Equipment Resources Research Articles

Concepts in the Establishment of Interdisciplinary Ultrasound Centers: The Role of Radiology.

Ultrasound (US) is widely used as a fast and cost-efficient first-choice imaging technique without relevant side effects for a variety of diagnostic tasks. Due to technical advances, more complex and sophisticated methods such as color-coded duplex ultrasound, image fusion, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and ultrasound-guided interventions have become increasingly important in diagnostic algorithms. This study presents an overview of all aspects regarding the establishing of an interdisciplinary US center based on five representative examples in Germany. These aspects include topics of ultrasound education, research, economics, and administration. The goal of an interdisciplinary US center is to bundle the use of equipment, staff, rooms, and infrastructure resources (optimization of equipment availability and use of new techniques) to expand the range of examinations, to promote resident training, and to boost continuing medical education of residents. This should result in better patient care and has additionally improved patient care while considering the added value for the participating institutions involved. Interdisciplinary US centers allow a reduction of the number of US devices needed in a hospital and more efficient use of available equipment through bedside time optimization by central organization within interdisciplinary management. The focused application of special US techniques such as CEUS or image fusion for complex, difficult interventions as well as the training and education of younger colleagues in using these techniques is centrally organized by experts and can be improved through the multidisciplinary experience available. Organizational structures, sharing of materials, and standardization of diagnostic reports facilitate and accelerate cooperation with the referring specialty. · Interdisciplinary US centers foster clinical collaboration, research, and jointly organized, standardized training.. · Economic aspects include optimization of available equipment, use of the latest US techniques, and centralization of organizational structures.. · Common terminology and standardized reporting increase the satisfaction of referring doctors. · Clevert DA, Jung EM, Weber M et al. Concepts in the Establishment of Interdisciplinary Ultrasound Centers: The Role of Radiology. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2022; 194: 1322 - 1332.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL DIGITAL SAMSAT (SIGNAL) PROGRAM IN POLDA METRO JAYA JURISDICTION FROM A SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE

The focus of this study is to examine the significance of implementing the National Digital Samsat (SIGNAL) program in the Metro Jaya Police Jurisdiction, as well as the factors that impede and support the program's execution, and to analyze outcome practices from a systemic perspective in the process of implementing the National Digital Samsat (SIGNAL) in the Metro Jaya Police Jurisdiction. In this study, the type of data collected suggests that the research approach used was qualitative. This writing of this study uses a descriptive method. This study was performed in the Samsat office in the Polda Metro Jaya, precisely in the Special Capital Area of Jakarta. According to the findings, the digital service of the Polda Metro Jaya SIGNAL program has been functioning as expected. In addition, a number of components, including equipment (computers, etc.), vehicles, and human resources, are capable of supporting the operation of the digital service program SIGNAL Polda Metro Jaya. In addition, the implementation of the SIGNAL service program is hindered by a number of obstacles, including a network issue that prevents the service from being handled out as it must be linked to the network in order to perform services (such as determining the total amount of Motor Vehicle Tax payments), an ineffective communication when carrying out duties, and the ongoing use of broker services by individuals who do not wish to deal with Motor Vehicle Tax payments. The involvement of brokers holds back the creation of clean services that adhere to the regulatory requirements.

Study on risk hierarchy and transmission path of technical transformation project of primary and secondary school classroom based on FISM

Nowadays, advanced information technology and education are gradually integrating. Technology-based instruction is the basic practice of primary and secondary education informatization. However, the application of it still faces many aspects of risks, such as the uneven distribution of technical equipment and high-quality information personnel resources, the immaturity of emerging technologies and operation pattern, the difficulty of raising funds and promotion, etc. Hence, this study identified the list of risks that the project might face, invited experts to score the risk relationship and established the FISM risk hierarchy model. Then, MICMAC method was used to analyze the category distribution of risk factors, and three transmission paths of capital risk, technical risk transmission and policy risk were made.

Dynamic Collaboration Model of Production Network Based on Cloud Service Bus

The IT system of manufacturing enterprises usually has many problems, such as complex industrial software, different development languages, diverse communication protocols, and complex operation environment. Cloud service bus (CSB) technology based on service model encapsulates various applications existing in enterprises by means of the integration of cloud service bus and micro services, which can realize the rapid cloud migration and deployment of heterogeneous industrial application software. Theoretically, after the production system is connected to CSB, it can be arranged arbitrarily by service choreography technology to produce any possible products. However, in the context of industrial Internet, the production system connected to CSB corresponds to the equipment, materials, personnel, and other resources on the production line one by one. These production nodes need to consider the production capacity and cost of production service nodes and the output value of the whole production network, and cannot be combined arbitrarily. Therefore, when integrating production service nodes, we should not only consider the technical integration, but also consider whether the production conditions support this integration. To solve the problem of production node integration in CSB, a dynamic collaboration model of production network based on cloud service bus is proposed in this paper. The model takes the capacity, cost, and production relationship of production nodes as constraints, and the overall efficiency of production network as the optimization goal. The model can calculate the new creation, modification, deletion, and other scheduling operations of production line services in real time and give the production plan with the highest resource utilization and the greatest value in the current production network. The model can improve the rationality and economy of service choreography and give full play to the value of production network. Taking an enterprise with 11 production nodes and 5 production lines as an example, this paper discusses in detail how to use this model to calculate the optimal production organization scheme and the maximum output value of the enterprise.

CURRICULUM DESIGN OF VIRTUAL SIMULATION EXPERIMENT OF THERMISTOR TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract Background In order to meet the social demand for applied and innovative talents and meet the “advanced, innovative and challenging” university education standard of the Ministry of education, colleges and universities continue to explore new training modes and teaching forms. High quality experimental teaching plays an important role in cultivating students' practical ability and innovative ability. Thermistor is an important category of sensors. Through experimental operation, students can effectively understand and master its physical structure, working principle and application characteristics. Subject and Method In order to overcome the disadvantage of limited resources of traditional thermistor equipment, the design of this virtual simulation experiment follows the principle of “maximum authenticity, combination of virtualization and authenticity”. From the perspective of educational psychology, taking the temperature control link of central heating and air supply system as the background, the experimental steps are designed around the thermistor, and the students are guided to carry out the temperature measurement characteristic experiment of thermistor in combination with the knowledge points such as PID control algorithm and single chip microcomputer data processing. Each step of the experiment is designed to test students' mastery of corresponding knowledge and skills. In addition, by scientifically simplifying and virtualizing each link of the gas supply system, on the premise of ensuring the integrity of the process and the authenticity of the experience, the experimental steps outside the scope of the “sensor” course are still “achievable” for the experimenter. Form the whole process of communication before, during and after the experiment to effectively explain knowledge to students. Before the experiment, students should learn the theoretical knowledge, precautions and operation skills required by the experiment; During the experiment, students should understand information, make plans and collect data; After the experiment, students and teachers make full use of the scattered time segments to communicate on the problems in the experiment. Results Students can query the technical data, choose the design scheme, observe the experimental results, deepen the understanding of thermistor knowledge, improve the engineering practice ability, and get rid of the limitations of time and space in the process of repeatedly “making mistakes” and “correcting mistakes”. The project can completely copy a system through virtual instrument. No physical heat source, no equipment performance degradation, no special safety control requirements, and no restrictions on equipment resources, site and time. It can effectively solve the problems that thermistor is easy to cause performance attenuation, precision decline and affect the effect of experimental teaching. Conclusion After long-term use, the experimental design will not lead to the decline of component performance and material consumption. The experimenter can remotely complete the experimental operation anytime and anywhere through the computer connected to the network, so as to obtain the sensory experience close to the actual operation of the experimental equipment. In short, we should carry out relevant combination of industry and education according to our own advantages and characteristics. Make clear the goal of motivation by example, and regularly hold activities such as successful model sharing, experience introduction and project display, so as to set a successful example for positive emotions, clarify the specific objectives of the activities, form a strong psychological momentum, stimulate internal potential and help the realization of positive behavior. We should strengthen professional guidance, give full play to the concentration of professionals, high intelligence, professional knowledge in business fields, and give full play to the advantages of talents and intelligence. We can organize experts and scholars to establish a professional bid winning guidance team, give full play to the business projects of experts and scholars in their respective fields, and carry out scientific research on relevant projects. Acknowledgements Supported by a project grant from Ministry of Education Collaborative Education Project (202102343015).

Life Cycle Comparison of Battery Recycling and Conventional Material Refining

Background: The rise of renewable energy generation and vehicle electrification has created exponential growth in lithium-ion battery (LIB) production, particularly for electric vehicles.1 However, the limited supply of raw materials needed for prominent battery chemistries has exacerbated concerns linked to economic, environmental, national security, and human rights dimensions.2 For example, raw materials necessary for LIB production are not equally distributed, and current supply chains are insufficient for projected demand. For countries with natural reserves of critical LIB elements, the mining of ore for battery production often involves the destruction of natural ecosystems and sometimes employs child labor under harsh working conditions.3 Further, many small LIBs in consumer electronics are carelessly disposed of in garbage or recycling bins at end-of-life. Because these disposal streams are not designed to process energized batteries, LIBs have caused fires and millions of dollars in damage to waste management and recycling centers.4 Taken together, these concerns underscore the need for robust recycling programs for LIBs and their components. Methods: We performed a comparative environmental assessment of the gate-to-gate refinement process of battery material production based on conventional battery material refining versus LIB recycling by Redwood Materials. Two- and three-step recycling processes were assessed for battery feedstocks that included production scrap and mixed spent lithium-ion batteries. Data detailing energy, water, and consumables usage were provided by Redwood and normalized to elemental mass flows and products of interest. The system boundary does not include other operations at Redwood Materials outside of the direct refinement processes nor the embodied resources in the capital equipment used for material refinement.The functional unit employed in the analysis was a 1 kg of active nickel, cobalt, aluminum oxide (NCA) battery material. The primary LCA criteria evaluated included global warming potential (CO2eq), primary energy demand, and water consumption. Data for conventional material refining were adapted from the Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET®) 2020 model. GREET was also employed to acquire the life cycle parameters for producing consumables used in both conventional metal refining and Redwood Materials’ recycling processes to provide common scaling factors. Transportation between stages was not included in this analysis because it was not consistently available in the GREET model. The environmental metrics for each metal pathway were normalized by the mass of the individual element of interest within the final product and then normalized again by the mass of that element in the functional unit. Results and Implications: The goal of this study was to compare environmental metrics of two scenarios: (1) conventional refining of raw battery materials and (2) recycling of batteries by Redwood Materials. Relative to conventional refining, the Redwood Materials recycling processes reduced both water (by 70–80%) and energy consumption (by 81–87%) per kg of NCA battery active material. The Redwood processes lowered CO2 emissions by 67–68% compared to conventional ore refining. The output products of each recycling process were dependent on the battery feedstock and recycling efficiency. In the case of Ni-rich feedstock, the CO2 emissions by mass of Ni were 30–45 times lower for recycling versus conventional refining when considering only nickel as the output product.In addition to comparing recycling processes to conventional refining, we also conducted a prospective life-cycle assessment to identify optimization opportunities at Redwood. Among the three process steps (mechanical processing, low-temperature calcination, and hydrometallurgy), the hydrometallurgical process was the most resource- and carbon-intensive, counter to popular opinion. This was due to the embodied resources required to produce the input consumables Ca(OH)2, H2O2, and electricity from the Nevada electrical grid. The addition of a low-temperature calcination step prior to hydrometallurgy slightly reduced overall resource consumptions and emissions because fewer input consumables were needed for the hydrometallurgical step. Overall, this study identified value propositions and optimization opportunities for battery recycling as it reaches a much-needed scale to support the burgeoning LIB market. This assessment will guide battery recyclers on environmental targets, and inform several stakeholders (e.g., public, policymakers, electrochemists and electrochemical engineers) regarding the tradeoffs and opportunities for a circular battery economy relative to conventional battery manufacturing. References Electric Vehicles are starting to buoy the global metals market. https://www.bloombergquint.com/technology/the-relentless-march-toward-an-ev-future-is-good-news-for-miners.National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries; U. S. Department of Energy: 2021.Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Democratic Republic of the Congo. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/congo-democratic-republic-drc.Staub, C. MRF operator: Lithium-ion batteries are ‘ticking time bombs’. https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2021/04/13/mrf-operator-lithium-ion-batteries-are-ticking-time-bomb.

“Many women use contraceptives in secret”: a qualitative study of health provider perspectives regarding barriers and enablers to reproductive health and antenatal care services in rural Tanzania

Background Women in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous barriers to reproductive health and antenatal care (ANC) services. The objective of this study was to identify health provider perspectives regarding the barriers and enablers to reproductive health, ANC, and postnatal care (PNC) services in rural Tanzania. Methods A qualitative study was conducted in four districts of Tanzania and utilized key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). An interview guide was developed, focusing on individual and community-based factors (barriers and enablers) to accessing ANC and PNC services. Data were collected during December 2017 and May 2018 and analyzed using a thematic approach. Results Two major themes were identified as barriers to women accessing ANC and PNC services. First, factors related to women in the context of their family and community, for example (i) lack of autonomy in a patriarchal society, (ii) lack of knowledge and education regarding healthy pregnancy and pregnancy complications, (iii) lack of financial resources or control over financial resources, (iv) use of traditional birth attendants, (v) lack of male involvement, (vi) cultural beliefs as barriers to accessing family planning and ANC and PNC services. Second, factors present in the health system, for example (i) lack of infrastructure, equipment and health provider resources at health facilities, and (ii) lack of confidentiality and feelings of stigmatization when receiving health services. Reduced stigmatization against women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) served as an enabler. Conclusions Overall, this study highlights the need to implement more initiatives in these rural districts to improve ANC and PNC services uptake. It also indicates the need to find strategies to improve male involvement and family support in the local context.

Prognostic factors in curative intent stage I lung adenocarcinoma: a retrospective hospital-based cohort study

Radiotherapy or surgery, depending on hospital specialisation status (ie, High Complexity Centres in Oncology [HCCO; hospitals with infrastructure, technology, physical facilities, equipment, and human resources suitable for highly complex specialised assistance], or Partial Hospital Complexity Centres in Oncology [PHCCO; hospitals with infrastructures and specialisation similar to that of HCCOs, but doing diagnosis and treatment for common cancers only], as per nomenclature used in Brazil), can increase overall survival in patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma. However, many patients do not accept surgery because of comorbidities and personal preferences. In addition, the long time between diagnosis and treatment and the qualification of the hospital specialisation status might affect the outcomes for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors of overall survival in patients with stage I lung cancer adenocarcinoma diagnosed in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. This was a retrospective hospital-based cohort study including patients of both sexes, aged 18 years or older, diagnosed with stage IA or IB lung adenocarcinoma and undergoing radiotherapy or surgery between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2015, in 75 hospitals in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The variables analysed were sex, age, education level, health system (public or private), clinical stage at diagnosis, time of diagnosis (2000-05; 2006-10; or 2011-15), type of treatment, time between first contact with health-care services and diagnosis (up to 1 month; 1-2 months; or 2 or more months), time between diagnosis and start of treatment (up to 1 month; 1-2 months; or 2 or more months), and hospital specialisation status (HCCO or PHCCO). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was applied to assess the risk of death. The second model was elaborated using propensity score technique. Balancing variables were sex, age group, type of treatment (radiotherapy or surgery), and educational attainment (including individuals who did not attend school), considering hospital specialisation status as dependent variable. The matching was done by logistic regression with the k-nearest neighbour algorithm. 681 patients were included. The 5-year overall survival rate was 58·1% (95% CI 53·9-62·1%). In the conventional multiple Cox regression analysis, patients who underwent radiotherapy alone had a risk of death nearly three times higher than that of patients who underwent surgery only (hazard ratio [HR] 3·44 [95% CI 2·45-4·82]; p<0·0001). Patients treated in PHCCOs had a higher risk of death (HR 1·49 [95% CI 1·10-2·03]; p=0·01) than patients treated in HCCOs. Patients aged 60 years or older and male patients also had a higher risk of death than patients younger than 60 years (HR 1·36 [95% CI 1·00-1·85]; p=0·048) and female patients (1·52 [1·17-1·98]; p=0·002), respectively. The multivariate regression analysis using propensity score technique showed that patients treated in HCCO hospitals had a higher risk of death (HR 1·80 [95% CI 1·26-2·56]), as did patients for whom time between diagnosis and start of treatment was longer than 2 months (2·00 [1·33-3·00]). Patients diagnosed in 2011-15 had a lower the risk of death than patients diagnosed in 2000-05 (HR 0·60 [95% CI 0·38-0·94]; p=0·027; protective factor). Our results show that the most significant prognostication factors for risk of death in patients with lung adenocarcinoma were delay between diagnosis and start of treatment and treatment in PHCCO hospitals. Patients diagnosed after 2010 also had a lower risk of death than those diagnosed before 2010. Incorporation of better patient care techniques, staging technology, and postoperative care can potentially reduce the risk of death. Lower mortality in HCCOs is likely due to the higher availability of multidisciplinary teams, and better infrastructure and technological structure dedicated to the care of all types of cancers. Oncocentro Foundation and Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil.

Frontline nurses caring for COVID-19 patients: Experiences from the perspective of Turkish nurses.

Nurses were affected by this pandemic more than any other healthcare professionals because they were working on the frontline continuously. The current study explored how nurses who care for patients with COVID-19 assess this process which they experienced, how they coped with the process, and their psychological experiences. The study was conducted by reaching out to the nurses working at pandemic clinics using the snowball sampling method. A total of 40 nurses were interviewed using telephone. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. The data were obtained through telephonic interviews that were performed by the researcher using interview forms. The interview notes were analyzed using the content analysis method according to Colaizzi's phenomenological method. As a result of the content analysis, four themes emerged with the following headings: Initial reactions, factors that made an adaptation to the period of pandemic challenging, factors that facilitated the adaptation, and what the period of pandemic taught. It is suggested for nurses that their rotation should be planned effectively, and their social support should be enhanced. They should be provided with adequate personal protective equipment and human resource planning should be improved until the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perception of Post graduate educational environment among Radiology Residents Using PHEEM criteria: A comparison between two public sector hospitals

Educational environment includes the support system of physical surrounding, equipment and human resource that helps to motivate engagement towards acquiring knowledge and learning. Assessment of student’s perception on educational environment provides opportunities for improving learning experiences. The ever increasing innovations in medical field and the growing diversity of students as well as medical courses have led to proportionate increase in demand to evaluate educational environment. The current study aims to compare the perception of the learning environment at two public sector tertiary care hospitals in different cities of Pakistan using a standardized validated tool, PHEEM. Methodology: In this cross sectional study, using 40 statement PHEEM Validated questionnaire, radiology residents of FCPS, MCPS, FRCR and MD working at two public sector teaching hospitals were included. The study was conducted in months of August and September 2021 with non-purposive convenience sampling technique. The individual perception scores by residents were calculated. The means, standard deviation and standard error of mean were calculated for individual domains as well as global scores and then compared in the two different hospitals, different levels in years of residency and both genders. A p-value of ≤0.05 was taken as significant. Results: There were 45 radiology residents in total, who completed the questionnaire. The trainees perceived educational environment positive at their institutes, with a global mean of 73.3 (SD: 28.5). Autonomy, teaching and social support were rated 25.2 (SD 9.2), 30.1 (SD 13.4) and 18.1 (SD 7.6) respectively. Gender wise there was no difference between the PHEEM scores of the two groups. P value was 0.4. Similarly year of training did not have much difference either with a p value of 0.9 in the total PHEEM score of 1st year and 4th year residents. Conclusion: Our results show that we have plenty of problems in both the hospitals which need to be addressed one by one. Key words: educational environment, PHEEM, standardized, perception

IoT-Based Low-Voltage Power Distribution System Management and Control Platform

In order to improve the operational safety and market operation efficiency of the prosumer energy community, to achieve comprehensive monitoring of abnormalities, fault alarms, and intelligent control and maintenance, to reduce the risk of information security, and to address the many types of operational testing and metering equipment in the prosumer community, the duplication of functions and hardware composition was performed, resulting in the waste of resources of monitoring and metering equipment. In the meantime, we proposed an intelligent perception device-based IoT platform architecture for power distribution communities by integrating the software and hardware of the original operation monitoring and metering equipment of the prosumer-integrated communities. The intelligent perception device for community IoT sensing was first introduced, and then, the operation monitoring and metering equipment in the distribution station area was integrated and optimized to enhance the panoramic state sensing capability of the intelligent terminal; the expansion application direction of data-driven distribution IoT was proposed from the typical application scenario of the terminal.

Green financial risk management based on intelligence service

Risk management is an important issue of green finance, and it is also a prominent issue of green economic development. The resolution of green financial risk will help protect the interests of all stakeholders and promote the development of green finance. This study suggests that intelligence service provides new ideas and ways for green financial risk management. Applying intelligence service to green financial risk management will contribute to the sustainable development of green finance and enrich the theoretical system of intelligence science. This study first builds an intelligence service system of green financial risk management from five aspects: intelligence demand, intelligence collection, intelligence processing, intelligence application, and intelligence tracking. A questionnaire is designed based on this system. The first batch of green finance pilot cities in China (Ganjiang, Gui'an, Guangzhou, Huzhou, Quzhou, Changji, Hami, and Karamay) are investigated. This study uses a regression model to analyze the data and analyzes the intelligence service status of green financial risk management in pilot cities. The research divides those green finance pilot cities into eastern, central, and western regions. It shows obvious differences in the intelligence service elements in the eastern, central, and western regions of green financial risk management. The eastern region pays more attention to the three elements of intelligence demand, intelligence application, and intelligence tracking when carrying out green financial risk management. In the process of green financial risk management in the western region, there are obvious deficiencies in the two elements of intelligence collection and intelligence processing, which may be due to the lack of advanced digital equipment and effective digital resource. The central region lies between the eastern and western regions on intelligence service of green financial risk management. Based on the above results, this study proposes that establishing an intelligence center, sharing intelligence resources, improving digital technology, and updating intelligence cases can enhance the effectiveness of intelligence service in the risk management of green finance.

Tuberculosis among health care workers treated at a university hospital in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. 2008-2018

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs and has a high morbidity and mortality rate. Although it has been established that being a health care worker is an important risk factor for contracting TB, this link is sometimes difficult to prove, particularly in a country like Colombia where, despite being an endemic area, the population at risk does not always have the necessary personal protection equipment (PPE) or adequate diagnostic resources. Furthermore, in the specific context of health care personnel, there are few studies that provide a reliable picture of the disease situation in the health care sector at the national level.1

Avaliação de custos para implementação de uma central de misturas intravenosas em um hospital da fronteira sudoeste do Brasil

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost for the implementation of an intravenous medication mixing center (CMI) in a philanthropic hospital on the southwestern border of Brazil. Methods: A survey of the costs of equipment, furniture, utensils and human resources required by the current legislation for the implementation of the CMI was carried out. In addition, an analysis of prescriptions was performed from hospitalized patients in Adult (UTI-AD) and Neonatal (UTI-NEO) Intensive Care Units (July to December/2020) who used injectable drugs. The costs of those medication and of losses for leftover medication were estimated. Seven drugs/mixtures were then selected as a proposal to carry out a pilot test for the implementation of the CMI. Results: The costs involving the physical area, furniture, equipment and materials were estimated at US$ 10,446.52. It is also estimated that it would be necessary to employ at least 2 pharmacists, 4 pharmacy assistants and 2 more students, with monthly costs calculated around US$ 2,267.80, excluding labor charges. The estimated total cost of intravenous drugs, solutions and materials to meet medical prescriptions for the 169 patients included in the study was US$ 24,748.13. Considering that the hospital does not have a CMI to centralize the preparation of unit doses of injectable drugs, a total loss of medication leftovers was estimated at approximately US$ 7,764.64. For pilot testing, the following preparations were suggested: omeprazole, heparin, midazolam and insulin (UTI-AD), electrolyte solutions, ampicillin and gentamicin (UTI-NEO). Conclusion: Although the implementation of a CMI requires significant resources, it would provide greater patient safety and an estimated savings of 31.4% with injectable drugs costs.

Cost of cardiac stereotactic body radioablation therapy versus catheter ablation for treatment of ventricular tachycardia.

To compare the cost of cardiac stereotactic body radioablation therapy (SBRT) versus catheter ablation for treating ventricular tachycardia (VT). Cardiac SBRT is a novel way of treating refractory VT that may be less costly than catheter ablation, owing to its noninvasive, outpatient nature. However, the true costs of either procedure are not well described, which could help inform a more appropriate reimbursement for cardiac SBRT than simply cross-indexing existing procedural rates. Process maps were derived for the full patient care cycle of both procedures using time-driven activity-based costing. Step-by-step timestamps were collected prospectively from a 10-patient SBRT cohort and retrospectively from a 59-patient catheter ablation cohort. Individual costs were estimated by multiplying timestamps with capacity cost rates (CCRs) for personnel, space, equipment, consumable, and indirect resources. These were summed into total cost, which for cardiac SBRT was compared with current catheter ablation and single-fraction lung SBRT reimbursements, both potential reference rates for cardiac SBRT. The direct and total procedural costs of cardiac SBRT ($7549 and $10,621) were 49% and 54% less than those of VT ablation ($14,707 and $23,225). These costs were significantly different from current reimbursement for catheter ablation ($22,692) and lung SBRT ($6329). After including hospitalization expenses (≥$15,000), VT ablation costs at least $27,604 more to furnish than cardiac SBRT. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) can be a helpful tool for assessing healthcare costs, including novel treatment approaches. In addition to its clinical benefits, cardiac SBRT may provide significant cost reduction opportunities for treatment of VT.

A Simplified Drying Procedure for Analysing Hg Concentrations

Mercury (Hg) in peatlands remains a problem of global interest. To mitigate the risks of this neurotoxin, accurate assessments of Hg in peat are needed. Treatment of peat that will be analysed for Hg is, however, not straightforward due to the volatile nature of Hg. The drying process is of particular concern since Hg evasion increases with the temperature. Samples are, therefore, often freeze-dried to limit Hg loss during the drying processes. A problem with freeze-drying is that cost and equipment resources can limit the number of samples analysed in large projects. To avoid this bottleneck, we tested if drying in a 60 °C-degree oven could be an acceptable alternative to freeze-drying. We both freeze-dried and oven-dried (60 °C) 203 replicate pairs of peat samples, and then examined the differences in total Hg concentration. The Hg concentration differed significantly between the two drying methods with a median Hg deficit in oven-dried samples of 4.2%. Whether a 4.2% deficit of Hg depends on one’s purpose. The lower median Hg concentration in oven-dried samples has to be weighed against the upside efficiently drying large sets of peat samples. By freeze-drying a subset of the samples, we fitted a function to correct for Hg loss during oven-drying (y=0.96x+0.08). By applying this correction, the freeze-drying bottleneck could oven-dry large-scale inventories of total Hg in peatlands with results equivalent to freeze-drying, but only have to freeze-dry a subset.

Modeling Profitability-Influencing Risk Factors for Construction Projects: A System Dynamics Approach

This study addressed the complexity involved in integrating the causative risk factors influencing construction profitability. Most of the existing studies cover the individual effects of profitability influencing factors. Very few focus on the systematic impact without incorporating the complexity and associated dynamics, presenting a gap targeted by the current study. The current study aimed to assess causative interrelations and interdependencies between profitability influencing risk factors (PIRF), through systems thinking (ST) and system dynamics (SD) modeling. The SD approach was used to evaluate the integrated impacts on profitability-influencing risk categories (PIRC) in construction projects. The causative influencing factors affecting construction profitability were identified through a comprehensive literature review. These were ranked using content analysis, and categorized into significant issues. Through 250 structured surveys and 15 expert opinion meetings, the path for quantitative and qualitative evaluations was prepared. Following these investigations, a causal loop diagram (CLD) was established using the ST technique, and the integrated effect was quantified using SD modeling. The study finds the rising cost of material, supply chain process, payment issues, planning and scheduling problems, financial difficulties, and effective control of manpower and equipment resources as the most critical PIRFs. The integrated effects of PIRFs on PIRC were quantified using SD modeling. This study helps field professionals with profitability-influencing factors, diagnosing issues, and integrating impacts regarding decision-making and policy formulation. For researchers, it presents a list of factors that can be investigated in detail, and the holistic interrelationships established.

Corona Virus Pandemic: A Case of Prevention in Rural Malawi

Covid-19 has brought untold harm and human suffering worldwide. Deaths and economic recessions continue to increase in many countries of the world particularly in European countries. In the recent past, Africa presented itself as less affected than the rest of the world but now the situation is changing dramatically. An intervention study was done in two districts of rural Malawi namely Thyolo and Mulanje to reduce infection rate of covid-19. Ten villages comprising of 852 households were included in the study. Personal protective equipment Resources (PPEs) coupled with preventive messages with an emphasis on hand washing, distancing, wearing of face masks and contact tracing were mainly the content of the messages. Washing buckets with taps, basins and soaps were provided in groups. The villages were followed up six months later and established that diarrhoea diseases reduced among the under-fives and in the adult population. The findings of the study concluded that as communities adhered to the prevention measures of covid-19, other diseases related to poor sanitation reduced in the studied population. Based on the study findings, it is recommended to increase the study population and resources for the prevention of covid-19 disease to yield positive domain effect. Conducting a country wide similar study would be beneficial and need to be considered which will prevent the general population from covid-19 and other water borne diseases.

Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant during Great Patriotic War: Problem of Personnel and Its Solution

The process of the labor collective formation of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant during the Great Patriotic War is studied. The relevance of the study is due to the need for a detailed study of the mechanisms of the automotive industry functioning in the extreme conditions of the Great Patriotic War. Documents on the history of the enterprise evacuation, materials of the primary party organization of the automobile plant, office work documentation of the party and state authorities, factory and departmental reports, and eye-witness accounts of the events were used as sources. The process of creating the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, constructed on the basis of the evacuated equipment and labor resources of the Moscow Automobile Plant named after I.V. Stalin (ZIS), is considered. Changes in the number and composition of the enterprise's employees during 1941—1945 are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the interdependence of the change in the number of employees of the plant on the volume of industrial output. It is concluded that thanks to the evacuation of experienced engineers, production managers and highly skilled workers, it was possible to maintain and recreate hightech production in the rear areas of the country. It was noted that the enterprises created during the evacuation laid the foundation for the development of automotive production in the Volga region and the Urals.

Research on edge nodes of substation auxiliary services based on an improved LEACH protocol

Substation auxiliary services are an important part of maintaining the safe and stable operation of substations and power grids. However, at the present stage, the auxiliary services still operate under decentralized management and are not effectively aggregated. To solve this problem, a three-tier architecture of edge node—master node—server is proposed based on edge computing, with a cluster approach based on the low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocol to balance computing resources and effectively manage substation auxiliary services. The main computing tasks are sunk to the edge nodes in the three-tier architecture, and the nodes are self-organized into a subclustered network responsible for specific auxiliary services. The master node is elected by the edge nodes according to the improved LEACH protocol and is responsible for managing the edge nodes and heterogeneous data fusion. The server ensures the reliability and security of data through the RAFT protocol. Theoretical analysis and extensive simulations show that this scheme can balance the computing resources of each substation's auxiliary service equipment and realize the aggregation of auxiliary services.