| 1. |
- Drake, TM, et al.
(författare)
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Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMJ global health. - : BMJ. - 2059-7908. ; 5:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings.MethodsA multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).ResultsOf 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45·1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34·2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20·6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12·8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24·7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI.ConclusionThe odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.
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| 2. |
- Abbara, Aula, et al.
(författare)
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The challenges of tuberculosis control in protracted conflict: The case of Syria
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1201-9712 .- 1878-3511. ; 90, s. 53-59
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Syria's protracted conflict has resulted in ideal conditions for the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) and the cultivation of drug-resistant strains. This paper compares TB control in Syria before and after the conflict using available data, examines the barriers posed by protracted conflict and those specific to Syria, and discusses what measures can be taken to address the control of TB in Syria.Results: Forced mass displacement and systematic violations of humanitarian law have resulted in overcrowding and the destruction of key infrastructure, leading to an increased risk of both drug-sensitive and resistant TB, while restricting the ability to diagnose, trace contacts, treat, and follow-up. Pre-conflict, TB in Syria was officially reported at 22 per 100 000 population; the official figure for 2017 of 19 per 100 000 is likely a vast underestimate given the challenges and barriers to case detection. Limited diagnostics also affect the diagnosis of multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB, reported as comprising 8.8% of new diagnoses in 2017.Conclusions: The control of TB in Syria requires a multipronged, tailored, and pragmatic approach to improve timely diagnosis, increase detection, stop transmission, and mitigate the risk of drug resistance. Solutions must also consider vulnerable populations such as imprisoned and besieged communities where the risk of drug resistance is particularly high, and must recognize the limitations of national programming. Strengthening capacity to control TB in Syria with particular attention to these factors will positively impact other parallel conditions; this is key as attention turns to post-conflict reconstruction.
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| 3. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 4. |
- Abbafati, Cristiana, et al.
(författare)
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- 2020
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 5. |
- Aabel, Lise, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Distributed Massive MIMO via all-Digital Radio Over Fiber
- 2020
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Ingår i: Conference Record - Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers. - 1058-6393. ; 2020-November, s. 319-323
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A crucial challenge in the implementation of distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architectures is to provide phase coherence while, at the same time, limit the complexity of the remote-radio heads (RRHs), which is important for cost-efficient scalability. To address this challenge, we present in this paper a phase-coherent distributed MIMO architecture, based on off-the-shelf, low-cost components. In the proposed architecture, up- and down-conversion are carried out at the central unit (CU). The RRHs are connected to the CU by means of optical fibers carrying oversampled radio-frequency (RF) 1-bit signals. In the downlink, the 1-bit signal is generated via sigma-delta modulation. At the RRH, the RF signal is recovered from the 1-bit signal through a bandpass filter and a power amplifier, and then fed to an antenna. In the uplink, the 1-bit signal is generated by a comparator whose inputs are the low-noise-amplified received RF signal and a suitably designed dither signal. The performance of the proposed architecture is evaluated with satisfactory results both via simulation and measurements from a testbed.
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| 6. |
- Al-Ani, Ibrahim Abdulrazak, et al.
(författare)
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Development of Lightweight Concrete Using Industrial Waste Palm Oil Clinker
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture. - USA : David Publishing Company. - 1934-7359 .- 1934-7367. ; 14:6, s. 293-307
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concrete is a major material used in the construction of buildings and structures in the world. Gravel and sand are the major ingredients of concrete but are non-renewable natural materials. Therefore, the utilisation of palm oil clinker (POC), a solid waste generated from palm oil industry is proposed to replace natural aggregate in this research to reduce the demand for natural aggregates. One mix of ordinary concrete as control concrete; while four mix proportions of oil palm clinker concrete were obtained by replacing 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of gravel and sand of control concrete with coarse and fine oil palm clinker respectively by volume, with same cement content and water cement ratio. Compressive strength test was carried out of concretes with different percentages of oil palm clinker; whereas water absorption tests according to respective standard, were carried out to determine the durability properties of various mixes. Based on the results obtained, the study on the effect of percentage of clinker on strength and durability properties was drawn. According to ACI classification of light weight concrete only the 100 percentage replacement can achieve the definition of light weight concrete since its density is less than 1,900 kg/m3 and strength larger than 17 MPa. Eventually the 25% replacement of the normal aggregate by the OPC will improve the strength and durability of the concrete.
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| 7. |
- Al-Ani, Ibrahim Abdulrazak, et al.
(författare)
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Multi criteria decision making to optimize the best runoff control measures for the Haditha Dam Reservoir, Iraq
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Hydrology. - : International Association for Environmental Hydrology. - 1058-3912 .- 1996-7918. ; 28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Iraq, the two dominating surface water sources are Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in which some dams constructed on both of them forming reservoirs. The Haditha Dam reservoir is one of the most essential sources of drinking, irrigation, flood control and hydropower generation in Anbar State, Western Iraq. Besides, the reservoir is a unique habitat with a wide spectrum of biodiversity. The objective of this study is to investigate and monitor the water quality in Haditha Dam reservoir and introduce Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) as a means to highlight the best runoff control measures depending on selected criteria and criteria weights. Experts were interviewed for the selection of criteria and for the assignment of the weight factor and scores. Four criteria from three categories such as technical, economic and environmental aspects were selected. Results from this study indicated that a the difference in TSS and Turbidity between the dry and wet seasons necessitates the installation of runoff control measures. It was found that the soil binders, sediment basin and diversion channel are the best alternatives for controlling erosion, sediment and drainage respectively. The sensitivity analysis showed very strong decisions made by the experts for the technical, economic and environmental criteria.
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| 8. |
- Al Azzawi, Tiba Nazar Ibrahim, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of Iraqi Rice Cultivars for Their Tolerance to Drought Stress
- 2020
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Ingår i: Agronomy. - : MDPI. - 2073-4395. ; 10:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drought stress is a serious problem around the globe and particularly in the Republic of Iraq. Rice is the third most consumed crop for the Iraqi people; however, its cultivation and production is very low due to several challenges including drought. The current study was performed to evaluate five Iraqi rice cultivars along with relevant (drought-tolerant and drought-susceptible) controls under drought stress, either by treatment with 10% PEG (polyethylene glycol) or through water withholding to induce natural drought stress. The phenotypes of all the cultivars were evaluated and the transcriptional responses of key drought-responsive candidate genes, identified through the EST-SSR marker-based approach, were studied. We also studied transcript accumulation of drought-related transcriptional factors, such as OsGRASS23, OsbZIP12, and OsDREB2A. Moreover, the reference cultivars also included a drought-tolerant inter-specific cultivar Nerica 7 (a cross between Oryza sativa ssp. indica X O. glaberrima). Among the cultivars, the more drought-tolerant phenotypic characteristics and higher transcript accumulation of drought-related marker genes OsE647 and OsE1899 and transcriptional factors OsGRASS23, OsbZIP12, and OsDREB2A were observed in four (out of five) significantly drought-tolerant Iraqi cultivars; Mashkab, followed by Furat, Yasmen, and Amber 33. On another note, Amber Barka was found to be significantly drought susceptible. Mashkab and Amber Barka were found to be the most drought-tolerant and-susceptible cultivars, respectively. The identified tolerant cultivars may potentially serve as a genetic source for the incorporation of drought-tolerant phenotypes in rice.
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| 9. |
- Alizadehsalehi, Sepehr, et al.
(författare)
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The effectiveness of an integrated BIM/UAV model in managing safety on construction sites
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1080-3548 .- 2376-9130. ; 26:4, s. 829-844
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction. A variety of approaches exist to achieve better construction safety performance, but only a few consider a combination of building information modeling (BIM) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).Method. This article presents a four-dimensional (4D) BIM/UAV-enabled safety management model based on IDEF0 language. In the first step, potential hazards are identified with the help of safety specialists’ experiences and BIM software used in the design of the structure. Then, a UAV monitors the location of the potential hazards. The third step involves the integration of the 4D BIM-based model and the information obtained from the UAV. Finally, the combined data are analyzed and interpreted, and site safety staff are notified about measures to be put in place to prevent accidents.Results. This model shows a strong relationship between the design and construction phases by using BIM in the design phase and UAVs in the construction phase. The proposed safety model was evaluated by construction safety specialists in a two-pronged approach.Conclusion. The number of fatal, non-fatal and property damage-causing accidents may be significantly lower when the proposed system was used.Practical application. This model allows safety specialists to identify hazards and develop suitable mitigation strategies.
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| 10. |
- Almusaed, Amjad, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental profile on building material passports for hot climates
- 2020
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 12:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vernacular building materials and models represent the construction methods and building materials used in a healthy manner. Local building materials such as gravel, sand, stone, and clay are used in their natural state or with minor processing and cleaning to mainly satisfy local household needs (production of concrete, mortar, ballast, silicate, and clay bricks and other products). In hot climates, the concept of natural building materials was used in a form that can currently be applied in different kinds of buildings. This concept depends on the proper consideration of the climate characteristics of the construction area. A material passport is a qualitative and quantitative documentation of the material composition of a building, displaying materials embedded in buildings as well as showing their recycling potential and environmental impact. This study will consider two usages of building materials. The first is the traditional use of building materials and their importance in the application of vernacular building strategies as an essential global bioclimatic method in sustainable architecture. The second is the affordable use of new building materials for their availability and utilization by a large part of society in a way to add more detail to research. The article aims to create an objective reading and analysis regarding specific building materials in order to generate a competent solution of materials that is suitable for building requirements in hot climates. This study evaluates the most suitable Building Material Passports needed in hot climates, where the environmental profile must be analyzed to confirm the use of natural materials.
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