No / There is an ongoing debate about the reasons for and factors contributing to healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Different solutions have been proposed over time to control the spread of HAI, with more focus on hand hygiene than on other aspects such as preventing the aerial dissemination of bacteria. Yet, it emerges that there is a need for a more pluralistic approach to infection control; one that reflects the complexity of the systems associated with HAI and involves multidisciplinary teams including hospital doctors, infection control nurses, microbiologists, architects, and engineers with expertise in building design and facilities management. This study reviews the knowledge base on the role that environmental contamination plays in the transmission of HAI, with the aim of raising awareness regarding infection control issues that are frequently overlooked. From the discussion presented in the study, it is clear that many unknowns persist regarding aerial dissemination of bacteria, and its control via cleaning and disinfection of the clinical environment. There is a paucity of good-quality epidemiological data, making it difficult for healthcare authorities to develop evidence-based policies. Consequently, there is a strong need for carefully designed studies to determine the impact of environmental contamination on the spread of HAI.

Yes / Every industry has significant data output as a product of their working process, and with the recent advent of big data mining and integrated data warehousing it is the case for a robust methodology for assessing the quality for sustainable and consistent processing. In this paper a review is conducted on Data Quality (DQ) in multiple domains in order to propose connections between their methodologies. This critical review suggests that within the process of DQ assessment of heterogeneous data sets, not often are they treated as separate types of data in need of an alternate data quality assessment framework. We discuss the need for such a directed DQ framework and the opportunities that are foreseen in this research area and propose to address it through degrees of heterogeneity.

Arbetet är till grund för högskoleingenjörsexamen i maskinteknik som har utförts tillsammans med företaget Swede Marine Propulsion som tillverkar och installerar styrsystem på fartyg. Syftet med arbetet var att genom inlärda kunskaper under utbildningen optimera ett fartygs bränsleförbrukning sett till hur mycket marin tillväxt som fartyget har på skrovet. Detta för att minska bränsleförbrukningen och därmed minska utsläppen för fartyget.  För att undersöka detta har en omfattande litteratursökning genomförts med hjälp av relevant teori och beräkningar. Simulering och visualisering har genomförts i MATLAB. Samt har de framtagna modellerna implementerats i iX Developer och företagets styrsystem. Resultatet som påvisades är att det totala motståndet för fartyget ökar exponentiellt sätt till ökad hastighet genom vattnet. Resultatet visar även att de framtagna modellerna går att implementera i ett övervakningssystem vilket ger möjlighet att följa tillväxten på fartygsskrovet under drift.  Slutsatsen är att implementera denna typ av övervakningssystem skulle bidra till bättre medvetenhet då det är dags att rengöra skrovet. Detta skulle potentiellt minska både bränsleförbrukningen samt bränslekostnaderna för fartygen. Även att det finns möjlighet till vidareutveckling av systemet genom att ta hänsyn till flera faktorer såsom luftmotstånd, vindar och vattenströmmar. Men också i form av att justera styrningen av fartyget sett till hur mycket tillväxt som förekommer på skrovet exempel som att öka motorvarvtalet vid ökad tillväxt. / The report is the basis of a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The work was done with Swede Marine Propulsion, a company specializing in manufacturing and installing steering systems on ships. The purpose of the project was to optimize a ship's fuel consumption. This was done by using the knowledge acquired during the education and it will focus on the amount of marine growth on the hull. The overall project was aimed at reducing fuel consumption and thus lowering emissions from the ship. To solve the objectives of the project, an extensive literature review was conducted, utilizing relevant theory and calculations. Simulations were carried out in the form of MATLAB graphs. The implementation of calculations was put into the program iX Developer and the company's steering system. The results showed that the total resistance of the ship exponentially increases with higher speeds through the water. By implementing a monitoring system that can assess how fuel consumption varies with different levels of hull growth, the result can be observed. The conclusion drawn is that implementing this type of monitoring system would provide better insight into when hull cleaning is necessary. This would reduce both fuel consumption and fuel costs for the ship. There is potential for further development of the system by considering factors such as air resistance, winds, and water currents. Lastly, an additional action could be increasing the engine RPM in response to increased growth.

Yes / In this work, we considered model-based simulation and optimisation of a medium scale brackish water desalination process. The mathematical model is validated using actual multistage RO plant data of Al- Hashemite University (Jordan). Using the validated model, the sensitivity of different operating parameters such as pump pressure, brackish water flow rate and seasonal water temperature (covering the whole year) on the performance indicators such as productivity, product salinity and specific energy consumption of the process is conducted. For a given feed flow rate and pump pressure, winter season produces less freshwater that in summer in line with the assumption that winter water demand is less than that in summer. With the soaring energy prices globally, any opportunity for the reduction of energy is not only desirable from the economic point of view but is an absolute necessity to meet the net zero carbon emission pledge by many nations, as globally most desalination plants use fossil fuel as the main source of energy. Therefore, the second part of this paper attempts to minimise the specific energy consumption of the RO system using model-based optimisation technique. The study resulted not only 19 % reduction in specific energy but also 4.46 % increase in productivity in a particular season of the year. For fixed product demand, this opens the opportunity for scheduling cleaning and maintenance of the RO process without having to consider full system shutdown.

So, Chun Lung. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-196). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; appendix in Chinese.

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published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Contexte: Les agents de nettoyage sont des substances qui aident l'eau dans le processus de nettoyage. Les biocides comprennent les substances utilisées pour désinfecter, désodoriser, stériliser et assainir. L'utilisation d'agents de nettoyage, de biocides et d'autres produits liés au nettoyage est omniprésente. Certaines études suggèrent que l'exposition professionnelle à des substances liées au nettoyage peut être associée au cancer du poumon. Objectif: Examiner l'association entre le risque de cancer du poumon et l'exposition professionnelle aux agents de nettoyage, aux biocides et à d'autres agents de nettoyage. Méthodes: Cette étude utilise les données de deux études cas-témoins basées sur la population sur le cancer du poumon (étude 1: 1979-1986; étude 2: 1996-2001) menées à Montréal. Dans les deux études, les cas comprenaient des hommes ayant reçu un diagnostic de cancer du poumon confirmé histologiquement dans 18 hôpitaux métropolitains de Montréal. Dans les deux études, un ensemble de témoins de population sélectionnés au hasard à partir de la liste électorale du Québec a été établi (étude 2: 762 cas et 899 témoins); tandis que dans l'étude 1, un groupe témoin de cancer supplémentaire a été sélectionné à partir d'un groupe d'autres patients diagnostiqués avec un autre cancer incident (857 cas, 533 témoins de population, 1349 témoins de cancer). Dans les deux études, des antécédents professionnels détaillés ont été recueillis au cours des entretiens; une équipe de chimistes et d'hygiénistes industriels a ensuite évalué l'exposition professionnelle à de nombreuses substances professionnelles, notamment des agents de nettoyage, des biocides, des alcools aliphatiques, de l'ammoniac, de la soude caustique, des cires et des produits de polissage. Une régression logistique multivariée nonconditionnelle a été utilisée pour estimer les ratios des côtes et les intervalles de confiance à 95% du risque de cancer du poumon associé à diverses mesures de l'exposition professionnelle à ces six agents, tout en ajustant pour les facteurs de risque établis. Les interactions selon l'intensité du tabagisme et l'état d'asthme ont été explorées avec l'inclusion de termes de produits croisés. Résultats: Dans l'ensemble, il n'y avait pas d'association cohérente soutenant le rôle de l'exposition professionnelle aux agents de nettoyage, aux biocides et à d'autres agents de nettoyage dans l'étiologie du cancer du poumon. Bien qu'il y ait eu des preuves que l'intensité du tabagisme peut modifier l'association entre la soude caustique et le risque de cancer du poumon dans l'étude 1; où, chez les fumeurs de faible intensité, une augmentation du risque par trois a été observée par rapport à une association nulle observée chez les fumeurs d'intensité moyenne à forte (pInteraction=0,03). Alors que, dans l'étude 2, les personnes exposées professionnellement à des alcools aliphatiques et qui ont déjà souffert d'asthme ont connu quatre fois du risque de cancer du poumon par rapport à une association nulle observée chez ceux qui n'ont jamais eu d'asthme (pInteraction = 0,04). Conclusion: Pris ensemble, les résultats de cette étude ne soutiennent pas le rôle de l'exposition professionnelle aux agents de nettoyage, aux biocides et à d'autres produits de nettoyage dans l'étiologie du cancer du poumon. / Background: Cleaning agents are materials that aid water in the cleaning process. Biocides include materials used to disinfect, deodorize, sterilize, and sanitize. The use of cleaning agents, biocides, and other cleaning-related agents is ubiquitous. Some studies suggest that occupational exposure to cleaning-related substances may be associated with lung cancer. Objective: To examine the association between lung cancer risk and occupational exposure to cleaning-related agents. Methods: This study uses data from two population-based case-control studies on lung cancer (Study 1: 1979-1986; Study 2: 1996-2001) carried out in Montreal. In both studies, cases included men diagnosed with incident histologically confirmed lung cancer identified across 18 Montreal metropolitan hospitals. In both studies, a set of population-based controls randomly selected from the Quebec electoral list was established (Study 2: 762 cases and 899 controls); while in Study 1, an additional cancer control group was selected from a pool of other patients diagnosed with incident cancer (857 cases, 533 population controls, 1349 cancer controls). In both studies, detailed lifetime job histories were collected during interviews; a team of chemists and industrial hygienists then evaluated occupational exposure to many occupational substances including cleaning agents, biocides, aliphatic alcohols, ammonia, caustic soda, and waxes and polishes. Unconditional multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for lung cancer risk associated with various metrics of occupational exposure to these six agents, while adjusting for established risk factors. Interactions by smoking intensity and asthma status were explored with the inclusion of cross-product terms. Results: Overall, there was no consistent association supporting a role of occupational exposure to cleaning agents, biocides, and other cleaning-related agents in lung cancer etiology. Though there was some evidence that smoking intensity may modify the association between caustic soda and lung cancer risk in Study 1, where, among never-low intensity smokers, a threefold increase in risk was observed in comparison to a null association observed among medium-heavy intensity smokers (pInteraction=0.03). While, in Study 2, those occupationally exposed to aliphatic alcohols and who have ever had asthma experienced a four-fold increase in lung cancer risk in comparison to a null association observed among those who have never had asthma (pInteraction = 0.04). Conclusion: Taken together, the results of this study do not support the role of occupational exposure to cleaning agents, biocides, and other cleaning-related agents in lung cancer etiology.

No description available.

Für die Reinigungseffizienz ist die Kenntnis des Wirkzusammenhangs zwischen Schmutzbeschaffenheit und Reinigungsverhalten bedeutsam, da der Reinigungsbedarf von den Schmutzeigenschaften bestimmt wird. Bisher ist jedoch unzureichend dokumentiert, worauf der Reinigungsbedarf von kohäsiven Lebensmittelrückständen im immergierten System zurückgeführt werden kann. Anhand von Reinigungsuntersuchungen in einer Fließzelle werden die Auswirkungen physikochemischer Schmutzparameter (z.B. elektrisches Potential, energetischer Zustand, Molekülgröße) von Proteinen und Stärken getestet, um Empfehlungen für eine ressourceneffiziente Reinigungspraxis abzuleiten. Die Vielfalt der physikochemischen Eigenschaften von Lebensmittelinhaltsstoffen wird durch gezielte Modifizierung (physikalisch, chemisch, enzymatisch) simuliert und unter Anwendung verschiedener Analysetechniken charakterisiert. Die vorgestellte Durchflusszelle ermöglicht vergleichende Untersuchungen zum Abtragsverhalten an einer Vielzahl von Verschmutzungen in verschiedenen Messkonfigurationen. Es konnten Prozessbedingungen (Fließrate, Temperatur) identifiziert werden und die Genauigkeit der Fließmethode durch Vergleich von spektroskopisch und gravimetrisch ermittelten Abtragswerten gezeigt werden. Die Reinigungsuntersuchungen an Polymerverschmutzungen zeigten eine deutliche Differenzierung hinsichtlich Polymerart und pH der Modifizierung und können auf Lifschitz van der Waals- oder elektrostatische Wechselwirkungen zurückgeführt werden. Die Auswirkungen hitzeinduzierter Strukturveränderungen und der Proteinvernetzung waren nicht signifikant. Der Grad der enzymatischen Stärkehydrolyse wurde über rheologische Messungen und den DE-Wert charakterisiert, wobei mit zunehmender Inkubationsdauer die Reinigungseffizienz in ähnlicher Weise zur Löslichkeit steigt. Die Anwendung eines Enzymreinigers aus Diastase verbesserte signifikant die Reinigungseffizienz von Stärke- sowie Dextrinverschmutzungen und es wurde eine Modellvorstellung abgeleitet, nach der geringer kationisch geladene, niederenergetische und niedermolekulare Rückstände einen kleineren Reinigungsbedarf erfordern.