Espon-Interstrat. Espon in Integrated Territorial Strategies.

The INTERSTRAT project’s overall aim is “to encourage and facilitate the use of ESPON 2013 Programme findings in the creation and monitoring of Integrated Territorial Development Strategies (ITDS) and to support transnational learning about the actual and potential contribution of ESPON to integrated policy-making.” We defined integrated territorial development as ‘the process of shaping economic, social and environmental change through spatially sensitive policies and programmes’

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Satellite images survey for the identification of the coastal sedimentary system changes and associated vulnerability along the western bay of the Gulf of Tunis (northern Africa)

The aim of this study consists in testing the effectiveness of satellite data in order to monitoring shoreline and sedimentary features changes, especially the rapidly changing of Gulf of Tunis coast. The study area is located in the Gulf of Tunis western bay (Southern Mediterranean Sea) which is characterized by sandy beaches of Ghar Melah and Raoued (Medjerda Delta area). The aerial photographs and satellite imageries were used for mapping the evolution of shoreline. Diachronic data (satellite imagery, aerial photography and topographic maps) were used to monitor and to quantify, the evolution of the coastal areas. These thematic data were digitally overlaid and vectorised for highlighting the shoreline changes between 1936 and 2016, in order to map the rate of erosion and accretion along the shoreline. Results show that the accretion and degradation are related to the Medjerda: change of outlet in 1973 and impoundment of the Sidi Salem dam in 1982. We found that the general trend of the coastal geomorphic processes can be monitored with satellite imageries (such as Sentinel A2, Spots 4 and 5), due to its repetitive coverage along the time and their high quality concerning the spectral contrast between land and sea areas. Improved satellite imageries with high resolution should be a valuable tool for complementing traditional methods for mapping and assessing the sedimentary structures (such as shoreline, delta, marine bars), and monitoring especially the lowlands coastal areas (slightly eroded)

Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)–Laponite XLG Nanocomposite Hydrogels: Characterization, Properties and Comparison with Divinyl Monomer-Crosslinked Hydrogels

The present work investigates, for the first time, the synthesis and properties of some nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels obtained by the aqueous solution free radical polymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) in the presence of Laponite XLG (XLG) as a crosslinker, in comparison with the corresponding hydrogels prepared by using two conventional crosslinking divinyl monomers: N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) and tri(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether (DVE). The structure and properties of the hydrogels were studied by FTIR, TEM, XRD, SEM, swelling and rheological and compressive mechanical measurements. The results showed that DVE and XLG are much better crosslinking agents for the synthesis of PNVP hydrogels than MBA, leading to larger gel fractions and more homogeneous network hydrogels. The hydrogels crosslinked by either DVE or XLG displayed comparable viscoelastic and compressive mechanical properties under the experimental conditions employed. The properties of the XLG-crosslinked hydrogels steadily improved as the clay content increased. The addition of XLG as a second crosslinker together with a divinyl monomer strongly enhanced the material properties in comparison with the hydrogels crosslinked by only one of the crosslinkers involved. The FTIR analyses suggested that the crosslinking of the NC hydrogels was the result of two different interactions occurring between the clay platelets and the PNVP chains. Laponite XLG displayed a uniform distribution within the NC hydrogels, the clay being mostly exfoliated. However, a small number of platelet agglomerations were still present. The PNVP hydrogels described here may find applications for water purification and in the biomedical field as drug delivery systems or wound dressings

Efficient Use of Preisach Hysteresis Model in Computer Aided Design

The paper presents a practical detailed analysis regarding the use of the classical Preisach hysteresis model, covering all the steps, from measuring the necessary data for the model identification to the implementation in a software code for Computer Aided Design (CAD) in Electrical Engineering. An efficient numerical method is proposed and the hysteresis modeling accuracy is tested on magnetic recording materials. The procedure includes the correction of the experimental data, which are used for the hysteresis model identification, taking into account the demagnetizing effect for the sample that is measured in an open-circuit device (a vibrating sample magnetometer)