Experimental design and optimization of analytical process

U ovome radu su opisane mogućnosti primjene metoda eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije u analitičkim postupcima. Eksperimentalni dizajn i optimizacija u praksi se koriste kako bi se osigurala bolja učinkovitost i razne uštede pri provedbi istraživanja. Ključan korak predstavlja odabir faktora koji značajno utječu na proces, a njihov broj ovisi o kompleksnosti sustava. Upravo kod kompleksnih analiza, kao što su razne analize sastavnica okoliša, eksperimentalni dizajn se pokazao kao izuzetno koristan alat jer kvalitetnim planiranjem samog uzorkovanja i daljnjih metoda obrade uzorka te mjerenja možemo osigurati znatno pouzdaniju analizu samog uzorka. U radu se želi naglasiti važnost postupka uzorkovanja koji predstavlja najkritičniji dio analitičkog sustava. Loše uzorkovanja tj. nereprezentativan uzorak unosi najveću pogrešku u analitički proces jer je pogreška uzorkovanja višestruko veća od mjerne pogreške, pa i ukupna pogreška ponajprije ovisi o načinu i planu uzorkovanja. Istraživanja su pokazala da je postupak uzorkovanja u nekim slučajevima odgovoran za više od 80% ukupnog standardnog odstupanja analitičkoga procesa. Definirana je i optimizacija kao postupak definiranja najpovoljnijih rješenja za dane početne uvjete iz skupa mogućih rješenja. Brojne metode optimizacije koriste se u gotovo svakom analitičkom procesu za dobivanje pouzdanijih podataka, uz manje utrošenog vremena, resursa i financijskih sredstava. Dan je primjer upotrebe eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije iz prakse. Radi se o upotrebi empirijskog modeliranja interferencijskih utjecaja na određivanje kalija i natrija u vodi metodom plamene fotometrije. Iz navedenog primjera može se zaključiti da je upotrebom empirijskog modeliranja znatno poboljšana preciznost mjerenja što samo dodatno potvrđuje korisnost i učinkovitost metoda eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije.This work describes possible applications of experimental design and optimization methods in analytical procedures. Experimental design and optimization in practice are being used as assurement to better efficiency and versatile economic solutions during the research. Crucial step is the selection of factors which considerably affect the process and their number depends on the complexity of the system. Exactly at a complex analysis, like enviromental ones, experimental design has shown itself as exceptionally useful tool because the quality plan of sampling and measuring assures considerably more reliable analysis of the same sample. The importance of the sampling procedure is emphasized as the most critical part of analytical system. A non-representative sample is the greatest mistake, even multiple times greater than the one in measuring, so the total mistake depends on the methods and planning of the sampling procedure. Researches have shown in some cases the procedure of sampling is responsible for more than 80% of total standard deviation of analytical process. Optimization is defined as the procedure of choosing the most efficient solutions for given conditions out of all possible ones. Number of optimization methods are being used in almost every analytical process for getting a trustworthy data with less spent time and financial resources. There is an example of using the experimental design and optimization in practice. It is about using an empirical modeling of the effects of interference on the flame photometric determinatiom of potassium and sodium in water. That example leads to a conclusion that using the empirical modeling considerably makes measuring more precise which additionally confirms the usefulness and effectivness of experimemtal design and optimization methods

Experimental design and optimization of analytical process

U ovome radu su opisane mogućnosti primjene metoda eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije u analitičkim postupcima. Eksperimentalni dizajn i optimizacija u praksi se koriste kako bi se osigurala bolja učinkovitost i razne uštede pri provedbi istraživanja. Ključan korak predstavlja odabir faktora koji značajno utječu na proces, a njihov broj ovisi o kompleksnosti sustava. Upravo kod kompleksnih analiza, kao što su razne analize sastavnica okoliša, eksperimentalni dizajn se pokazao kao izuzetno koristan alat jer kvalitetnim planiranjem samog uzorkovanja i daljnjih metoda obrade uzorka te mjerenja možemo osigurati znatno pouzdaniju analizu samog uzorka. U radu se želi naglasiti važnost postupka uzorkovanja koji predstavlja najkritičniji dio analitičkog sustava. Loše uzorkovanja tj. nereprezentativan uzorak unosi najveću pogrešku u analitički proces jer je pogreška uzorkovanja višestruko veća od mjerne pogreške, pa i ukupna pogreška ponajprije ovisi o načinu i planu uzorkovanja. Istraživanja su pokazala da je postupak uzorkovanja u nekim slučajevima odgovoran za više od 80% ukupnog standardnog odstupanja analitičkoga procesa. Definirana je i optimizacija kao postupak definiranja najpovoljnijih rješenja za dane početne uvjete iz skupa mogućih rješenja. Brojne metode optimizacije koriste se u gotovo svakom analitičkom procesu za dobivanje pouzdanijih podataka, uz manje utrošenog vremena, resursa i financijskih sredstava. Dan je primjer upotrebe eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije iz prakse. Radi se o upotrebi empirijskog modeliranja interferencijskih utjecaja na određivanje kalija i natrija u vodi metodom plamene fotometrije. Iz navedenog primjera može se zaključiti da je upotrebom empirijskog modeliranja znatno poboljšana preciznost mjerenja što samo dodatno potvrđuje korisnost i učinkovitost metoda eksperimentalnog dizajna i optimizacije.This work describes possible applications of experimental design and optimization methods in analytical procedures. Experimental design and optimization in practice are being used as assurement to better efficiency and versatile economic solutions during the research. Crucial step is the selection of factors which considerably affect the process and their number depends on the complexity of the system. Exactly at a complex analysis, like enviromental ones, experimental design has shown itself as exceptionally useful tool because the quality plan of sampling and measuring assures considerably more reliable analysis of the same sample. The importance of the sampling procedure is emphasized as the most critical part of analytical system. A non-representative sample is the greatest mistake, even multiple times greater than the one in measuring, so the total mistake depends on the methods and planning of the sampling procedure. Researches have shown in some cases the procedure of sampling is responsible for more than 80% of total standard deviation of analytical process. Optimization is defined as the procedure of choosing the most efficient solutions for given conditions out of all possible ones. Number of optimization methods are being used in almost every analytical process for getting a trustworthy data with less spent time and financial resources. There is an example of using the experimental design and optimization in practice. It is about using an empirical modeling of the effects of interference on the flame photometric determinatiom of potassium and sodium in water. That example leads to a conclusion that using the empirical modeling considerably makes measuring more precise which additionally confirms the usefulness and effectivness of experimemtal design and optimization methods

Production of microreactor systems by additive manufacturing technology

Microreactor systems are reactors with three-dimensional structures which are under a millimeter in size. They are commonly fabricated by wet and dry etching, precision machining, laser treatment, blasting and lithographic tech- niques. Additive manufacturing technologies have been overlooked in this area. This paper presents a part of research related to fabrication of microstructured reactors (microreactors and millireactors) by using two additive manufac- turing technologies (fused filament fabrication and stereolithography). One example of static mixer used in a milli- reactor and one reactor designed for uniform droplet production are also presented

TIME DEVIATION ANALYSIS OF THE BASELINE PLAN ON THE CASE STUDY: IMPLEMENTATION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE WORKS ON A SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

In the paper, an analysis of the time aspect of the baseline plan for the execution of reinforced concrete works was carried out on a case study. The case study covers the construction of a public school in the Republic of Croatia, which was completed in 2023. By analyzing the baseline plan, it was determined that it has shortcomings and that the duration of the activities does not correlate with those actually achieved. Compared to the initial 86 working days, the baseline plan actually lasted 272 working days, which is an overrun of 216.28%. The leading causes of overruns in individual activities were identified, and lack of communication between project participants proved to be one of the particularly frequent ones. Recommendations were given for better time planning and for reducing deviations from planned durations, which can improve the processes of time management and project management in general

LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS AND DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Background: Both depression and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may be present in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study was to give an insight on depression and LUTS in patients with MS in Croatia and to determine the possible association between LUTS and depression in patients with MS. Subjects and methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary healthcare center in Croatia. Hundred and one consecutive patients with MS (75 female, 26 male, mean age 42.09 (range 19-77) years, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score 3.1 (range 0.0-7.0)) participated in this study. We evaluated LUTS and related quality of life (QoL) using three International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaires (ICIQ) enquiring about overactive bladder (ICIQ-OAB), urinary incontinence short form (ICIQ-UI SF) and lower urinary tract symptoms related quality of life (ICIQLUTS-QoL). ICIQ-OAB and ICIQLUTS-QoL were for this purpose with permission successfully translated and validated into Croatian, while ICIQ-UI SF was already previously validated for the Croatian language. Information regarding treatment for depression was obtained during the medical interview. Data were analyzed and interpreted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). Results: 89.10% (N=90) patients with MS reported urgency with urge urinary incontinence (UUI) present in 70.29% (N=71). 81.18% (N=82) patients reported nocturia, and 90.09% (N=91) reported feeling drowsy or sleepy during the day due to bladder symptoms. Neurological deficit measured by EDSS was found to positively correlate with LUTS on all three questionnaires: ICIQOAB (r=0.390, p<0.05), ICIQ-UI SF (r=0.477, p<0.01) and ICIQ-LUTSQoL (r=0.317, p<0.05). 25 patients were in treatment for depression. There were no significant differences between female and male patients regarding treatment for depression (2=0.018, df=1, p>0.05). Results on ICIQ-UI SF showed that depressive patients had more pronounced LUTS (t=2.067, df=99, p<0.05), which was also true for the ICIQ-LUTSQoL (t=-2.193, df=99, p<0.05). Positive correlations were found between depression and LUTS on ICIQ-UI SF (r=0.203, p<0.05) and ICIQ-LUTSQoL (r=0.215, p<0.05). Conclusion: This study gives insight into the presence of depression and LUTS in Croatian patients with MS for which purpose ICIQ-OAB and ICIQ-LUTSQoL were with permission successfully translated and validated into Croatian. The connection between depression and LUTS must be considered when managing patients with MS

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0–100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97·1 (95% UI 95·8–98·1) in Iceland, followed by 96·6 (94·9–97·9) in Norway and 96·1 (94·5–97·3) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18·6 (13·1–24·4) in the Central African Republic, 19·0 (14·3–23·7) in Somalia, and 23·4 (20·2–26·8) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91·5 (89·1–93·6) in Beijing to 48·0 (43·4–53·2) in Tibet (a 43·5-point difference), while India saw a 30·8-point disparity, from 64·8 (59·6–68·8) in Goa to 34·0 (30·3–38·1) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4·8-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20·9-point to 17·0-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17·2-point to 20·4-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle- SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage hinges upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view—and subsequent provision—of quality health care for all populations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalence and attributable health burden of chronic respiratory diseases, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license Background: Previous attempts to characterise the burden of chronic respiratory diseases have focused only on specific disease conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. In this study, we aimed to characterise the burden of chronic respiratory diseases globally, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis on geographical and time trends from 1990 to 2017. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, we estimated the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality attributable to chronic respiratory diseases through an analysis of deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and years of life lost (YLL) by GBD super-region, from 1990 to 2017, stratified by age and sex. Specific diseases analysed included asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis, and other chronic respiratory diseases. We also assessed the contribution of risk factors (smoking, second-hand smoke, ambient particulate matter and ozone pollution, household air pollution from solid fuels, and occupational risks) to chronic respiratory disease-attributable DALYs. Findings: In 2017, 544·9 million people (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 506·9–584·8) worldwide had a chronic respiratory disease, representing an increase of 39·8% compared with 1990. Chronic respiratory disease prevalence showed wide variability across GBD super-regions, with the highest prevalence among both males and females in high-income regions, and the lowest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. The age-sex-specific prevalence of each chronic respiratory disease in 2017 was also highly variable geographically. Chronic respiratory diseases were the third leading cause of death in 2017 (7·0% [95% UI 6·8–7·2] of all deaths), behind cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Deaths due to chronic respiratory diseases numbered 3 914 196 (95% UI 3 790 578–4 044 819) in 2017, an increase of 18·0% since 1990, while total DALYs increased by 13·3%. However, when accounting for ageing and population growth, declines were observed in age-standardised prevalence (14·3% decrease), age-standardised death rates (42·6%), and age-standardised DALY rates (38·2%). In males and females, most chronic respiratory disease-attributable deaths and DALYs were due to COPD. In regional analyses, mortality rates from chronic respiratory diseases were greatest in south Asia and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, also across both sexes. Notably, although absolute prevalence was lower in south Asia than in most other super-regions, YLLs due to chronic respiratory diseases across the subcontinent were the highest in the world. Death rates due to interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis were greater than those due to pneumoconiosis in all super-regions. Smoking was the leading risk factor for chronic respiratory disease-related disability across all regions for men. Among women, household air pollution from solid fuels was the predominant risk factor for chronic respiratory diseases in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, while ambient particulate matter represented the leading risk factor in southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania, and in the Middle East and north Africa super-region. Interpretation: Our study shows that chronic respiratory diseases remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with growth in absolute numbers but sharp declines in several age-standardised estimators since 1990. Premature mortality from chronic respiratory diseases seems to be highest in regions with less-resourced health systems on a per-capita basis. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Prevalence and attributable health burden of chronic respiratory diseases, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Previous attempts to characterise the burden of chronic respiratory diseases have focused only on specific disease conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. In this study, we aimed to characterise the burden of chronic respiratory diseases globally, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis on geographical and time trends from 1990 to 2017. Methods Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, we estimated the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality attributable to chronic respiratory diseases through an analysis of deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and years of life lost (YLL) by GBD super-region, from 1990 to 2017, stratified by age and sex. Specific diseases analysed included asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis, and other chronic respiratory diseases. We also assessed the contribution of risk factors (smoking, second-hand smoke, ambient particulate matter and ozone pollution, household air pollution from solid fuels, and occupational risks) to chronic respiratory disease-attributable DALYs. Findings In 2017, 544.9 million people (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 506.9- 584.8) worldwide had a chronic respiratory disease, representing an increase of 39.8% compared with 1990. Chronic respiratory disease prevalence showed wide variability across GBD super-regions, with the highest prevalence among both males and females in high-income regions, and the lowest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. The age-sex- specific prevalence of each chronic respiratory disease in 2017 was also highly variable geographically. Chronic respiratory diseases were the third leading cause of death in 2017 (7.0% [95% UI 6.8-7 .2] of all deaths), behind cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Deaths due to chronic respiratory diseases numbered 3 914 196 (95% UI 3 790 578-4 044 819) in 2017, an increase of 18.0% since 1990, while total DALYs increased by 13.3%. However, when accounting for ageing and population growth, declines were observed in age-standardised prevalence (14.3% decrease), agestandardised death rates (42.6%), and age-standardised DALY rates (38.2%). In males and females, most chronic respiratory disease-attributable deaths and DALYs were due to COPD. In regional analyses, mortality rates from chronic respiratory diseases were greatest in south Asia and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, also across both sexes. Notably, although absolute prevalence was lower in south Asia than in most other super-regions, YLLs due to chronic respiratory diseases across the subcontinent were the highest in the world. Death rates due to interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis were greater than those due to pneumoconiosis in all super-regions. Smoking was the leading risk factor for chronic respiratory disease-related disability across all regions for men. Among women, household air pollution from solid fuels was the predominant risk factor for chronic respiratory diseases in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, while ambient particulate matter represented the leading risk factor in southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania, and in the Middle East and north Africa super-region. Interpretation Our study shows that chronic respiratory diseases remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with growth in absolute numbers but sharp declines in several age-standardised estimators since 1990. Premature mortality from chronic respiratory diseases seems to be highest in regions with less-resourced health systems on a per-capita basis

Estimates, trends, and drivers of the global burden of type 2 diabetes attributable to PM2.5 air pollution, 1990-2019 : an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Experimental and epidemiological studies indicate an association between exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In view of the high and increasing prevalence of diabetes, we aimed to quantify the burden of type 2 diabetes attributable to PM2.5 originating from ambient and household air pollution.Methods We systematically compiled all relevant cohort and case-control studies assessing the effect of exposure to household and ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution on type 2 diabetes incidence and mortality. We derived an exposure-response curve from the extracted relative risk estimates using the MR-BRT (meta-regression-Bayesian, regularised, trimmed) tool. The estimated curve was linked to ambient and household PM2.5 exposures from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019, and estimates of the attributable burden (population attributable fractions and rates per 100 000 population of deaths and disability-adjusted life-years) for 204 countries from 1990 to 2019 were calculated. We also assessed the role of changes in exposure, population size, age, and type 2 diabetes incidence in the observed trend in PM2.5-attributable type 2 diabetes burden. All estimates are presented with 95% uncertainty intervals.Findings In 2019, approximately a fifth of the global burden of type 2 diabetes was attributable to PM2.5 exposure, with an estimated 3.78 (95% uncertainty interval 2.68-4.83) deaths per 100 000 population and 167 (117-223) disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) per 100 000 population. Approximately 13.4% (9.49-17.5) of deaths and 13.6% (9.73-17.9) of DALYs due to type 2 diabetes were contributed by ambient PM2.5, and 6.50% (4.22-9.53) of deaths and 5.92% (3.81-8.64) of DALYs by household air pollution. High burdens, in terms of numbers as well as rates, were estimated in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America. Since 1990, the attributable burden has increased by 50%, driven largely by population growth and ageing. Globally, the impact of reductions in household air pollution was largely offset by increased ambient PM2.5.Interpretation Air pollution is a major risk factor for diabetes. We estimated that about a fifth of the global burden of type 2 diabetes is attributable PM2.5 pollution. Air pollution mitigation therefore might have an essential role in reducing the global disease burden resulting from type 2 diabetes. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe