10 research outputs found
The synergistic effect of operational research and big data analytics in greening container terminal operations: a review and future directions
No full textCopyright © 2022 The Author(s). Container Terminals (CTs) are continuously presented with highly interrelated, complex, and uncertain planning tasks. The ever-increasing intensity of operations at CTs in recent years has also resulted in increasing environmental concerns, and they are experiencing an unprecedented pressure to lower their emissions. Operational Research (OR), as a key player in the optimisation of the complex decision problems that arise from the quay and land side operations at CTs, has been therefore presented with new challenges and opportunities to incorporate environmental considerations into decision making and better utilise the ‘big data’ that is continuously generated from the never-stopping operations at CTs. The state-of-the-art literature on OR's incorporation of environmental considerations and its interplay with Big Data Analytics (BDA) is, however, still very much underdeveloped, fragmented, and divergent, and a guiding framework is completely missing. This paper presents a review of the most relevant developments in the field and sheds light on promising research opportunities for the better exploitation of the synergistic effect of the two disciplines in addressing CT operational problems, while incorporating uncertainty and environmental concerns efficiently. The paper finds that while OR has thus far contributed to improving the environmental performance of CTs (rather implicitly), this can be much further stepped up with more explicit incorporation of environmental considerations and better exploitation of BDA predictive modelling capabilities. New interdisciplinary research at the intersection of conventional CT optimisation problems, energy management and sizing, and net-zero technology and energy vectors adoption is also presented as a prominent line of future research.EU Horizon 2020 project PortForward and is supported by the European Commission's H2020 Research Program under Grant Agreement Number 769268
Evaluating physicians' perspectives on the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system
No full textBackground The implementation of the electronic prescribing system follows certain objectives, and users' perspectives can contribute to understanding the efficiency and effectiveness of this system. This study aimed to evaluate physicians' perspectives on the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system. Methods This study was conducted on all physicians using the electronic prescribing system in clinics and hospitals affiliated with the treatment deputy of the Social Security Organization (SSO) in Sistan and Baluchistan Province in Iran. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing three sections: (i) Six items related to demographic data and clinical experience, (ii) Specific questions based on a five-point Likert scale-related physicians' perspectives about efficiency (19 questions) and effectiveness (13 questions), and (iii) Open-ended questions about the positive and negative aspects of using the electronic prescribing system. Results The mean and standard deviation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system were 3.68 ± 0.67 and 3.84 ± 0.65, respectively. Patient safety had the highest mean score among all dimensions (4.0 ± 0.64). Most participants (n = 55, 79) considered the efficiency and effectiveness of this system high. More than 90 percent of the physicians (n = 63) believed that the electronic prescribing system enables a better medication prescription by providing alerts and access to patients' medication history. Conclusion The findings showed that most physicians believed that the electronic prescribing system of Iran's SSO has high efficiency and effectiveness. In particular, physicians believed that using this system improves patient safety and reduces costs. Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press
Incidentally diagnosed multiple intradural extramedullary spinal hydatidosis in a young adult: A case report and review of the literature
No full textKey Clinical Message Although quite rare, vertebral hydatidosis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis for spinal presentations, particularly in endemic areas for echinococcosis. Abstract In this paper, we report a rare case of asymptomatic multiple intradural, extramedullary spinal hydatidosis, incidentally diagnosed in a patient with signs and symptoms of a true protruded disc. Although quite rare, vertebral hydatidosis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis for spinal presentations, particularly in endemic areas for echinococcosis
Access to the COVID-19 services during the pandemic - a scoping review.
No full textAppropriate accessibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) services is essential in the efficient management of the pandemic. Different geospatial methods and approaches have been used to measure accessibility to COVID-19 health-related services. This scoping review aimed to summarize and synthesize the geospatial studies conducted to measure accessibility to COVID-19 healthcare services. Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched to find relevant studies. From 1113 retrieved unique citations, 26 articles were selected to be reviewed. Most of the studies were conducted in the USA and floating catchment area methods were mostly used to measure the spatial accessibility to COVID-19 services including vaccination centres, Intensive Care Unit beds, hospitals and test sites. More attention is needed to measure the accessibility of COVID-19 services to different types of users especially with combining different non-spatial factors which could lead to better allocation of resources especially in populations with limited resources
Mechanical Performance of Tire-Derived Aggregate Permeable Pavements Under Live Traffic Loads
No full textTraditional pavements in urban areas are mainly rigid, impervious surfaces, resulting in augmented surface run off during rainfalls, thereby leading to flash-flooding and pollution of waterways. In comparison, permeable pavements permit percolation of water through surface layers, thus alleviating harmful environmental impacts. This study presents the authors’ recent experience in the development of an instrumented large-scale permeable pavement trial site—constructed using a combination of crushed rock (CR) and tire-derived aggregate (TDA), bonded by a polyurethane (PU) binder—located at a car park in South Australia. An area of approximately 400 m2 was paved using different TDA-based mix designs—different CR sizes, colors, and shapes, and different PU contents. Moreover, preliminary field performance monitoring results—including surface deflection measurements by the light weight deflectometer test, and strain measurements using optic fiber and strain gauge sensing techniques—are outlined and discussed in detail. The strength and stiffness of the TDA-based blend was found to be dependent on the TDA content, TDA-to-CR size ratio, CR shape, and PU content. The greater the angularity of the CR particles, the more effective the interlocking of the TDA and CR components, and thus the higher the developed strength and stiffness. The amount of strain generated in the permeable surface layer and at its interface with the lower screening layer were both found to decrease with a decrease in TDA content. Preliminary field observations indicate that the TDA-based system can indeed be a viable (and sustainable) solution to effectively mitigate flash-flooding while sustaining low–medium traffic loads. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The role of geographic information system and global positioning system in dementia care and research: a scoping review
No full textBACKGROUND: Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), vital tools for supporting public health research, provide a framework to collect, analyze and visualize the interaction between different levels of the health care system. The extent to which GIS and GPS applications have been used in dementia care and research is not yet investigated. This scoping review aims to elaborate on the role and types of GIS and GPS applications in dementia care and research. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. All published articles in peer-reviewed journals were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, subject to involving at least one GIS/GPS approach focused on dementia. Eligible studies were reviewed, grouped, and synthesized to identify GIS and GPS applications. The PRISMA standard was used to report the study. RESULTS: Ninety-two studies met our inclusion criteria, and their data were extracted. Six types of GIS/GPS applications had been reported in dementia literature including mapping and surveillance (n = 59), data preparation (n = 26), dementia care provision (n = 18), basic research (n = 18), contextual and risk factor analysis (n = 4), and planning (n = 1). Thematic mapping and GPS were most frequently used techniques in the dementia field. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the applications of GIS/GPS methodologies in dementia care and research are growing, there is limited research on GIS/GPS utilization in dementia care, risk factor analysis, and dementia policy planning. GIS and GPS are space-based systems, so they have a strong capacity for developing innovative research based on spatial analysis in the area of dementia. The existing research has been summarized in this review which could help researchers to know the GIS/GPS capabilities in dementia research. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12942-022-00308-1
Additional file 4 of The role of geographic information system and global positioning system in dementia care and research: a scoping review
No full textAdditional file 4. Techniques
Additional file 1 of The role of geographic information system and global positioning system in dementia care and research: a scoping review
No full textAdditional file 1. PRISMA-ScR-Checklist
