The relevance of WHO injury surveillance guidelines for evaluation: learning from the aboriginal community-centered injury surveillance system (ACCISS) and two institution-based systems

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the past three decades, the capacity to develop and implement injury surveillance systems (ISS) has grown worldwide and is reflected by the diversity of data gathering environments in which ISS operate. The capacity to evaluate ISS, however, is less advanced and existing evaluation guidelines are ambiguous. Furthermore, the applied relevance of these guidelines to evaluate ISS operating in various settings is unclear. The aim of this paper was to examine how the World Health Organization (WHO) injury surveillance guidelines have been applied to evaluate systems operating in three different contexts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The attributes of a good surveillance system as well as instructions for conducting evaluations, outlined in the WHO injury surveillance guidelines, were used to develop an analytical framework. Using this framework, a comparative analysis of the application of the guidelines was conducted using; the Aboriginal Community-Centered Injury Surveillance System (ACCISS) from Canada, the Shantou-Emergency Department Injury Surveillance Project (S-EDISP) from China, and the Yorkhill-Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (Y-CHIRPP) imported from Canada and implemented in Scotland.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The WHO guidelines provide only a basic platform for evaluation. The guidelines over emphasize epidemiologic attributes and methods and under emphasize public health and injury prevention perspectives requiring adaptation for context-based relevance. Evaluation elements related to the dissemination and use of knowledge, acceptability, and the sustainability of ISS are notably inadequate. From a public health perspective, alternative reference points are required for re-conceptualizing evaluation paradigms. This paper offers an ISS evaluation template that considers how the WHO guidelines could be adapted and applied.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Findings suggest that attributes of a good surveillance system, when used as evaluation metrics, cannot be weighted equally across ISS. In addition, the attribute of acceptability likely holds more relevance than previously recognized and should be viewed as a critical underpinning attribute of ISS. Context-oriented evaluations sensitive to distinct operational environments are more likely to address knowledge gaps related to; understanding links between the production of injury data and its use, and the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of ISS. Current frameworks are predisposed to disassociating epidemiologic approaches from subjective factors and social processes.</p

The newly defined "Greenstone Unit'' of the Aiguilles Rouges massif (western Alps): remnant of an Early Palaeozoic oceanic island-arc ?

In the southwestern part of the Aiguilles Rouges massif (pre-Alpine basement of the Helvetic realm, western Alps), a metavolcanic sequence, newly defined as the ``Greenstone Unit'',is exposed in two NS trending belts of several 100 metres in thickness. It consists of epidote amphibolites, partly epidote and/or calcic amphibole-bearing greenschists, and small amounts of alkali feldspar-bearing greenschists, which underwent low- to medium-grade metamorphism during Visean oblique collision. Metamorphic calcic amphiboles and epidotes show strong chemical zoning, whereas metamorphic plagioclase is exclusively albitic in composition (An 1-3). The SiO2 content of the subalkaline tholeiitic to calc-alkaline suite ranges continuously from 44 wt% to 73 wt%,but andesitic rocks predominate. The majority of samples have chemical compositions close to recent subduction-related lavas; some are even restricted to recent oceanic arcs (extremely low Ta and Nb contents, high La/Nb and Th/Ta ratios). But several basaltic to basalto-andesitic samples resemble continental tholeiites (low Th/Ta, La/Nb ratio). As it is very probable that both lava types are to some extent contemporaneous, it is proposed that the Greenstone Unit represents a former oceanic volcanic are which temporarily underwent extension during which emplacement of continental tholeiite-like rocks occurred. The cause of the extension remains ambiguous. Considering palaeotectonic significance and age of other metavolcanic units in the Aiguilles Rouges massif, the Greenstone Unit most likely formed in the Early Palaeozoic

Design and optimization of a multi-coil system for inductive charging with small air gap

This paper focuses on the magnetic design of a multi-coil system for an inductive power transfer (IPT) system for charging electric vehicles with a small air gap between transmitter and receiver coils. Thus, external stray fields can be reduced and the expense of material decreases compared to systems using a large air gap. The magnetic design of the multi-coil system is optimized for the given package space of the vehicle by using a new coupled numeric approach and considering additional coil geometries as well as alternative winding structures. The result of this design process presents the basis to build up a prototype system, including an additional secondary side DC/DC converter. Therewith, an efficiency between 92% and 96% at an output power of up to 3.5kW is achieved

Anteil der Partikel-Emissionen aus Holzverbrennung an PM₁₀-Feinstaubimmissionen im st&auml;dtischen Umfeld am Beispiel von Augsburg - Teil 2: Ausbreitungsrechnung.

Zur Beurteilung des Einflusses von Emissionen aus der Geb&auml;udeheizung auf die Feinstaubbelastung (PM10) in der Umgebungsluft wurden in der Heizperiode 2007/2008 Immissionsmessungen und Ausbreitungsrechnungen f&uuml;r den Raum Augsburg durchgef&uuml;hrt. Die Ausbreitungsrechnungen basieren auf Daten zu Emissionsintensit&auml;t und -ort (Emissionszeitreihen), zur Orographie (Geb&auml;ude und Gel&auml;nde) sowie zur Meteorologie. Die Ergebnisse der Ausbreitungsrechnung stimmen gut mit den gemessenen PM10-Konzentrationen &uuml;berein. Ein wesentliches Ergebnis ist, dass die maximale Feinstaubkonzentration in einem Wohngebiet mit einer hohen Dichte an Holz-Einzelraumfeuerungsanlagen (Kamin&ouml;fen) doppelt so hoch ist wie im Stadtzentrum. Die Immissionsmessungen und die Ergebnisse der Ausbreitungsrechnung zeigen einen signifikanten Einfluss der h&auml;uslichen Holzverbrennung auf die Feinstaubkonzentration in der Umgebungsluft: Die h&ouml;chste &uuml;ber die Heizperiode gemittelte Zusatzbelastung in einer Rechenzelle betrug 3,5 &micro;g/m&sup3;. Der berechnete Heizperiodenmittelwert &uuml;ber alle Zellen mit Wohnbebauung mit einer mittleren Zusatzbelastung von mindestens 0,5 &micro;g/m&sup3; betr&auml;gt 1,32 &micro;g/m&sup3;. Auf der Basis der Untersuchungsergebnisse kann der Einfluss der Holzverbrennung in mittelgro&szlig;en St&auml;dten abgesch&auml;tzt werden

Ambient PM₁₀ concentrations from wood combustion - emission modeling and dispersion calculation for the city area of Augsburg, Germany.

Ambient PM10 concentration monitoring as well as dispersion calculations were conducted to determine the influence of emissions from domestic heating on ambient PM10 concentrations in Augsburg, Germany. Based on the Augsburg emission inventory for domestic heating an average emission factor for particulate emissions from the combustion of different solid fuels (wood logs, pellets, briquettes) in different types of stoves under various combustion conditions was found to be 120 mg/MJ energy input. Hence an emission model as well as a wind field model were created for dispersion calculation of the emitted PM from wood combustion within Augsburg. The results of the dispersion calculation concurred with the ambient PM10 monitoring data measured during the heating period 2007/2008. One result found that in residential areas with a high density of stoves the observed maximum concentration value of 9 &mu;g/m3 from wood combustion was up to 50 % higher than in the city center. Ambient monitoring as well as dispersion calculation has shown a significant influence of wood combustion on ambient PM10 concentrations in Augsburg. Based on these results the impact of wood combustion in a city can be estimated

NTS2-selective neurotensin mimetics with tetrahydrofuran amino acids

Stimulation of the NTS2 neurotensin receptor causes antipsychotic effects and leads to a promotion of the l-opioid-independent antinociception, which is important in the modulation of tonic pain sensitivity. We report the synthesis and properties of a small library of peptidic agonists based on the active neurotensin fragment NT(8-13). Two tetrahydrofuran amino acid derivatives were synthesized to replace Tyr(11) in NT (8-13). Additionally, Arg(8), Arg(9), and Ile(12) of the lead peptide were exchanged by Lys, Lys, and Gly, respectively. The new compounds showed substantial NTS2 binding affinity and up to 1000-fold selectivity over NTS1. The highest selectivity (Ki(NTS2): 29 nM, Ki(NTS1): 35,000 nM) was observed for the peptide analog 17(Rtrans). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved