SARS-CoV-2 lineage abundance quantification in wastewater: a benchmark study for the identification of optimal reference set design

Lineage abundance estimation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is a technique that aims to monitor the lineage prevalence in communities and help contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Lineages are collections of closely related mutants of a virus. It is suggested that the genome sequences of lineages differ across the globe due to random mutations or...

Kombinat: The Unseen and Their Architectural Oddkins

Architectural researcher Dorina Pllumbi explores the appropriation of an ex-industrial area of Albania for dwelling purposes. She points out the need for the architectural discipline to learn from the unconventional process of transformation of these realities by their new inhabitants.

A typological analysis of temporary medical structures before and during the Covid-19 pandemic: How can design help us to deal with situations of crisis and emergency?

In situations of crisis, regular hospitals often do not longer suffice the high demand for medical care. In this case, temporary medical structures become indispensable. The Covid 19 pandemic brought to the fore architectural challenges such as the spatial reorganization of healthcare facilities for high occupancy levels, the issue of infection...

Operating Room Scheduling during COVID-19: An advice on planning models in the Reinier de Graaf hospital

During the first COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands, hospitals had to scale down their elective care all over the hospital to make room for COVID-19 patients. Even the Operating Room (OR) reduced their surgeries to acute care. It is, however, hard to define how much the OR should downscale. Also, there are no national plans on how hospitals should...