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This editorial discusses the importance of preparing communities, cities, and nations for extreme flooding events. It highlights the need to adapt infrastructure to be more resilient, while acknowledging the tradeoff between efficiency and resilience. The editorial provides examples of infrastructure failures during past flooding events and discusses the challenges of adapting critical infrastructure systems to a changing climate. The document includes articles that explore different approaches to managing flood risk, the use of satellite data for monitoring and warning systems, and the vulnerability of industrial process facilities to flood damage. The authors emphasize the need for comprehensive solutions that consider uncertainties and involve collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors. The text also mentions the challenges of developing protective infrastructures, retrofitting existing infrastructures, and considering implications throughout the lifecycle. [Extracted from the article]

In the current exploratory study we estimate comorbidity rates between FDs [fibromyalgia (FM), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)]—and IDs—[major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)] by using self-reported diagnostic criteria. We analyzed data from 107,849 participants (mean age = 49.3 (SD = 13.0), 58.6% women) of the Lifelines Cohort Study. Lifelines is a prospective population-based cohort study in the northeast of the Netherlands. Current IDs were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Current FM, ME/CFS, and IBS were assessed according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria, the 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria and the ROME IV criteria, respectively. We estimated tetrachoric correlations between diagnoses and tested for sex differences. Additionally, we estimated the ratio of observed-to-expected frequency for combinations of diagnoses. FDs and IDs are highly comorbid (odds ratios: 3.2–12.6) with associations stronger among men. Participants with at least three disorders/diagnoses were more prevalent than expected by chance. Studies that aim to explain sex differences and the comorbidity of specific combinations of IDs and FDs will be an important contribution to understanding the etiology of these conditions. • Internalizing disorders and functional disorders are highly comorbid. • Irritable bowel syndrome is not as closely related to internalizing disorders as the other functional disorders. • The association between functional disorders and internalizing disorders is larger in male participants. • Combinations of functional disorders/internalizing disorders including three or more conditions occur frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biobanks facilitate genome-wide association studies (GWASs), which have mapped genomic loci across a range of human diseases and traits. However, most biobanks are primarily composed of individuals of European ancestry. We introduce the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI)-a collaborative network of 23 biobanks from 4 continents representing more than 2.2 million consented individuals with genetic data linked to electronic health records. GBMI meta-analyzes summary statistics from GWASs generated using harmonized genotypes and phenotypes from member biobanks for 14 exemplar diseases and endpoints. This strategy validates that GWASs conducted in diverse biobanks can be integrated despite heterogeneity in case definitions, recruitment strategies, and baseline characteristics. This collaborative effort improves GWAS power for diseases, benefits understudied diseases, and improves risk prediction while also enabling the nomination of disease genes and drug candidates by incorporating gene and protein expression data and providing insight into the underlying biology of human diseases and traits.

The earthquake-resistant design of lifelines, such as pipelines, tunnels and bridges, is based on the reliable representation and estimation of the seismic loading. In the case of lifeline–fault crossings, the design fault displacement is typically derived from estimates based on fault dimensions via empirical fault scaling relations for a given "design" scenario event. This approach comes with an unknown level of safety because the fault productivity and the actual distribution of earthquake events are essentially disregarded. To overcome this challenge, a simplified approach is proposed by statistically analyzing the outcome of probabilistic fault displacement hazard analyses (PFDHAs). A selection of faults from the 2020 European Fault-Source Model is used to build the logic tree and to set the range of parameters considered in the PFDHAs. The methodology allows the (mostly conservative) approximation of the fault displacement corresponding to any given return period based on readily available data, namely fault productivity, fault mechanism, fault length, and lifeline crossing location on the fault. The proposed methodology has been proposed and adopted as an informative Annex in prEN 1998-4:2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key feature of inclusive research is the accessibility of research procedures to meaningfully engage people with intellectual disabilities in research processes. Creating accessible research procedures requires innovations in methods traditionally used in research. This paper describes how the Lifeline Interview Method by Assink and Schroots was adapted and implemented in a study using life story research to better understand the experiences of older adults with intellectual disabilities. Twelve adults with intellectual disabilities over the age of 50 participated between two and seven times in interviews about their life histories. The interviewer assisted in the construction of timelines of key events in the participants' individual life stories, and the participants decorated their lifelines throughout the course of the interviews. The lifeline process was an effective tool to engage the participants in the research process, support participation, and provide access for people with intellectual disabilities to retrieve their life experiences. Challenges in the lifeline process included barriers to gathering sufficient information to construct timelines and gatekeepers withholding access to information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Early Childhood is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

1999 Marmara depremi sonrası Sakarya ili içme suyu şebekelerinin bir kısmında ciddi hasarlar oluşmuş, kanalizasyon şebekelerinin ise neredeyse tamamı hizmet veremez duruma gelmiştir. Bu çalışmada, Sakarya ili altyapı sistemlerinden içme suyu temin ve dağıtım şebekelerinin büyük bir bölümünü oluşturan gömülü boruların sismik tehlikeler karşısındaki hasar görebilirlikleri, Hazards US (HAZUS) metodu ile analiz edilmiştir. Gömülü boruların olası depremlere karşı hasar görebilirliklerinin analizinde kullanılan en büyük yer hızı, klasik olasılıksal deprem tehlike analizi yardımıyla belirlenmiştir. Hasar görebilirlik analizlerinde kullanılan zemin sınıfları, il genelinde 2044 adet noktadan alınan sismik veriler yardımıyla hesaplanmıştır. Sakarya ili içme suyu boru envanteri oluşturulup tüm borulara coğrafi bilgi sistemleri yardımıyla hasar görebilirlik parametreleri tanımlanmıştır. Analizler sonucunda tüm borular için hasar görebilirliği ifade eden hasar onarım oranları elde edilmiş ve borular hasar onarım oranlarına göre sınıflandırılmıştır.

Besides compact cities, Western Europe is characterised by low-density dispersion, resulting in a landscape with elements of both city and land. These dispersed territories offer an alternative to a traditional urban–rural dichotomy framework and have been put forward as twenty-first-century cities. However, these territories are currently facing urgent and complex socio-economic and ecological challenges. One such territory is the Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai, a transnational region on the border of Belgium and France. The hypothesis is that the evolution of the Eurometropolis territory is closely intertwined with its infrastructure networks. The structure of this article is threefold. First, it describes the non-binary condition in which the Eurometropolis is situated. Second, it analyses the evolution of infrastructure networks in the Eurometropolis from the late eighteenth century to today through case studies. Third, it highlights the potential future role of infrastructure networks in providing answers to large-scale challenges. The research presented in this article demonstrates that transformation in dispersed territories is closely related to the evolution of their infrastructure networks. Moreover, infrastructure – such as waterways, railways and roads – has enabled an urban condition without urban form in the Eurometropolis dispersed territories. In the light of these findings, the article shows that the inherent nature of dispersed territories can be influenced by rethinking these infrastructures to proactively address the collective challenges at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides compact cities, Western Europe is characterised by low-density dispersion, resulting in a landscape with elements of both city and land. These dispersed territories offer an alternative to a traditional urban–rural dichotomy framework and have been put forward as twenty-first-century cities. However, these territories are currently facing urgent and complex socio-economic and ecological challenges. One such territory is the Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai, a transnational region on the border of Belgium and France. The hypothesis is that the evolution of the Eurometropolis territory is closely intertwined with its infrastructure networks. The structure of this article is threefold. First, it describes the non-binary condition in which the Eurometropolis is situated. Second, it analyses the evolution of infrastructure networks in the Eurometropolis from the late eighteenth century to today through case studies. Third, it highlights the potential future role of infrastructure networks in providing answers to large-scale challenges. The research presented in this article demonstrates that transformation in dispersed territories is closely related to the evolution of their infrastructure networks. Moreover, infrastructure – such as waterways, railways and roads – has enabled an urban condition without urban form in the Eurometropolis dispersed territories. In the light of these findings, the article shows that the inherent nature of dispersed territories can be influenced by rethinking these infrastructures to proactively address the collective challenges at stake.

A key feature of inclusive research is the accessibility of research procedures to meaningfully engage people with intellectual disabilities in research processes. Creating accessible research procedures requires innovations in methods traditionally used in research. This paper describes how the Lifeline Interview Method by Assink and Schroots was adapted and implemented in a study using life story research to better understand the experiences of older adults with intellectual disabilities. Twelve adults with intellectual disabilities over the age of 50 participated between two and seven times in interviews about their life histories. The interviewer assisted in the construction of timelines of key events in the participants’ individual life stories, and the participants decorated their lifelines throughout the course of the interviews. The lifeline process was an effective tool to engage the participants in the research process, support participation, and provide access for people with intellectual disabilities to retrieve their life experiences. Challenges in the lifeline process included barriers to gathering sufficient information to construct timelines and gatekeepers withholding access to information.

After the 1999 Marmara earthquake, serious damages occurred in some of the drinking water networks of Sakarya province, and almost all of the sewerage networks became inoperable. In this study, the vulnerability of buried pipes, which constitute a large part of the potable water supply and distribution networks of the infrastructure systems of Sakarya province, against seismic hazards were analyzed by the Hazard US (HAZUS) method. The maximum ground velocity used in the analysis of the vulnerability of buried pipes against possible earthquakes was determined with the help of classical probabilistic earthquake hazard analysis. Soil classes used in vulnerability analysis were calculated with the help of seismic data taken from 2044 points throughout the province. Sakarya province potable water pipe inventory was created and vulnerability parameters were defined for all pipes with the help of geographic information systems. The HAZUS method, which is frequently used in the literature, was used for pipe vulnerability analysis. As a result of the analysis, damage repair rates expressing the vulnerability of all pipes were obtained and the pipes were classified according to their damage repair rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the effects of October 30, 2020 Samos-Aegean Sea earthquake on hydraulic structures, lifelines and industrial facilities which mainly located in the western cost of Turkey, within the borders of Izmir and Aydin Cities. These two highly populated cities are known for their importance in contributing country's economics by their industrialized areas. In addition, Izmir is the third largest city of Turkey with its high seismic hazard zone. Although some disruptions in the aftermath of the earthquake were occurred in gas and electricity services, these issues immediately identified, and all systems were managed to reoperate. Damages to the infrastructures were mainly due to the collapse of buildings and tsunami effects. No significant damages were reported on lifeline systems, large industrial facilities, and dams due to relatively low shaking intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges in social communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. Notably, males are four times as likely as females to be diagnosed with autism. Despite efforts to increase representation and characterization of autistic females, research studies consistently enroll small samples of females, or exclude females altogether. Importantly, researchers often rely on standardized measures to confirm diagnosis prior to enrollment in research studies. We retrospectively analyzed the effects of one such measure (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS) on research inclusion/exclusion rates by sex in autistic adults, all of whom had a preexisting community diagnosis of autism (n = 145, 95 male, 50 female). Using the ADOS as a confirmatory diagnostic measure resulted in the exclusion of autistic females at a rate over 2.5 times higher than that of autistic males. We compared sex ratios in our sample to those in other large, publically available datasets that rely either on community diagnosis (6 datasets, total n = 42,209) or standardized assessments (2 datasets, total n = 214) to determine eligibility of participants for research. Reliance on community diagnosis rather than confirmatory diagnostic assessments resulted in significantly more equal sex ratios. These results provide evidence for a "leaky" recruitment‐to‐research pipeline for females in autism research. Lay Summary: Despite efforts to increase the representation of autistic females in research, studies consistently enroll small samples of females or exclude females altogether. We find that despite making up almost 50% of the initially recruited sample based upon self‐report of community diagnosis, autistic females are disproportonately excluded from research participation as a result of commonly used autism diagnostic measures. In our sample, and several other publically available datasets, reliance on community diagnosis resulted in significantly more equal sex ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ultraprocessing makes food products more convenient, appealing, and profitable. Recent studies show that high ultraprocessed food (UPF) intake is associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the association between UPF consumption and risks of kidney function decline in the general population. Methods In a prospective, general population–based Lifelines cohort from Northern Netherlands, 78,346 participants free of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at baseline responded to a 110-item FFQ. We used a multivariable regression analysis to study the associations of the proportion (in grams/day) of UPFs in the total diet with a composite kidney outcome [incident CKD or a ≥30% estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline relative to baseline] and annual change in eGFR. Results On average, 37.7% of total food intake came from UPFs. After 3.6 ± 0.9 years of follow-up, 2470 participants (3.2%) reached the composite kidney outcome. Participants in the highest quartile of UPF consumption were associated with a higher risk of the composite kidney outcome (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.09–1.47; P  = 0.003) compared with those in the lowest quartile, regardless of their macro- or micronutrient intake or diet quality. Participants in the highest quartile had a more rapid eGFR decline (β, −0.17; 95% CI, −0.23 to −0.11; P < 0.001) compared with those in the lowest quartile. Associations were generally consistent across different subgroups. Conclusions Higher UPF consumption was associated with a higher risk of a composite kidney outcome (incident CKD or ≥30% eGFR decline) and a more rapid eGFR decline in the general population, independent of confounders and other dietary indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradients in dissolved gas concentrations are expected to affect the performance of large reactors for anaerobic gas (CO, H 2 , CO 2) fermentation. To study how these gradients, and the dissolved gas concentration level itself, influence the productivity of the desired product ethanol and the product spectrum of C. autoethanogenum , we coupled a CFD model of an industrial-scale gas fermentor to a metabolic kinetic model for a wide range of metabolic regimes. Our model results, together with literature experimental data and a model with constant dissolved gas concentrations, indicate high ethanol specificity at low dissolved CO concentrations, with acetate reduction to ethanol at very low dissolved CO concentrations and combined ethanol and acetate production at higher CO concentrations. The gradient was predicted to increase both the biomass-specific ethanol production rate and the electron-to-ethanol yield by ∼25%. This might be due to intensified ferredoxin and NAD+ redox cycles, with the rate of the Rnf complex – a critical enzyme for energy conservation – as key driver towards ethanol production, all at the expense of a reduced flux to acetate. We present improved mechanistic understanding of the gas fermentation process, and novel leads for optimization and fundamental research, by coupling observations from various down-scaled lab experiments to expected microbial lifelines in an industrial-scale reactor. [Display omitted] • Fully coupled CFD model with metabolic dynamics for industrial-scale gas fermentor. • Low CO concentrations relate to ethanol while high c L,CO relate to acetate production. • The dissolved CO concentration is a major determinant of the product spectrum. • Large-scale dissolved CO concentration gradient enhances ethanol production by ∼25%. • Enhanced mechanistic understanding of gas fermentation, confirmed with experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore the beliefs, values and attitudes about female genital mutilation in the diaspora of sub-Saharan women and how the migration process has influenced these beliefs. Our qualitative analysis of the life stories and lifelines of 10 women in the sub-Saharan diaspora in light of the Social Convention Theory indicated that making public statements about the topic is complex and that the taboo permeating the practice remains intact even outside of Africa. Furthermore, we discovered that, in our context, this practice was not a requirement and did not improve the chances of marriage, with female behaviours considered 'appropriate' instead gaining value. Any interventions based on this theory must consider the broad networks that help shape marriages in this diaspora. This work opened new lines of research regarding the situation of the diaspora of sub-Saharan women and the relationship of the practice of female genital mutilation with marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Early detection of glaucoma is paramount to maintain patients’ eyesight, however glaucomatous vision loss tends to begin in the periphery with up to 50% of patients unaware they are affected. Because glaucomatous vision loss is permanent, screening appears attractive, but currently is not cost-effective. Therefore we aim to investigate the utility of genetic pre-screening for glaucoma in a population-based setting, called EyeLife. Methods EyeLife adopts a double blind prospective design with contrasting groups. Selected participants (n = 1600) from the Lifelines cohort are 55 years of age or older, and of either the highest or lowest 20% of the genetic risk distribution for glaucoma. We obtained a highly curated list of genetic variants from the literature to obtain each participants’ genetic risk for glaucoma. Participants will undergo comprehensive ophthalmic screening. The primary outcome is the relative risk of glaucoma given a high genetic risk compared to a low genetic risk. Discussion If genetic pre-screening is successful, it will increase the yield of a glaucoma screening program by focusing on high-risk individuals. This, in turn, may improve long-term visual health of middle-aged and elderly people. Trial registration Ethics approval was obtained on January 31, 2019, and the study was retrospectively registered with the Netherlands Trial Register ( NL8718 ) on the 17th of June, 2020.

The use of qualitative methodologies together with visual methods is being incorporated into different lines of research to offer an alternative form of expression that can provide richer and more meaningful data. The objective of this study was to analyse the use of life histories and lifelines in the study of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the context of cross-cultural research in participants with language differences. We explored the strengths and challenges of the combined use of both the lifelines and life stories of women who have been subjected to FGM. The lifeline tool was employed during the second interview with our participants, and the results of this work are explored here by examining the lifelines of three of the participants. The use of two techniques strengthened the researchers' knowledge of women's lives and facilitated reflection and critical thinking by the study participants, generating richer and more in-depth data on the study problem. The difficulties that some women had in the communication process are diminished by the visual and chronological representation of the events in the lifelines. The visualization of their lifelines and the realization of this activity for which they did not feel capable due to their lack of education, empowered them, generating a great personal satisfaction. The results of this study confirm the usefulness of combining visual and narrative methods in groups where communication difficulties are an obstacle to the collection of information. Exploring new forms of expression and data collection can give voice to underrepresented groups in qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical societal services, such as health care, are offered from facilities that are supported by civil lifelines. In disaster events, restoration of the damaged lifeline elements and facilities is necessary for restoring societal function. It is generally presumed that the critical societal services are intact as long as the buildings from which they are provided are functioning and have operating supporting lifelines. This paper recognizes that the services require not only a functioning space for supporting related operations, but also depend on the presence of skilled personnel. For this purpose, a mathematical technique for modeling this human infrastructure as a civil lifeline is proposed. This human infrastructure lifeline modeling approach is integrated into a stochastic program that seeks an optimal schedule of post-event restoration actions across lifelines to minimize the amount of time that civil lifeline elements, including personnel, and the critical societal services they support are nonfunctioning. The model is cast in a real-time setting, where situational awareness increases over time as information is obtained either endogenously via the repair crews or by way of exogenously provided information from other sources (e.g., inspectors, emergency responders, drones, remote sensing). The approach is also useful in estimating critical societal systems resilience. Numerical experiments were conducted on a synthetic, yet realistic problem instance to illustrate the capabilities of the proposed techniques and investigate the importance of adequately capturing the multi-faceted role of personnel in post-disaster service capacity restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the many factors causing damage to lifelines, there are active faults along the pipeline route that can cause fracture and breakdown of the pipeline if it is justified. Thus, during pipeline route study phase, detailed geological work on the route should be undertaken and fault paths identified. It is, therefore, essential to study the structures of the study area to select the appropriate path. Due to crossing of Iranshahr–Mirjaveh gas pipeline in the eastern part of Iran at the intersection with the southern terminals of the Nosrat-Abad fault system, careful study of the geology and structural interpretation of these faults in terms of damage to the pipeline is necessary. Therefore, in this study, fault displacements and damages considering fault width at intersection with lifelines (buried gas pipelines) are modeled and evaluated by special software programs. Therefore, in this paper, considering a specific area in eastern Iran and using available software to simulate the active fault and analyze their effects on pipelines and considering the impact of active fault zones on three issues selected (strike-slip, strike-slip–reverse and reverse faults) have been investigated to improve the design parameters routing of lifelines (buried gas pipelines) in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric power distribution systems are generally more prone to disruption from natural hazards than transmission systems due to their often less redundant circuit structures. However, seismic risk analysis for distribution systems is rare compared to the rich body of literature focussing on transmission systems. This paper proposes a seismic risk assessment framework for electric power distribution systems considering both the network topology and the functional vulnerability of distribution substations. Implicit Z-bus method is applied to solve distribution system power flow and evaluate system serviceability. Monte Carlo simulation is applied to obtain probabilities of the scale of unserved loads resulting from disconnection and abnormal voltage condition. The seismic risk is jointly quantified using multiple risk metrics, and importance measures are used to determine criticality of substation components for prioritisation of seismic retrofit. The seismic risk assessment framework is applied to the CIGRE medium voltage distribution test network and two ground motion intensity scenarios – one for peak ground acceleration values based on a scenario earthquake and the other for uniformly distributed peak ground acceleration across the network. The framework allows the quantification of different network topologies and substation configurations. This enables network owners and operators to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of their substation configuration and network topology, identify potential bottlenecks of the systems and thus inform effective planning and risk-reduction investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early detection of glaucoma is paramount to maintain patients' eyesight, however glaucomatous vision loss tends to begin in the periphery with up to 50% of patients unaware they are affected. Because glaucomatous vision loss is permanent, screening appears attractive, but currently is not cost-effective. Therefore we aim to investigate the utility of genetic pre-screening for glaucoma in a population-based setting, called EyeLife.Methods: EyeLife adopts a double blind prospective design with contrasting groups. Selected participants (n = 1600) from the Lifelines cohort are 55 years of age or older, and of either the highest or lowest 20% of the genetic risk distribution for glaucoma. We obtained a highly curated list of genetic variants from the literature to obtain each participants' genetic risk for glaucoma. Participants will undergo comprehensive ophthalmic screening. The primary outcome is the relative risk of glaucoma given a high genetic risk compared to a low genetic risk.Discussion: If genetic pre-screening is successful, it will increase the yield of a glaucoma screening program by focusing on high-risk individuals. This, in turn, may improve long-term visual health of middle-aged and elderly people.Trial Registration: Ethics approval was obtained on January 31, 2019, and the study was retrospectively registered with the Netherlands Trial Register ( NL8718 ) on the 17th of June, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is unknown whether population based single assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and feedback to individuals and general practitioners results in initiation of preventive cardiovascular pharmacotherapy in those at risk. Methods: The population based cohort study Lifelines was linked to the IADB.nl pharmacy database to assess information on the initiation of preventive medication (N = 48,770). At the baseline visit, information on cardiovascular risk factors was collected and reported to the participants and their general practitioners. An interrupted-time-series-analysis was plotted, in which the start year of blood pressure and lipid lowering medication was displayed in years before or after the baseline visit. Subsequently, predictors of the initiation of pharmacotherapy were determined and possible reduction in cardiovascular events that could be achieved by optimal treatment of individuals at risk. Results: Before the Lifelines baseline visit, 34% (out of 1,527, 95% Confidence interval (CI) 32%–36%) and 30% (out of 1,991, 95%CI 28%–32%) of the individuals at risk had a blood pressure or lipid lowering drug prescription, respectively. In those at risk, the use of blood pressure lowering medication, increased substantially during the year of the baseline visit. Treating individuals at increased risk (≥5% 10-year risk) with lipid or blood pressure lowering medication (N = 8515 and N = 6899) would have prevented 162 and 183 CVD events, respectively, in the upcoming five years. Conclusion: Primary prevention of CVD in the general population appears suboptimal. Feedback of cardiovascular risk factors resulted in a substantial increase of blood pressure lowering medication and extrapolated health benefits.

BackgroundDrug-drug interaction (DDI) is one of the main contributors to adverse drug reactions and therefore, it is important to study its frequency in the population. We aimed to investigate frequency and concordance on CYP2D6, CYP2C19, and CYP2C9 (CYP2D6/2C19/2C9)-mediated potential DDIs at the Lifelines cohort and linked data from the pharmacy database IADB.nl.MethodsAs part of the University of Groningen PharmLines Initiative, data were collected on CYP2D6/2C19/2C9-related substrate/inhibitors from entry questionnaires of Lifelines participants and linked information from the pharmacy database IADB.nl. CYP2D6/2C19/2C9 related co-prescriptions were divided based on the type of drugs i.e. chronically used medication (CM) or occasionally used medication (OM). This resulted in the combination of two chronically used drugs (CM-CM), chronically and occasionally used medication (CM-OM), and two occasionally used drugs (OM-OM). To measure the agreement level, cohen’s kappa statistics and test characteristics were used. Results were stratified by time window, gender, and age.ResultsAmong 80,837 medicine users in the Lifelines, about 1–2 per hundred participants were exposed to a CYP2D6/2C19/2C9-mediated potential DDI. Overall, the overlapping time window of three months produced the highest mean kappa values between the databases i.e. 0.545 (95% CI:0.544–0.545), 0.512 (95% CI:0.511–0.512), and 0.374 (95% CI:0.373–0.375), respectively. CM-CM had a better level of agreement (good) than CM-OM (fair to moderate) and OM-OM combination (poor to moderate). The influence of gender on concordance values was different for different CYPs. Among older persons, agreement levels were higher than for the younger population.ConclusionsCYP2D6/2C19/2C9-mediated potential DDIs were frequent and concordance of data varied by time window, type of combination, sex and age. Subsequent studies should rather use a combination of self-reported and pharmacy database information.

The 2018 Sulawesi tsunami caused widespread impacts in Palu City, Indonesia, including to components of infrastructure lifeline networks. Lifeline networks are key to the operation of society and are particularly crucial during post-disaster relief and recovery efforts. Understanding their vulnerability to tsunami hazards is important for disaster risk reduction, but is an understudied topic. This study uses field survey and remotely sensed data to develop a single dataset, used to create tsunami fragility functions for road and utility pole assets in Palu. Tsunami inundation depths were estimated at component locations from a spatial interpolation of field measured flow depths and wave run-up. Component attributes and geometries exposed to tsunami inundation were compiled from both field surveys and remote sensing on satellite imagery and 'street view' imagery, which included component construction material, capacity (roads) and height (poles). Roads demonstrate a 0.16 probability of exceeding complete damage at 2 m inundation depth, while utility poles see a 0.47 probability. The probability of exceeding complete damage at 2 m inundation depth for concrete, asphalt, collector and local roads is 0.34, 0.17, 0.19 and 0.13 respectively, and for concrete, steel, steel < 5 m height and steel > 5 m height utility poles is 0.42, 0.48, 0.49 and 0.47 respectively. When comparing the synthesised tsunami fragility functions to those from other global events, Palu roads were more vulnerable at 2 m inundation depth (0.16) compared to roads exposed to the 2011 Tohoku tsunami in Japan (0.06) and 2015 Illapel tsunami in Chile (0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Trabajos y Comunicaciones is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present paper proposes a new methodology to characterize the landslide susceptibility of Reggio Calabria territory. The values obtained were classified into five categories: very low, low, medium, high and very high, and were than exported into GIS environment to produce a landslide susceptibility map. The principal objective of the proposed study is to identify the sections of the road network exposed to landslide hazards starting from the susceptibility map. To this aim, a fuzzy system was designed with 2 input, 15 rules “if-then” and 1 output representing the “level of attention” for the considered transport infrastructure, being a higher value of attention level correspondent to a higher landslide hazard. From the obtained results it is possible to notice that the most relevant roads in terms of connection, as the highway A3, the road SS106 and other roads linking the Ionian Coast to the Tirrenic Coast, are those displaying the highest level of attention.

Purpose: To investigate the hypothesis that a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of having dry eye disease (DED) in the general population., Methods: DED was assessed using the Women's Health Study (WHS) dry eye questionnaire in 58,993 participants from the Dutch Lifelines Cohort with complete available dietary data (20-94 years, 60% female). Level of adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet was assessed using the modified Mediterranean Diet Score (mMDS). High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hsCRP) was included as a marker of whole-body inflammation. Logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between WHS-defined DED and mMDS, corrected for age, sex, BMI, education, income, and 48 potentially confounding comorbidities. The association between mMDS and hsCRP, and hsCRP and DED, was further explored in separate regressions., Results: Of all participants, 9.1% had DED. In contrast to the hypothesis, higher mMDS levels were associated with greater odds of DED, corrected for demographics, smoking status, BMI, and comorbidities (OR 1.034, 95%CI: 1.015 to 1.055, P = 0.001). Moreover, there was a highly significant relationship between increasing mMDS and lower circulating hsCRP levels; however, there was no significant relationship between hsCRP and DED., Conclusions: Stronger adherence to a Mediterranean diet does not appear to be associated with lower odds of having DED in the general population. Furthermore, there was no association between hsCRP and DED in this study. However, the previously described link between a Mediterranean diet and lower hsCRP was confirmed in this large population-based study., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper provides an empirical probabilistic model for estimating the downtime of lifelines following earthquakes. Generally, the downtime of infrastructure varies according to several factors, including the characteristics of the exposed structure, the earthquake intensity, and the amount of available human resources. Having so many variables makes the process of estimating the downtime even harder. Therefore, it is necessary to have a simple and practical model to estimate the downtime of infrastructure systems. To do so, a large database has been collected from literature, which includes damage data for many earthquakes that took place in the last century. The database has been used to create restoration curves for four types of lifelines: Water distribution network, Gas network, Power system, and Telecommunication network. Different restoration curves have been developed based on several criteria, such as the earthquake magnitude, development level of the affected country, and countries with enough data. The restoration curves have been presented in terms of probability of recovery and time; the longer is the time after the disaster, the higher is the probability of the infrastructure to recover its functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of composite materials in the water supply pipe primarily for their qualities involves studying the behavior and the specific types of pipes it is subjected during operation. This article aims to provide those interested in the management of drinking water a working effectively with direct reference to the assessment of the various actions that occur during execution and service to their evolution and the effects of actions on pipelines by statically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) is an important marker of heart health, with low values reflecting reduced vagal control of the heart rhythm.Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a broad range of demographic (age, sex), lifestyle (physical activity, smoking, alcohol use), and psychosocial factors (stress, social well-being, neuroticism) explain individual differences in HRV in the general population.Methods: Using baseline data of 10-second electrocardiograms from the Lifelines Cohort Study (n = 149,205; 58.7% female; mean age ± SD: 44.6 ± 13.2 years), we calculated the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) between adjacent interbeat intervals as an index of cardiac parasympathetic nervous system activity. We also calculated RMSSD adjusted for its dependency on heart rate (cRMSSD). The association of demographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors with RMSSD was assessed using hierarchical linear regression models adjusting for potential confounding effects of medication use, disease, and body mass index.Results: HRV strongly declined with age and was consistently higher in women. These demographic factors together explained 17.4% of the variance in RMSSD and 21.9% in cRMSSD. Physical activity, alcohol use, and smoking showed some significant associations with RMSSD, but stress, social well-being, and neuroticism did not. Adding lifestyle and psychosocial factors to the model additionally explained <0.50% of the variance.Conclusion: Age and sex were the most important determinants in this very large general population cohort, explaining almost one-fifth of the individual differences in HRV. The additional contribution of lifestyle and psychosocial factors was negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the activities developed under the framework of the Global Earthquake Model, the development of a global consequences database was included. This was defined with the objective of serving as public repository of damages and losses, occurred on different types of elements because of a selected list of earthquakes with epicentres at varying locations around the globe, but also to be used as a benchmark for the development of vulnerability models that capture specific characteristics of the building typologies in each country. The online earthquakes consequences’ database has information on 71 events where 16 of them occurred in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region. A complete and comprehensive review and data gathering process were developed for these selected earthquakes accounting for different aspects and dimensions that were considered of interest, besides the physical damage, such as casualties, socio-economic implications, damages and disruptions in critical facilities and infrastructures, together with the occurrence of secondary events triggered by the ground shaking such as landslides and tsunamis. When possible, the damage and casualties were geo-located using a standardized approach and included in the database. The contributions of the Latin America and Caribbean Region to the database were at the same time a challenge and an opportunity to collect, review, put together and standardize, up to a certain point, damage data of previous earthquakes additionally of being a step forward in the field of open data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for the development of fully probabilistic seismic risk assessments on water and sewage networks is presented in this paper together with a case study for the system of Manizales, Colombia. These kinds of assessments require the development of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, the consideration of local site effects, when relevant, the assembly of databases to identify and characterize the exposed elements and the development and assignment of vulnerability models for each type of component. For the case of Manizales, a high-resolution exposure database has been developed (element by element, segment by segment) based on the information and data provided by the owner and operator of the network, Aguas de Manizales. Losses due to earthquakes are obtained after convoluting the hazard and vulnerability inputs in a fully probabilistic manner, using the state-of-the-art methodologies incorporated in the CAPRA risk assessment module. Several risk metrics such as the loss exceedance curve, the loss exceedance probabilities for different time frames and the average annual loss are obtained for the system as a whole as well as disaggregated by component. In addition, repair rates for the pipelines were also calculated. The risk results obtained in this study have been useful for the company in designing and implementing expansion and maintenance plans that explicitly account for seismic risk mitigation issues, as well as to explore and negotiate financial protection alternatives by means of risk transfer and retention schemes, thus becoming a valuable input in the continuous development of good disaster risk management practices in this city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]