33 research outputs found

    Urban mining and buildings: A review of possibilities and limitations

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    In recent years there has been growing interest in urban mining in buildings from various environmental and economic perspectives. Materials hidden in buildings are attractive alternatives to raw ones and building activities are responsible for a large share of urban waste in many societies. The paper presents an analysis of possibilities for urban mining in Amsterdam, initially focused on metals in residential buildings. Both global literature and local analysis suggest that performance in resource recovery from buildings is already as high as it can get. However, estimation of material content in buildings and of waste processing rates is far from reliable, accurate and precise enough to support such claims or identify possibilities for further improvement, including localization of resources in buildings and connections to building activities, in particular renovation.Design & Construction ManagementUrban Development Managemen

    Ribonucleotides misincorporated into DNA act as strand-discrimination signals in eukaryotic mismatch repair

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    To improve replication fidelity, mismatch repair (MMR) must detect non-Watson-Crick base pairs and direct their repair to the nascent DNA strand. Eukaryotic MMR in vitro requires pre-existing strand discontinuities for initiation; consequently, it has been postulated that MMR in vivo initiates at Okazaki fragment termini in the lagging strand and at nicks generated in the leading strand by the mismatch-activated MLH1/PMS2 endonuclease. We now show that a single ribonucleotide in the vicinity of a mismatch can act as an initiation site for MMR in human cell extracts and that MMR activation in this system is dependent on RNase H2. As loss of RNase H2 in S.cerevisiae results in a mild MMR defect that is reflected in increased mutagenesis, MMR in vivo might also initiate at RNase H2-generated nicks. We therefore propose that ribonucleotides misincoporated during DNA replication serve as physiological markers of the nascent DNA strand

    Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Pelvic Floor Hypertonicity: A Systematic Review of Treatment Efficacy

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    Introduction: Hypertonicity of the pelvic floor (PFH) is a disabling condition with urological, gynecological and gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual problems and chronic pelvic pain, impacting quality of life. Pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is a first-line intervention, yet no systematic review on the efficacy of PFPT for the treatment of PFH has been conducted. Objectives: To systematically appraise the current literature on efficacy of PFPT modalities related to PFH. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Emcare, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception until February 2020. A manual search from reference lists of included articles was performed. Ongoing trials were reviewed using clinicaltrial.gov. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective - and retrospective cohorts and case-study analyses were included. Outcome measures were pelvic floor muscle tone and function, pain reports, sexual function, pelvic floor symptom scores, quality of life and patients’ perceived effect. Results: The literature search resulted in 10 eligible studies including 4 RCTs, 5 prospective studies, and 1 case study published between 2000 and 2019. Most studies had a high risk of bias associated with the lack of a comparison group, insufficient sample sizes and non-standardized interventions. Six studies were of low and 4 of medium quality. All studies were narratively reviewed. Three of 4 RCTs found positive effects of PFPT compared to controls on five out of 6 outcome measures. The prospective studies found significant improvements in all outcome measures that were assessed. PFPT seems to be efficacious in patients with chronic prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, vulvodynia, and dyspareunia. Smallest effects were seen in patients with interstitial cystitis and painful bladder syndrome. Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review suggest that PFPT can be beneficial in patients with PFH. Further high-quality RCTs should be performed to confirm the effectiveness of PFPT in the treatment of PFH. van Reijn-Baggen DA, Han-Geurts IJM, Voorham-van der Zalm PJ, et al. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Pelvic Floor Hypertonicity: A Systematic Review of Treatment Efficacy. Sex Med Rev 2021;XX:1–22

    “Realistic Villains”: Examining Social Commentary in Crime Films through Knives Out and Bodies Bodies Bodies

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    Crime films–one of the most beloved forms of crime fiction—have a close relationship with society due to their themes and subject matter. Because of this relationship, crime films are able to use their genre-specific elements to include social commentary within their storylines. Using their victims, suspects, and resolutions of the crimes, modern crime fiction pieces such as Rian Johnson’s 2019 film Knives Out and Halina Reijn’s 2022 film Bodies Bodies Bodies both implement larger conversations within their stories. In Knives Out, the audience follows the mystery behind the sudden death of the renowned author, Harlan Thrombey—the suspects being his family and staff. Within the film’s mystery, Johnson uses elements of the story to recognize and critique those in power who benefit from privilege. Bodies Bodies Bodies focuses on couple Bee and Sophie as they join Sophie’s upper-class influencer friends for a weekend of partying, but mystery ensues when one of the friends is found dead, leaving only those within the house as suspects. Throughout the film, Reijn exemplifies the harmful way younger generations are utilizing technology while also critiquing problematic behaviors within influencer culture. This essay will use these pieces of modern crime fiction to explore how fictional crime narratives can use their stories to include social commentary

    Analysis of timeliness of infectious disease reporting in the Netherlands

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    Abstract Background Timely reporting of infectious disease cases to public health authorities is essential to effective public health response. To evaluate the timeliness of reporting to the Dutch Municipal Health Services (MHS), we used as quantitative measures the intervals between onset of symptoms and MHS notification, and between laboratory diagnosis and notification with regard to six notifiable diseases. Methods We retrieved reporting data from June 2003 to December 2008 from the Dutch national notification system for shigellosis, EHEC/STEC infection, typhoid fever, measles, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. For each disease, median intervals between date of onset and MHS notification were calculated and compared with the median incubation period. The median interval between date of laboratory diagnosis and MHS notification was similarly analysed. For the year 2008, we also investigated whether timeliness is improved by MHS agreements with physicians and laboratories that allow direct laboratory reporting. Finally, we investigated whether reports made by post, fax, or e-mail were more timely. Results The percentage of infectious diseases reported within one incubation period varied widely, between 0.4% for shigellosis and 90.3% for HAV infection. Not reported within two incubation periods were 97.1% of shigellosis cases, 76.2% of cases of EHEC/STEC infection, 13.3% of meningococcosis cases, 15.7% of measles cases, and 29.7% of typhoid fever cases. A substantial percentage of infectious disease cases was reported more than three days after laboratory diagnosis, varying between 12% for meningococcosis and 42% for shigellosis. MHS which had agreements with physicians and laboratories showed a significantly shorter notification time compared to MHS without such agreements. Conclusions Over the study period, many cases of the six notifiable diseases were not reported within two incubation periods, and many were reported more than three days after laboratory diagnosis. An increase in direct laboratory reporting of diagnoses to MHS would improve timeliness, as would the use of fax rather than post or e-mail. Automated reporting systems have to be explored in the Netherlands. Development of standardised and improved measures for timeliness is needed.</p
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