Perceived utility and feasibility of pathogen genomics for public health practice : a survey among public health professionals working in the field of infectious diseases, Belgium, 2019

Background Pathogen genomics is increasingly being translated from the research setting into the activities of public health professionals operating at different levels. This survey aims to appraise the literacy level and gather the opinions of public health experts and allied professionals working in the field of infectious diseases in Belgium concerning the implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in public health practice. Methods In May 2019, Belgian public health and healthcare professionals were invited to complete an online survey containing eight main topics including background questions, general attitude towards pathogen genomics for public health practice and main concerns, genomic literacy, current and planned NGS activities, place of NGS in diagnostic microbiology pathways, data sharing obstacles, end-user requirements, and key drivers for the implementation of NGS. Descriptive statistics were used to report on the frequency distribution of multiple choice responses whereas thematic analysis was used to analyze free text responses. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to identify important predictors for a positive attitude towards the implementation of pathogen genomics in public health practice. Results 146 out of the 753 invited public health professionals completed the survey. 63% of respondents indicated that public health agencies should be using genomics to understand and control infectious diseases. Having a high level of expertise in the field of pathogen genomics was the strongest predictor of a positive attitude (OR = 4.04, 95% CI = 1.11 – 17.23). A significantly higher proportion of data providers indicated to have followed training in the field of pathogen genomics compared to data end-users (p < 0.001). Overall, 79% of participants expressed interest in receiving further training. Main concerns were related to the cost of sequencing technologies, data sharing, data integration, interdisciplinary working, and bioinformatics expertise. Conclusions Belgian health professionals expressed favorable views about implementation of pathogen genomics in their work activities related to infectious disease surveillance and control. They expressed the need for suitable training initiatives to strengthen their competences in the field. Their perception of the utility and feasibility of pathogen genomics for public health purposes will be a key driver for its further implementation

Dynamic model of supercritical Organic Rankine Cycle waste heat recovery system for internal combustion engine

The supercritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for the Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) from Internal Combustion (IC) engines has been a growing research area in recent years, driven by the aim to enhance the thermal efficiency of the ORC and engine. Simulation of a supercritical ORC-WHR system before a real-time application is important as high pressure in the system may lead to concerns about safety and availability of components. In the ORC-WHR system, the evaporator is the main contributor to thermal inertia of the system and is considered to be the critical component since the heat transfer of this device influences the efficiency of the system. Since the thermo-physical properties of the fluid at supercritical pressures are dependent on temperature, it is necessary to consider the variations in properties of the working fluid. The wellknown Finite Volume (FV) discretization method is generally used to take those property changes into account. However, a FV model of the evaporator in steady state condition cannot be used to predict the thermal inertia of the cycle when it is subjected to transient heat sources. In this paper, a dynamic FV model of the evaporator has been developed and integrated with other components in the ORC-WHR system. The stability and transient responses along with the performance of the ORC-WHR system for the transient heat source are investigated and are also included in this paper

Cellular composition characterizing postnatal development and maturation of the mouse brain and spinal cord

The process of development, maturation, and regression in the central nervous system (CNS) are genetically programmed and influenced by environment. Hitherto, most research efforts have focused on either the early development of the CNS or the late changes associated with aging, whereas an important period corresponding to adolescence has been overlooked. In this study, we searched for age-dependent changes in the number of cells that compose the CNS (divided into isocortex, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, cerebellum, ‘rest of the brain’, and spinal cord) and the pituitary gland in 4–40-week-old C57BL6 mice, using the isotropic fractionator method in combination with neuronal nuclear protein as a marker for neuronal cells. We found that all CNS structures, except for the isocortex, increased in mass in the period of 4–15 weeks. Over the same period, the absolute number of neurons significantly increased in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum while non-neuronal cell numbers increased in the ‘rest of the brain’ and isocortex. Along with the gain in body length and weight, the pituitary gland also increased in mass and cell number, the latter correlating well with changes of the brain and spinal cord mass. The majority of the age-dependent alterations (e.g., somatic parameters, relative brain mass, number of pituitary cells, and cellular composition of the cerebellum, isocortex, rest of the brain, and spinal cord) occur rapidly between the 4th and 11th postnatal weeks. This period includes murine adolescence, underscoring the significance of this stage in the postnatal development of the mouse CNS

Control of supercritical organic Rankine cycle based waste heat recovery system using conventional and fuzzy self-tuned PID controllers

This research develops a supercritical organic Rankine cycle (ORC) based waste heat recovery (WHR) system for control system simulation. In supercritical ORC-WHR systems, the evaporator is a main contributor to the thermal inertia of the system, which is greatly affected by transient heat sources during operation. In order to capture the thermal inertia of the system and reduce the computation time in the simulation process, a fuzzy-based dynamic evaporator model was developed and integrated with other component models to provide a complete dynamic ORC-WHR model. This paper presents two control strategies for the ORC-WHR system: evaporator temperature control and expander output control, and two control algorithms: a conventional PID controller and a fuzzy-based self-tuning PID controller. The performances of the proposed controllers are tested for set point tracking and disturbance rejection ability in the presence of steady and transient thermal input conditions. The robustness of the proposed controllers is investigated with respect to various operating conditions. The results show that the fuzzy self-tuning PID controller outperformed the conventional PID controller in terms of set point tracking and disturbance rejection ability at all conditions encountered in the paper

Neural bases of inhibitory control: Combining transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic resonance imaging in alcohol-use disorder patients

Those data were used to assess the associations between brain morphometry and different facets of inhibitory control (preparatory suppression, behavioral inhibition, and impulsivity) in patients suffering from severe alcohol-use disorders.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Neural bases of inhibitory control

Those data were used to assess the associations between brain morphometry and different facets of inhibitory control (preparatory suppression, behavioral inhibition, and impulsivity) in patients suffering from severe alcohol-use disorders.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Surveillance environnementale des Poliovirus en Belgique - Etude de faisabilité

La surveillance environnementale est proposée comme l’une des solutions possibles à l’amélioration la qualité de la Surveillance Polio en&nbsp;Belgique. Dans ce sens, une étude de faisabilité relative à la Surveillance environnementale Polio a été commanditée à Sciensano, par le cabinet de la ministre de la Santé publique. L’étude a été finalisée en janvier&nbsp;2020. La surveillance environnementale envisagée par l’étude a pour objectif de démontrer l’absence de poliovirus (PV) circulants, ainsi que de détecter rapidement, le cas échant, toute réintroduction du virus. La présence d’établissements «&nbsp;PEF&nbsp;», détenteurs de poliovirus en Belgique (GSK Rixensart et Fri-pharma), renforce l’importance de disposer d’un tel&nbsp;outil. La plus-value d’une surveillance environnementale réside aussi dans sa complémentarité à la surveillance actuelle. Elle offre notamment l’avantage de jouer un rôle d’avertissement précoce, avec une détection plus rapide du PV après son introduction dans la population.&nbsp;Un autre avantage est que le système permet de couvrir préférentiellement les personnes et les zones les plus à risque de PV. Le système de surveillance environnementale proposé dans l’étude de faisabilité&nbsp; offre une flexibilité&nbsp; de mise en œuvre. Concrètement, le système pourra être intensifié en cas d’incident relatif au PV (p.ex déversement accidentel dans l’environnement), ou étendu à la surveillance d’autres pathogènes (p. ex. norovirus, rotavirus…), et ce, selon les priorités de santé&nbsp;publique. Le design proposé assure aussi une sensibilité de détection&nbsp;suffisante. Le réseau de surveillance se composerait des sites suivants&nbsp;: le site GSK Rixensart, en tant que « would-be-PEF » le plus critique, le centre d’accueil pour demandeurs d’asile « Petit Château » et le quartier congolais « Matonge » de Bruxelles. Pour assurer une bonne représentativité de la population, deux stations d’épuration des eaux usées, une à Bruxelles, et la seconde à Anvers, seraient également incluses au réseau de&nbsp;surveillance. L’étude réalisée confirme la faisabilité technique de contrôler ces différents endroits du réseau d’assainissement belge (égouts et stations d’épuration des eaux usées), propose un plan d’échantillonnage adapté, le tout décliné en un projet sur 4 ans, avec réévaluation&nbsp;annuelle. Le coût annuel pour le projet de surveillance environnementale est estimé entre 143 000 € et 166 500 € pour la période de 4 ans, selon le scénario choisi. La part principale de ce budget (~70%) revient à l’analyse des échantillons (ressources humaines, matériel de laboratoire, et coûts des&nbsp;analyses).</p

Estimation du profil de la demande énergétique des centres de sante en zones rurales – cas du Bénin

Cet article présente la première partie d'une étude dont l'objectif est de concevoir un système hybride pour des centres de santé ruraux. Il présente l'estimation d'un profil de charge annuel détaillé, estimé à partir d’investigation de plusieurs centres ruraux de santé. Dans la plupart des pays en développement, il y a un manque de données statistiques et d’informations réelles sur la consommation énergétique de la population et des différents types de bâtiments. Ainsi, la méthodologie présentée dans ce travail combine l’enregistrement sur site de la consommation d'électricité, l'estimation statistique des besoins en eau chaude sanitaire (ECS) et la simulation thermique du bâtiment sur TRNSYS 17.Les résultats obtenus permettent de définir un profil détaillé de la charge d'un centre de santé rural avec un pas de temps de 15min à 1 h dont les variations proposent diverses possibilités de scénarios pour l'analyse technicoéconomique. Des informations d'analyses quantitatives et qualitatives sur l'électricité fournie par le réseau sont également présentées.Mots-clés: profil de charge, centre de santé rural, qualité de l’électricité, Trnsys 17, modélisation des bâtiments, coupures d’électricitéEnglish Title: Estimating the energetic load profile of a rural health care centre in rural area of BeninEnglish AbstractThis paper presents the first part of a study which aim is to design a hybrid optimized renewable energy system for rural health care centres supply. It presents the estimation of a detailed yearly load profile estimated from rural centres monitoring. Estimating the demand of energy is an important preliminary step to technico-economic study of hybrid systems. In most developing countries there is a lack of statistical data and retro information on building and population energy consumption. Thus the method presented in this work combined electricity consumption monitoring on site, domestic hot water needs estimation, and thermal building simulations on TRNSYS 17.The obtained results are a detailed profile of the load of a standard rural health care centre with time steps down to 15 min. It shows lots of different variations that while offer various scenarios possibility in technique economic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative analysis information on the grid delivered electricity are also presented.Keywords: Load profile, health centres, grid quality, TRNSYS17, building modelling, load estimation, grid blackout

Virological surveillance of the Influenza A (H1N1)2009 pandemic: the role of the Belgian National Influenza Centre

&lt;p&gt;Not available&lt;/p&gt;</p