6,251 research outputs found

    The « Intelligent Wardrobe »

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    In an ageing society technical systems that support the residents at home are becoming increasingly important. Many of the technologies available today focus on detecting falls or monitoring the health of residents. There are a few projects that focus the « smart home for the elderly » and offer support for the daily activities. The Institute of Medical Informatics of the Bern University of Applied Sciences has developed a prototype of an intelligent wardrobe. Based on sensor data from the apartment like inside temperature, weather forecast and todays events suggestions for appropriate clothes are generated and shown on a display. To facilitate the search, the garments are marked in the closet with colored LEDs

    Prevention of hip fractures by external hip protectors - A randomized controlled trial

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    Context: Several randomized controlled trials have been performed to examine the effectiveness of external hip protectors in reducing the incidence of hip fractures, but the results are controversial. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of hip protectors in reducing the incidence of hip fractures in an elderly high-risk population. Design, Setting, and Participants: Randomized controlled trial of elderly persons aged 70 years or older, who have low bone density, and are at high risk for falls. Participants lived in apartment houses for the elderly, homes for the elderly, and nursing homes in Amsterdam and surrounding areas in the Netherlands. They were enrolled in the study between March 1999 and March 2001; the mean follow-up was 69.6 weeks. Of the 830 persons who were screened, 561 persons were enrolled. Intervention: External hip protector. Both groups received written information on bone health and risk factors for falls. Main Outcome Measure: Time to first hip fracture. Survival analysis was used to include all participants for the time they participated. Results: In the intervention group, 18 hip fractures occurred vs 20 in the control group. Four hip fractures in the intervention group occurred while an individual was wearing a hip protector. At least 4 hip fractures in the intervention group occurred late at night or early in the morning. Both in univariate analysis (log-rank P=.86) and in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-2.03), no statistically significant difference between the intervention group and control group was found with regard to time to first hip fracture. In addition, the per protocol analysis in compliant participants did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.25-2.38). Conclusion: The hip protector studied was not effective in preventing hip fractures

    Effect of religious rules on time of conception in Romania from 1905 to 2001

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    study question: Does the interdiction of sexual intercourse during Nativity and Lent fasting periods have any effect on when babies are conceived in Romania, in the 20th century? summary answer: Based on date of birth records from the 20th century, Lent had a greater effect than the Nativity fast on conception within the Eastern Orthodox (ORTHD) population. what is known already: Seasonality of births (and therefore of conception) is affected by geographical factors (latitude, weather, day-length). Other demographic, economic and socio-cultural characteristics (education, ethnicity, religion) have been proved to have an influence on conception. study design, size, duration: The analyzed data consists of registered daily birth records for a long time series (35 429 points ¼ 365 (days/year) × 97 years + 24 leap years), with 24 947 061 births in Romania over the period 1905–2001. The data were obtained from the 1992 and 2002 censuses. participants/materials, setting, methods: Based on the reported birth date of each person, the estimated date of conception is computed using a standard gestation period of 280 days. The population was grouped into two categories (ORTHD and Non-Orthodox (NORTHD)) based on religious affiliation. Data analysis is performed in the same manner for both groups. Preliminary data analyses regarding seasonal variations in conception are considered first. Econometric models are applied and tested. The dependent variable in these models is the calculated date of conception, while the independent variables are: (i) religious affiliation; (ii) dates of Nativity and Lent fasts (the latter varies slightly from year to year); (iii) rural versus urban residence; (iv) length of day-light; (v) non-working days and (vi) trend. The models are tested for validity using analysis of variance while the regression coefficients are tested by the Student t-test. main results and the role of chance: All models are statistically valid (P , 0.01); all regression coefficients for the ORTHD group are valid (P , 0.01, except for rurality between 1990 and 2001, with P , 0.05). The data analysis indicates smaller standard error bars on the parameters for the ORTHD group as compared with the NORTHD group. The conclusion is that religious affiliation is an important factor in date of conception. limitations, reasons for caution: The data do not refer to all births during the analyzed period, but only to those persons still alive at the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The date of conception was estimated assuming 280 days for gestation, which is a medically accepted time interval but will undoubtedly vary. However, the primary independent variables (Lent and Nativity fast at 48 and 40 days, respectively) are long enough to overlap the uncertainty in the conception date following the sexual intercourse event.We also must assume that the religious affiliation of the parents is well defined, based on the information given by their offspring at census time, and is the same for both parents. wider implications of the findings: Our findings are consistent with other studies, which show differences between religious groups on date of conception, although we reach different conclusions regarding the influence of weather on fertility in Romania

    Resources for Workplace Diversity: An Annotated Practitioner Guide to Information

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    [Excerpt] We are pleased to offer this updated edition of Resources for Workplace Diversity: An Annotated Practitioner Guide to Information, a unique offering of The Workplace Diversity Network. Our goal is to assemble a selected, annotated list of compelling and useful resources available to help diversity practitioners create organizations that are diverse and productive. As a working group, we agreed that useful resources would include newly published books as well as historic, seminal works that provide insight and illumination irrelevant of their age. In the updated edition, we’ve expanded existing sections, added new ones and referenced online access where possible. Designed with practitioner needs in mind, Resources for Workplace Diversity is meant to be an evolving document, one that will grow according to the needs and recommendations of its users. To capture the advantage of networking, we invite you to suggest additional resources that you have found to be valuable

    Annual report of the officers of the town of Ashland, for the fiscal year ending December 31 1990.

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    This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire

    Zoning Ordinance Town of York, Maine

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    Supplemental zoning maps attached. Base Zoning Districts Map, 2016 Elderly Housing Overlay District Map, 2015 Farm Enterprise Overlay District Map, 2013 Firearm Discharge Map Map, 2013 Firearms Safety Ordinance Map, 2013 Historic District Village Center-Detail Map, 2003 Historic District Village Center Map, 2016 Historic District York Harbor Map, 2003 Home Occupation Classes Map, 2005 Hospital Overlay District Map, 2018 Lindsay Road Local Historic District Map, 2003 Shoreland Overlay District Northern Section Map, 2008 Shoreland Overlay District Southern Section Map, 2009 Watershed Protection Overlay District Map, 200

    Review of National Survey Data on Eye Health Vision & Eye Health Surveillance System

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    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a cooperative agreement with NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) to establish a vision and eye health surveillance system (VEHSS) for the nation. The VEHSS initiative aims to combine and analyze multiple existing data sources to address knowledge gaps in vision and eye health surveillance. To achieve this, the project team must identify and prioritize available sources of secondary information, define common outcome indicators, analyze and report outcomes from individual data sources, and resolve methods to harmonize or integrate multiple data sources to produce integrated national and state estimates of condition prevalence and service utilization. As an initial step, the VEHSS team reviewed national surveys for potential inclusion in the surveillance system.This report provides a high-level overview of the vision and eye-health related questions included in sixteen national surveys. The included surveys are as follows (in alphabetical order): 1. American Community Survey2. Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System3. Health and Retirement Study4. Longitudinal Supplement on Aging5. Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey6. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey7. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey8. National Health Interview Survey9. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey10. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey11. National Nursing Home Survey12. National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project13. National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being14. National Survey of Children\u2019s Health15. National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs16. Survey on Income and Program ParticipationReviewNationalSurveyDataVEHSS.pdf20181162

    A Proposal for Design Guidelines for Dementia Care Facilities in Hawaii

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    In Hawai‘i, there is a significant population of older adults who suffer with some form of dementia, and the numbers are predicted to increase more rapidly over the next decade as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. At the same time, many care facilities profess to offer various special dementia or memory care programs. But what exactly does this mean? What are the standards these facilities use to ensure proper care of those with dementia? Hawai‘i often trails behind current trends, technologies, and designs, moving laggardly toward necessary change. The field of dementia care in Hawai‘i is no different. There exist no set guidelines or standards by which a care facility must abide in order to offer specialized care. This dissertation addresses this lack. The first part of this project presents the research, which discusses the specifics of Alzheimer's disease and dementia and examines existing design considerations and guidelines, different types of care facilities, and existing dementia care therapies. Case studies take a closer look at four local care facilities that offer dementia or memory care to see how they stand up to the existing body of knowledge and compare to each other. They offer a glimpse into current dementia care in Hawai‘i. The second part of this project presents a set of guidelines for building Dementia Care Facilities in Hawai‘i. This portion is arranged in a format that is accessible to architects and designers
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