Search

Objectives Computed tomography (CT) is employed to evaluate surgical outcome after spinal interventions. Here, we investigate the potential of multispectral photon-counting computed tomography (PC-CT) on image quality, diagnostic confidence, and radiation dose compared to an energy-integrating CT (EID-CT). Methods In this prospective study, 32 patients underwent PC-CT of the spine. Data was reconstructed in two ways: (1) standard bone kernel with 65-keV (PC-CTstd) and (2) 130-keV monoenergetic images (PC-CT130 keV). Prior EID-CT was available for 17 patients; for the remaining 15, an age–, sex–, and body mass index–matched EID-CT cohort was identified. Image quality (5-point Likert scales on overall, sharpness, artifacts, noise, diagnostic confidence) of PC-CTstd and EID-CT was assessed by four radiologists independently. If metallic implants were present (n = 10), PC-CTstd and PC-CT130 keV images were again assessed by 5-point Likert scales by the same radiologists. Hounsfield units (HU) were measured within metallic artifact and compared between PC-CTstd and PC-CT130 keV. Finally, the radiation dose (CTDIvol) was evaluated. Results Sharpness was rated significantly higher (p = 0.009) and noise significantly lower (p 130 keV revealed superior ratings vs. PC-CTstd for image quality, artifacts, noise, and diagnostic confidence (all p p vol: 8.83 vs. 15.7 mGy; p Conclusions PC-CT of the spine with high-kiloelectronvolt reconstructions provides sharper images, higher diagnostic confidence, and lower radiation dose in patients with metallic implants. Key Points • Compared to energy-integrating CT, photon-counting CT of the spine had significantly higher sharpness and lower image noise while radiation dose was reduced by 45%. • In patients with metallic implants, virtual monochromatic photon-counting images at 130 keV were superior to standard reconstruction at 65 keV in terms of image quality, artifacts, noise, and diagnostic confidence.

5G relies on its pervasive and convergent cloud-based architecture to accomplish its futuristic challenge of being the next-generation communication platform. However, the new perspectives opened by 5G networks do not go unnoticed. Regardless of their motivation or objectives, cyberattackers find in the new 5G ecosystem, including its tenancy-driven control plane, an attractive greenfield to create new types of denial of services attacks. In this article, we leverage on the virtualised environment of 5G to propose REPEL – an intelligent resource scaling strategy to mitigate DDoS signalling attacks preserving legitimate traffic. Our prevention-based approach uses games theory to build up a defence front line, able to keep services availability and discourage the attacker. To demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of our approach, we feed a queuing model with parameters obtained from a testbed, where simulated subscribers connect to a virtualised evolved packet core prototype. The final results show a dramatic signalling losses reduction, which can ensure the appropriate control plane availability under a DDoS attack.

BACKGROUND Climate change is a major health issue and nurses need to be involved in combating it at both the individual and collective levels. A few recent studies have embarked on the process of examining the perceptions of these health professionals relative to climate change, but there is still very little known about this subject and no study has conducted an exploratory review of the literature on nurses' perceptions of this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this protocol is to develop a research strategy for an exploratory review of the literature focused on identifying nurses' perceptions of climate change. METHODS Firstly, with the help of a specialized librarian, we defined keywords and their combinations using an iterative process, to develop a documentary search strategy. This strategy was tested in four bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science. The next step will be for two members of our research team to carry out a two-stage selection process using the online systematic review software Covidence. They will carry out this selection process independently, with the aim of identifying relevant studies that meet the inclusion criteria for our exploratory review. Finally, data on year of publication, authors, geographic area, article type, study objectives, methodology, and key findings will be extracted from selected articles for analysis. A search of the grey literature will be conducted to supplement the results of the bibliographic database search. RESULTS The findings should make it possible to more clearly define nurses' perceptions of climate change, as well as the role they can play and what they need to be able to bring forward solutions to this phenomenon. The findings should also serve to guide the health sector's interventions aimed at preparing its professionals for the potential threats of climate change. CONCLUSIONS This study will open up new research perspectives on how to equip nurses to better integrate a response to climate change issues into their professional practice. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

Introduction : Les effets potentiels des changements climatiques sur la sante font l’objet d’etudes de plus en plus nombreuses en raison de la multiplicite des risques associes (vagues de chaleur, pollution de l’air, maladies hydriques et vectorielles, etc.). En consequence, de nombreuses strategies d’attenuation et d’adaptation, ainsi que des outils ont ete developpees par les villes pour evaluer les effets sur la sante des changements climatiques, les etats et les organisations supranationales.Objectif : L’evaluation d’impact sur la sante (EIS) est un outil qui peut etre utilise pour analyser les impacts potentiels sur la sante des politiques relatives aux changements climatiques avant leur mise en œuvre. L’objectif de notre etude est ainsi d’analyser comment l’EIS est utilisee dans l’elaboration de ces politiques.Methode : Une revue exploratoire de la litterature grise et scientifique en langue anglaise et francaise conduite sur la periode 1990 a 2019 a permis d’identifier 35 articles et rapports, dont six utilisaient specifiquement l’EIS. Les domaines d’application de l’outil sont lies au transport, a l’amenagement urbain ou au secteur du bâtiment. Les principaux enjeux de sante abordes dans ces EIS concernent l’air, le bruit, l’activite physique, les ilots de chaleur urbains, les espaces verts, la mixite fonctionnelle.Resultats : Ces etudes ont montre que l’EIS est une demarche qui peut faciliter la collaboration intersectorielle, et sa flexibilite permet une application a des politiques d’adaptation et d’attenuation, ainsi qu’a plusieurs echelles spatiales (villes, regions).Discussion : La principale limite de cette approche est l’incertitude associee a la quantification des impacts projetes.

A screening method was developed for the multi-residue analysis of pesticides in baby foods using QuEChERS and UHPLC-Q-TOF. For sample preparation, the two-buffered versions of QuEChERS and different purification procedures were studied. False negatives and false positives were determined using different thresholds mentioned in the literature on the retention time and accurate mass measurement detection criteria. To reach unequivocal identification, the fragmentation spectra of the pesticides were used. The information-dependant-acquisition (IDA) mode was optimized with a precursor-inclusion list (PIL) to limit the loss of MS/MS data. Then, the experimental fragmentation spectra were compared to those included in a homemade library, by assessing different MS/MS algorithms and similarity scores. The optimised method was validated according to SANTE/11312/2021 guidelines. 95% and 73% of the pesticides presented a screening detection limit (SDL) and a limit of identification (LOI) ≤ 0.1 mg.kg

Cassava is produced by more than 80% of farming households and is an important contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) in Liberia. It is therefore important to assess the status of cassava processing into food and other products. A total of one hundred and sixty (160) well-structured questionnaires were used for the collection of information from eight counties, with twenty respondents from each county. It was found out that all the counties lack adequate modern cassava processing machines, with almost all cassava processing operations being done with rudimentary equipment. Gari and wet fufu are common products in Liberian markets, with no high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) or derivatives. Consequently, user and gender friendly processing machines were installed in six established modern cassava processing centres, and new cassava products, such as fufu powder, tapioca, and HQCF with its value-added products (10% bread and pastries), were introduced. This upscaling will enhance the cassava value chain in Liberia with improvement in livelihoods, especially for vulnerable women and unemployed youth.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an approach used to evaluate policies, programs, and projects from the perspective of their potential effects on the health of individuals, communities, and vulnerable population groups. HIA is generally applied to proposals in fields that do not specifically target health such as urban and transportation planning, natural resources, and large infrastructure. The use of HIA has been growing in Canada but several studies indicate that there are gaps in legislation, policy, and regulation that inhibit its consistent application. The objective of this paper is to review the experience in the Province of Québec, where HIA has been embedded in legislation since 2002 and explore the way that it has influenced the advancement of HIA in that province and identify lessons that could be applied to other Canadian jurisdictions. Particular attention is paid to the institutionalization of HIA in public health agencies. The insights are considered for other provinces, territories, and municipalities as well as in the context of the Federal Impact Assessment Act (2019).

BackgroundFailure to use antenatal care (ANC) and inadequate receipt of components of ANC pose a significant risk for both the pregnant woman and baby. This study aimed to examine a regional analysis of factors associated with no or inadequate receipt of components of ANC services among Indian women.MethodInformation on 184,628 women of reproductive age 15-49 years from the 2015-16 India National Family Health Survey (NFSH-4) was used. Survey multinomial logistic regression analyses that adjust for cluster and survey weights were conducted to assess the socio-demographic and other factors associated with no or receipt of inadequate receipt of components of ANC in the six regions in India.ResultsAcross regions in India, 18% of women reported no ANC, and the prevalence of inadequate and adequate receipt of components of ANC in all six regions ranged from 16% to 43% and 34% to 81%, respectively. Our analyses revealed that in all six regions, poor households reported increased odds of receiving no or inadequate receipts of components of ANC. In all six regions, inadequate receipts of components of ANC was significantly higher among women who had limited knowledge about pregnancy complications and post-delivery complications. In all the six regions except the East region, women who delivered their babies at home reported higher odds of receiving no or inadequate receipts of components of ANC and women who had no postnatal checkup after delivery reported higher odds of receiving no or inadequate receipts of components of ANC in all regions except South, West and North East regions. Low levels of women's education and women who delivered their babies at home were associated with increased odds of receiving no or inadequate receipts of components of ANC in all six regions except North and East regions.ConclusionA better understanding of the factors associated and incorporating them into the short- and long-term intervention strategies, including free financial support from the Indian government to encourage pregnant women from lower socioeconomic groups to use health services across all regions.

Background Climate change is a major threat to human health. Nurses are in contact with patients suffering from the effects of climate change in their daily work. Therefore, they need to be involved in combating it at both the individual and collective levels. However, there is still very little known about nurses’ perception of climate change and their role toward it. A few recent studies have embarked on the process of examining the perceptions of these health professionals relative to climate change, but no exploratory review of the literature has been conducted on nurses’ perception of this phenomenon. Objective The purpose of this protocol is to develop a research strategy for an exploratory review of the literature focused on identifying nurses’ perceptions of climate change. Methods Firstly, with the help of a specialized librarian, we defined keywords and their combinations, using an iterative process, to develop a documentary search strategy. This strategy was tested in the following four bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science. A search of the grey literature will also be conducted to supplement the results of the bibliographic database search. The next step will be for 2 members of the research team to carry out a 2-stage selection process using the web-based systematic review software Covidence. They will carry out this selection process independently, with the aim of identifying relevant studies that meet the inclusion criteria for our exploratory review. Finally, data on year of publication, authors, geographic area, article type, study objectives, methodology, and key findings will be extracted from selected articles for analysis. The data will be analyzed by the research team based on an in-depth examination of the findings and will be directed toward answering the research question and fulfilling the study’s objective. Results The results will help in defining nurses’ perceptions of climate change more clearly as well as the role they can play and what they need to be able to bring forward solutions to this phenomenon. The findings should also serve to guide the health sector and nursing faculty’s interventions aimed at preparing health professionals to act on the potential threats associated with climate change. Conclusions The preliminary search suggests a possible gap between the importance of the nursing role in addressing the health impacts of climate change and the nurses’ lack of knowledge and awareness on this matter. The results will allow for raising nurses’ awareness of their role in the fight against climate change and the ways to address its health effects. This study will also open up new research perspectives on how to equip nurses to better integrate response to climate change issues into their professional practice. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/42516

IntroductionClimate change constitutes a major threat to human health. Nurses have an essential role to play in protecting populations from this threat, and to fulfil this role, they must be properly prepared. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine studies on the integration of climate change into the academic curriculum or continuing education of nurses so as to identify issues and opportunities related to this integration.Methods and analysisThe method being used is the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and Levacet al. First, a search strategy using keywords and their combinations will be developed. This strategy will be applied in four bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science. Second, an initial selection of studies based on titles and abstracts will be carried out by two members of the research team using the software Covidence. They will conduct this selection process independently, with the aim of identifying relevant studies that meet the inclusion criteria for our scoping review. Third, the second stage in the selection process will be carried out by examining the full text of each article to determine which studies to include in the review. Finally, data on year of publication, authors, geographical area, article type, study objectives, methodology and key findings will be extracted from selected articles for analysis. A search of the grey literature will also be conducted to supplement the results of the bibliographic database search. The scoping review is currently ongoing. Identification of relevant literature began in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this review. The results of this study will be presented in workshops and conferences and be submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal.

Failure to use antenatal care (ANC) and inadequate receipt of components of ANC pose a significant risk for the pregnant woman and the baby. This study aimed to examine a regional analysis of factors associated with receiving no ANC and inadequate receipt of components of ANC services among Indian women.Information from 173,970 women of reproductive age 15-49 years from the 2019-21 India National Family Health Survey (NFSH-5) was analysed. Logistic regression analyses that adjusted for cluster and survey weights were conducted to assess the socio-demographic and other factors associated with receiving non-use of ANC and inadequate receipt of components of ANC, respectively, in the six regions and 28 states, and 8 union territories in India.Across regions in India, 7% of women reported no ANC, and the prevalence of inadequate and adequate receipt of components of ANC in all six regions ranged from 67 to 89% and 8% to 24%, respectively. Of all the 36 federated entities, the prevalence of inadequate receipt of ANC components was less than two-thirds in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and the Nicobar Islands, Odisha, and Gujarat. Our analyses revealed that associated factors vary by region, state, and union territories. Women from poor households reported increased odds of receiving no ANC in North, East and North-eastern regions. Women who reported no schooling in South, East and Central regions were associated with increased odds of receiving no ANC. Women from poor households in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh states reported significantly higher odds of inadequate components ANC than women from rich households. The receipt of inadequate components of ANC was significantly higher among women who never read magazines in Delhi, Ladakh, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Mizoram states in India.A better understanding of the factors associated with and incorporating them into the short- and long-term intervention strategies, including free financial support from the Indian government to encourage pregnant women from lower socioeconomic groups to use health services across all regions, states and union territories.

This study involved the design and evaluation of the High-Intensity Interval Training Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (HIIT-SQ). Phase 1: Questionnaire items were developed. Phase 2: Australian adolescents (N = 389, 16.0 ± 0.4 years, 41.10% female) completed the HIIT-SQ, and factorial validity of the measurement model was explored. Phase 3: Adolescents (N = 100, age 12–14 years, 44% female) completed the HIIT-SQ twice (1 week apart) to evaluate test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis of the final six items (mean = 3.43–6.73, SD = 0.99–25.30) revealed adequate fit, χ2(21) = 21, p = .01, comparative fit index = .99, Tucker–Lewis index = .99, root mean square of approximation = .07, 90% confidence interval [.04, .11]. Factor loading estimates showed that all items were highly related to the factor (estimates range: 0.81–0.90). Intraclass coefficients and typical error values were .99 (95% confidence interval [.99, 1.00]) and .22, respectively. This study provides preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of scores derived from the HIIT-SQ in adolescents.

Objectives The main objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the accuracy of the Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder (SRBD) Scale in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children. Patients/methods A literature search of studies comparing SRBD to polysomnography for the diagnosis of OSAS in children was performed. Risks of biases were quantified using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool. Analyses determined the summary receiver operator characteristic area under the curve (SROC), the pooled sensitivity (Se), the specificity (Sp), and the positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR–). Results were graded and are expressed as means [95% confidence interval]. Post-test probabilities were computed for various populations. Results Eleven studies were included; and two were considered to have high risk of bias. The SROC was 0.73 [CI: 0.63; 0.82]. The combined Se, Sp, LR+ and LR– were: 0.72 [CI: 0.68; 0.77], 0.59 [CI: 0.56; 0.63], 1.74 [CI: 1.32; 2.30], 0.53 [CI: 0.39; 0.71], respectively. Sub-group analyses displayed similar results in comparison to overall results. GRADE evidence for the overall analysis was low to moderate. Finally, pre-test to post-test probabilities were estimated to be: 3.5%–1%, 50%–30% and 75%–30%, for the general population, the obese patients and the patients assigned for surgical treatment of OSAS, respectively. Conclusions The current meta-analysis indicates that the SRBD scale has acceptable accuracy in detecting patients with OSAS. It may be useful when evaluating patients with suspected OSAS before surgery. Study registration PROSPERO database (CRD42018088216).

A qualitative screening high resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and validated according to the EU SANTE/12682/2019 guidelines for the analysis of 204 pesticides in seven commercial bivalve species spiked at three concentrations (0.01, 0.05 and, 0.1 mg.kg

Climate change represents a serious threat to the health and well-being of populations. Today, many countries, regions, and cities around the world are implementing policies and strategies to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects. A scoping review was performed to identify tools and methods that help integrate health into climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies. The literature search includes scientific and grey literature. The scientific literature was conducted using PubMed, Elsevier Embase, and Web of Science databases. A grey literature web search was performed to complement the results. A total of 35 studies (28 from the scientific literature and 7 from the grey literature) were finally included. A large majority of research articles (24/28) and almost all reports (6/7) from the grey literature were published after 2010. Results show that the tools that were found most frequently are the nested models (12/35), health impact assessment (6/35), vulnerability and adaptation assessment (3/35), conceptual frameworks (3/35), and mixed methods (3/35). This review shows an increasing interest in the topic of developing tools to better manage health issues in adaptation and mitigation strategies, with a recent increase in the number of publications. Additional analyses of tools’ effectiveness should be conducted in further studies.

Transition from deposit banking model to crowdfunding model The Islamic finance industry has a tendency of converging toward a conventional system with controversial practices in order to keep up with all financial products offered by the conventional system. This chapter reflects on these practices: accruing of late payment interest charges as profit deprivation, trade finance products, and treasury practices such as some Sukuk, commodity Murabaha for liquidity management, and Islamic swaps or hedging contracts of Islamic forward. The alternative courses are presented to overcome controversies pertaining to these practices from a Shariah aspect. Being peculiar to Islamic finance, risk management practices and regulatory and supervisory enablers are arguable missing or set for wrong direction, but these practices are needed to put the industry on track in the transition from deposit banking to crowdfunding.

The UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development is based around seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs), the first eleven of which relate directly to Islamic economics and finance. Indeed, they are an ideal fit with the aims and principles of Islamic finance. As long as sustainable development initiatives yield convincing results, Islamic finance can offer many opportunities for resource mobilization. The principles of Islamic finance indicate different invention methods for sustainable development. Not only grants and concessional loans, but also commercially priced loans should be harnessed to achieve lasting results. The use of grants and concessional loans can be counterproductive for some intervention areas. Also, a clear distinction between the tools of fund provision and resource mobilization methods needs to be made.

Ignoring Maqasid Al Shariah in product development is expected to emerge as an issue in Shariah compliance and/or risk management in financing schemes. For financing services, unlike merchandise trade finance, the very existence of the conflict with Maqasid Al Shariah, precipitates the Shariah-compliance issue. Health and education services should be provided through Waqf, and the financing of such services should be avoided. Murabaha contracts, unlike in merchandise trade, do not pave the way, neither does non-Shariah compliant organized Tawarruq, aka commodity Murabaha. Murabaha is the most commonly used tool of Islamic finance. Since Islamic finance should mimic the real economy, prevalence of Murabaha is expected and it is commendable. However, there are still misunderstandings related to different functions of Islamic tools such as Murabaha versus Waqf.

What is wrong with as-is SME financing? Funding for small and medium-sized businesses as it is applied today cannot deliver positive results for jobs and economic development. Regardless of the massive SME programs, the issues surrounding SMEs and their potential capacity to contribute to SDGs remain unclear. Financing for SMEs has decades of practice and critical aspects are not much reviewed from Islamic finance perspective. Financing needs of SMEs should be fulfilled with transaction-based financing with asset-based Murabaha, asset-backed Murabaha and Ijara. Cash lending for SMEs with mortgages should be avoided. The deposit banking business model does not support sustainability. Sustainable resource mobilization is possible with a crowdfunding business model and this requires transformation of Islamic deposit banks.

Success factors for Islamic PPPs in pursuit of sustainable outcomes Public–private partnerships (PPPs) should not be assumed as a panacea in development finance since, regardless of decades of infrastructure development by multilateral development banks (MDBs) and local governments, human misery in the form of poverty and hunger still persist throughout the world. From the perspective of Islamic finance, the success of PPP projects should be defined as the repayment of loans without recourse to public sector guarantees or tax revenues and the provision of public services without inflicting a direct or indirect burden on the poor with a fair distribution of risks and rewards for parties involved. The evaluation of PPPs from a Maqasid, Shariah compliance, and resource mobilization point of view indicates the suitability of the PPP business model for economic infrastructure, and for transport infrastructure projects in particular.

This chapter clarifies the differing roles of Zakat and Waqf in poverty alleviation, hunger, and inequality. An ideal social safety net is attainable by focusing on poverty, giving special attention to economic empowerment programs. Zakat should play a supporting role in abating hunger for people in the transition while counterbalancing inequalities created by market imperfections. Since Zakat funds cannot be used for social infrastructure development, traditional Waqf should fill the bill. Contemporary forms of cash Waqf and corporate Waqf are essential in mobilizing resources for social infrastructure development.

Global value chain (GVC) and public–private partnership (PPP) can be instrumental for sustainable development should they prioritize the benefits for the urban poor and smallholder farmers. The present development practice for GVC and PPP is designed to empower big corporations and bring forth the argument of “trickle down.” The debacle of international development has clearly indicated that there is no trickle-down effect. Hence, extra precaution is needed in employing PPP and GVC approaches to avoid unfairness against not only developing countries but also masses within developed countries. Traditionally empires were used to invest in infrastructure, road, ports, railroads, etc., to move commodities and goods to the market place. Repeating history could be disastrous if, to give market access to large corporations, infrastructure development is carried with MDB debt or PPPs backed by government guarantees and household tariffing.

Islamic finance checks and balances shape the way infrastructure is developed. In evaluating three MDBs (IsDB, ADB, and WB), even under conditions featuring the same project cycle, procurement guidelines, and collateral, the merits of Islamic finance emerge from disbursement procedures and manifest in the legal context. Islamic finance ensures fairness by correcting the imbalance found in conventional finance contracts, which favor lenders. Nevertheless, the same merit emanating from legal-financing agreements is also the root cause of time-overrun problems. Besides, Islamic Istisna contracts for infrastructure development make banks responsible for assets produced after project completion, and hence encourage observance of strong environmental and social safeguard measures. This feature of Istisna alone shows the embedded responsible financing feature in Islamic finance.

There is a need to identify an Islamic solution to address protracted build-neglect-rehabilitate vicious circle in Irrigation and Drainage (ID in fact, it may exacerbate rural poverty by leading to land and water grabbing by the elite. Four-pronged performance assessments – affordability plus trio of performance – suggest the Waqf business model for I&D sector, with small and flexible infrastructure, as a solution to tackle the build-neglect-rehabilitate vicious circle.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is an approach that aims to prospectively assess the potential effects of a policy, program or project on the health of the population and to formulate recommendations to minimize the negative effects, and to maximize the positive effects. In Quebec City, a particular process has been put in place to perform HIA. This paper presents the impacts and outcomes of the performed health impact assessments, based on the HIA participants (stakeholders)’ perceptions. More specifically the aims were to 1) analyze the implementation of the HIA procedure in the urban planning process and to identify levers, constraints and potential for improvement; 2) analyze the deployment of the HIA approach, including the stakeholders' involvement, the ability of HIA to support decision making and to make changes in the stakeholders' practice; and 3) identify success factors and challenges for the integration of HIA into the urban planning process. A survey was developed to question the HIA participants (stakeholders) (response rate 62.5%, n = 25/40). Themes were created according to the provided answers. This study provided a positive feedback on the implemented HIA process. It allowed the identification of issues regarding its use in the urban planning process and a better understanding of the stakeholders' evaluation of HIA. The results indicate the potential HIA has at enhancing the interdisciplinary decision-making process in urban planning. Improvements in the practices used were also identified and many were similar to those presented in other contexts. The obtained results can be useful to HIA practitioners and municipalities wishing to implement HIA.

Tonsillectomy is considered as a therapeutic option in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). Postoperative respiratory failure is a complication that can require respiratory support. The main objective of our study is to determine risk factors of postoperative respiratory complications in children undergoing tonsillectomy.This is a retrospective single centre observational study including patients with unanticipated postoperative respiratory failure. Patients with a planned preoperative intensive care admission were excluded (age is lower than 2 years, overweight (95% percentile of BMI), moderate or severe asthma, major medical conditions). Those patients were compared with randomly selected control patients. Factors studied were: age, weight, indication of surgery, ASA status, preoperative illness conditions, durations of surgery and anaesthesia and administered medications. Statistics used a univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression.Eight hundred and five patients underwent adenotonsillectomy during the study period and 25 developed postoperative respiratory failure. These patients were compared to 103 non-complicated control patients. Age (4 years), weight (18kg), indication of surgery (as SOAS), laryngomalacia, stable and minor congenital cardiac malformation and duration of anaesthesia were found statistically associated. Multivariate analysis found that weight18kg is a risk factor associated with the occurrence of postoperative respiratory failure. Overall the model shows a strong accuracy with an area under the curve of ROC analysis of 0.9 [95% confidence interval: 0.85-0.95].Our study found that weight18kg is a major risk factor for predicting a postoperative respiratory complication.

In Industry 4.0, the role of employees changes significantly. Real-time production line control transforms job content. Work processes affect working conditions. The implementation of a socio-technical approach to the organization of work gives workers the opportunity to adapt their skills. Indeed, production work will become more and more multi-factor, especially with regard to control and decision-making tasks. In this paper, a proposal for an intelligent system for modeling skills and human resource management in the production system chain through the use of two artificial neural networks. The first NN1 network allows for the identification of the human factor, as well as the second NN2 network is reserved for valuing the human skills needed in Industry 4.0.

Introduction Blood-saving strategy during spinal surgery in children often includes recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO) and antifibrinolytic therapapy (AFT). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of intraoperative blood salvage in decreasing homologous blood transfusion. Material and methods Using the prospective data from patients operated during a one year period for scoliosis correction, we calculate the predictable hematocrit at day postoperative 1 without the use of blood salvage and compare it to the target hematocrit transfusion according to patient's status. Predictors analyzed were: age, weight, surgical indication, Cobb's angle, ASA status, preoperative hemoglobin, number of level fused, sacral fusion and thoracoplasty. Statistical analyses were performed using a classification tree analysis. Results This study included 147 patients. Blood salvage was estimated avoiding homologous blood transfusion in 17 patients. Predictors of the efficacy of blood salvage were: neuromuscular indications, number of level fused and BMI. Blood salvage was found totally ineffective in: patients with no neuromuscular diseases with either: surgeries interesting 13 levels with a preoperative BMI ≥ 21. In all other cases, blood salvage can decrease homologous transfusion. The model exhibited 97% of accurate for the prediction if the inefficacy of blood salvage. The AUCROC of the model was 0.93 [95% confidence interval 0.9 to 0.99] and the overall validation was 60.1% of explained variability. Conclusion The present study indicates that blood salvage is ineffective under certain circumstances. More studies are mandatory to confirm these results.

Data on major non-surgical postoperative complications following neonatal and infant surgery is lacking. The goal of the present study was to describe common major complications and their predictive factors.The study consisted of a retrospective review of medical charts of patients less than 6months of age operated in our institution over one calendar year, excluding herniorraphy surgery. The data collected included demographics, preoperative ICU bed status, ASA status, a history of cardiac malformation, hyaline membrane disease (HMD) or necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), preoperative haemoglobin, emergent surgery status, surgery type and duration, duration of anaesthesia and the need for intraoperative fluid boluses. Complications were analysed until the 30th postoperative day. Analyses included descriptive statistics and the determination of factors associated with non-surgical complications using univariate and multivariate statistics.The study included 168 patients. Their postnatal age was 48±48days. Overall, 37 patients experienced major postoperative non-surgical complications. The most common major complications were haemodynamic compromise (n=19, 11.3%), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS, n=8, 4.8%) and respiratory failure requiring ventilation (n=3, 1.8%). Surgical complications occurred in 8 cases (4.8%). Four factors were identified as being predictive of non-surgical complications: PCA40 weeks, a history of cardiac malformation, HMD or NEC, preoperative ICU status and intraoperative fluid bolus administration.This study describes common non-surgical postoperative complications in neonates and infants, and their risk factors. They were much more common than surgical complications. Further studies should focus on preventive strategies addressing these complications.

In this work, we investigate the influence of metallic Ag nanoparticles arrays on the optical and electrical properties of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) with the main objective to select, reshape and improve the emission of the device using the plasmonic effects. The considered structures are regular square arrays of nano-cylinders of 100nm diameter. We study various Ag metallic gratings with periods (p) ranging from 190nm to 480nm by a step of 20nm, fabricated by using electron beam lithography technique. The measured extinction spectra of the samples are analyzed experimentally as well as numerically by using FDTD simulations. For instance, fig. 1.a draws the experimental map of the extinction intensity as a function of the grating period and wavelength using a photo-excitation at a normal incidence. This map gives the dispersion of the plasmonic resonances. From that, two gratings types can be distinguished: the so-called short period gratings for p < 300nm, showing only a near field coupling effect which exhibits a plasmonic response known as the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect [2], and the so called long-period gratings that corresponds to the excitation of hybrid resonances [3] showing a dominant far-field coupling effect [4] and called surface lattice resonance (SLR). Fig. 1.b reports the deduced variation of the quality factor of the main two peaks obtained. It indicates that sharp resonances corresponding to high Q quality factors can be obtained in the SLR regime. Therefore, tuning the array parameters offers the possibility to select a specific optical response: near or far field coupling effect.

First demonstration of quantum-secured end-to-end VNS composition through dynamic chaining of VNFs from multiple-domains. We rely on a novel quantum-switched flexi-grid WDM network and q-ROADM for inter-connectivity and on-demand selection of transport functions for quality-of-service.

The increased carrier bandwidth and the number of antenna elements expected in 5G networks require a redesign of the traditional IP-based backhaul and CPRI-based fronthaul interfaces used in 4G networks. We envision future mobile networks to encompass these legacy interfaces together with novel 5G RAN functional splits. In this scenario, a consistent transport network architecture able to jointly support backhaul and 4G/5G fronthaul interfaces is of paramount importance. In this article we present 5G-XHaul, a novel transport network architecture featuring wireless and optical technologies and a multi-technology software defined control plane, which is able to jointly support backhaul and fronthaul services. We have deployed and validated the 5G-XHaul architecture in a city-wide testbed in Bristol.

Fungal diseases can have a detrimental impact on soybean and corn yield. Foliar fungicides are used to manage fungal diseases and minimize yield loss, along with cultural practices like tillage and crop rotation. Prophylactic foliar fungicide use does not consistently increase yield for corn and soybean, especially when disease pressures are low. Also, there are concerns about the impact of fungicides on non-target organisms, including fungi living in the soil. We tested the effects of tillage, crop rotation, and foliar fungicide use on corn grain and soybean seed yield over three growing seasons. For both crops, rotation was key to achieving high yields, although there was an interaction of tillage × crop rotation for soybean and crop rotation × fungicide for corn. For soybean seed yield, both foliar fungicide treatments showed a small yield increase over untreated plots. Additionally, we assessed bulk soil fungal communities in a subset of treatments (crop rotation and fungicide treatments in no-till plots), using ITS sequencing and PLFA-FAME. We observed distinct fungal communities in the continuously cropped treatments, while annually rotated communities were very similar. There was also greater overall microbial biomass and a higher relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi associated with continuous corn. There were no differences in soil fungal communities or microbial biomass associated with foliar fungicide treatments. Based on our findings, we recommend that farmers use integrated pest management strategies to manage fungal diseases, which may include fungicide applications, if they are justified by economic disease thresholds or prediction tools.

Introduction Blood saving strategies during paediatric spinal surgery often include recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO) and antifibrinolytic therapy (AFT). The goal of this study was to investigate additional preventive factors involved in the risk of blood transfusion. Methods This prospective study was designed with the aim of identifying factors associated with the perioperative (defined as the intraoperative and the first postoperative day) probability of homologous red cell transfusion during scoliosis surgery in children operated during a one year period in our institution. The predictors analysed were: age, weight less than the 3rd percentile (W ), indication for spinal surgery (idiopathic or neuromuscular), Cobb's angle, ASA status, preoperative haemoglobin, number of levels fused, duration of surgery, intraoperative fluid intakes, sacral fusion and thoracoplasty. Statistical analyses were performed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results One hundred and forty-seven patients were included in the analysis. Multivariate analysis found the following variables to be independent predictors for an increased risk of homologous blood transfusion: W , neuromuscular scoliosis and duration of surgery > 255 minutes. ROC analysis for the latter model found an area under the curve of 0.9 (95% confidence interval: 0.8–0.97). The accuracy of the model was 92.3% (97.4% for non-transfusion and 69.2% for transfusion). Multivariate sensitivity analysis excluding patients with no preoperative administration of EPO found similar results. Conclusion The current results indicate that optimising nutritional status might prevent allogenic blood transfusion and requires further investigation.

Health impact assessments (HIA) allow evaluation of urban interventions’ potential effects on health and facilitate decision-making in the urban planning process. However, few municipalities have implemented this method in Canada. This paper presents the approach developed with partners, the process, and the outcomes of HIA implementation after seven years of interinstitutional collaborations in Quebec City (ten HIA). Using direct observation and meeting minutes, information includes: perceived role of each institution taking part in HIA beforehand, how the HIA process was implemented, if it was appreciated, and which outcomes were observed. The intersectoral interactions contributed to the development of a common language, which sped up the HIA process over time and fostered positive collaborations in unrelated projects. It was an effective tool to share concerns and responsibilities among independent institutions. This experience resulted in the creation of an informal group of stakeholders from four different institutions that perform HIA to this day in collaboration with researchers.