of mobile applications. Only a few mobile application development methodologies have been presented in the scientific literature, especially agile ones. In addition, mobile application idea and concept workshops, requirements gathering, User Interface, User Experience, deployment, maintenance, complexity of testing, power consumption, and project assessment activities receive very little attention from existing methodologies. Moreover, in the current proposals are not sufficiently handling the special limitations for mobile applications, such as providing the necessary features to facilitate and support users' participation in the development process. After extensive study in academia and industry, in our opinion it indisputable that the research into the mobile application development process must continue to grow. Mobile application development is a highly competitive environment, and in our opinion, agile methodologies can enable teams to provide value faster, with higher quality and predictability. The development of mobile applications has unique requirements, and agile methods can deal with some of these requirements, such as the continuous change in mobile applications requirements or the continuous participation of users. An efficient development process may assist increase competitive advantage and decreasing release cycles. For this reason, our objective has been to review the existing methodologies and models for developing mobile applications in the scientific literature and real methodologies adopted by experts in the development communities since this will help us address the main practices in the mobile application development process. Based on a defined and appropriate frame, an analysis of these models and their usefulness to the industry has been performed to create a new methodology for developing mobile applications that suit academic and industry communities. This new methodological process based on agile methodologies for mobile application development has been named Agile Beeswax. Thus, Agile Beeswax is conceived after identifying the mobile development process's issues, challenges, and unique requirements. Agile Beeswax is defined as an integrated incremental, iterative development process for developing mobile applications. One of its main strengths is that it has been created with academic and business perspectives to bring these two communities closer. Agile Beeswax tried to integrate different methodologies and practices in the development process to obtain an integrated method. We combined some scrum management practices, software engineering practices, and operational practices into one methodology. To achieve our purpose, the work has been divided into five main phases: Phase 1: A systematic literature review approach to review existing mobile application development methods. Phase 2: Interviews with mobile application developers working in small to medium software companies. Phase 3: Survey to a group of 35 experts, including academics and developers, to extract valuable knowledge about mobile development. Phase 4: Proposal of a new methodology for mobile application development. Phase 5: Validation of the proposed methodology using a second group of 35 experts, including mobile application developers and academic communities (some of them participated in the first survey). Conclusion: We need an effective and practical methodology for mobile application development. An efficient development methodology may assist increase competitive advantage and decreasing release cycles, which is critical in the mobile application development process. The results in this thesis and the proposed methodology for developing mobile applications are intended to serve as support for mobile application developers.Las aplicaciones móviles han experimentado un gran desarrollo en los últimos años y, con este crecimiento, han evolucionado también las herramientas, los dispositivos y los métodos para desarrollar estas aplicaciones. Sin embargo, las metodologías de desarrollo de estas aplicaciones móviles no han experimentado el mismo crecimiento que su uso. La investigación en ingeniería de software sobre metodologías de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles no ha avanzado al mismo ritmo que la adopción de aplicaciones móviles. Solo unas pocas metodologías de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles se han presentado en la literatura científica, especialmente si nos centramos en metodologías ágiles específicas para desarrollo móvil. Además, los talleres de ideas y conceptos para crear la applicación, la recopilación de requisitos, el diseño de la interfaz de usuario y la experiencia del usuario, la implementación, el mantenimiento, la complejidad de las pruebas, el consumo de energía y las actividades de evaluación de proyectos de desarrollo móvil reciben poca atención en las metodologías existentes. Paralelamente, los métodos de desarrollo actuales no manejan suficientemente las limitaciones especiales que presetan las aplicaciones móviles, tales como facilitar las características necesarias para facilitar y soportar la participación de los usuarios en el proceso de desarrollo. Después, del exhaustivo estudio realizado en el mundo académico e industrial acerca del desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles, en nuestra opinión es indiscutible que la investigación en el proceso de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles debe seguir creciendo. El desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles es un entorno altamente competitivo y, en nuestra opinión, las metodologías ágiles pueden permitir que los equipos generen valor más rápido, con mayor calidad y previsibilidad. El desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles tiene requisitos únicos y los métodos ágiles pueden abordar algunos de estos requisitos, como el cambio continuo en los requisitos de las aplicaciones móviles o la integración de los usuarios durante todo el proceso. Un proceso de desarrollo eficiente puede ayudar a aumentar la ventaja competitiva de los productos móviles y disminuir sus ciclos de lanzamiento. Por ello, nuestro objetivo es revisar las metodologías y modelos existentes para el desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles en la literatura científica y metodologías reales adoptadas por expertos en las comunidades de desarrollo ya que esto nos ayudará a identificar y dirigir las principales prácticas en el proceso de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles. Basado en un marco previamente definido, se ha realizado un análisis de estos modelos y su utilidad para la industria para crear una nueva metodología para desarrollar aplicaciones móviles que se adapten a las comunidades académicas y de la industria. Este nuevo proceso metodológico basado en metodologías ágiles para el desarrollo de aplicaciones se ha denominado Agile Beeswax. Por lo tanto, Agile Beeswax se concibe después de identificar los problemas, desafíos y requisitos únicos del proceso de desarrollo móvil, y se define como un proceso de desarrollo iterativo e incremental integrado para desarrollar aplicaciones móviles. Una de sus principales fortalezas es que ha sido creado con perspectivas académicas y empresariales para acercar a estas dos comunidades. Además, Agile Beeswax ha intentado integrar diferentes metodologías y prácticas en el proceso de desarrollo para obtener un método integrado. Concretamente, combinamos algunas prácticas de gestión de scrum, prácticas de ingeniería de software y prácticas operativas en una sola metodología. Para lograr nuestro propósito, el estudio se ha dividido en cinco fases principales: Fase 1: Un enfoque de revisión sistemática de la literatura para revisar los métodos de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles existentes. Fase 2: Entrevistas con desarrolladores de aplicaciones móviles que trabajan en pequeñas y medianas empresas de software. Fase 3: Encuesta a un grupo de 35 expertos, incluidos académicos y desarrolladores, para extraer conocimientos valiosos sobre el desarrollo móvil. Fase 4: Propuesta de una nueva metodología para el desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles. Fase 5: Validación de la metodología propuesta utilizando un segundo grupo de 35 expertos, entre desarrolladores de aplicaciones móviles y comunidades académicas (algunos de ellos participaron en la primera encuesta). Conclusión: Necesitamos una metodología efectiva y práctica para el desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles. Una metodología de desarrollo eficiente puede ayudar a aumentar la ventaja competitiva y disminuir los ciclos de lanzamiento, lo cual es fundamental en el proceso de desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles. Los resultados de esta tesis y la metodología propuesta para el desarrollo de aplicaciones móviles pretenden servir de apoyo a los desarrolladores de aplicaciones móviles.Tesis Univ. Granada