Optimizing fire station locations for the Istanbul metropolitan municipality

Copyright @ 2013 INFORMSThe Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) seeks to determine locations for additional fire stations to build in Istanbul; its objective is to make residences and historic sites reachable by emergency vehicles within five minutes of a fire station’s receipt of a service request. In this paper, we discuss our development of a mathematical model to aid IMM in determining these locations by using data retrieved from its fire incident records. We use a geographic information system to implement the model on Istanbul’s road network, and solve two location models—set-covering and maximal-covering—as what-if scenarios. We discuss 10 scenarios, including the situation that existed when we initiated the project and the scenario that IMM implemented. The scenario implemented increases the city’s fire station coverage from 58.6 percent to 85.9 percent, based on a five-minute response time, with an implementation plan that spans three years

ONSET CHARACTERISTICS AND ACCOMPANYING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES IN AUTOIMMUNE BULLOUS DERMATOSES

Amaç: Demografik ve klinik özellikleri açısından bazı farklılıklar gösteren otoimmünbüllöz dermatoz (OBD)'lara bazı otoimmün hastalıkların eşlik edebildiği bildirilmiştir.Bu çalışmada kliniğimizde yatan OBD olgularında demografik ve klinik başlangıçözellikleri ile eşlik eden otoimmün hastalıkların araştırılması amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve yöntem: Bu çalışmada 2000-2009 tarihleri arasında kliniğimizde yatanOBD'lu 97 olgunun dosyası cinsiyet, başlangıç yaşı, dökülerin başlangıç yeri ve eşlikeden otoimmün hastalıklar açısından retrospektif olarak taranmıştır.Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 97 olgunun 50 (%51,5)'si pemfigus (37'si pemfigusvulgaris, 4'ü pemfigus vejetans, 9'u pemfigus foliaseus), 40 (%41,2)'ı pemfigoid (38'ibüllöz pemfigoid, 2'si sikatrisyel pemfigoid), 5'i (%5,1) dermatitis herpetiformis, 1(%1,1)'i lineer Ig A büllöz dermatozu ve 1 (%1,1)'i ise edinsel epidermolizis büllozaolarak saptanmıştır. Pemfigus vulgaris, pemfigus vejetans ve büllöz pemfigoidliolgularda hem deri hem mukozada başlayan dökülerin görüldüğü, pemfigus foliaseus,dermatitis herpetiformis, lineer IgA büllöz dermatozu ve edinsel epidermolizisbüllozalı olgularda sadece deri başlangıçlı dökülerin olduğu ve sikatrisyel pemfigoidliolgularda ise sadece mukozal başlangıçlı dökülerin görüldüğü belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca,genel olarak OBD'lu olguların %26,8'inde en sık diabetes mellitus (%17,5) olmak üzerepsoriyazis, liken planus, Hashimato tiroiditi, Graves hastalığı, romatoid artrit veülseratif kolit gibi eşlik eden otoimmün bir hastalık saptanmıştır.Sonuç: Farklı başlangıç özellikleri gösteren OBD'lara farklı oranlarda olmakla birliktebazı otoimmün hastalıkların eşlik edebildiği gösterilmiştir.SUMMARYObjectives: It has been reported that some autoimmune diseases may be accompaniedwith autoimmune bullous dermatoses (ABD) which may show some differences indemographic and clinical characteristics. In this study, we aimed to investigate thedemographic and clinical onset characteristics, and the accompanying autoimmunediseases in ABD patients previously hospitalized in our clinic.Material and method: In this study, the files of 97 ABD patients who had been hospi-talized between years 2000-2009 were retrospectively reviewed in terms of gender, ageat onset, onset localization of lesions, and the accompanying autoimmune diseases.Results: Between the 97 patients, 50 (51.5%) had pemphigus (pemphigus vulgaris in37 patients, pemphigus vegetans in 4 patients, pemphigus foliaceus in 9 patients), 40(41.2%) had pemphigoid (bullous pemphigoid in 37 patients, cicatricial pemphigoid in2 patients), 5 (5.1%) had dermatitis herpetiformis, 1 (1.1%) had linear IgA bullousdermatosis and 1 (1.1%) had epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. It is determined that thedisease began from both skin and mucosa in patients with pemphigus vulgaris,pemphigus vegetans and bullous pemphigoid, only skin in patients with pemphigusfoliaceus, dermatitis herpetiformis, linear IgA bullous dermatosis and epidermolysisbullosa acquisita, and only mucosa in patients with cicatricial pemphigoid.Furthermore, 26.8% of all ABD patients accompanied by autoimmune diseasesprimarily diabetes mellitus (17.5%), subsequently psoriasis, lichen planus, Hashimatothyroiditis, Graves disease, romatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that some autoimmune diseases in differentproportions may accompany ABD which show different onset characteristics

Mutations in Influenza A Virus (H5N1) and Possible Limited Spread, Turkey, 2006

We report mutations in influenza A virus (H5N1) strains associated with 2 outbreaks in Turkey. Four novel amino acid changes (Q447L, N556K, and R46K in RNA polymerase and S133A in hemagglutinin) were detected in virus isolates from 2 siblings who died

Optimizing fire station locations for Istanbul metropolitan municipality

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) seeks to determine locations for additional fire stations to build in Istanbul; its objective is to make residences and historic sites reachable by emergency vehicles within five minutes of a fire station's receipt of a service request. In this paper, we discuss our development of a mathematical model to aid IMM in determining these locations by using data retrieved from its fire incident records. We use a geographic information system to implement the model on Istanbul's road network, and solve two location models-set-covering and maximal-covering-as what-if scenarios. We discuss 10 scenarios, including the situation that existed when we initiated the project and the scenario that IMM implemented. The scenario implemented increases the city's fire station coverage from 58.6 percent to 85.9 percent, based on a five-minute response time, with an implementation plan that spans three years