2015/16 seasonal vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with influenza a(H1N1)pdm09 and B among elderly people in Europe: Results from the I-MOVE+ project

We conducted a multicentre test-negative caseâ\u80\u93control study in 27 hospitals of 11 European countries to measure 2015/16 influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against hospitalised influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and B among people aged â\u89¥ 65 years. Patients swabbed within 7 days after onset of symptoms compatible with severe acute respiratory infection were included. Information on demographics, vaccination and underlying conditions was collected. Using logistic regression, we measured IVE adjusted for potential confounders. We included 355 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 cases, 110 influenza B cases, and 1,274 controls. Adjusted IVE against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was 42% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22 to 57). It was 59% (95% CI: 23 to 78), 48% (95% CI: 5 to 71), 43% (95% CI: 8 to 65) and 39% (95% CI: 7 to 60) in patients with diabetes mellitus, cancer, lung and heart disease, respectively. Adjusted IVE against influenza B was 52% (95% CI: 24 to 70). It was 62% (95% CI: 5 to 85), 60% (95% CI: 18 to 80) and 36% (95% CI: -23 to 67) in patients with diabetes mellitus, lung and heart disease, respectively. 2015/16 IVE estimates against hospitalised influenza in elderly people was moderate against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and B, including among those with diabetes mellitus, cancer, lung or heart diseases

Modelling of JET and ITER reactor relevant plasma neutron source for neutronics calculation chain

It is essential for the research of reactor relevant plasmas to understand how heat transfer is affected by the properties of and phenomena in the plasma fuel. The major part of heat is transferred out via energetic neutrons. The neutrons must be taken into account as a heat source as well as from the perspective of material activation and induced reactions. In simulations the calculation chain from the reactants to products, heat transfer and material effects requires the coupling methods in plasma physics, reactor analysis and thermohydraulics calculation. This thesis focuses on reactor relevant plasmas. The first part discusses plasma operational scenarios concentrating especially on advanced tokamak scenarios. The time evolution of the safety factor q is strongly connected to total plasma current and confinement, so the data analysis based on the identity plasma experiments is extended with predictive current diffusion simulations. A sensitivity test with respect to typical plasma parameters carried out for time evolution of q and internally generated bootstrap current density. The second and third parts consider fusion products and their characterisation. The simulation tool AFSI fusion source integrator is presented and validated using JET tokamak data. The production rate and neutron spectrum is calculated in a geometry which correspond to real diagnostics based on the experimental data. Additionally, the results have been compared qualitatively to the experimental measurements when with good agreement between calculated and measured values. In the fourth part, the calculation chain from the modelling of plasma fuel to the balance-of plant modelling is described with the focus on the coupling of plasma physics and neutronics. As a demonstration case, the predictions ITER plasma data and a CAD model have been used. AFSI has been coupled to the ASCOT particle following code, which defines the distribution and energy of the reactants. A neutron source was provided for a dose-rate calculation with the Serpent code, which is available for a further coupling to thermohydraulics.Reaktorikelpoisten fuusioplasmojen tutkimuksessa on olennaista ymmärtää plasmapolttoaineen ominaisuuksien ja ilmiöiden yhteys lämmönsiirtoon. Suurin osa lämmöstä kulkeutuu plasmasta fuusioreaktiossa tuotettujen suurienergisten neutronien mukana. Neutronit täytyy huomioida useammasta eri näkökulmasta: lämpölähteenä, materiaalien aktivoijana ja reaktioiden aiheuttajana. Laskentaketju plasman reagoivien ionien mallinnuksesta reaktiotuotteisiin, lämmönsiirtoon ja materiaalivaikutuksiin vaatii plasmafysiikan, reaktorianalyysin ja termohydrauliikan laskentamenetelmien yhdistämistä. Tämä opinnäyte keskittyy reaktorikelpoisten plasmojen tarkasteluun. Ensimmäinen osa käsittelee plasmaskenaarioita, joista pääpaino on kehittyneillä tokamak-skenaarioilla. Varmuustekijän q aikakehityksellä on voimakas yhteys kokonaisplasmavirtaan ja plasman koossapitoon, joten plasmojen identiteettikokeisiin pohjautuvaa data-analyysia on laajennettu prediktiivisillä virtadiffuusiosimulaatioilla. Simulaatioilla on tehty herkkyystestejä parametrien vaikutuksesta varmuustekijän q aikakehitykseen ja sisäsyntyisen bootstrap-virran suuruuteen. Toinen ja kolmas osa esittelevät fuusiotuotteet ja niiden karakterisointiin käytettävät menetelmät. Aluksi esitellään AFSI-fuusiotuotekoodi, joka on validoitu JET-tokamakilla. Koodia on sovellettu synteettiseen neutronidiagnostiikkaan JET-tokamakilla. Neutroneiden, tuottonopeus ja spektri on laskettu todellisia diagnostiikkainstrumentteja vastaavissa geometrioissa käyttäen plasmakokeiden dataa. Lisäksi laskentatuloksia on verrattu kvalitatiivisesti kokeellisesti arvoihin ja todettu menetelmien vastaavan hyvin mitattuja arvoja eri detektoreja vastaavissa sijainneissa. Neljännessä osassa kuvataan kokonaisuudessaan laskentaketju plasmaparametrien mallinnuksesta laitoksen termohydrauliikkaan painottuen erityisesti plasmafysiikan ja neutronien kulkeutumisen mallinnuksen kytkemiseen. Esimerkkitapauksena on käytetty ITER-tokamakin ennustettuja plasmaparametreja ja rakennemallia. AFSI on kytketty ASCOT-hiukkasseurantakoodiin, joka määrittää reagoivien hiukkasten sijainnin, tiheyden ja energiat. Fuusiotuotteiden perusteella on muodostettu neutronilähde Serpent-neutronitransportkoodille, jota on käytetty reaktorinkomponenttien annosnopeuslaskun suorittamiseen, joka voidaan kytkeä edelleen termohydrauliikkamalliin

Cost optimal energy performance renovation measures in a municipal service building in a cold climate

The energy saving potential of existing buildings is significant compared to new buildings in the EU region. To reduce significantly the CO2 emissions of buildings, energy efficiency of old buildings need to be improved. Aim of this study is to determine cost-optimal solutions for energy renovation and renewable energy production systems for an old existing service building. The example building of this study is a residence for elderly people, which was built in 1955 and located in Finland. This study was carried out by a dynamic building simulation tool IDA-ICE and multi objective optimization tool MOBO. The cost-optimal renovation concepts were determined from over 2.6 billion renovation measure combinations to minimize both target energy consumption and life-cycle costs over 20 years. The results show that air-to-water heat pump is more cost effective heating system for the studied building than district heating from the building owner point of view. Improving thermal insulation level of the external wallsfrom the original level is not the most cost-effective option to improve the energy efficiency of the building. Instead of that, for example, installation of PV and solar thermal systems are recommended in all the cost-optimal solutions regardless of the target energy consumption level.Peer reviewe