Testing for Legionella in Healthcare Facilities: Evaluation of the Reproducibility of Legionella Test Results and the Impact of Time on Viability and Variability

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. S69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue M. Mietzner ◽  
Andrea J. Schaeffer ◽  
Sue M. Mietzner ◽  
Mohamed H. Yassin ◽  
Marilyn M. Wagener ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Larisa Dmitrievna Popovich ◽  
Svetlana Valentinovna Svetlichnaya ◽  
Aleksandr Alekseevich Moiseev

Diabetes – a disease in which the effect of the treatment substantially depends on the patient. Known a study showed that the use of glucometers with the technology of three-color display of test results facilitates self-monitoring of blood sugar and leads to a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Purpose of the study: to modeling the impact of using of a glucometer with a color-coded display on the clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus and calculating, the potential economic benefits of reducing the hospitalization rate of patients with diabetes. Material and methods. Based on data from two studies (O. Schnell et al. and M. Baxter et al.) simulation of the reduction in the number of complications with the use of a glucometer with a color indication. In a study by O. Schnell et al. a decrease of HbA1c by 0.69 percent is shown when using the considered type of glucometers, which was the basis of the model. Results. In the model, the use of a glucometer with a color-coded display for type 1 diabetes led to a decrease in the total number of complications by 9.2 thousand over 5 years per a cohort of 40 thousand patients with different initial levels of HbA1c. In a cohort of 40 thousand patients with type 2 diabetes, the simulated number of prevented complications was 1.7 thousand over 5 years. When extrapolating these data to all patients with diabetes included in the federal register of diabetes mellitus (FRD), the number of prevented complications was 55.4 thousand cases for type 1 diabetes and 67.1 thousand cases for type 2 diabetes. The possible economic effect from the use of the device by all patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, which are included in the FRD, estimated at 1.5 billion rubles for a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes and 5.3 billion rubles for patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion. Improving the effectiveness of self-monitoring, which is the result of the use of glucometers with color indicators, can potentially significantly reduce the incidence of complications in diabetes and thereby provide significant economic benefits to society.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135481662110224
Author(s):  
Liang-Ju Wang ◽  
Ming-Hsiang Chen ◽  
Zhandong Yang ◽  
Ching-Hui (Joan) Su

This study proposes and tests two hypotheses concerning the effects of hotel industry operations on air quality based on data of 26 major tourist cities in China from 2002 to 2017. The empirical analyses take two steps. In the first step, panel regression test results reveal that hotel industry operations (measured by hotel sales revenue) significantly raise the value of particulate matter (PM)2.5 (the key indicator of air quality), supporting the first hypothesis that hotel industry operations deteriorate air quality and providing empirical evidence of the adverse impact of the hotel industry on air quality. In the second step, subsample analyses support the second hypothesis that the impact of hotel sales revenue on air quality diminishes over time. The results from the rolling regression tests validate the existence of a diminishing effect of hotel industry operations on air quality.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1895
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kozior ◽  
Czesław Kundera

This research paper reviews the test results involving viscoelastic properties of cellular structure models made with the PolyJet Matrix—PJM additive technology. The designed test specimens were of complex cellular structure and made of three various photo-curable polymer resin types. Materials were selected taking into account the so-called “soft” and “tough” material groups. Compressive stress relaxation tests were conducted in accordance with the recommendations of standard ISO 3384, and the impact of the geometric structure shape and material selection on viscoelastic properties, as well as the most favorable geometric variants of the tested cellular structure models were determined. Mathematica and Origin software was used to conduct a statistical analysis of the test results and determine five-parameter functions approximating relaxation curves. The most favorable rheological was adopted and its mean parameters determined, which enables to match both printed model materials and their geometry in the future, to make a component with a specific rheological response. Furthermore, the test results indicated that there was a possibility of modelling cellular structures within the PJM technology, using support material as well.


Author(s):  
Behrad Pourmohammadi ◽  
Ahad Heydari ◽  
Farin Fatemi ◽  
Ali Modarresi

Abstract Objectives: Iran is exposed to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. Health-care facilities can play a significant role in providing life-saving measures in the minutes and hours immediately following the impact or exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness of health-care facilities in disasters and emergencies. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Damghan, Semnan Province, in 2019. The samples consisted of all the 11 health-care facilities located in Damghan County. A developed checklist was used to collect the data, including 272 questions in 4 sections: understanding threatening hazards, functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability of health-care facilities. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The results revealed that the health-care facilities were exposed to 22 different natural and man-made hazards throughout the county. The total level of preparedness of the health-care centers under assessment was 45.8%. The average functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability was assessed at 49.3%, 31.6%, and 56.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Conducting mitigation measures is necessary for promoting the functional and structural preparedness. Disaster educational programs and exercises are recommended among the health staff in health-care facilities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Kandil ◽  
Muhammad Shahbaz ◽  
Mantu Kumar Mahalik ◽  
Duc Khuong Nguyen

Purpose Using annual data from 1970 to 2013 for China and India, this paper aims to examine the impact of globalization and financial development on economic growth by endogenizing capital and inflation and drawing comparisons between the two fastest growing emerging market economies. Design/methodology/approach In the long run, co-integration test results indicate that financial development increases economic growth in China and India. Findings The results also reveal that globalization accelerates economic growth in India but, surprisingly, impairs economic growth in China, as it increases competition for exports. The results furthermore disclose that acceleration in capitalization and inflation, as a proxy for aggregate demand, are positively linked to economic growth in China and India. Originality/value Causality test results indicate that both financial development and economic growth are interdependent. In contrast, causality runs from higher economic growth to increased globalization in India, while the results do not support long-term causality between globalization and economic growth in China.


Author(s):  
Dorota Brzezinska ◽  
Marcin Fryda

The following technical note demonstrates full-scale staircase test results of the pressure differential system improvement method described by Fryda et al. in 2021. It is a continuation of experimental research on the impact of the escape route’s leakages on the pressure differential systems for staircases. Based on the lab experiments, it has been found that an additional throttle of the leak implemented in the pressure differential system improves its effectiveness and allows it to be more precisely adjusted to the required overpressure. The results presented in this article have confirmed this hypothesis and provided the opportunity to apply for new patent solutions of a special throttle of the leak control and pressure regulating system. The proposed new leakage-based improvements could increase the efficiency of existing systems based on proportional-integral-derivative controller and could also be installed in new buildings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.12) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Gayathri R ◽  
Murali. G ◽  
Parthiban Kathirvel ◽  
Haridharan M.K ◽  
Karthikeyan. K

Impact strength data is a noteworthy factor for designing airport pavements, civilian and military structures etc and it is ought to be modelled precisely. In order to achieve an appropriate modelling data, it is important to select a suitable estimation method. One such commonly used statistical tool is the two parameter Weibull distribution for modelling impact failure strength accurately besides the variations in test results. This study statistically commandsthe variations in the impact failure strength (number of blows to induce failure) of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) subjected to drop hammer test. Subsequently, a four-different novel method for the computation of Weibull parameter (Shape parameter) based on the earlier researchers test results has been proposed. The accuracy of the proposed four novel method is demonstrated by comparing with power density method and verified with goodness of fit test. Finally, the impact failure strength of FRC is offered in terms of reliability. The proposed four NEPFM is very suitable and efficient to compute the shape parameter in impact failure strength applications. 


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. Assan ◽  
Samuel K. Assan ◽  
Nicola Assan ◽  
Lauren Smith

The article examines health inequalities and the impact of changing healthcare provision in rural Indonesia. Traditional medicine is often the only source of medical care for a majority of the population in rural Indonesia. However, the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) requires the provision and implementation of modern healthcare systems. Using case studies from four rural districts in Kaledupa, a remote island in southeast Sulawesi in Indonesia, the study shows that although modern healthcare facilities are present in the sampled island, they seem to be remote with limited access in comparison with the number of traditional practitioners. High costs, cultural beliefs, distrust and distance to modern healthcare facilities appear to be the most common reasons for people opting for traditional healthcare. However, social reconstruction in the perception and provision of care has also led to a gradual disappearance of the traditional healthcare provision. The study calls for policy intervention approaches that are geographically and culturally sensitive as the most pragmatic means towards the attainment of MDG targets for the health sector of Indonesia.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 496-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. J. O. M. van Rooij ◽  
J. G. Schepers

The effect of rotation has been investigated with emphasis on the impact of blade geometry on the “correction factor” in stall models. The data used came from field tests and wind tunnel experiments performed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and were restricted to the steady-state nonyawed conditions. Three blade layouts were available; a blade with constant chord without twist (phase II), a blade with constant chord and twist (phases III and IV), and a tapered blade with twist (phase VI). Effects due to twist and taper were determined from comparison of c n between the different blade layouts. The formulation of the stall model was rewritten so that the measured c n values could be used without reference to 2D airfoil performance. This enabled a direct comparison of the normal force characteristics between the four blade stations of the selected blade configurations. In particular, the correction term f used in stall models for rotational effects was analyzed. The comparison between the test results with a straight and a twisted blade showed that a relation for twist + pitch is required in f . In addition, a dependency offon the angle-of-attack was identified in the measurements and it is recommended that this dependency be incorporated in the stall models.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidekazu Takazawa ◽  
Kazuma Hirosaka ◽  
Katsumasa Miyazaki ◽  
Norihide Tohyama ◽  
Naomi Matsumoto

A new Japanese nuclear regulation involves estimating the possible damage to plant structures due to intentional aircraft impact. The effect of aircraft impact needs to be considered in the existing nuclear power plants. The structural damage and fuel dispersion behavior after aircraft impact into plant structures can be evaluated using finite element analysis (FEA). FEA needs validated experimental data to determine the reliability of the results. In this study, an analysis method was validated using a simple model such as a cylindrical tank. Numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the impact and dispersion behavior of a water-filled cylindrical tank. The simulated results were compared with the test results of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). The simulations were carried out using a multipurpose FEA code LS-DYNA®. The cylindrical tank was modeled using a shell element, and the tank water was modeled using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) elements. First, two analysis models were used to evaluate the effect of the number of SPH elements. One had about 300,000 SPH elements and the other had 37,000 SPH elements. The cylindrical tank ruptured in the longitudinal direction after crashing into a rigid wall, and the filled water dispersed. There were few differences in the simulated results when using different numbers of SPH elements. The VTT impact test was simulated with an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) element to consider the air drag. The analytical dispersion pattern and history of dispersion velocity ratio agreed well with the impact test results.


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