Vehicle Delay-Driven Passenger Delay Modelling: An Agent-Based Copenhagen Case Study

Travel time of passengers is often uncertain due to lack of punctuality of public transport services. Whereas Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data makes it easy to measure the punctuality of public transport vehicles themselves, calculating door-to-door passenger punctuality is challenging, as both the intended and realised routes of passengers have to be considered. This study introduces a MATSim mesoscopic simulation framework for evaluating passenger punctuality caused by vehicle delays in the railway system in the metropolitan area of Copenhagen. Based upon empirical train delay data for 65 weekdays in the autumn of 2014, the model shows that passenger punctuality is considerably smaller than train punctuality, with 17.8% of the passengers using the railway system being delayed more than a minute compared to their intended plan

Hyaluronate levels in donor organ washout effluents: a simple and predictive parameter of graft viability

The principal cause of primary non-function in orthotopic liver transplantation is thought to be preservation injury to the microvasculature. We, therefore, evaluated if effluent levels of hyaluronate, whose uptake is an endothelial cell marker, could predict early graft function and ultimate graft outcome in orthotopic liver transplantation. A total of 102 cases were studied in two phases. In the first phase, we attempted to determine if a correlation existed between effluent hyaluronate levels, early graft function and ultimate graft outcome. This phase of the study was also used to determine hypothetical cut-off values for hyaluronate which could discriminate between good and bad livers. Thirty-two livers orthotopically transplanted to randomly selected primary recipients were studied. After varying periods of static cold storage (4°C) in University of Wisconsin solution, the livers were reinfused with cold (4°C) lactated Ringer’s solution. The first 50 ml of the reperfusion effluent was collected from the infrahepatic vena cava. Effluent samples were analyzed for hyaluronate. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between effluent hyaluronate levels and post-operative aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels (p<0.001 for both). Logistic regression demonstrated a highly significant correlation (p = 0.0056) between effluent hyaluronate levels and ultimate graft outcome. Generation of Receiver Characteristics Curves indicated that a level between 400 and 430 μg·l(−1) could possibly discriminate between good livers and those at risk of early graft failure. The authenticity of this hyaluronate cut-off level was further confirmed in the second phase of the study where 70 consecutive primary crossmatch-negative transplants were performed. A highly significant difference was observed in peak aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels in the first week (p<0.0006 and p<0.0005, respectively) between livers with effluent hyaluronate levels≤400 μg·l(−1) and livers with hyaluronate levels higher than 400 μg·l(−1) Logistic regression revealed a highly significant correlation between effluent hyaluronate levels and graft success (p=0.0001). Since hyaluronate uptake by the microvascular endothelial cell is significantly greater than production, high hyaluronate effluent levels in failed livers would be due to decreased hyaluronate uptake by the injured microvascular endothelial cell. We therefore conclude that effluent hyaluronate levels may prove to be a reliable preoperative test to assess early graft function and outcome in clinical orthotopic liver transplantation

Verdiskaping og sysselsetting i tilleggsnæring i Trøndelag

Hovedmål for dette prosjektet har vært å finne den økonomiske verdiskapingen og sysselsettingen i tilleggsnæringer i trøndelagsfylkene. Målet har også vært å se på hvilke driftsformer innen tilleggsnæringer som er av størst økonomisk betydning, og hvilke driftsformer som har hatt størst vekst de seinere årene. Dessuten har det vært av interesse å gi en oversikt over omfanget av annen næring og lønnsinntekter til brukerfamilier som driver med tilleggsnæringer. Tilleggsnæring er næringsvirksomhet der en foredler brukets produkter, eller benytter gårdsbrukets ressurser, som areal, maskiner, bygninger med mer, utover tradisjonelt landbruk. Bakgrunnen for prosjektet ligger for en stor del i fylkesmennenes behov for underlagsmateriale for å koordinere utformingen av regionale strategier for landbruksrelatert næringsutvikling. Vår intensjon har vært at resultatene fra prosjektet skal være av betydning som beslutningsstøtte i den sammenheng. Data fra NILFs driftsgranskinger viser at det er liten eller ingen sammenheng mellom driftsoverskudd i jordbruket og driftsoverskudd i tilleggsnæring. Dette er bekreftet av andre undersøkelser. Fra driftsgranskingene vet vi også at det er betydelige forskjeller mellom landsdeler når det gjelder andelen av bruk med tilleggsnæringer. Mens tilleggsnæringsdata fra driftsgranskingene var kjent, var det usikkerhet omkring tilleggsnæringer på bruk utenfor driftsgranskingenes utvalgsgrunnlag, og for tilleggsnæringer til eiendommer med skog uten jordbruksdrift. Kjente data var utilstrekkelige for de beregningene trøndelagsfylkene hadde behov for. Det ble derfor gjennomført en intervjuundersøkelse blant brukere på mindre bruk i Trøndelag. Vi har også brukt data fra en tilsvarende undersøkelse NILF har gjennomført for hele landet. Når det gjelder skogeiendommer uten jordbruksdrift har SSB gjennomført en undersøkelse som vi har benyttet tilrettelagt materiale fra. […]publishedVersio

Evaluation of protocol before transplantation and after reperfusion biopsies from human orthotopic liver allografts: Considerations of preservation and early immunological injury

Light microscopic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis of protocol before transplantation and after reperfusion biopsy specimens from 87 randomly selected patients was performed to assess the contribution of preservation and immunological injury to early graft failure. Most biopsy specimens were essentially normal by light microscopy before transplantatio, and no particular feature could be relied on to predict function after transplantation. Ultrastructural examination of biopsy specimens before transplantation demonstrated preferential degeneration of sinusoidal lining cells, but no strict correlation was seen between ultrastructural sinusoidal integrity before transplantation and function after transplantation. The presence of zonal or severe focal necrosis and a severe neutrophilic exudate in biopsy specimens after reperfusion presaged a poor early postoperative course in most, but not all, patients. The presence of preformed lymphocytotoxic antibodies had no effect on the early clinical course, but was associated with Kupffer cell hypertrophy in needle biopsy specimens taken after transplantation. No definite evidence was seen of hyperacute rejection as a result of preformed lymphocytotoxic antibodies as detected in conventional assays. These findings suggest that preservation injury accounts for only a subset of grafts that fail to function after transplantation. Other perioperative or “recipient” factors may be of equal or greater importance in early graft dysfunction or failure.(HEPATOLOGY 1990;11:932‐941.). Copyright © 1990 American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

Entwicklung der Biokristallisation für die Unterscheidung von Proben mittels computerunterstützter Texturanalyse und visueller Bildauswertung

Because of the growing market in organic produce screening methods are needed which allow the characterization of the food. Since many years the so called biocrystallization technique has been used to characterize products derived from different farming systems yet the method was not validated. The results of our investigations in the last three years show that the method can fulfill the requirements for the validation process due to international standards. The sample preparation and the crystallization procedures could be standardised and documented. For the crystallization factors of influence were described and controlled. In addition to the traditionally used visual evaluation a new computerized image texture analysis program was succesfully applied. Furthermore visual evaluation was standardized due to international norms used in sensory analysis. With a panel of trained people, crystal patterns from fresh and freeze dried carrot samples can be differentiated as statistically significant. This is a siginificant step forward because this allows the development of a structure analysis programme and will contribute to connect the different approaches within the researches in this field

Forprosjekt Tilleggsnæringer – avklaring av driftsgranskingenes representativitet for mindre bruk

Fra 2001-2004 gikk nær en femdel av antallet bruk i 2001 ut av tilskuddsregisteret hos Statens landbruksforvaltning (SLF). Brukene var små, og avgangen størst innen driftsformer med relativt lav andel av tilleggsnæringer. Samlet arbeidsinnsats i tilleggsnæringer gikk mye ned på landsbasis. I følge driftsgranskingene øker tilleggsnæringer på de gjenværende driftsenhetene så mye at den samlede verdiskapingen likevel mest sannsynlig øker. I landbrukspolitikken har det de seinere årene blitt lagt vekt på å stimulere til ny næringsvirksomhet relatert til landbruksressursene. Gjennom blant annet bygdeutviklingsmidler er det gitt betydelig bidrag til annen virksomhet enn tradisjonelt jordbruk. Gjennom en del datakilder har vi noe kunnskap om omfang og resultater av disse tilleggsnæringene, men det er betydelig interesse for å øke kunnskapen om dette. Et hovedmål for dette prosjektet har vært å avklare om driftsgranskingene er representative også for de brukene som har for liten økonomisk aktivitet til å komme med i utvalgsgrunnlaget for driftsgranskingene. Et annet mål har vært å avklare forekomst og betydning av tilleggsnæringer på bebodde landbrukseiendommer som ikke er med i tilskuddsstatistikken til SLF. Det har også vært et mål å vurdere i hvilken grad driftsgranskingene er egnet som utgangspunkt for en statistikk for tilleggsnæringer, og å vurdere hvilke andre kilder vi kan hente data fra til en slik statistikk. […]publishedVersio

Challenges in Smart Low-Temperature District Heating Development

Previous research and development shows that low temperature district heating (LTDH) system is economic feasible for low energy buildings and buildings at sparse areas. Coupling with reduced network temperature and well-designed district heating (DH) networks, LTDH can reduce network heat loss by up to 75% comparing with the current medium temperature district heating system. Further system efficiency improvement can be achieved through a holistic approach which includes measures such as reduced system design margin, enhanced demand side management and improved operation of decentralized heat generations. The realization of such efficiency improvement measures will increase the demand for well functioned monitoring, communication, control and decision support tools and services to coordinate each component in the DH system