On Systematic Design of Protectors for Employing OTS Items

Off-the-shelf (OTS) components are increasingly used in application areas with stringent dependability requirements. Component wrapping is a well known structuring technique used in many areas. We propose a general approach to developing protective wrappers that assist in integrating OTS items with a focus on the overall system dependability. The wrappers are viewed as redundant software used to detect errors or suspicious activity and to execute appropriate recovery when possible; wrapper development is considered as a part of system integration activities. Wrappers are to be rigorously specified and executed at run time as a means of protecting OTS items against faults in the rest of the system, and the system against the OTS item's faults. Possible symptoms of erroneous behaviour to be detected by a protective wrapper and possible actions to be undertaken in response are listed and discussed. The information required for wrapper development is provided by traceability analysis. Possible approaches to implementing “protectors” in the standard current component technologies are briefly outline

Applying safe flooring in housing environments related to the independent elderly : evaluating suitability flooring technology to absorb impact in the event of a fall

Aplicat embargament des de la data de defensa fins el dia 3/6/2022This research has been developed with the intention of investigating a different generation of pavements. Most of the current pavements have the same basic standard characteristics and this ensures that living conditions are comfortable, safe, and pleasant for the majority of citizens. But a small group of pavements is designed with a specific purpose: to reduce injuries related to people's falls to the ground; They are called CF (compliant flooring in English). A detailed study of CF flooring systems is warranted to assess their usability for vulnerable groups such as the elderly. This study is structured in six chapters. The first chapter has dealt mainly with bibliographic studies and statistical data consulted on official and international websites. This section evaluates the importance of the increase in the elderly population, life expectancy, and threats to the safety and health of the elderly, especially, and their secondary effects. The scope of the research has been carried out internationally, in Europe and within Spain, and finally, specifically for Catalonia. The second chapter presents a brief overview of the interior flooring, specifically considering its comfort and safety during use. The importance and direct relationship between the sole of the foot and the gait mechanism with respect to the type of pavement have been verified. Many factors that influence this have been investigated, such as the physics and biomechanics of the body when walking, the kinematics of falls, and the dynamics of impact. In addition, a general description of the behavior of materials for use in pavements has been made to better understand the behavior of CF systems. In addition, the most suitable strategies to cope with falls and reduce injuries are discussed. Examining other products with appreciable energy-absorbing and shock-reducing capabilities has been helpful in the proposed pre-designs, all of which have been made based on numerical analysis and related standards. The third chapter is already dedicated to the study of technology and research on the most suitable CF systems; studies from academic, commercial, and architecture departments, in general, are included. In this section, some standard tests related to the various selected materials are developed and several examples of similar products are studied. The fourth chapter includes field research (on-site) and analysis of case studies. Several notable flooring companies around the world were contacted by mail, specifically examining those products whose manufacturers claimed to be shock absorbers. This part of the investigation was slowed down by the delay in shipments. Once they arrived, a real environment was sought where they could obtain the opinion of the elderly and the personnel assigned to their care. All the practice tests were carried out in a residence for the elderly in Barcelona for about two months, focusing on the study of the current pavements of the center and the current derived problems related to users.This entire process was completed by interviewing users and caregivers with predefined questionnaires. It should be noted that this allowed us to contrast the quantitative characteristics of the study in combination with the elements of qualitative research. Chapter Five deals with the results, discussions, suggestions for installation and improvement of pavement safety in risk areas. Simulations were also carried out on a possible base structure of the pavements with the finite element method (FEM). Chapter six presents guidelines for future developments. The author further investigated the materials and their structure and is presented them as a basis for future technical developments.The author considers that, with more detailed studies, it would be possible to use as CF system other materials, either natural or recycled based on agricultural products, which would increase the diversity of the CF system offer and promote more sustainable architectureEsta investigación se ha desarrollado con la intención de investigar una generación diferente de pavimentos. La mayoría de los actuales pavimentos tienen las mismas características básicas estándar y ello garantiza que las condiciones de vida sean cómodas, seguras y agradables para la mayoría de los ciudadanos. Pero un grupo reducido de pavimentos está diseñado con un propósito específico: reducir las lesiones relacionadas con las caídas al suelo de las personas; son los denominados CF (compliant flooring en inglés). Un estudio detallado de los sistemas de pavimentos CF está justificado para evaluar su posibilidad de uso para grupos vulnerables como los ancianos. Este estudio se estructura en seis capítulos. En el primer capítulo se han abordado principalmente los estudios bibliográficos y datos estadísticos consultados en sitios web oficiales e internacionales. En esta sección se evalúa la importancia del aumento de la población anciana. El ámbito de la investigación se ha realizado a nivel internacional, en Europa y dentro de España, y finalmente, específicamente para Cataluña. El segundo capítulo se presenta una breve panorámica del pavimento interior. Se ha constatado la importancia y relación directa entre la planta del pie y el mecanismo de andar con respecto al tipo de pavimento. Se han investigado muchos factores que influyen en ello. Además, se ha realizado una descripción general del comportamiento de los materiales al uso en pavimentos para comprender mejor el comportamiento de los sistemas de CF. Además, se discuten las estrategias más idóneas para hacer frente a las caídas y reducir las lesiones. Examinar otros productos con apreciables capacidades de amortiguación de energía y reducción de impactos ha sido de gran ayuda en los prediseños propuestos, todos los cuales se han realizado sobre la base de análisis numérico y los estándares relacionados. El tercer capítulo está dedicado ya al estudio de la tecnología y la investigación sobre los sistemas de C más idóneos; se incluyen estudios procedentes de departamentos académicos, comerciales y de arquitectura en general. En esta sección se desarrollan algunas pruebas estándar relacionadas con los diversos materiales seleccionados y se estudian varios ejemplos de productos similares. El cuarto capítulo incluye investigación de campo (in situ) y análisis de estudios de casos. Se contactó por correo con varias empresas notables de pavimentos en todo el mundo, y se examinaron específicamente aquellos productos cuyos fabricantes afirmaban ser amortiguadores. Esta parte de la investigación se vio ralentizada por la demora en los envíos. Una vez llegados se buscó un ámbito real donde poder recabar la opinión de las personas mayores y del personal adscrito a su cuidado. Todas las pruebas prácticas se realizaron en una residencia de ancianos de Barcelona durante unos dos meses, centrándose en el estudio de los actuales pavimentos del centro y los problemas actuales derivados relacionados con los usuarios. Todo este proceso se completó mediante entrevistas a usuarios y cuidadores con cuestionarios predefinidos. El Capítulo Cinco se refiere a los resultados, discusiones, sugerencias para la instalación y mejora de la seguridad del pavimento en áreas de riesgo. También se realizaron simulaciones sobre una posible estructura base de los pavimentos con el método elemento finito (FEM). El capítulo seis presenta directrices para desarrollos futuros. El autor investigó más a fondo sobre los materiales y su estructura, y se presenta como una base para desarrollos técnicos futuros. El autor considera que, con estudios más detallados, sería posible utilizar como CF otros materiales, bien naturales o reciclados a base de productos agrícolas, lo cual aumentaría la diversidad de la oferta de CF y fomentaría la arquitectura más sostenible.Postprint (published version

Holistic Occupational Therapy Dining Interventions Supporting Individuals with Dementia in Skilled Nursing Facilities

The purpose of this project is to provide occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) with a Holistic Occupational Therapy Dementia Dining Toolkit to enhance the dining experience in the SNF setting for individuals in all stages of dementia. Dementia is a prevalent condition seen in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) that is expected to continue to rise; in 2016, 47.8 percent of individuals living in a SNF had a diagnosis of dementia (Center of Disease Control, 2020). Dining experiences for individuals with dementia (IwD) are impacted by an individual’s cognition, physical, environmental, and psychosocial factors. Additionally, the task oriented and structured approach to the provision of care and often noisy, crowded communal dining in SNFs contribute to challenges associated with facilitating an individualized dining experience (Milte et al., 2017). Despite the ability of OTPs to improve the occupational performance of IwD in important activities of daily living, like dining, occupational therapy services provided and billed in SNFs are heavily focused on therapeutic exercise and therapeutic activity (Rafeedie et al., 2018). Expanding the focus of current dining related interventions in clinical practice can be accomplished by providing additional resources and programming to OTPs. Implementing holistic interventions that facilitate participation in feeding, one of the longest remaining abilities of IwD, affords OTPs the opportunity to actively expand and transform their current practice patterns, and subsequently the culture at SNFs (Rafeedie et al., 2018). To address this gap in practice, this project culminated in the creation and dissemination of an evidence-based, Holistic Occupational Therapy Dementia Dining Toolkit that empowers OTPs to effectively use their full scope of practice in order to enhance the dining experience of IwD in SNFs

Occupational therapy for stroke survivors in UK care homes

Stroke is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. It is the third main cause of death and the largest cause of adult disability in the UK. Stroke is reported to be the second most common cause of disability after dementia in the UK care home population with an estimated 25% of residents living with the consequences of stroke. The aim of this PhD programme of research was to explore the current research evidence for the provision of occupational therapy to stroke survivors living in care homes; investigate current routine occupational therapy practice for this specific stroke population in UK care homes; and to contribute original new knowledge on the health outcomes of sub groups of the care home population with stroke. This study was divided into four distinct projects that were completed alongside a National Institute for Health Research funded phase III multi-centre cluster randomised controlled trial of occupational therapy for care home residents with stroke known as the ‘OTCH study’. The OTCH study evaluated the efficacy of delivering occupational therapy interventions targeted towards increasing and maintaining independent performance of personal self-care activities of daily living and mobility. The PhD student was a member of the OTCH study team with responsibility for delivering the intervention at the Nottingham site. A PhD studentship from the University of Nottingham enabled the development of this complimentary and integrated programme of research. Stage one (reported in chapter two) involved the completion of a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis as a means of systematically appraising published randomised controlled trials of occupational therapy interventions for care home residents with stroke to the highest gold standard. Systematic searching identified 1,436 unduplicated records however only 1 study met the inclusion criteria, with another trial ongoing. There was insufficient evidence from the reviewed randomised controlled trial to determine that occupational therapy improves outcomes for care home residents with stroke and therefore further high quality research in this area is needed. Stage two (reported in chapter three) involved a national online survey study to provide contextual demographic data, along with data on the aims, content, funding and provision of occupational therapy services currently being delivered to stroke survivors residing in UK care homes. Out of a total of 138 completed questionnaires, data were analysed from 114 respondents who met the eligibility criteria of providing assessment and treatment to residents in a care home setting. The survey findings confirmed that occupational therapy is being delivered in some care homes; however, interventions for residents with stroke are not routinely delivered by stroke specialist occupational therapists and are not routinely delivered using a systematic, evidence-based approach. Stage three (reported in chapter four) utilised the raw data from the 1,042 participants recruited to the OTCH study to perform subgroup analysis and predictive modelling (including regression modelling and generalised estimating equation (GEE) modelling) with the aim of further investigating the effect of occupational therapy on various subgroups of the participant sample. Subgroup analysis determined that age, time since stroke onset, cognitive status, mood and pain made no difference to the effect of a three month occupational therapy intervention aimed at improving or maintaining independence in basic ADLs (as measured by the Barthel Index (BI)). Predictive modelling found type of care home (residential or nursing) and cognitive status (dementia or normal cognition) to be a far greater predictor of ADL performance and mobility outcome than whether or not the resident had received the occupational therapy intervention. Stage four (reported in chapter five) involved analysis of the content of occupational therapy intervention delivered to the OTCH study participants and their performance in self-care ADLs to account for possible reasons why the trial produced neutral results by (1) exploring the content of the treatment that the intervention arm participants received from the study occupational therapists; and (2) investigating the performance of those participants who had received the allocated occupational therapy intervention, whilst accounting for possible predictor covariates. Binary logistic regression was used to model the relationship between the dependent outcome variable and the explanatory predictor variables. Results of the analyses demonstrated that the therapists did not allocate their time according to those with greater levels of disability and higher levels of need. Residents with dementia received less therapy input than those with mild cognitive impairment or normal cognition. Cognitive status was the strongest predictor of functional outcome. The thesis concludes by highlighting the implications of this new body of research evidence for occupational therapy clinical practice, policy, and future research

Implementación de estrategia para manejo de excepciones basada en componentes: las fachadas de seguridad

Los mecanismos de manejo de excepciones fueron concebidos como un marco de trabajo para implementar tolerancia a fallos en sistemas de software. Más de dos tercios del código de una aplicación, está dedicado a la detección y manejo de errores y excepciones. A menudo, los mecanismos de manejo de excepciones, son mal empleados o se abusa de ellos; el diseño de una estrategia efectiva se considera una tarea difícil puesto que: aumenta considerablemente la complejidad de los sistemas, plantea conflictos con algunos de los principios del diseño orientado a objetos, no existen pautas eficientes, entre otras causas. Por tanto, el manejo de errores y excepciones, es uno de los temas más importantes de la arquitectura del software y, uno de los aspectos más cruciales pero menos tenido en cuenta, en el análisis y diseño de sistemas críticos. Aplicando el concepto de proxies dinámicos, se investigan los detalles de implementación de una simple aunque interesante, estrategia basada en componentes para el manejo de excepciones, disponible en la literatura: las fachadas de seguridad; cuya descripción original carece de información pormenorizada. Las fachadas de seguridad constituyen un nuevo enfoque, que introduce una arquitectura y directrices, estableciendo un framework para el manejo de excepcionesException handling mechanisms were conceived as a means for incorporating fault tolerance into software systems. More than two thirds of the application’s code is dedicated to detecting and handling errors and exceptions. These exception handling systems are often misuse and (or) abused. The design of exception handling in an application is seen as a difficult task because: introduce significant complexity, may conflict with many of the goals of object oriented design, suffers from lack of guidelines, among other things. For these reasons the handling of exceptions and errors is one of the major subject of the software architecture and one of the most critical, but overlooked aspect of critical system design and analysis. I will apply the concept of dynamic proxy to implement a simple but interesting exception handling design approach called safety facades, available in the software architecture literature. The article describing security façades is light on details. The security façade form a new approach that introduce and architecture and best practices to build a viable framework for systems with exception handling.Workshop de Ingeniería de Software y Bases de Datos (WISBD)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Implementación de estrategia para manejo de excepciones basada en componentes: las fachadas de seguridad

Los mecanismos de manejo de excepciones fueron concebidos como un marco de trabajo para implementar tolerancia a fallos en sistemas de software. Más de dos tercios del código de una aplicación, está dedicado a la detección y manejo de errores y excepciones. A menudo, los mecanismos de manejo de excepciones, son mal empleados o se abusa de ellos; el diseño de una estrategia efectiva se considera una tarea difícil puesto que: aumenta considerablemente la complejidad de los sistemas, plantea conflictos con algunos de los principios del diseño orientado a objetos, no existen pautas eficientes, entre otras causas. Por tanto, el manejo de errores y excepciones, es uno de los temas más importantes de la arquitectura del software y, uno de los aspectos más cruciales pero menos tenido en cuenta, en el análisis y diseño de sistemas críticos. Aplicando el concepto de proxies dinámicos, se investigan los detalles de implementación de una simple aunque interesante, estrategia basada en componentes para el manejo de excepciones, disponible en la literatura: las fachadas de seguridad; cuya descripción original carece de información pormenorizada. Las fachadas de seguridad constituyen un nuevo enfoque, que introduce una arquitectura y directrices, estableciendo un framework para el manejo de excepcionesException handling mechanisms were conceived as a means for incorporating fault tolerance into software systems. More than two thirds of the application’s code is dedicated to detecting and handling errors and exceptions. These exception handling systems are often misuse and (or) abused. The design of exception handling in an application is seen as a difficult task because: introduce significant complexity, may conflict with many of the goals of object oriented design, suffers from lack of guidelines, among other things. For these reasons the handling of exceptions and errors is one of the major subject of the software architecture and one of the most critical, but overlooked aspect of critical system design and analysis. I will apply the concept of dynamic proxy to implement a simple but interesting exception handling design approach called safety facades, available in the software architecture literature. The article describing security façades is light on details. The security façade form a new approach that introduce and architecture and best practices to build a viable framework for systems with exception handling.Workshop de Ingeniería de Software y Bases de Datos (WISBD)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Defining and rectifying the gaps in our ability to record and measure eye injuries internationally.

Eye injuries and the resulting vision loss are a significant contributor to monocular vision loss worldwide.(1) Eye injuries can result in immediate and devastating vision loss and are quoted as being 90% avoidable.(2) Whilst eye injury data is available from many countries, the terms, definitions and methods of collection are not uniform and low-and-middle-income countries are underrepresented in the published literature as highlighted in Chapter 1. The capacity to reduce ocular mortality and morbidity requires systematic and aligned data internationally. A systematic review of ocular trauma registries, past and present is provided in Chapter 2. A system for recording ophthalmic trauma data to be used internationally, the International Globe and Adnexal Trauma Epidemiology Study (IGATES) methodology, is presented in Chapter 3. To validate IGATES, a point incidence study was undertaken to examine the impact of fireworks at key festivals, such as Devali and New Year’s Eve. The data for fireworks-related eye injuries is presented in Chapter 4. Based on the need for a consensus-based approach to the terms and definitions associated with ophthalmic (eye and adnexal) trauma was used to provide more the basis for uniform data collection, analysis and informed interventions internationally a survey was conducted. The results of a Delphi survey conducted to achieve consensus on terms and classifications for ophthalmic trauma are presented in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 provides the concluding remarks including aims and implications for future research in the area of ocular trauma

Occupational therapy for stroke survivors in UK care homes

Stroke is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. It is the third main cause of death and the largest cause of adult disability in the UK. Stroke is reported to be the second most common cause of disability after dementia in the UK care home population with an estimated 25% of residents living with the consequences of stroke. The aim of this PhD programme of research was to explore the current research evidence for the provision of occupational therapy to stroke survivors living in care homes; investigate current routine occupational therapy practice for this specific stroke population in UK care homes; and to contribute original new knowledge on the health outcomes of sub groups of the care home population with stroke. This study was divided into four distinct projects that were completed alongside a National Institute for Health Research funded phase III multi-centre cluster randomised controlled trial of occupational therapy for care home residents with stroke known as the ‘OTCH study’. The OTCH study evaluated the efficacy of delivering occupational therapy interventions targeted towards increasing and maintaining independent performance of personal self-care activities of daily living and mobility. The PhD student was a member of the OTCH study team with responsibility for delivering the intervention at the Nottingham site. A PhD studentship from the University of Nottingham enabled the development of this complimentary and integrated programme of research. Stage one (reported in chapter two) involved the completion of a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis as a means of systematically appraising published randomised controlled trials of occupational therapy interventions for care home residents with stroke to the highest gold standard. Systematic searching identified 1,436 unduplicated records however only 1 study met the inclusion criteria, with another trial ongoing. There was insufficient evidence from the reviewed randomised controlled trial to determine that occupational therapy improves outcomes for care home residents with stroke and therefore further high quality research in this area is needed. Stage two (reported in chapter three) involved a national online survey study to provide contextual demographic data, along with data on the aims, content, funding and provision of occupational therapy services currently being delivered to stroke survivors residing in UK care homes. Out of a total of 138 completed questionnaires, data were analysed from 114 respondents who met the eligibility criteria of providing assessment and treatment to residents in a care home setting. The survey findings confirmed that occupational therapy is being delivered in some care homes; however, interventions for residents with stroke are not routinely delivered by stroke specialist occupational therapists and are not routinely delivered using a systematic, evidence-based approach. Stage three (reported in chapter four) utilised the raw data from the 1,042 participants recruited to the OTCH study to perform subgroup analysis and predictive modelling (including regression modelling and generalised estimating equation (GEE) modelling) with the aim of further investigating the effect of occupational therapy on various subgroups of the participant sample. Subgroup analysis determined that age, time since stroke onset, cognitive status, mood and pain made no difference to the effect of a three month occupational therapy intervention aimed at improving or maintaining independence in basic ADLs (as measured by the Barthel Index (BI)). Predictive modelling found type of care home (residential or nursing) and cognitive status (dementia or normal cognition) to be a far greater predictor of ADL performance and mobility outcome than whether or not the resident had received the occupational therapy intervention. Stage four (reported in chapter five) involved analysis of the content of occupational therapy intervention delivered to the OTCH study participants and their performance in self-care ADLs to account for possible reasons why the trial produced neutral results by (1) exploring the content of the treatment that the intervention arm participants received from the study occupational therapists; and (2) investigating the performance of those participants who had received the allocated occupational therapy intervention, whilst accounting for possible predictor covariates. Binary logistic regression was used to model the relationship between the dependent outcome variable and the explanatory predictor variables. Results of the analyses demonstrated that the therapists did not allocate their time according to those with greater levels of disability and higher levels of need. Residents with dementia received less therapy input than those with mild cognitive impairment or normal cognition. Cognitive status was the strongest predictor of functional outcome. The thesis concludes by highlighting the implications of this new body of research evidence for occupational therapy clinical practice, policy, and future research