8 research outputs found
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric emergency department utilization in three regions in Switzerland.
The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a decrease in emergency department (ED) visits. However, contradictory, and sparse data regarding children could not yet answer the question, how pediatric ED utilization evolved throughout the pandemic. Our objectives were to investigate the impact of the pandemic in three language regions of Switzerland by analyzing trends over time, describe regional differences, and address implications for future healthcare.
We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal cohort study at three Swiss tertiary pediatric EDs (March 1st, 2018-February 28th, 2022), analyzing the numbers of ED visits (including patients` age, triage categories, and urgent vs. non-urgent cases). The impact of COVID-19 related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on pediatric ED utilization was assessed by interrupted time series (ITS) modelling.
Based on 304'438 ED visits, we found a drop of nearly 50% at the onset of NPIs, followed by a gradual recovery. This primarily affected children 0-4 years, and both non-urgent and urgent cases. However, the decline in urgent visits appeared to be more pronounced in two centers compared to a third, where also hospitalization rates did not decrease significantly during the pandemic. A subgroup analysis showed a significant decrease in respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, and an increase in the proportion of trauma patients during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic had substantial effects on number and reasons for pediatric ED visits, particularly among children 0-4 years. Despite equal regulatory conditions, the utilization dynamics varied markedly between the three regions, highlighting the multifactorial modification of pediatric ED utilization during the pandemic. Furthermore, future policy decisions should take regional differences into account
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ELSI — An open infrastructure for electronic structure solvers
Routine applications of electronic structure theory to molecules and periodic systems need to compute the electron density from given Hamiltonian and, in case of non-orthogonal basis sets, overlap matrices. System sizes can range from few to thousands or, in some examples, millions of atoms. Different discretization schemes (basis sets) and different system geometries (finite non-periodic vs. infinite periodic boundary conditions) yield matrices with different structures. The ELectronic Structure Infrastructure (ELSI) project provides an open-source software interface to facilitate the implementation and optimal use of high-performance solver libraries covering cubic scaling eigensolvers, linear scaling density-matrix-based algorithms, and other reduced scaling methods in between. In this paper, we present recent improvements and developments inside ELSI, mainly covering (1) new solvers connected to the interface, (2) matrix layout and communication adapted for parallel calculations of periodic and/or spin-polarized systems, (3) routines for density matrix extrapolation in geometry optimization and molecular dynamics calculations, and (4) general utilities such as parallel matrix I/O and JSON output. The ELSI interface has been integrated into four electronic structure code projects (DFTB+, DGDFT, FHI-aims, SIESTA), allowing us to rigorously benchmark the performance of the solvers on an equal footing. Based on results of a systematic set of large-scale benchmarks performed with Kohn–Sham density-functional theory and density-functional tight-binding theory, we identify factors that strongly affect the efficiency of the solvers, and propose a decision layer that assists with the solver selection process. Finally, we describe a reverse communication interface encoding matrix-free iterative solver strategies that are amenable, e.g., for use with planewave basis sets. Program summary: Program title: ELSI Interface CPC Library link to program files: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/473mbbznrs.1 Licensing provisions: BSD 3-clause Programming language: Fortran 2003, with interface to C/C++ External routines/libraries: BLACS, BLAS, BSEPACK (optional), EigenExa (optional), ELPA, FortJSON, LAPACK, libOMM, MPI, MAGMA (optional), MUMPS (optional), NTPoly, ParMETIS (optional), PETSc (optional), PEXSI, PT-SCOTCH (optional), ScaLAPACK, SLEPc (optional), SuperLU_DIST Nature of problem: Solving the electronic structure from given Hamiltonian and overlap matrices in electronic structure calculations. Solution method: ELSI provides a unified software interface to facilitate the use of various electronic structure solvers including cubic scaling dense eigensolvers, linear scaling density matrix methods, and other approaches
Long-Lived <sup>13</sup>C<sub>2</sub> Nuclear Spin States Hyperpolarized by Parahydrogen in Reversible Exchange at Microtesla Fields
Parahydrogen
is an inexpensive and readily available source of
hyperpolarization used to enhance magnetic resonance signals by up
to four orders of magnitude above thermal signals obtained at ∼10
T. A significant challenge for applications is fast signal decay after
hyperpolarization. Here we use parahydrogen-based polarization transfer
catalysis at microtesla fields (first introduced as SABRE-SHEATH)
to hyperpolarize <sup>13</sup>C<sub>2</sub> spin pairs and find decay
time constants of 12 s for magnetization at 0.3 mT, which are extended
to 2 min at that same field, when long-lived singlet states are hyperpolarized
instead. Enhancements over thermal at 8.5 T are between 30 and 170
fold (0.02 to 0.12% polarization). We control the spin dynamics of
polarization transfer by choice of microtesla field, allowing for
deliberate hyperpolarization of either magnetization or long-lived
singlet states. Density functional theory calculations and experimental
evidence identify two energetically close mechanisms for polarization
transfer: First, a model that involves direct binding of the <sup>13</sup>C<sub>2</sub> pair to the polarization transfer catalyst
and, second, a model transferring polarization through auxiliary protons
in substrates