Fractionation of proteins and carbohydrates from crude microalgae extracts using an ionic liquid based-aqueous two phase system

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Effect of electronic records on mortality among patients in hospital and primary healthcare settings: a systematic review and meta-analyses

BackgroundElectronic medical records or electronic health records, collectively called electronic records, have significantly transformed the healthcare system and service provision in our world. Despite a number of primary studies on the subject, reports are inconsistent and contradictory about the effects of electronic records on mortality. Therefore, this review examined the effect of electronic records on mortality.MethodsThe review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses 2020 guideline. Six databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, were searched from February 20 to October 25, 2023. Studies that assessed the effect of electronic records on mortality and were published between 1998 and 2022 were included. Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. Narrative synthesis was performed to identify patterns across studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using fixed effect and random-effects models to estimate the pooled effect of electronic records on mortality. Funnel plot and Egger's regression test were used to assess for publication bias.ResultsFifty-four papers were found eligible for the systematic review, of which 42 were included in the meta-analyses. Of the 32 studies that assessed the effect of electronic health record on mortality, eight (25.00%) reported a statistically significant reduction in mortality, 22 (68.75%) did not show a statistically significant difference, and two (6.25%) studies reported an increased risk of mortality. Similarly, among the 22 studies that determined the effect of electronic medical record on mortality, 12 (54.55%) reported a statistically significant reduction in mortality, and ten (45.45%) studies didn't show a statistically significant difference. The fixed effect and random effects on mortality were OR = 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93–0.97) and OR = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89–0.99), respectively. The associated I-squared was 61.5%. Statistical tests indicated that there was no significant publication bias among the studies included in the meta-analysis.ConclusionDespite some heterogeneity among the studies, the review indicated that the implementation of electronic records in inpatient, specialized and intensive care units, and primary healthcare facilities seems to result in a statistically significant reduction in mortality. Maturity level and specific features may have played important roles.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO (CRD42023437257)

Site-specific fertilizer recommendation spilled over to other partners: The opportunity and potential for facilitated scaling up

Over the last decades, the government of Ethiopia has taken several measures to achieve food security for its population. However, crop production is still below the optimal possible. Studies show that wheat, maize, and sorghum yields in Ethiopia are about 26.8, 19.7, and 29.3 % of their water-limited yield potentials. Some legumes such as common bean even experience higher yield gap of 35.5%. These indicate the potential for increasing productivity of crops in the country through addressing the key bottlenecks. Several factors play important role in determining crop yields in the country. Genetic varieties, agronomic practices, climate variability, soil fertility, and limited or lack of input use are the major once. Evidences show that the lack of a context-specific and evidence-based advisory system that enables targeted application of the right amount and type of input at the right place and right time play pivotal role in undermining the productivity of major crops in Ethiopia. The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT in collaboration with different partners has been engaged to develop ‘site-specific’ fertilizer recommendation for wheat, maize, barley, and teff. The project was mainly implemented through the support of the Supporting Soil Health Initiative (SSHI) of GIZ-Ethiopia, the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) CGIAR Initiative, and the Accelerating the Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research in Africa (AICCRA). The engagement was structured so that the research organizations could produce advisory content to meet the demands of development organizations and other actors, including Digital Green. The generated advisory content was then communicated to extension workers and farmers by Digital Green through agile dissemination channels. Validation and piloting results of the site-specific recommendations for wheat showed very encouraging results in terms of both yield and water and nutrient efficiency. Validation and piloting results of the site-specific recommendation for wheat showed very encouraging results in terms of both yield, water, and nutrient efficiencies. This success story has attracted the attention of other actors (government organizations and private sector) to pilot the advisory. This report outlines the processes of the piloting exercises and the number of farmers reached through the ‘new partners’ that have been attracted by the achievement with Digital Green

Fractionation of proteins and carbohydrates from crude microalgae extracts using an ionic liquid based-aqueous two phase system

Mild, simple and efficient recovery methods are required to obtain high-value microalgae proteins. As a promising extraction method, an Aqueous two phase system (ATPS) was used to partition proteins from crude microalgae extracts obtained from two green microalgae of industrial interest: Neochloris oleoabundans and Tetraselmis suecica. Furthermore, the Non-Random Two Liquids model (NRTL) was applied to describe both the phase diagram and the partition coefficient of total protein. It was observed that total protein preferentially concentrates in the top phase. Additionally, no significant effect on partition or extraction efficiency was noted at different tie lines. Experimental data indicate that proteins and sugars are selectively fractionated in top and bottom phases respectively. The model provided a good representation of the experimental data for the liquid-liquid equilibrium. Moreover, the model also led to a good representation of the partitioning data for two reference proteins, Rubisco and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), as well as for total protein from crude microalgae extracts.</p