Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes are frequently used in the (petro)chemical industry, but they suffer from ineffective use of the sorbent and slow heat transfer. A pressurized multi-stage ...fluidized bed (MSFB) for continuous PSA is proposed in this work to overcome these drawbacks. A one stage fluidized bed adsorber was used to determine minimum fluidization velocities of the used amine sorbent at various pressures up to 10 bara. The design of a pilot scale experimental setup is described, together with supporting experiments to show the proof of concept. Removal from 37,000 mol ppm CO2 to <10 mol ppm CO2 in a few seconds was demonstrated in the pressurized MSFB adsorber. The tray efficiencies were high: often larger than 0.85. Using a numerical particle model, it was concluded that the CO2 adsorption rate is controlled via intraparticle mass transfer.
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•A pilot plant for sour gas removal using continuous PSA in a MSFB was constructed.•Experiments prove that CO2 can be removed over four decades in concentration.•High tray efficiencies indicate that equilibrium is almost obtained at each stage.•The effect of pressure on hydrodynamics does not affect the removal efficiency.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Deliberative mini-publics have been put forward as a form of citizen participation that is particularly well suited to improve the legitimacy of public decision-making. Using a survey experiment, we ...find that the perceived legitimacy of a process that includes a deliberative mini-public is higher than a process in which citizens are not able to participate at all, but no higher than a process that includes a participation method that relies on self-selection. Our findings imply that deliberative mini-publics may not be the right instrument to repair the loss of legitimacy that many democratic institutions are thought to suffer.
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BFBNIB, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Obesity is considered by many as a lifestyle choice rather than a chronic progressive disease. The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) SOPHIA (Stratification of Obesity Phenotypes to Optimize ...Future Obesity Therapy) project is part of a momentum shift aiming to provide better tools for the stratification of people with obesity according to disease risk and treatment response. One of the challenges to achieving these goals is that many clinical cohorts are siloed, limiting the potential of combined data for biomarker discovery. In SOPHIA, we have addressed this challenge by setting up a federated database building on open-source DataSHIELD technology. The database currently federates 16 cohorts that are accessible via a central gateway. The database is multi-modal, including research studies, clinical trials, and routine health data, and is accessed using the R statistical programming environment where statistical and machine learning analyses can be performed at a distance without any disclosure of patient-level data. We demonstrate the use of the database by providing a proof-of-concept analysis, performing a federated linear model of BMI and systolic blood pressure, pooling all data from 16 studies virtually without any analyst seeing individual patient-level data. This analysis provided similar point estimates compared to a meta-analysis of the 16 individual studies. Our approach provides a benchmark for reproducible, safe federated analyses across multiple study types provided by multiple stakeholders.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Weight loss trajectories after bariatric surgery vary widely between individuals, and predicting weight loss before the operation remains challenging. We aimed to develop a model using machine ...learning to provide individual preoperative prediction of 5-year weight loss trajectories after surgery.
In this multinational retrospective observational study we enrolled adult participants (aged ≥18 years) from ten prospective cohorts (including ABOS NCT01129297, BAREVAL NCT02310178, the Swedish Obese Subjects study, and a large cohort from the Dutch Obesity Clinic Nederlandse Obesitas Kliniek) and two randomised trials (SleevePass NCT00793143 and SM-BOSS NCT00356213) in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, with a 5 year follow-up after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, or gastric band. Patients with a previous history of bariatric surgery or large delays between scheduled and actual visits were excluded. The training cohort comprised patients from two centres in France (ABOS and BAREVAL). The primary outcome was BMI at 5 years. A model was developed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator to select variables and the classification and regression trees algorithm to build interpretable regression trees. The performances of the model were assessed through the median absolute deviation (MAD) and root mean squared error (RMSE) of BMI.
10 231 patients from 12 centres in ten countries were included in the analysis, corresponding to 30 602 patient-years. Among participants in all 12 cohorts, 7701 (75·3%) were female, 2530 (24·7%) were male. Among 434 baseline attributes available in the training cohort, seven variables were selected: height, weight, intervention type, age, diabetes status, diabetes duration, and smoking status. At 5 years, across external testing cohorts the overall mean MAD BMI was 2·8 kg/m2 (95% CI 2·6–3·0) and mean RMSE BMI was 4·7 kg/m2 (4·4–5·0), and the mean difference between predicted and observed BMI was –0·3 kg/m2 (SD 4·7). This model is incorporated in an easy to use and interpretable web-based prediction tool to help inform clinical decision before surgery.
We developed a machine learning-based model, which is internationally validated, for predicting individual 5-year weight loss trajectories after three common bariatric interventions.
SOPHIA Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, supported by the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Type 1 Diabetes Exchange, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Obesity Action Coalition; Métropole Européenne de Lille; Agence Nationale de la Recherche; Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique through the Artificial Intelligence chair Apprenf; Université de Lille Nord Europe's I-SITE EXPAND as part of the Bandits For Health project; Laboratoire d’excellence European Genomic Institute for Diabetes; Soutien aux Travaux Interdisciplinaires, Multi-établissements et Exploratoires programme by Conseil Régional Hauts-de-France (volet partenarial phase 2, project PERSO-SURG).
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Using a survey experiment on the topic of tax auditing, we investigate artificial intelligence (AI) use in government decision making through the lenses of citizen red tape and trust. We find that ...individuals consider an AI‐led decision to be lower in red tape and trustworthiness than a decision by a human. We also find that highly complex tasks produce decisions with higher levels of perceived red tape, but that this effect does not vary according to whether the task is AI‐ or human‐led. We argue that researchers and practitioners give more attention to the balance of instrumental and value‐based qualities in the design and implementation of AI applications.
通过使用一项关于税务审计主题的调查实验，我们透过公民官僚程序和信任的视角，研究了政府决策中人工智能（AI）的使用。我们发现，个体认为基于AI的决策与人工决策相比，前者的官僚程序更少，可信度更低。我们还发现，高度复杂的任务所产生的决策具备更高程度的感知官僚程序，并且无论任务由AI完成或由人工完成，这一效果都不变。我们主张，研究者和从业人员应更多地关注AI应用程序设计和执行过程中工具性质和基于价值的性质之间的平衡。
Utilizamos un experimento de encuesta sobre el tema de la auditoría fiscal para investigar el uso de la inteligencia artificial en la toma de decisiones del gobierno a través de los lentes de la burocracia y la confianza de los ciudadanos. Descubrimos que las personas consideran que una decisión impulsada por la inteligencia artificial tiene menos trámites burocráticos y confiabilidad que una decisión de un ser humano. También encontramos que las tareas muy complejas producen decisiones con niveles más altos de burocracia percibida, pero que este efecto no varía según si la tarea está dirigida por IA o por humanos. Argumentamos que los investigadores y los profesionales prestan más atención al equilibrio de las cualidades instrumentales y basadas en valores en el diseño y la implementación de aplicaciones de IA.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Pricing of public goods is particularly challenging for public services that are strongly rights-based in character. Such is the case of freedom of information requesting procedures. Costs have ...implications for how citizens will treat requesting procedures as well as how their views and attitudes towards procedures will be affected. This study examines these causes and consequences using an online experiment with 925 citizens. The findings show that even low costs can have an influence on how willing citizens are to submit requests as well as their satisfaction with the procedure and perception of fairness. Public service motivation and political orientation moderate these effects, but only to a small degree. These findings have implications for citizen participation policies given that citizen attitudes to the right to information depends strongly on trade-offs between the value of information and financial costs of requesting.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Red tape is a salient societal problem but there is a dearth of research on how perceived red tape can be reduced. Building on the transparency literature, we hypothesize that higher levels of ...rationale and process transparency will result in lower levels of perceived red tape. We test our reasoning using a survey experiment. Specifically, we have US citizens rate the level of red tape associated with the burdensome process of obtaining a driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles. We find that providing rationale and process transparency to citizens does not influence perceived red tape. Hence, organizations are advised to look for more fine-grained approaches to reduce perceptions of unnecessarily burdensome rules, while realizing that a certain level of perceived red tape is likely an unavoidable part of bureaucratic functioning.
Points for practitioners
The findings from this study show that merely being transparent about the rationale and process of a burdensome rule is not enough to reduce perceived red tape. Rather, policymakers and managers are advised to gain a better understanding of the different causes of red tape (disentangling genuine concerns from unfounded rhetoric), develop coherent strategies that adequately balance the trade-offs between organizational goals and citizen red tape, and be transparent about these trade-offs.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A growing stream of research in public administration is concerned with how red tape and administrative burden affects citizens. Drawing on the procedural fairness literature, we argue that the ...consistent application of rules reduces perceived red tape. We also hypothesize that red tape perceptions are affected by outcome favorability and that an interaction effect exists between consistency and outcome favorability. Our reasoning is tested with a survey experiment in the context of a federal jury duty summons procedure, and administered to a sample of U.S. citizens through TurkPrime. The statistical results support our hypotheses; perceived red tape is lower if rules are applied consistently and if citizens receive a favorable outcome. We also find that consistently applying a procedure reduces perceived red tape further when citizens receive a favorable outcome. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: Weight loss trajectories (WLT) after bariatric-metabolic surgery are highly heterogenous. We used artificial intelligence to develop, and validate in multiple international cohorts, an ...easy-to-use, interpretable, and generalizable model providing personalized prediction of 5 year-WLT after bariatric-metabolic surgery. Methods: We enrolled 9,807 participants with up to 5-year follow-up after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or gastric band (GB), from six prospective cohort studies in France (A / n=1,498 / RYGB-SG-GB; B / n=348 / SG; C / n=237 / RYGB-SG), Netherlands (D / n=5,888 / RYGB-SG-GB), Sweden (E / n=642 / RYGB-GB), Singapore (F / n=977 / SG-RYGB), and one randomized controlled trial in Switzerland (G / n=217 / RYGB-SG). A machine learning model was derived on A, trained in B, externally validated on CDEF, and tested in G. The study primary outcome was the accuracy of predicted WLT, expressed as the root mean squared error (RMSE) of body mass index (kg/m2), weight (kg), total weight loss (%), or excess weight loss (%) after 1, 2 and 5 years. Results: Among > 1000 attributes available at baseline in cohort A, 7 variables (height, weight, intervention type, age diabetes status, diabetes duration, and smoking status) were selected based on LASSO algorithm, and later used to build interpretable and time dependent regression trees predicting WLT during 5 years after bariatricmetabolic surgery. In cohorts CDEF, the resulting model predicted postoperative body mas index, across all interventions, with an average RMSE of 3.6, 4.2 and 4.6 kg/m2, at 1, 2 and 5 years respectively. This model also outperformed previouly published models in the same cohorts. When applied to each participants of G, the model confirmed the difference in WLT observed between RYFB and SG during the study. Conclusions: In summary, we developed and validated an easy to use and interpretable model predicting individual 5 year-WLT after the three most common bariatric-metabolic interventions. We also showed its generalisability and transportability across multiple prospective cohorts worlwide, as well as in a randomized clinical trial. The companion tool based on this model can be used at the point of care by patients and health care providers to inform clinical decisions (https://bariatric-weight-trajectory-prediction.univ-lille.fr).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Existing research shows that open government can result in better governance outcomes. However, there remains a gap in our understanding of how open government’s two component dimensions of ...transparency and participation – “vision” and “voice” – affect governance outcomes, and how they relate to each other within public decision-making. We use a survey experiment to test the impact of transparency and participation on a range of governance outcomes (satisfaction, perception of fairness, and trust) in a municipal decision-making process. The findings show that both transparency and participation positively affect these governance outcomes. However, we do not find support for an interaction effect of transparency and participation. Implications for research and practitioners are discussed.
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