The Egyptian Cardiothoracic Surgeon (ECTS - E-Journal)
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Open innovation evaluation for Internet-enabled services in smart cities
No full textThis article is focused on public service innovation from an innovation management perspective. It presents research experience gained from a European project for managing social and technological innovation in the production and evaluation of demand-driven internet-enabled services in the public sector. It is based on 5 pilot initiatives, which sought to operationalise a new approach to co-producing and co-evaluating civic services in smart cities – commonly referred to as open innovation for smart city services. Research suggests that the evidence base underpinning this approach is not sufficiently robust to support claims being made about its effectiveness. Instead evaluation research of demand-driven internet-enabled urban services is in its infancy and there are no tested methods or tools in the literature for effectively supporting this approach. The paper reports on the development and trialling of a Co-evaluation Framework, indicators and reporting categories, used to support the co-production of citizens-driven smart city services in an EU-funded project. Our point of departure is that innovation of services is a sub-set of innovation management that requires effective integration of technological with social innovation, supported by the right skills and capacities. The main skills sets needed for effective co-evaluation of open innovation services are the integration of stakeholder management with evaluation capacities
Linking adaptation science to action to build food secure Pacific Island communities
No full textClimate change is a major threat to food security in Pacific Island countries, with declines in food production and increasing variability in food supplies already evident across the region. Such impacts have already led to observed consequences for human health, safety and economic prosperity. Enhancing the adaptive capacity of Pacific Island communities is one way to reduce vulnerability and is underpinned by the extent to which people can access, understand and use new knowledge to inform their decision-making processes. However, effective engagement of Pacific Island communities in climate adaption remains variable and is an ongoing and significant challenge. Here, we use a qualitative research approach to identify the impediments to engaging Pacific Island communities in the adaptations needed to safeguard food security. The main barriers include cultural differences between western science and cultural knowledge, a lack of trust among local communities and external scientists, inappropriate governance structures, and a lack of political and technical support. We identify the importance of adaptation science, local social networks, key actors (i.e., influential and trusted individuals), and relevant forms of knowledge exchange as being critical to overcoming these barriers. We also identify the importance of co-ordination with existing on-ground activities to effectively leverage, as opposed to duplicating, capacity
Storing renewables in the gas network: modelling of power-to-gas (P2G) seasonal storage flexibility in low carbon power systems
No full textThe power-to-gas (P2G) process, whereby excess renewable electrical energy is used to form hydrogen and/or synthetic natural gas that are injected, transported and stored in the gas network, has the prospect to become an important flexibility option for the seasonal storage of low-carbon electricity. This paper is the first to model and assess the potential of P2G when combined with gas seasonal storage operation accounting for the two networks’ characteristics and constraints (including the amount of hydrogen that can be blended with natural gas under different gas network conditions). Power system operation with P2G is analysed via a two-stage optimisation based on DC power flow in order to assess the gas production from otherwise curtailed renewables, also considering impact of P2G on short-term and long-term gas prices. Additionally, impact of P2G on gas network operation and its potentially required re-dispatch are evaluated with a steady-state gas flow model. Case studies conducted on the Great Britain gas and electrical transmission networks quantify benefits and limitations of the integrated usage of P2G with seasonal gas storage under different scenarios. The proposed model thus sets the fundamentals for further development of this emerging technology as a seasonal storage option in low-carbon power systems
A non-linear subdiffusion model for a cell-cell adhesion in chemotaxis
No full textThe purpose of this work is to propose a non-Markovian and nonlinear model of subdiffusive transport that involves adhesion affects the cells escape rates form position x, with chemotaxis. This leads the escape rates to be dependent on the particles density at the neighbours as well as the chemotactic gradient. We systematically derive subdiffusive fractional master equation, then we consider the diffusive limit of the fractional master equation. We finally solve the resulted fractional subdiffusive master equation stationery and analyse the role of adhesion in the resulted stationary density
Stability analysis for time-dependent nonlinear systems. An interval approach
No full textOne of the most important issues in control is determining the stability of a system. Since the 1960’s, Lyapunov-based methods have been developed to determine the stability of linear and nonlinear systems. However, when the system is nonlinear, time-dependent and uncertain, in a set-membership context, stability analysis is challenging and no reliable methods have been developed. This paper proposes an original set-membership based approach for establishing the stability of non-linear, uncertain, time-dependent systems. Two new concepts G-Stability (which is the stability of nonlinear time-dependent uncertain trajectories) and capture tubes (which is an invariant stability region for time-dependent systems) are introduced and illustrated for an autonomous, uncertain, robotic sailboat. Then, G-Stability is used to formulate and prove the safety for a set of capture tubes. This result is then used to analyse the safety of a squad of uncertain, robotic sailboat moving in their environment (no collision among the robots)
Pollicisation of the index finger in Fanconi anaemia: Functionality and appearances forty years after the intervention
No full textEffect of Elevated Glycated Hemoglobin on Sternal Wound Infection in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients of Urgent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Full text linkBackground: Incidence of cardiovascular diseases is high, and it occurs earlier in diabetic patient. This study aimed to examine the impact of elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) on the development of sternal wound infection in diabetic and non-diabetic patients who undergo isolated urgent coronary surgery.
Methods: This prospective study included all patients undergoing urgent coronary surgery through standard median sternotomy at Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Benha University Hospital. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n=40): diabetic cases and Group 2 (n=35): non-diabetic cases.
Results: The univariate logistic regression analysis showed that only HbA1c was a significant predictor for AF. While HbA1c, FBG and EF were the only significant predictors for sternal wound infection. Also, only HbA1c and FBG were significant predictors for 30-day mortality.
Conclusion: Patients with a higher HbA1c percentage experienced a higher incidence of deep sternal incision infection and mortality subsequent to coronary artery bypass grafting, as indicated by the findings. This suggests that diabetic patients need for stringent glycemic control prior to any surgical interventions
Preoperative Left Atrial Parameters as Predictive Factors for Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Atrial Fibrillation
Full text linkBackground: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), affecting 10% to 40% of patients. Multiple patient-specific and anatomical factors are associated with AF, among which left atrial (LA) size is a key predictor. This study aimed to derive a simple clinical index to identify patients at high risk for AF using available preoperative predictors, including the left atrial volume index (LAVI).
Methods: This prospective observational cohort study enrolled 140 adult patients of both sexes with preoperative sinus rhythm undergoing isolated CABG. Patients were categorized into two groups: an AF group (n=9) and a non-AF group (n=131).
Results: Patients who developed postoperative AF had a significantly higher risk of mortality (p = 0.049), cardiovascular complications (p = 0.034), and congestive heart failure (p = 0.043). However, no significant differences were observed in surgical site infection (p = 0.97) or renal failure (p = 0.56). AF was not a direct cause of death but served as a predictor of increased mortality and other complications. There were no differences in left atrial diameter (3.9 vs. 4.2 cm, p= 0.054) or LAVI (31 vs. 31.6 ml/m3, p= 0.635) between patients with and without postoperative AF, respectively.
Conclusion: Left atrial diameter and LAVI were not found to be significant independent predictors of postoperative AF. However, the development of AF was strongly associated with increased risks of mortality, cardiovascular complications, and congestive heart failure. These findings underscore that postoperative AF, while not a direct cause of death, is a critical marker of adverse outcomes following CAB