919 research outputs found
Assessing the Impact of Infrastructure Projects on Global Sustainable Development Goals
While sustainability of civil infrastructure is critical to professionals, project owners, regulators, funding agencies and the public, little is done to link individual project sustainability to the United Nationâs 17 global sustainable development goals for 2030. This paper provides some answers but also exposes many questions that need resolution by the infrastructure sector. Using empirical evidence, the authors have identified a âgolden threadâ between best-practice sustainability-reporting frameworks at project level with those at organisational level. In doing so, they find there is sufficient linkage to embed sustainable-development-goal impact targets into the design stage of an infrastructure project. This would provide a more robust investment appraisal at the project design phase, helping to define project success more widely across the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental outcomes and associated impact
Assessing the impact of infrastructure projects on global sustainable development goals
While the sustainability of civil infrastructure is critical to professionals, project owners, regulators, funding agencies and the public, little is done to link individual project sustainability to the UNâs 17 global sustainable development goals for 2030. This paper not only provides some answers, but also exposes many questions that need resolution by the infrastructure sector. Using empirical evidence, the authors have identified a âgolden threadâ between best-practice sustainability-reporting frameworks at the project level and those at the organisational level. In doing so, they have found that there is sufficient linkage to embed sustainable-development-goal impact targets into the design stage of an infrastructure project. This would provide a more robust investment appraisal at the project design phase, helping define project success more widely across the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental outcomes and associated impact
Polydopamine-lysophosphatidate-functionalised titanium: A novel hybrid surface finish for bone regenerative applications
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Aseptic loosening of total joint replacements (TJRs) continues to be the main cause of implant failures. The socioeconomic impact of surgical revisions is hugely significant; in the United Kingdom alone, it is estimated that ÂŁ135m is spent annually on revision arthroplasties. Enhancing the longevity of titanium implants will help reduce the incidence and overall cost of failed devices. In realising the development of a superior titanium (Ti) technology, we took inspiration from the growing interest in reactive polydopamine thin films for biomaterial surface functionalisations. Adopting a âone-potâ approach, we exposed medical-grade titanium to a mildly alkaline solution of dopamine hydrochloride (DHC) supplemented with (3S)1-fluoro-3-hydroxy-4-(oleoyloxy)butyl-1-phosphonate (FHBP), a phosphatase-resistant analogue of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Importantly, LPA and selected LPA analogues like FHBP synergistically cooperate with calcitriol to promote human osteoblast formation and maturation. Herein, we provide evidence that simply immersing Ti in aqueous solutions of DHC-FHBP afforded a surface that was superior to FHBP-Ti at enhancing osteoblast maturation. The facile step we have taken to modify Ti and the biological performance of the final surface finish are appealing properties that may attract the attention of implant manufacturers in the future
Interactions between downslope flows and a developing cold-air pool
A numerical model has been used to characterize the development of a region of enhanced cooling in an alpine valley with a width of order (Formula presented.) km, under decoupled stable conditions. The region of enhanced cooling develops largely as a region of relatively dry air which partitions the valley atmosphere dynamics into two volumes, with airflow partially trapped within the valley by a developing elevated inversion. Complex interactions between the region of enhanced cooling and the downslope flows are quantified. The cooling within the region of enhanced cooling and the elevated inversion is almost equally partitioned between radiative and dynamic effects. By the end of the simulation, the different valley atmospheric regions approach a state of thermal equilibrium with one another, though this cannot be said of the valley atmosphere and its external environment.Peer reviewe
Improved Biomedical and Psychological Outcomes 1 Year After Structured Education in Flexible Insulin Therapy for People With Type 1 Diabetes: The U.K. DAFNE experience
OBJECTIVEdDAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating), a structured education program
in flexible insulin therapy, has been widely adopted in the U.K. after validation in a randomized
trial. To determine benefits in routine practice, we collected biomedical and
psychological data from all participants attending during a 12-month period.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSdHbA1c, weight, self-reported hypoglycemia
awareness, severe hypoglycemia frequency, PAID (Problem Areas In Diabetes), HADS (Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale), and EuroQol Group 5-Dimension Self-Report Questionnaire
scores were recorded prior to DAFNE and after 1 year.
RESULTSdComplete baseline and follow-up HbA1c data were available for 639 (54.9%) of
1,163 attendees. HbA1c fell from 8.51 6 1.41 (mean 6 SD) to 8.24 6 1.29% (difference 0.27
[95% CI 0.16â0.38]; P , 0.001), with a greater mean fall of 0.44% from baseline HbA1c .8.5%.
Severe hypoglycemia rate fell from 1.7 6 8.5 to 0.6 6 3.7 episodes per person per year (1.1 [0.7â
1.4]) and hypoglycemia recognition improved in 43% of those reporting unawareness. Baseline
psychological distress was evident, with a PAID score of 25.2 and HADS scores of 5.3 (anxiety)
and 4.8 (depression), falling to 16.7 (8.5 [6.6â10.4]), 4.6 (0.7 [0.4â1.0]), and 4.2 (0.6 [0.3â0.8]),
respectively (all P , 0.001 at 1 year). Clinically relevant anxiety and depression (HADS $8) fell
from 24.4 to 18.0% and 20.9 to 15.5%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONSdA structured education program delivered in routine clinical practice not
only improves HbA1c while reducing severe hypoglycemia rate and restoring hypoglycemia
awareness but also reduces psychological distress and improves perceived well-being
Mechanisms for reducing low back pain: a mediation analysis of a multifaceted intervention in workers in elderly care
Purpose A multifaceted workplace intervention consisting of participatory ergonomics, physical training, and cognitiveâbehavioural training (CBT) has shown effectiveness for reducing low back pain (LBP). However, the mechanisms of action underlying these intervention components are not well understood. Methods This was a mediation analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial of a multifaceted intervention in 420 workers in elderly care. Mediation analysis was carried out via structural equation modelling. Potential mediators investigated were: fear-avoidance beliefs, perceived muscle strength, use of assistive devices at work and perceived physical exertion at work. LBP outcomes assessed were: days with LBP, LBP intensity and days with bothersome LBP. Results There were no significant indirect effects of the intervention on LBP outcomes. There were significant effects of the intervention on both fear-avoidance measures [ÎČ = ââ0.63, 95% CI (1.23, 0.03); ÎČ = ââ1.03, 95% CI (ââ1.70, ââ0.34)] and the use of assistive devices [ÎČ = ââ0.55, 95% CI (ââ1.04, ââ0.05)], but not on perceived muscle strength [ÎČ = ââ0.18, 95% CI (ââ0.50, 0.13)] or physical exertion [ÎČ = ââ0.05, 95% CI (ââ0.40, 0.31)]. The only potential mediator with a significant effect on LBP outcomes was physical exertion, which had a significant effect on LBP intensity [ÎČâ=â0.14, 95% CI (0.04, 0.23)]. Conclusions A multifaceted intervention consisting of participatory ergonomics, physical training, and CBT was able to decrease fear-avoidance beliefs and increase use of assistive devices in the workplace. However, these changes did not explain the effect of any of the intervention components on days with LBP, LBP intensity and days with bothersome LBP
Development of a facile fluorophosphonate-functionalised titanium surface for potential orthopaedic applications
Background: Aseptic loosening of total joint replacements (TJRs) continues to be the main cause of implant failures. The socioeconomic impact of surgical revisions is hugely significant; in the United Kingdom alone, it is estimated that ÂŁ137 m is spent annually on revision arthroplasties. Enhancing the longevity of titanium implants will help reduce the incidence and overall cost of failed devices. Methods: In realising the development of a superior titanium technology, we exploited the natural affinity of titanium for phosphonic acids and developed a facile means of coating the metal with (3S)1-fluoro-3-hydroxy-4-(oleoyloxy)butyl-1-phosphonate (FHBP), a phosphatase-resistant analogue of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Importantly LPA and selected LPA analogues like FHBP synergistically cooperate with calcitriol to promote human osteoblast formation and maturation. Results: Herein, we provide evidence that simply immersing titanium in aqueous solutions of FHBP afforded a surface that was superior to unmodified metal at enhancing osteoblast maturation. Importantly, FHBP-functionalised titanium remained stable to 2 years of ambient storage, resisted âŒ35 kGy of gamma irradiation and survived implantation into a bone substitute (Sawboneâą) and irrigation. Conclusion: The facile step we have taken to modify titanium and the robustness of the final surface finish are appealing properties that are likely to attract the attention of implant manufacturers in the future. The translational potential of this article: We have generated a functionalised titanium (Ti) surface by simply immersing Ti in aqueous solutions of a bioactive lipid. As a facile procedure it will have greater appeal to implant manufacturers compared to onerous and costly developmental processes
A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer for Gravitational-wave Detection
The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument that will have 5 times the range of Advanced LIGO, or greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby universe, as well as observing the universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of binary black hole coalescences. This article presents the instrument design and a quantitative analysis of the anticipated noise floor
First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data
Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of
continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a
fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters
obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto-
noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch
between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have
been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a
fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of
11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGOâs first observing run. Although we have found several initial
outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal.
Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of
the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for
the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the
spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried
out so far
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