Utilization Of Facilities Research Articles

Energy retrofit technology for modern and contemporary educational historical buildings considering preservation and utilization aspects

Energy retrofit technology is proposed for achieving continuous and efficient energy utilization in modern educational facilities. To improve the accuracy of diagnosis rather than improving numerical analysis, the building performance evaluation of exterior walls and windows was conducted using on-site measuring equipment. The target building had a substandard domestic performance; therefore, improvement measures were required to use building energy efficiently. We evaluated the energy consumption of the target building through the building energy analysis program DesignBuilder. Energy efficiency and economic benefits of retrofit technologies were evaluated, with seven selected technologies categorized into passive, active, and renewable. Efficient technologies included PV panel, High-efficiency HVAC system, Airtight film, and LED lights. 8 retrofit packages were formulated, considering energy savings, economic viability, and thermal comfort improvements. Among these, the energy-saving package, the package incorporating all technologies, the economically beneficial package, and the conservation package were efficient for energy savings, while the conservation package, the economic benefits, and the passive were economically efficient. energy-saving package was found effective for warm improvement and demonstrated significant improvement in cold thermal comfort conditions. Considering the modern nature of the target building, a comprehensive conservation package was deemed most suitable, offering energy savings, economic benefits, thermal comfort enhancements, and preservation aspects. With a payback period of 4 years and achieving a 41.4% energy saving, it was deemed the optimal choice for the target building.

289 Mental Health Comorbidities in Workers Compensation Patients and the Effect on Pain, Disability, Quality of Life, and Return to Work After Lumbar Spine Surgery

INTRODUCTION: Outcomes after lumbar spine surgery in workers’ compensation (WC) patients have been reported to be worse than the general population. Anxiety and depression are modifiable risk factors that also adversely affect outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. METHODS: We queried a nationwide, prospective surgical outcomes registry (AANS-QOD) for all patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery at over 200 hospital systems from 2012 to 2021. Perioperative safety, facility utilization, one-year patient-reported outcomes (pain, disability, and quality-of-life), and return to work (RTW) were measured as a function of WC and mental health comorbidity status. RESULTS: A total of 27,525 patients (1018 WC, 26,507 non-WC) undergoing 1-4 level lumbar spine surgery (14,914 laminectomy, 12,611 fusion) were reviewed. WC patients were younger, healthier (lower ASA grade), more likely to be minorities, less educated, more likely to smoke, and had greater baseline back pain, disability, and quality of life compared to non-WC patients. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was similar between groups. WC patients had worse outcomes for all measures and lower rates of RTW compared to non-WC patients. WC patients with anxiety and depression demonstrated even greater disparities in all outcomes. After propensity matching, WC patients with anxiety or depression (n = 107) continued to demonstrate significantly worse outcomes in comparison to WC patients without anxiety or depression (n = 107). CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in outcomes after lumbar spine surgery in WC patients are exacerbated in patients with anxiety and depression. WC patients with mental health comorbidities receive the least benefit from lumbar spine surgery and may represent the most vulnerable subset of patients with spinal pathology. Addressing mental health comorbidities preoperatively may represent an opportunity for valuable resource allocation and surgical optimization in the WC population.

340 Effect of Worker's Compensation Status on Pain, Disability, Quality of Life, and Return to Work After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A One-Year Propensity-Matched Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Compensation and litigation have been shown to adversely impact prognoses in a vast range of health conditions. Low back pain (LBP) is currently the most frequent reason for workers' compensation (WC) claims. METHODS: Complete datasets for patients who underwent 1 to 4-level lumbar spinal fusion or decompression alone were retrospectively mined from the National Quality Outcomes Database (QOD), which included one-year patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from over 200 hospital systems collected from 2012-2021. Population demographics, perioperative safety, facility utilization, patient satisfaction, disability, pain, EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) quality-of-life, and return-to-work rates were compared between cohorts for both subgroups. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: 29,652 patients were included: Laminectomy (16,939 non-WC, 615 WC); Fusion (11,767 non-WC, 331 WC). WC patients were more frequently male, minority race, younger, less educated, more frequently a smoker, healthier ASA grade, with greater baseline VAS and ODI scores (p < 0.001). One-year postoperative improvements in VAS, ODI, QALY, return to work rates, and satisfaction were all significantly worse for WC vs non-WC patients for both procedures. After adjusting for baseline differences via propensity matching, WC vs non-WC patients continued to demonstrate worse 3- and 12-month VAS and ODI, reduced 12-month QALY-gain, and delayed return to work after both procedure types. CONCLUSIONS: WC status was associated with significantly greater residual disability and pain post-operatively, lower quality of life, and delayed return to work. Utilizing resources to identify the negative influences on outcomes for WC patients may be of value in preoperative optimization and could yield better outcomes in these patients.

IJCM_15A: Health-seeking behaviour among Fishermen community mothers of under-five children on childcare– A cross-sectional study

Background: Globally in 2020 an estimated 5 million children under5 years died mostly from preventable and treatable causes. India ranks second worldwide in under5 mortality (WHO2020). Health of the children is strongly dependent on parental healthcare behaviour Fishermen-community possesses unique characteristics of a folk-society, Major portion of the life of fishermen is spent at sea, mothers assume a vital place with regard to the upbringing of the children. Objective: To study the health-seeking behaviour among Fishermen- community mothers of under-five children during acute illness and factors associated with it Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted among 100 Mothers of Under five children in a Fishermen community, Kovalam, Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu over a period of 3months (October 2023–November 2023). Data collection was done using interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire, statistical analysis was done using SPSS v21.0 Results: In total, 100 mothers with mean age of 27± 3.3 years participated in the study, all of them reported of some health morbidity. The proportion of health seeking behaviour in terms of appropriate and prompt care among the study population was 42%. The reason for delayed health care seeking among the participants were due to over-the-counter drugs(33%), self-medication(17%) and home remedies(8%). Among them 84% sought health care from private health facility. Appropriate and prompt care has found to be significantly associated with the age of the child less than 2 years (OR-3.485,95%CI-1.449-8.382), educational status of the mother (above high-school) (OR-3,95%CI-1.328-6.977), extended family type (OR- 2.679,95%CI-1.151-6.233) and perception about severity of illness during an episode of acute illness. Conclusion: Appropriate Health-seeking behaviour and seeking prompt care among parents of children was inadequate. Utilization of public health facility was less. Hence, steps can be taken to sensitize the mothers about the services available in the public health care facility.

Determinants of public institutional births in India: An analysis using the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) factsheet data.

Institutional births ensure deliveries happen under the supervision of skilled healthcare personnel in an enabling environment. For countries like India, with high neonatal and maternal mortalities, achieving 100% coverage of institutional births is a top policy priority. In this respect, public health institutions have a key role, given that they remain the preferred choice by most of the population, owing to the existing barriers to healthcare access. While research in this domain has focused on private health institutions, there are limited studies, especially in the Indian context, that look at the enablers of institutional births in public health facilities. In this study, we look to identify the significant predictors of institutional birth in public health facilities in India. We rely on the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) factsheet data for analysis. Our dependent variable (DV) in this study is the % of institutional births in public health facilities. We first use Welch's t-test to determine if there is any significant difference between urban and rural areas in terms of the DV. We then use multiple linear regression and partial F-test to identify the best-fit model that predicts the variation in the DV. We generate two models in this study and use Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and adjusted R2 values to identify the best-fit model. We find no significant difference between urban and rural areas (P = 0.02, α =0.05) regarding the mean % of institutional births in public health facilities. The best-fit model is an interaction model with a moderate effect size (Adjusted2 = 0.35) and an AIC of 179.93, lower than the competitive model (AIC = 183.56). We find household health insurance (β = -0.29) and homebirth conducted under the supervision of skilled healthcare personnel (β = -0.56) to be significant predictors of institutional births in public facilities in India. Additionally, we observe low body mass index (BMI) and obesity to have a synergistic impact on the DV. Our findings show that the interaction between low BMI and obesity has a strong negative influence (β = -0.61) on institutional births in public health facilities in India. Providing households with health insurance coverage may not improve the utilisation of public health facilities for deliveries in India, where other barriers to public healthcare access exist. Therefore, it is important to look at interventions that minimise the existing barriers to access. While the ultimate objective from a policy perspective should be achieving 100% coverage of institutional births in the long run, a short-term strategy makes sense in the Indian context, especially to manage the complications arising during births outside an institutional setting.

IJCM_204A: A qualitative research to identify the barriers and facilitating factors in the utilization of healthcare services by a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Udupi District

Background: Udupi district hosts two major Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) namely Malaikudiya and Koraga. Koraga tribes are declining in number and deprived of availability of healthcare services and accessibility to healthcare facilities. There are a lot of barriers such as lack of awareness and social stigma amalgamate the existing conditions of Koraga tribes in Udupi district. Research studies pertaining to this problem has been seldom done. Objective: We aim to explore the barriers and facilitating factors in accessing healthcare services by a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Udupi district. Methodology: We conducted qualitative research through 8 in-depth interviews with AMOs from PHC and CHC, ITDP staff and NGO workers, and 3 focus group discussions with community health nurses, ASHA workers, and Koraga community leaders from Udupi district. We explored the major facilitators and barriers that influence the utilization of health care services by the PVTG. Results: On the beneficiaries’ point of view, lack of awareness, distance to health facilities, poor public transportation, perceived negative behavior of hospital staff, lack of infrastructure, unwelcoming neighbourhood approaches, and economic instability were the main barriers to utilizing healthcare facilities. On the stakeholders (providers) point of view, availability of healthcare facilities, government policies and schemes and NGO activities are the facilitating factors. Conclusion: Our study highlights the barriers to utilizing health facilities; these are not always driven by factors linked to the PVTG members’ socio- economic status but also depend significantly on the quality of the health services and other contextual factors. Although the government has made efforts to improve the rural healthcare system through national-level programs, our qualitative study shows that there are a number of barriers which lessens the effectiveness of the programs to enhance the utilization of healthcare facilities by the PVTG in the study area.

Care seeking behavior of the victims of unintentional injuries: A community-based study in a community development block of Purba Bardhaman District, West Bengal.

Care-seeking after injury episodes is generally associated with major uncertainties concerning its incidence, care, and cure/disappearance, and the price of care. Though the utilization pattern of the population is shaped by social, economic, cultural and political factors, it varies widely for the rich and the poor. With this background, a community-based epidemiological study was conducted to determine the care-seeking behavior of victims of unintentional injuries. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2023-September 2023 in the Bhatar block of Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal. Cluster random sampling was applied to select a required sample of 555 individuals from 24 villages. Study tools used were predesigned and pretested schedules developed by the researchers with the help of guidelines for conducting community surveys on injuries provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study had approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS V16. Out of 49 injury episodes, 51.0% had received first aid. Out of 39 injury episodes seeking medical attention, a traditional practitioner, healer or bone setter was the type of first medical contact in the case of the majority of injury episodes (38.5%), followed by a hospital (35.9%). Low utilization of government healthcare facilities is a cause for concern. Reliance on unqualified informal healthcare providers is also a cause for concern. Our findings will help design community interventions to increase the provision of appropriate first aid in unintentional injuries.

Chronic diseases and determinants of community health services utilization among adult residents in southern China: a community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe burden of chronic diseases has become a major public health concern, and high-efficiency use of community health services is essential in combating chronic diseases. This study described the status of chronic diseases in southern China and explored the determinants of health service utilization among adult residents.MethodsData were obtained from one part of community survey data from four counties in Ganzhou City, southern China. A multistage, stratified random sampling method was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey between 2018 and 2020. Overall, 7430 valid questionnaires were collected. A lasso-linear regression analysis was performed to explore the determinants of community health service utilization.ResultsAccording to the study, most participants (44.6%) reported having relatively good health, while 42.1% reported having moderate health. Chronic diseases were reported by 66.9% of the respondents. The three most prevalent self-reported chronic diseases were hypertension (22.6%), hyperlipidemia (5.9%), and diabetes (5.9%). Among residents with chronic diseases, 72.1% had one chronic disease, while the rest had multiple. Only 13.9% of residents frequently utilized community health services, while 18.9% never used them. Additionally, among residents who reported having chronic diseases, 14.1% had never attended community health services. Four categories of factors were the key determinants of community health service utilization: (1) personal characteristics, age, and sex; (2) health-related factors, such as family history, self-reported health conditions, and the number of chronic diseases; (3) community health service characteristics, such as satisfaction with and accessibility to community health services; and (4) knowledge of chronic diseases. Specifically, women tend to utilize healthcare services more frequently than men. Additionally, residents who are advanced in age, have a family history of chronic diseases, suffer from multiple chronic conditions, rate their self-reported health condition as poor, have a better knowledge about chronic diseases, have better accessibility to community health services, and have higher the satisfaction with community health services, tend to utilize them more frequently.ConclusionsGiven the limited healthcare resources, the government should promote the effective utilization of community health facilities as a critical community-based strategy to combat the growing threat of chronic diseases in southern China. The priority measures involve enhancing residents’ access to and satisfaction with community health services and raising awareness of chronic illnesses among older individuals with poor health status.

Towards Hydrogen Sector Investments for Achieving Sustainable Electricity Generation.

Hydrogen constitutes an integral component within an expansive array of energy technologies poised to facilitate the nation's transition towards achieving a net-zero state. In additional, this endeavor involves harnessing regional resources judiciously, thereby fostering equitable and sustainable growth. The strategic development and utilization of hydrogen technologies necessitate a nuanced approach, encompassing an assessment of diverse technologies spanning various sectors especially power sector. Such a meticulous strategy aims to forge the most efficacious, cost-effective, and sustainable pathways, underpinned by the discerning adoption of these technologies in the market. The article delves into the intricate relationship between hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, shedding light on their combined impact on the evolving landscape of electricity generation. A particular focus is placed on the integration of variable renewable energy sources, elucidating how hydrogen serves as a key enabler in optimizing the utilization of these fluctuating energy resources. In addition, the article encompasses various methods of hydrogen production, exploring their technological advancements and implications for achieving sustainable electricity generation. Emphasizing the significance of technology development in the hydrogen sector, the paper delves into the potential of hydrogen production methods and their implications for advancing sustainable electricity generation. In essence, the article navigates the trajectory of the hydrogen sector's evolution within the broader context of electricity generation, offering valuable insights into the ongoing developments, challenges, and opportunities. By addressing the critical nexus between hydrogen technologies and the dynamic electricity landscape, the paper aims to contribute to the discourse on the future trajectory of investments in the hydrogen sector for enhanced electricity generation. To Conclude, the United Kingdom has committed GBP 20 billion over a span of 20 years to the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) facilities. Additionally, the nation has identified and shortlisted electrolysis projects totalling 408 megawatts (MW) capacity. In Korea, Hanwha Impact has achieved a significant milestone by attaining a 60% hydrogen co-firing share in an 80 MW gas turbine, representing the largest co-firing share recorded thus far in mid-to-large gas turbines. Meanwhile, Anhui Province Energy Group in China has successfully conducted trials involving the co-firing of ammonia at a 300 MW unit. The Group has plans to further extend these trials, aiming to achieve a 50% co-firing level at a 1 GW coal unit. In the United States, notable progress has been made, with a 38% hydrogen co-firing share attained in 2023 at an operational 753 MW combined-cycle power plant.

Facile Utilization of Carbon Dioxide for the Esterification of Potassium Lactate to Butyl Lactate

Facile Utilization of Carbon Dioxide for the Esterification of Potassium Lactate to Butyl Lactate

Comparison of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and augmented Arogya Laxmi scheme (ALS) in improving maternal and child health outcomes in urban settlements of Hyderabad, South India

BackgroundIndia accounts for the largest number of global neonatal deaths with around 20 per 1000 live births. To improve the utilization of government services for institutional deliveries, Augmented Arogya Laxmi Scheme (ALS) was launched in Telangana state of southern India. This study assessed the effectiveness of the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which combines cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care, in comparison to ALS in improving the outcomes related to antenatal, natal, and postnatal care in urban settlements of Hyderabad, Telangana, southern India.MethodsThis was a two-year cross-sectional study conducted in 14 urban settlements of Hyderabad city from September 2017- August 2019. All mothers delivered during the 18 months preceding the survey were enrolled after a written informed consent. Field investigators collected data on variables related to socio-demographic characteristics, awareness, and utilization of JSY and ALS programs. Variables related to antenatal history, antenatal care, complications during birth, delivery outcomes, newborn care, and postnatal care till 28 days were assessed. We used multivariable logistic regression model to examine the association between the different maternal, child, and socio-demographic characteristics of the two study groups.ResultsA total of 926 mothers were beneficiaries of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) program while 933 mothers were beneficiaries of augmented Arogya Laxmi Scheme (ALS). Mothers in ALS group (AOR 1.71; 95% CI 1.21–2.43) were at increased odds of having more than eight antenatal care (ANC) visits compared to the mothers availing JSY. Mothers in ALS group were at decreased odds of having complications like severe pain in the abdomen (AOR 0.43; 95% CI 0.22–0.86), swelling of legs or feet (AOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.44–0.80) compared to mothers in JSY group. Children of mothers in the ALS group had increased odds of receiving breastfeeding within 30 minutes of birth (AOR 1.46; 95% CI 1.13–1.88) compared to children of mothers in JSY group.ConclusionsThe newly launched augmented ALS led to the increased utilization of the government health facilities and improved the maternal and child health outcomes.

Facility Performance Evaluation at Fish Landing Port (PPI) Binuangeun Banten, Indonesia: What strategies can be applied?

The Binuangeun Fish Landing Port (PPI) plays a significant role in driving fisheries activities for fishermen in the Binuangeun area, Lebak, Banten. Despite being the largest fishing port in the region, the facilities owned by PPI Binuangeun have not been optimally utilized. This study aimed to explore the problems associated with the underutilization of operational facilities at PPI Binuangeun. The quantitative research design was carried out by conducting observations and interviews and distributing questionnaires to relevant stakeholders who played a role in the utilization of facilities at PPI Binuangeun. This research seeks to identify problems, constraints, and expected strategies for optimizing the PPI Binuangeun. All the results are presented descriptively. The findings show that the ability of facilities to utilize dock capacity reached 81.8%, that of port ponds reached 89.9%, and that of fish auction sites reached 50%, indicating that the operational facilities at PPI Binuangeun are at an adequate level of feasibility, but their utilization is not optimal. Field findings showed that during 2015-2022, there was a periodic increase in the number of vessels of various sizes, including the number of vessels that docked. Fish production has also increased with an increase in the number of fishing vessels, fishing gear, number of fishermen, production, and production value. In line with this, the manager of PPI Binuangeun must improve the operational efficiency of the port, including optimizing the port's contribution to improving the fishing industry and the economy of the port. Strategic steps are taken to improve the performance and competitiveness of PPI Binuangeun in the future.

Deciphering the determinants of firm’s engagement with universities: An insight into the Thai industrial landscape

The burgeoning interest in university-industry collaborations (UIC) has sparked significant attention in both management practice and research. However, despite extensive efforts to identify the determinants of UIC, the majority of studies have predominantly focused on the motivations of academic researchers and limited UIC channels. This study aims to delve deeper into the influence of five factors—structural, behavioral, motivational, attitudinal and policy-related on firms' decisions to collaborate with universities across five collaboration forms: research partnership, researcher service, technology transfer, utilization of university facilities, and human resource transfer. The research draws upon original microdata from the Thai Community Innovation survey, encompassing 8701 firms and spanning the years 2015, 2017, and 2018. By employing a multivariate probit model, the results unveil that Thai firms perceiving universities as innovation sources are inclined to engage with them irrespective of the UIC channels. However, the effects of structural, behavioral, and motivational factors differ when influencing industry participation in various UIC modes. Thus, this research significantly contributes to the UIC literature by offering both theoretical and practical insights. The nuanced understanding of the factors influencing collaborative decisions can inform policymakers and managers seeking to foster effective university-industry partnerships. The identified implications underscore the need for a more tailored approach, recognizing the diversity of influences on UIC, thereby advancing both academic discourse and practical strategies in the field.

Utilization of Primary Health Care Under National Health Insurance in Samarinda Municipality, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

In Indonesia, basic community health services are provided to all citizens through Primary Health Care (PHC) settings under the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. The insurance is compulsory and provides basic community health needs. Based on a gatekeeper concept, the PHC is deemed to be the first contact point for all basic healthcare needs. Despite the commencement of services through PHC settings in 2014 under this concept, utilization in PHC settings remains lower than in hospital settings. This study aimed to assess factors associated with utilization of PHC under National Health Insurance in Samarinda Municipality, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The research examined the utilization of services over six months. It employed a cross-sectional method and included 382 NHI participants in 10 districts of Samarinda Municipality. Each district was divided into urban and semi-urban areas based upon local government indicators representing the whole research area. A two-stage random sampling and purposive sampling approach was implemented to select the sample. The participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Chi-square and multiple logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of factors on the utilization of PHC. Only 17.3% of participants used PHC services regularly. Three constitutive factors, type of NHI participants (Adj. OR: 2.62; p<0.005), accommodation (Adj. OR: 2.18; p<0.005) and awareness (Adj. OR: 3.27; p<0.005) most profoundly influenced the under-utilization of PHC by NHI participants. The study found that the type of NHI participant and the utilization factors of accommodation and awareness significantly influenced the degree of utilization of PHC facilities by NHI participants and that the differences arose from variations in knowledge and experience. Strengthening these factors will rely upon an expanded role of government and community collaboration, emphasizing the needs of NHI participants.

Factors associated with the utilization of health service facilities at Abeli community health center, Kendari city, southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia, 2023

Background: Abeli Community Health Center, Kendari City, has experienced fluctuating visits over the last few years. This research was conducted in the working area of the Abeli Health Center, Kendari City. The instability in the number of patient visits at the Abeli Health Center in Kendari City over the last few years is clearly illustrated. In 2019, the number of patients served by this Puskesmas reached 14,333 patients. However, there was a decrease in the number of patient visits in 2020, with 10,038 patients using the service. This condition continues in 2021, with only 9,388 patients utilizing puskesmas facilities. However, in 2022, there is expected to be a significant increase, with 12,356 patients accessing services at the Abeli Community Health Center. Objective: To determine the factors related to the utilization of health service facilities in the working area of the Abeli Coomunity Health Center, Kendari City in 2023. Method: This type of research is quantitative research with an observational analytical approach and a cross sectional research design. The sampling technique in this study used an accidental sampling technique with a total of 351 samples with the criteria of respondents who utilized the health service facilities at the Abeli Community Health Center, Kendari City in 2023. Results: The results of the study show that there is a relationship between confidence in health services (p value = 0.000), waiting time for health services (p value = 0.000), perception of health and illness (p value = 0.013) with the use of health service facilities, and there is no relationship between ownership of health insurance (p value = 0.139) and utilization of health service facilities in the working area of the Abeli Health Center, Kendari City. Conclusion: There is a relationship between confidence in health services, waiting time for health services, perception of health and illness and utilization of health service facilities and there is no relationship between ownership of health insurance and utilization of health service facilities in the Abeli Health Center Working Area, Kendari City in 2023, so the role of agencies health to increase intensive health promotion programs to provide information to the public about the importance of health care through the use of health service facilities.

Portable smartphone platform utilizing AIE-featured carbon dots for multivariate visual detection for Cu2+, Hg2+ and BSA in real samples

Heavy metals cause serious toxic threats to both environment and human health. The multivariate, instrument-free, portable, and rapid detection strategy is crucial for determination of heavy metals. Herein, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) featured carbon dots (SN-CDs) were fabricated hydrothermally by optimizing co-doping precursors. With bright yellow emission at 560 nm, the SN-CDs were utilized for multivariate sensing Cu2+, Hg2+ and bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on AIE behavior and static quenching effect, with detection limits of 0.46 μmol·L−1, 25.8 nmol·L−1 and 1.52 μmol·L−1. A portable smartphone platform was constructed to enable portable, prompt, and sensitive analysis for Cu2+, Hg2+, and BSA via different strategies in real water and food samples with satisfied recovery. Moreover, a logic gate circuit was designed to provide the possibilities for utilization of intelligent facility. The proposed AIE SN-CDs possessing great contribution in preferable sensing performance, present promising prospects in real-time monitoring of environment and food safety.

Evaluating the persuasiveness of messages promoting mobile mammography among uninsured women.

Mobile mammography units (MMUs) can enhance access to breast cancer screening by providing convenient, cost-effective service, particularly for uninsured and underinsured women. However, prior studies indicate that acceptability concerns about quality and privacy, among other issues, may prevent women from utilizing MMUs. The current study employs a within-participant experimental design exposing participants to messages about different MMU characteristics to determine which characteristics are most effective in persuading them to use an MMU. The study also examined how messaging interacts with participants' ethnic identity to influence outcomes. Data were collected from a diverse sample of uninsured and underinsured women as part of a formative study to promote the utilization of a mobile mammography facility in Central Texas. Results of mixed-effect linear models show that messages about equity, appointment convenience, privacy and comfort, and quality of equipment and staff were rated as more persuasive than messages about convenience of location and language accessibility. However, Hispanic women rated language accessibility higher than other participants did. The results can guide MMU organizers and promotion managers as they determine the best approach to promote mobile mammography services in different communities.

Utilisation of public healthcare services by an indigenous group: a mixed-method study among Santals of West Bengal, India.

A barrier to meeting the goal of universal health coverage in India is the inequality in utilisation of health services between indigenous and non-indigenous people. This study aimed to explore the determinants of utilisation, or non-utilisation, of public healthcare services among the Santals, an indigenous community living in West Bengal, India. The study holistically explored the utilisation of public healthcare facilities using a framework that conceptualised service coverage to be dependent on a set of determinants - viz. the nature and severity of the ailment, availability, accessibility (geographical and financial), and acceptability of the healthcare options and decision-making around these further depends on background characteristics of the individual or their family/household. This cross-sectional study adopts ethnographic approach for detailed insight into the issue and interviewed 422 adult members of Santals living in both rural (Bankura) and urban (Howrah) areas of West Bengal for demographic, socio-economic characteristics and healthcare utilisation behaviour using pre-tested data collection schedule. The findings revealed that utilisation of the public healthcare facilities was low, especially in urban areas. Residence in urban areas, being female, having higher education, engaging in salaried occupation and having availability of private allopathic and homoeopathic doctors in the locality had higher odds of not utilising public healthcare services. Issues like misbehaviour from the health personnel, unavailability of medicine, poor quality of care, and high patient load were reported as the major reasons for non-utilisation of public health services. The finding highlights the importance of improving the availability and quality of care of healthcare services for marginalised populations because these communities live in geographically isolated places and have low affordability of private healthcare. The health programme needs to address these issues to improve the utilisation and reduce the inequality in healthcare utilisation, which would be beneficial for all segments of Indian population.

Sweet Sorghum for Biofuel Production in Sub-Tropical India

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), a sugar crop with wider adaptation and high potential for bioenergy and ethanol production is expected to meet food, feed, fodder, fuel and fibre demands. It produces high biomass (50-80 t/ha) and alcohol (1500-2800 l/ha) and multiple income opportunities exist with this crop. Some sweet sorghum lines attain juice yields of about 78% of total plant biomass, containing from 15 to 23% soluble fermentable sugars which are composed mainly of sucrose (70–80%), fructose and glucose. Due to its short growing period (3-4 months), it could be cultivated and supplied during the lean period of sugarcane crushing thus extending the crushing period before and after sugarcane crushing and stretch the sugar mill operation. The major advantage with this crop is that no CAPEX is required when used in a sugar mill system as same machinery can be used for crushing and fermentation. It will help farmers to fetch additional income and provide an opportunity for better utilization of industrial facilities during sugarcane off-season. Promising sweet sorghum genotypes developed by ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad are being tested for their suitability to sub-tropical conditions in February and June-July plantings at the NSI, Kanpur to establish a sustainable cropping system. Five sweet sorghum genotypes were tested during kharif 2021 for sweet sorghum productivity traits. The fresh stalk yield ranged from 45-60 t/ha and based on TRS, maximum alcohol percentage in wash was observed in three varieties, i.e., Phule Vasundhara, CSH 22SS and SSV 74 which was 8.4%, 8.38% and 7.8% respectively. Maximum ethanol yield of 53.05 L/T was recorded in CSH 22 SS followed by SSV 74 (50.93 L/T). Phule Vasundhara, with a highest stalk yield of 60 t/ha recorded highest ethanol content of 2837 L/ha followed by CSH 22SS (2780 L/ha) and SSV 74 (2411 L/ha).

Quadratic Optimization Models for Balancing Preferential Access and Fairness: Formulations and Optimality Conditions

Typically, within facility location problems, fairness is defined in terms of accessibility of users. However, for facilities perceived as undesirable by communities hosting them, fairness between the usage of facilities becomes especially important. Limited research exists on this notion of fairness. To close this gap, we develop a series of optimization models for the allocation of populations of users to facilities such that access for users is balanced with a fair utilization of facilities. The optimality conditions of the underlying nonconvex quadratic models state the precise balance between accessibility and fairness. We define new classes of fairness and a metric to quantify the extent to which fairness is achieved in both optimal and suboptimal allocations. We show that a continuous relaxation of our central model is sufficient to achieve a perfect extent of fairness, while a special case reduces to the classical notion of proportional fairness. Our work is motivated by pervasive ecological challenges faced by the waste management community as policymakers seek to reduce the number of recycling centers in the last few years. As a computational case study, applying our models on data for the state of Bavaria in Germany, we find that even after the closure of a moderate number of recycling centers, large degrees of access can be ensured, provided that the closures are conducted optimally. Fairness, however, is impacted more, with facilities in rural regions shouldering larger loads of visiting populations than those in urban regions. History: Accepted by Pascal Van Hentenryck, Area Editor for Computational Modeling: Methods &amp; Analysis. Funding: Computer resources and support provided by the Erlangen Regional Computing Center are gratefully acknowledged. B. Singh was partially financially supported by the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst) under the Competence Network for Scientific High Performance Computing in Bavaria. Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.0308 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2022.0308 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .