Peer-reviewed open research data: results of a pilot

Peer review of publications is at the core of science and primarily seen as instrument for ensuring research quality. However, it is less common to value independently the quality of the underlying data as well. In the light of the “data deluge” it makes sense to extend peer review to the data itself and this way evaluate the degree to which the data are fit for re-use. This paper describes a pilot study at EASY - the electronic archive for (open) research data at our institution. In EASY, researchers can archive their data and add metadata themselves. Devoted to open access and data sharing, at the archive we are interested in further enriching these metadata with peer reviews. As pilot we established a workflow where researchers who have downloaded data sets from the archive were asked to review the downloaded data set. This paper describes the details of the pilot including the findings, both quantitative and qualitative. Finally we discuss issues that need to be solved when such a pilot should be turned into structural peer review functionality of the archiving system

Present and Future Role of Battery Electrical Vehicles in Private and Public Urban Transport

The OECD estimates that more than 70% of the developed world population lives in urban environments2, which explains a larger concentration of vehicles there. In the EU-27, there were about 230 million passenger vehicles in 2007 and the new vehicle sales were nearly 16 million vehicles in that year. Notwithstanding the improvements in regulated air pollutants from road transport, the urban population remains at higher risk levels by directly suffering the impact of conventional vehicles because of their closeness to the pollutant source. On one hand urbanization means that people when travelling in their urban environment will typically travel less than 100 km a day. And on the other, that a large percentage of all transâ port and delivery of goods will take place in urban areas. Acceleration and deceleration freâ quency, traffic jams, thus energy efficiency and pollution per km are worst within urban traffic. Many business cases exist for urban electrified road transport because these offer a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than conventional means already today. The abov

Experiences with reviewing data management plans - an LCRDM survey

Deze dataset bevat de resultaten van een survey over het reviewen van datamanagementplannen (DMPs). Het survey is uitgevoerd door de werkgroep Onderzoeksondersteuning en Advies van het Landelijk Coördinatiepunt Research Data Management (LCRDM). Zestig respondenten deelden hun ervaringen en feedback op DMPs via deze survey. De dataset bevat een beknopt rapport, de surveyvragen en de geanonimiseerde data

Межличностные отношения — связывающая структура в системе управления

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are currently more expensive than conventional passenger cars but may become cheaper due to technological learning. Here, we obtain insight into the prospects of future price decline by establishing ex-post learning rates for HEVs and ex-ante price forecasts for HEVs and BEVs. Since 1997, HEVs have shown a robust decline in their price and price differential at learning rates of 7 ± 2% and 23 ± 5%, respectively. By 2010, HEVs were only 31 ± 22 €2010 kW-1 more expensive than conventional cars. Mass-produced BEVs are currently introduced into the market at prices of 479 ± 171 €2010 kW-1, which is 285 ± 213 €2010 kW-1 and 316 ± 209 €2010 kW-1 more expensive than HEVs and conventional cars. Our forecast suggests that price breakeven with these vehicles may only be achieved by 2026 and 2032, when 50 and 80 million BEVs, respectively, would have been produced worldwide. We estimate that BEVs may require until then global learning investments of 100–150 billion € which is less than the global subsidies for fossil fuel consumption paid in 2009. These findings suggest that HEVs, including plug-in HEVs, could become the dominant vehicle technology in the next two decades, while BEVs may require long-term policy support

Systematic screening for COVID-19 associated invasive aspergillosis in ICU patients by culture and PCR on tracheal aspirate

Background A high prevalence of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has been reported, though histopathological evidence is frequently lacking. To assess the clinical significance of Aspergillus species in respiratory samples of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, we implemented routine screening for Aspergillus in tracheal aspirate (TA).Patients/methods From all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), TA samples were collected twice a week for Aspergillus screening by PCR and or culture. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sampling was performed in patients with a positive screening result if possible. Clinical information was obtained from the electronic patient record and patients were categorised according to the recently published consensus case definition for CAPA.Results Our study population consisted of 63 predominantly (73%) male patients, with a median age of 62 years and total median ICU stay of 18 days. Aspergillus species were present in TA screening samples from 15 patients (24%), and probable CAPA was diagnosed in 11 (17%) patients. Triazole resistance was detected in one patient (14%). Concordance between TA and BAL was 86%, and all TA culture positives were confirmed in BAL. We were able to withhold treatment in three of fifteen patients with positive screening (20%) but negative BAL results.Conclusions Positive culture, molecular detection and or antigen detection of Aspergillus species do not equal infection. Until we understand the clinical relevance of Aspergillus species detected in respiratory samples of COVID-19 patients, minimal-invasive screening by TA is a feasible method to monitor patients. Positive screening results should be an indication to perform a BAL to rule out upper airway colonisation.Perioperative Medicine: Efficacy, Safety and Outcome (Anesthesiology/Intensive Care

Quasispecies composition and evolution of a typical Zika virus clinical isolate from Suriname

Molecular Technology and Informatics for Personalised Medicine and Healt

Redox cycling metals: Pedaling their roles in metabolism and their use in the development of novel therapeutics

Essential metals, such as iron and copper, play a critical role in a plethora of cellular processes including cell growth and proliferation. However, concomitantly, excess of these metal ions in the body can have deleterious effects due to their ability to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, the human body has evolved a very well-orchestrated metabolic system that keeps tight control on the levels of these metal ions. Considering their very high proliferation rate, cancer cells require a high abundance of these metals compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, new anti-cancer agents that take advantage of the sensitivity of cancer cells to metal sequestration and their susceptibility to ROS have been developed. These ligands can avidly bind metal ions to form redox active metal complexes, which lead to generation of cytotoxic ROS. Furthermore, these agents also act as potent metastasis suppressors due to their ability to up-regulate the metastasis suppressor gene, N-myc downstream regulated gene 1. This review discusses the importance of iron and copper in the metabolism and progression of cancer, how they can be exploited to target tumors and the clinical translation of novel anti-cancer chemotherapeutics