Modelling resource availability in general hospitals design and implementation of a decision support model

Admission planning in general hospitals means selecting elective patients from a waiting list in order to obtain optimal utilisation of the available beds, nursing staff and operating theatre facilities while taking into account emergency admissions. Also, a wide variety of other factors, often situational and not explicitly stated, play a part in this decision process. As such, it is a complex problem which is difficult to handle for any decision maker. In this paper a statistical model for the prediction of resource availability is presented. The model is first tested on empirical data. On the basis of the model a DSS was designed which is now in daily use in several hospitals. Problems encountered in that implementation process will be stated. The results obtained with the model show that such an approach based on statistical data provides sufficiently accurate results to be useful.     

H3PO4 activated biochars derived from different agricultural biomasses for the removal of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solution

Biochars were prepared by the pyrolysis of various H₃PO₄ activated agricultural biomasses at 600 °C and subsequently used as adsorbents for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) from aqueous solution. Peanut shell-based biochar (PSBC), corncob-based biochar (CCBC) and cotton-based biochar (CTBC) had high surface areas (571.0–1006.3 m²/g), well-developed pore structures (mesopores with large pore volumes) and available adsorption functional groups (C=C, C–N and C–O–C). The CIP adsorption onto the biochars was investigated by batch experiments (kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, pH, etc.). Thermodynamics calculations showed the spontaneous (ΔG^θ<0) and endothermic (ΔH^θ>0) nature of the mechanism. In particular, CCBC exhibited high adsorption capacity (120.6 mg/g) of CIP in real lake water and it also had significant removal efficiency of other common pharmaceutical contaminants from real lake environment, and even in a coexisting quintuple system. Finally, multiple interaction mechanisms of CIP adsorption onto aromatized biochar were explored combining characterization analysis and theoretical calculations. Elucidation of the mechanism of CIP adsorption onto biochar provides new insights into the assessment of the removal of pharmaceuticals from the aqueous environment.     

Messenger sneutrinos as cold dark matter

In models where supersymmetry breaking is communicated into the visible sector via gauge interactions the lightest supersymmetric particle is typically the gravitino which is too light to account for cold dark matter. We point out that the lightest messenger sneutrinos with mass in the range of one to three TeV may serve as cold dark matter over most of the parameter space due to one-loop electroweak radiative corrections. However, in the minimal model this mass range has been excluded by the direct dark matter searches. We propose a solution to this problem by introducing terms that explicitly violate the messenger number. This results in low detection rate for both direct and indirect searches and allows messenger sneutrinos to be a valid dark matter candidate in a wide region of SUSY parameter space.     

Electro-osmotic pumping of sodium chloride solutions

Electro-osmotic pumping (EOP) theory and its characteristics (transport numbers, brine concentration, current density, current efficiency, electro-osmotic coefficients, etc.) of Selemion AMV and CMV ion-exchange membranes were studied. The brine concentration increased with increase in current density and feed water concentration. Current efficiency was nearly constant in a wide range of current densities and feed water concentrations. The water flow through the membranes also increased with increasing current density and feed water concentration. The increase in water flow increased the current efficiency significantly. Consequently, water flow through electrodialysis (ED) membranes had a positive effect on ED. Electro-osmotic coefficients decreased with increasing feed water concentration. Osmotic flow in EOP-ED decreased relative to the total flow with increasing current density while the electro-osmotic flow increased relative to the osmotic flow. Osmotic flow significantly contributes to the total water flow in EOP. Selemion AMV and CMV membranes performed well for salt concentration. A simple membrane potential measurement has been demonstrated to function reasonably satisfactorily to predict membrane performance for salt concentration.     

Atmospheric peroxy radicals: ROXMAS,a new mass-spectrometric methodology for speciated measurements of HO2 and ∑RO2 and first results

ROXMAS (ROx Chemical Conversion/CIMS), a novel method for atmospheric speciated measurements of HO₂ and the sum of organic peroxy radicals (∑RO₂) developed by MPI-K, has been successfully deployed in a field campaign on Monte Cimone, Italy, June-July 2000. The method relies on amplifying chemical conversion of peroxy radicals to gaseous sulfuric acid via the chain reaction with NO and SO₂ and detection of the sulfuric acid by CIMS. Speciated measurements have been realized by diluting atmospheric air in either N₂ or O₂ buffer, thus exploiting the dependence of the conversion efficiency of RO₂ to HO₂ on [O₂], [NO], and [SO₂]. Speciated measurements of HO₂ and RO₂ are required to provide further insight into radical partitioning and thus to elucidate further the mechanisms of the oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the troposphere. This methodology yields useful speciated results for atmospheric conditions where CH₃O₂ makes a major contribution to total RO₂. Under other conditions it gives an upper limit for [HO₂] and a lower limit for [∑RO₂].     

Spatiotemporal variations of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations between 31 Chinese cities and their relationships with SO2, NO2, CO and O3

The variations of mass concentrations of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ in 31 Chinese provincial capital cities were analyzed based on data from 286 monitoring sites obtained between March 22, 2013 and March 31, 2014. By comparing the pollutant concentrations over this length of time, the characteristics of the monthly variations of mass concentrations of air pollutants were determined. We used the Pearson correlation coefficient to establish the relationship between PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and the gas pollutants. The results revealed significant differences in the concentration levels of air pollutants and in the variations between the different cities. The Pearson correlation coefficients between PMs and NO₂ and SO₂ were either high or moderate (PM_2.5 with NO₂: r = 0.256–0.688, mean r = 0.498; PM₁₀ with NO₂: r = 0.169–0.713, mean r = 0.493; PM_2.5 with SO₂: r = 0.232–0.693, mean r = 0.449; PM₁₀ with SO₂: r = 0.131–0.669, mean r = 0.403). The correlation between PMs and CO was diverse (PM_2.5: r = 0.156–0.721, mean r = 0.437; PM₁₀: r = 0.06–0.67, mean r = 0.380). The correlation between PMs and O₃ was either weak or uncorrelated (PM_2.5: r = −0.35 to 0.089, mean r = −0.164; PM₁₀: r = −0.279 to 0.078, mean r = −0.127), except in Haikou (PM_2.5: r = 0.500; PM₁₀: r = 0.509).     

The ESR observation of 14NH+3 and 15NH+3 trapped in an argon matrix at 14 K

The molecular ion NH⁺₃ has been trapped in an argon matrix at 14 K by photoionisation of an NH₃/Ar mixture during deposition. The NH⁺₃ cation has been found to be rigidly trapped in the argon matrix and exhibits a powder ESR spectrum. The derived magnetic parameters agree well with those obtained by other workers in different matrices. A strong reversible temperature dependence of the linewidth of the NH⁺₃ spectrum has been observed.     

The effects of fluoride on various stages of enamel formation in vitro

A survey has been given on the effects of various F⁻ concentrations on different stages of amelogenesis in vitro. For short-term-exposure the transitional ameloblast seems to be very sensitive (4–6 μMol/L F⁻).52 μMol F⁻ (1ppm) inhibited mineralization of newly formed matrix in favour of hypermineralization of already existing crystallites This matrix re-started to mineralization after removing the F⁻.No direct histological in vitro effects of F⁻ on the maturing ameloblasts were demonstrated. These in vitro effects which may also be reached in the plasma of children after F treatment are used to explain the clinical appearance of fluorosis.