LowEmission Annual report 2022

publishedVersio

Additive Manufacturing for Dynamic Ankle Brace and Medical Devices

Ankle sprains are the most common injury in the world’s largest sport, soccer. The current prevention methods such as ankle braces are ineffective due to bulkiness, excessive movement, and lack of comfort. Engineered for athletes, by athletes, an ankle brace was designed specifically for soccer players to limit inversion and eversion ankle sprains but allow natural range of motion. The specifications of the improved ankle brace are designed to allow the material properties to apply a restoring force as it reaches the exceeding ranges of motion for ankle sprains without hindering athletic performance. This brace is made to contain a geometric mesh design that combines the benefits of the classic ankle brace stirrup concept with 3D printing and modern material science to produce a customized ankle brace lighter, more malleable, and thinner than competitors and existing approaches while still allowing the athlete to perform at maximum potential. We hypothesize that the non-linear compliance of the brace will allow for a more natural range of motion than current on the market braces while also offering the athlete support while engaged in sport. the brace will aid in the dynamic movements of the ankle for prevention and rehabilitation of ankle sprains. The awarded funds would allow the ability to validate the design and the variables effecting the brace. The research conducted will be geared towards the evolution and analysis of the ankle brace for the prevention and rehabilitation of ankle sprains in four aims: 1) Tensile testing the 3D printed ankle brace to find all necessary material properties to find the best possible mesh and material for the ankle brace. 2) Test the ankle brace on soccer players while wearing an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to compare performance of athletes with and without the 3D printed ankle brace. 3) 3D scan ankles using a portable 3D scanner. This would allow to gather dimensions of patients to adjust the sizing of the ankle brace so that each brace is customized to suit everyone\u27s needs. 4) Lastly, disseminate findings through national and international conferences and peer reviewed journals. The ultimate objective is to improve and produce a useful ankle brace that contributes to the commercial market based on anatomy research, experimental testing, 3D printing, and material properties

Shifts in subjective well-being of different status groups: a longitudinal case-study during declining income inequality

Theory holds that as income distribution becomes more equal, the well-being of those of low socioeconomic standing increases, since their relative status is improved. In this study we measure changes in individual subjective well-being (SWB) over a three year period of declining income inequality in Iceland. Using growth mixture modelling, we identified two groups whose well-being trajectories differ. One group (n = 540) whose SWB was initially high but then declined slightly, and a second group (n = 110) whose SWB was initially low, but improved over time. This second group had lower socio-economic status and stronger materialistic values. These differing shifts in SWB coincide with diminishing income inequality and class division and the results are consistent with the status anxiety explanation of the income inequality hypothesis. Our findings suggest the need to examine separate trajectories of distinct socioeconomic groups in societies generally regarded as egalitarian, and examine the role of a materialistic value orientation further

Prescribers' compliance with Summary of Product Characteristics of dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban - a European comparative drug utilization study

Despite a tremendous increase of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) prescriptions in recent years, only few data are available analysing prescribers' adherence to Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC). We aimed to assess adherence to registered indications, contraindications, special warnings/precautions, and potential drug-drug interactions for three DOAC compounds (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban) in six databases of five European countries (The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, Germany). We included adult patients (≥18 years) initiating DOACs between 2008 and 2015. For several SmPC items, broad definitions were used due to ambiguous SmPC terms or lacking data in some databases. Within the study period, a DOAC was initiated in 407,576 patients (rivaroxaban: 240,985 (59.1%), dabigatran: 95,303 (23.4%), apixaban: 71,288 (17.5%)). In 2015, non-valvular atrial fibrillation was the most common indication (>60% in most databases). For the whole study period, a substantial variation between the databases was found regarding the proportion of patients with at least one contraindication (inter-database range [IDR]: 8.2%-55.7%), with at least one special warnings/precaution (IDR: 35.8%-75.2%), and with at least one potential drug-drug interaction (IDR: 22.4%-54.1%). In 2015, the most frequent contraindication was 'malignant neoplasm' (IDR: 0.7%-21.3%) whereas the most frequent special warnings/precaution was 'prescribing to the elderly' (≥75 years; IDR: 25.0%-66.4%). The most common single compound class interaction was 'concomitant use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs' (IDR: 3.0%-25.3%). Contraindications, special warnings/precautions, and potential drug-drug interaction were present in a relevant number of new DOAC users. Due to broad definitions used for some SmPC terms, overall proportions for contraindications are prone to overestimation. However, for unambiguous SmPC terms documented in the databases sufficiently, the respective estimates can be considered valid. Differences between databases might be related to 'true' differences in prescription behaviour, but could also be partially due to differences in database characteristics

Large-scale production and transport of hydrogen from Norway to Europe and Japan: Value chain analysis and comparison of liquid hydrogen and ammonia as energy carriers

Low-carbon hydrogen is considered as one of the key measures to decarbonise continental Europe and Japan. Northern Norway has abundant renewable energy and natural gas resources which can be converted to low-carbon hydrogen. However, Norway is located relatively far away from these markets and finding efficient ways to transport this hydrogen to the end-user is critical. In this study, liquefied hydrogen (LH2) and ammonia (NH3), as H2-based energy carriers, are analysed and compared with respect to energy efficiency, CO2 footprint and cost. It is shown that the LH2 chain is more energy efficient and has a smaller CO2 footprint (20 and 23 kg-CO2/MWhth for Europe and Japan, respectively) than the NH3 chain (76 and 122 kg-CO2/MWhth). Furthermore, the study finds the levelized cost of hydrogen delivered to Rotterdam to be lower for LH2 (5.0 EUR/kg-H2) compared to NH3 (5.9 EUR/kg-H2), while the hydrogen costs of the two chains for transport to Japan are in a similar range (about 7 EUR/kg-H2). It is also shown that under optimistic assumptions, the costs associated with the LH2 chain (3.2 EUR/kg-H2) are close to meeting the 2030 hydrogen cost target of Japan (2.5 EUR/kg-H2). Keywords Techno-economic analysisLiquid hydrogenAmmoniaLong distance transportacceptedVersio

Duration of Effectiveness Evaluation of Additional Risk Minimisation Measures for Centrally Authorised Medicinal Products in the EU Between 2012 and 2021

Introduction:In studies evaluating the effectiveness of additional risk minimisation measures (aRMMs), the need for speed must be properly balanced with the quality of the study. We assessed the duration of aRMM effectiveness evaluations, using additional pharmacovigilance activities, for centrally authorised medicinal products in the European Union. Methods: We established a cohort of medicinal products with aRMMs at marketing authorisation (MA) that were centrally authorised from July 2012–December 2021 using the European Public Assessment Reports. Evaluation studies were identified from the Risk Management Plans at the time of MA. Subsequently, we retrieved protocols, final study reports, Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) assessment reports, and PRAC minutes. We calculated the probability of completing an effectiveness evaluation within 60 months after MA using time-to-event analyses. Besides, we compared the planned final report with the actual final report date. Results: We identified 134 medicinal products authorised with aRMMs, of which almost half (n = 63, 47.0%) had an effectiveness evaluation study. The probability of an evaluation for a medicinal product being completed within 60 months after MA was 20.7% (95% CI 6.8–32.6). Regarding study design, the probability of completing a study was higher for cross-sectional studies when compared to cohort studies (p = 0.002). Moreover, 81.0% of studies were delayed when compared to their planned final report date. Conclusion: The probability of completing an aRMM effectiveness evaluation at time for renewal of the MA was only one in five. Furthermore, estimates of the duration of studies around MA are too optimistic, with the majority being delayed.</p

Пам'яті Миколи Чумаченка

14 жовтня на 87-ому році життя відійшов у вічність видатний учений-економіст, доктор економічних наук, академік Національної академії наук України, заслужений діяч науки і техніки України, лауреат Державної премії України в галузі науки і техніки, лауреат премій АН УРСР ім. О.Г. Шліхтера та НАН України ім. М.І. Тугана-Барановського, почесний директор Інституту економіки промисловості НАН України, ветеран Великої Вітчизняної війни, почесний громадянин міста Донецька голова редакційної колегії журналу Схід з економіки Микола Григорович Чумаченко

Concomitant medication use and its implications on the hazard pattern in pharmacoepidemiological studies: example of antidepressants, benzodiazepines and fracture risk

Background: Antidepressants and benzodiazepines are often co-prescribed and both associated with an increased fracture risk, albeit with distinctive hazard patterns. Timing of initiation of one with respect to the other and duration of use may influence the combined fracture hazard. The objective of our study was to describe patterns of concomitant use of benzodiazepine and antidepressants in terms of timing of initiation and duration and to illustrate the potential impact of various scenarios of timing of co-use on hip fracture hazard. Methods: Patients initiating antidepressant therapy (2002-2009) were identified from the Netherlands Primary Care Research Database. Concomitant benzodiazepine use was assessed according to the start time of benzodiazepine with respect to antidepressant therapy start. Duration of concomitant use was estimated relative to the length of antidepressant treatment episode.&nbsp; Results: Among 16,087 incident antidepressant users, 39.0% used benzodiazepines concomitantly during their first antidepressant treatment episode. The time of initiation of benzodiazepine use was variable (64.4% starting before, 13.7% simultaneous and 21.9% after antidepressants). Duration of concomitant use in the three groups varied.&nbsp; Conclusions: Co-prescribed medications with a common adverse event, may not only require accounting for concomitant use, but also the timing of start and duration of use as the overall hazard may vary accordingly

Protect Me from What I Want: Understanding Excessive Polluting Behavior and the Willingness to Act

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Many environmental problems stem from unsustainable human consumption. Accordingly, many studies have focused on the barriers to pro-environmental behavior. The inability or unwillingness to act is partially related to personal values as well as the psychological distance between individual actions and the resulting pollution, which is often perceived as abstract or intangible. In contrast, fireworks produce imminent, undeniable air pollution. The goal of this research was to advance the knowledge on the awareness-value-behavior gap by studying public fireworks consumption and the willingness to act against firework pollution. A nationally representative survey was conducted after the extremely polluting 2017/18 New Year's Eve in Iceland (European hourly record in fine particulate matter: 3014 μg/m3). Our results demonstrate that, after controlling for the awareness of harmful pollution, hedonic motives predict the purchasing of fireworks and the opposition to mitigating action. Noticing public warnings regarding fireworks pollution did not significantly relate to the purchase behavior. The awareness of the harmful effects of firework pollution was, however, the largest predictor of the support for mitigating action. Despite reporting the pleasure derived from fireworks, 57% of the sample favored stricter governmental regulation, and 27% favored banning the public use of fireworks in order to "protect them from what they want".This research was funded by the Engineering Institute of the University of Iceland (P.I. Hrund Andradóttir).Peer Reviewe