Integral resource capacity planning for inpatient care services based on bed census predictions by hour

The design and operations of inpatient care facilities are typically largely historically shaped. A better match with the changing environment is often possible, and even inevitable due to the pressure on hospital budgets. Effectively organizing inpatient care requires simultaneous consideration of several interrelated planning issues. Also, coordination with upstream departments like the operating theatre and the emergency department is much-needed. We present a generic analytical approach to predict bed census on nursing wards by hour, as a function of the Master Surgical Schedule and arrival patterns of emergency patients. Along these predictions, insight is gained on the impact of strategic (ie, case mix, care unit size, care unit partitioning), tactical (ie, allocation of operating room time, misplacement rules), and operational decisions (ie, time of admission/discharge). The method is used in the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam as a decision-support tool in a complete redesign of the inpatient care operations.     

Ultra‐small and highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles inside the pores of ZIF‐8: Sustainable approach to waste‐minimized Mizoroki–Heck cross‐coupling reaction based on reusable heterogeneous catalyst

The rapid development of nanomaterials, particularly advanced hybrid nanoparticles, has made new opportunities for the design and fabrication of high‐performance metal‐based catalysts. However, generating metal nanoparticles of desired size without aggregation is an important challenge for enhancing the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles supported in the host matrix. In this work, a hybrid nanoporous material, namely Pd nanoparticles@N‐heterocyclic carbene@ZIF‐8, with a high internal surface area was successfully prepared using a dispersed anionic sulfonated N‐heterocyclic carbene–Pd(II) precursor inside the cavities of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐8) using an impregnation approach followed by reduction with NaBH₄. The anionic sulfonated N‐heterocyclic carbene was found to be a superb ligand for the stabilization of Pd nanoparticles in the pores of ZIF‐8. The resulting system was applied to the Mizoroki–Heck cross‐coupling reaction, in which the catalyst showed high catalytic activity under mild reaction conditions.     

Experimental and Numerical Study of the Static Performance of a Hoop-Wrapped CNG Composite Cylinder Considering Its Variable Wall Thickness and Polymer Liner

Mechanics of Composite Materials - The static performance of a composite type 4 CNG cylinder was investigated using a finite-element simulation and experimental validation. This cylinder involved a...     

Preparation of Silica‐bonded Propyl‐diethylene‐triamine‐N‐sulfamic Acid as a Recyclable Catalyst for Chemoselective Synthesis of 1,1‐Diacetates

A simple and efficient procedure for the preparation of silica‐bonded propyl‐diethylene‐triamine‐N‐sulfamic acid (SPDTSA) by reaction of 3‐diethylenetriamine‐propylsilica (DTPS) and chlorosulfonic acid in chloroform is described. Silica‐bonded propyl‐diethylene‐triamine‐N‐sulfamic acid is employed as a recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of 1,1‐diacetates from aromatic aldehydes and acetic anhydride under mild and solvent‐free conditions at room temperature. Catalyst could be recycled for several times without any additional treatment.     

Attack of radicals and protons on ladderane lipids: quantum chemical calculations and biological implications

Quantum chemical calculations on possible decomposition processes for ladderane lipids are described. Based on the results of these calculations, it is proposed that hydrogen atom abstraction next to the ladderane core can lead to opening of the cyclobutane rings comprising the ladderane substructure, and protonation leads directly to fragmentation. Potential biological implications of these processes are discussed.