8 research outputs found
Modelling the effects of gate planning on apron congestion
No full textOne of the infrastructural components that limits airport capacity is the available gate capacity. In order to use existing airport infrastructure, especially gates, more efficiently, one can look at new techniques to relieve congestion. One such technique is introducing socalled gate pit-stops. By introducing gate pit-stops, aircraft will be towed to a remote parking position between arrival and departure from the gate, in order to make space for other flights in the meantime [1]. The main risk of introducing gate pit-stops in airport operations is that the additional towing movements will inevitably increase the number of apron movements, potentially interfering with other traffic on or near the apron. As such, the main challenge in introducing gate pit-stops is modelling and integrating gate and apron movements, where a tradeoff can be made between gate utilization, towing movements, turnaround times and gate flexibility. Additionally, technological innovations such as an Electric Taxi System (ETS) need to be assessed as they can have a big impact on apron operations. Therefore, the effectiveness of gate pit-stops needs to be assessed, as well as the impact of factors such as gate utilization, towing movements and turnaround times on the effectiveness of such gate pit-stops
A call to action to reclaim focus on testing and early treatment for HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis
No full textWe present the outcomes of the HepHIV 2021 Lisbon & virtual conference held on 5-7 May 2021, including a Call to Action addressing policy and practice implications in the field of earlier and integrated testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, STI and TB and in light of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Conference presentations showed that combination prevention and integrated testing and care models for multiple infectious diseases are necessary and feasible in diverse settings. Successful examples of service and system adaptations developed to mitigate impact of the pandemic were shared. Aiming to ensure greater equity in health in current and future health policies and programmes and address the adverse effects of COVID-19, we must learn from the many innovative approaches to service delivery developed in response to the pandemic, many of which have the potential to reach people whose needs were not met by existing models. © The Author(s) 2022.Funding text 1: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The HepHIV 2021 Lisbon & virtual Conference received financial support from the EuroTEST Initiative which received sponsorship funds for the conference from Gilead Sciences, Merck MSD and ViiV Healthcare. The conference was co-funded by the 3rd Health Programme of the European Union under grant agreement no 761319 through the Joint Action INTEGRATE. The funders had no input into the content of the conference and no role in the article preparation and decision to publish the manuscript.; Funding text 2: This article was written by the authors on behalf of the HepHIV 2021 Conference Organising Committee and the EuroTEST Steering Committee. HepHIV 2021 Conference Organising Committee: Anastasia Pharris (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)); Ann-Isabelle von Lingen (European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)); Anne Bergenström (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)); Antons Mozalevskis (WHO Regional Office for Europe); Ben Collins (ReShape/International HIV Partnerships); Brian Gazzard (Chelsea & Westminster Hospital); Cary James (World Hepatitis Alliance); Daniel Simões (University of Porto & CoalitionPLUS & GAT); Eberhard Schatz (Correlation Network); Elena Vovc (WHO Regional Office for Europe); Erika Duffel (ECDC); Isabel Aldir (Directorate General for Health of Portugal); Joana Bettencourt (Directorate General for Health of Portugal); Jeffrey Lazarus (ISGlobal); John de Wit (Utrecth University); Jordi Casabona (CEEISCAT); Jürgen Rockstroh (University of Bonn); Lella Cosmaro (Lila Milano); Nicole Seguy (WHO Regional Office for Europe); Nikos Dedes (EATG & Positive Voice); Ricardo Baptista Leite (Global Parliamentarians Network to End Infectious Diseases (UNITE)); Teymur Noori (ECDC); Thomas Seyler (EMCDDA); Tom Platteau (Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine); Valerie Delpech (Public Health England); Victoria Grandsoult (UNITE). EuroTEST Steering Committee: Anders Sönnerborg (Karolinska University Hospital); Ann K. Sullivan (Chelsea & Westminster Hospital); Ann-Isabelle von Lingen (EATG); Brian Gazzard (Chelsea & Westminster Hospital); Brian West (EATG); Cary James (World Hepatitis Alliance); Daniel Simões (University of Porto & CoalitionPLUS & GAT); Daniela Rojas Castro (Coalition PLUS); Francesco Negro (University Hospitals Geneva & European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)); Igor Karpov (Belarus State Medical University); Jack S. Lambert (University College Dublin (UCD)); Jeffrey V Lazarus (ISGlobal); Jens Lundgren (Centre of Excellence for Health, Immunity and Infections (CHIP), University of Copenhagen); John de Wit (Utrecth University); Jordi Casabona (CEEISCAT); Jürgen Rockstroh (University of Bonn); Lella Cosmaro (Lila Milano); Liudmyla Maistat (Medicines Patent Pool); Mojca Matičič (University Medical Centre Ljubljana); Nikos Dedes (EATG & Positive Voice); Nino Tsereteli (Tanadgoma); Rajul Patel (Southampton University Hospitals & International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI)); Tom Platteau (Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine); Valerie Delpech (Public Health England); Yazdan Yazdanpanah (ANRS Maladies Infectieuses Emergentes). Observers to the EuroTEST Steering Committee: Anastasia Pharris, Erika Duffel and Teymur Noori (ECDC); Antons Mozalevskis, Elena Vovc and Nicole Seguy (WHO Regional Office for Europe); Dagmar Hedrich (EMDCCA). The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The HepHIV 2021 Lisbon & virtual Conference received financial support from the EuroTEST Initiative which received sponsorship funds for the conference from Gilead Sciences, Merck MSD and ViiV Healthcare. The conference was co-funded by the 3rd Health Programme of the European Union under grant agreement no 761319 through the Joint Action INTEGRATE. The funders had no input into the content of the conference and no role in the article preparation and decision to publish the manuscript
Author Correction:Longitudinal fecal microbiota and volatile metabolomics preceding necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants
No full textCorrection to: Scientific Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94692-w, published online 26 March 2025 In the original version of this Article, the birth period of the infants included in the study was missing. As a result, in the Methods section, where: In this prospective case–control study infants born ≤ 30 weeks of gestation in nine participating neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Netherlands and Belgium (Supplementary Table 1) were eligible to participate13,43. Infants that developed NEC (Bell’s stage ≥ IIA) in the first 28 days of life were included in the study44. now reads, In this prospective case–control study, infants born ≤ 30 weeks of gestation in nine participating neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Netherlands and Belgium (Supplementary Table 1) were eligible to participate13,43. Infants born between February 2013 and March 2017 who developed NEC (Bell’s stage ≥ IIA) in the first 28 days of life were included in the study44. The original Article has been corrected.</p
Calibration of PET/CT scanners for multicenter studies on differentiated thyroid cancer with 124I
No full textBackground: Studies on imaging of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) using 124I often require a multicenter approach, as the prevalence of DTC is low. Calibration of participating scanners is required to obtain comparable quantification. As determination of a well-defined range of recovery coefficients is complicated for various reasons, a simpler approach based on the assumption that the iodine uptake is highly focal with a background that significantly lacks radioactivity might be more efficient. For each scanner, a linear conversion between known and observed activity can be derived, allowing quantification that can be traced to a common source for all scanners within one study-protocol. The aim of this paper is to outline a procedure using this approach in order to set up a multicenter calibration of PET/CT scanners for 124I. Methods: A cylindrical polyethylene phantom contained six 2-ml vials with reference activities of ~2, 10, 20, 100, 400, and 2000 kBq, produced by dilution from a known activity. The phantom was scanned twice on PET/CT scanners of participating centers within 1 week. For each scanner, the best proportional and linear fit between measured and known activities were derived and based on statistical analyses of the results of all scanners; it was determined which fit should be applied. In addition, a Bland-Altman analysis was done on calibrated activities with respect to reference activities to asses the relative precision of the scanners. Results: Nine Philips (vendor A) and nine Siemens (vendor B) PET/CT scanners were calibrated in a time period of 3 days before and after the reference time. No significant differences were detected between the two subsequent scans on any scanner. Six fitted intercepts of vendor A were significantly different from zero, so the linear model was used. Intercepts ranged from −8 to 26 kBq and slopes ranged from 0.80 to 0.98. Bland-Altman analysis of calibrated and reference activities showed that the relative error of calibrated activities was smaller than that of uncalibrated activities. Conclusions: A simplified multicenter calibration procedure for PET/CT scans that show highly focal uptake and negligible background is feasible and results in more precise quantification. Our procedure can be used in multicenter 124I PET scans focusing on (recurrent) DTC
Prediction of enteric methane emissions by sheep using an intercontinental database.
No full textEnteric methane (CH4) emissions from sheep contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. However, as already available for dairy and beef cattle, empirical models are needed to predict CH4 emissions from sheep for accounting purposes. The objectives of this study were to: 1) collate an intercontinental database of enteric CH4 emissions from individual sheep; 2) identify the key variables for predicting enteric sheep CH4 absolute production (g/d per animal) and yield [g/kg dry matter intake (DMI)] and their respective relationships; and 3) develop and cross-validate global equations as well as the potential need for age-, diet-, or climatic region-specific equations. The refined intercontinental database included 2,135 individual animal data from 13 countries. Linear CH4 prediction models were developed by incrementally adding variables. A universal CH4 production equation using only DMI led to a root mean square prediction error (RMSPE, % of observed mean) of 25.4% and an RMSPE-standard deviation ratio (RSR) of 0.69. Universal equations that, in addition to DMI, also included body weight (DMI + BW), and organic matter digestibility (DMI + OMD + BW) improved the prediction performance further (RSR, 0.62 and 0.60), whereas diet composition variables had negligible effects. These universal equations had lower prediction error than the extant IPCC 2019 equations. Developing age-specific models for adult sheep (>1-year-old) including DMI alone (RSR = 0.66) or in combination with rumen propionate molar proportion (for research of more refined purposes) substantially improved prediction performance (RSR = 0.57) on a smaller dataset. On the contrary, for young sheep (<1-year-old), the universal models could be applied, instead of age-specific models, if DMI and BW were included. Universal models showed similar prediction performances to the diet- and region-specific models. However, optimal prediction equations led to different regression coefficients (i.e. intercepts and slopes) for universal, age-specific, diet-specific, and region-specific models with predictive implications. Equations for CH4 yield led to low prediction performances, with DMI being negatively and BW and OMD positively correlated with CH4 yield. In conclusion, predicting sheep CH4 production requires information on DMI and prediction accuracy will improve national and global inventories if separate equations for young and adult sheep are used with the additional variables BW, OMD and rumen propionate proportion. Appropriate universal equations can be used to predict CH4 production from sheep across different diets and climatic conditions. © 2022 The Author
An investigation into nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage and endotracheal suctioning in critically ill infants and children
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.This thesis investigated the effects on critically ill, mechanically ventilated paediatric patients of two related, frequently performed physiotherapy procedures: nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL) and endotracheal (ET) suctioning. General aims: To investigate un- or poody-documented complications of paediatric NBBAL and ET suctioning, and to test a method for each procedure of reducing the incidence and/or severity of these complications
Climate and Bioinvasives drivers of change on South African Rocky shores?
No full textIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.The overall aims of the thesis were to assess spatio-temporal change in macro species assemblages at sites located around the South African coast. Detected changes were considered in parallel with regional patterns of bioinvasion and climate change driven shifts in temperature trends over comparable time scales
