128 research outputs found

    Kirjasto Tuiraan

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    Tiivistelmä. Suunnittelin kandityössäni uuden kirjaston Oulun Tuiraan, aivan Merikosken voimalaitoksen viereen. Kirjastolle annoin nimeksi Klifo. Klifo, eli kallioseinämäinen rantatörmä kuvastaa rakennuksen muodostamaa jyrkkää kallionkielekettä, joka tarjoaa vaikuttavia näkymiä niin rakennuksen sisältä, terassilta kuin Merikosken sillaltakin. Rakennus asettuu luontevasti puiston aiemmin epäkäytännöllisimpään osaan rajaamalla samalla puistoaluetta pois muuntamon kyljestä ja tukemalla puiston toimintaa ikään kuin halaten sitä. Samalla se säilyttää puistosta aukeavat näkymät Toivoniemen suuntaan. Kirjaston massoittelu koostuu kahdesta solidista toisiinsa nähden taitetusta kappaleesta, jotka on aseteltu toimintojen, näkymien ja luonnonvalon kannalta harkitusti. Julkisivujen kova ja tumma liuskekivi viittaa teollisen ympäristön voimakkuuteen ja voimalaitoksen tummiin ikkunasyvennyksiin. Interiöörien pehmeän lämpimät puupinnat puolestaan kontrastisesti muodostavat vastaanottavan ja miellyttävän tilan opiskella, lukea ja työskennellä. Sisääntulosyvennys ikään kuin halkaisee massasta palasen, paljastaen sisätilojen lämpimän puun, monitoimitilan toiminnot ja näkymäakselin rakennuksen läpi. Heti sisälle astuttaessa aula tarjoaa vaikuttavan tilallisen kokemuksen ja muodostaa selkeät kulkusuunnat infopisteelle, kahvioon, kirjastosaleihin, narikkaan ja monitoimitilaan. Monitoimitilan avattavat lasiseinät mahdollistavat yhteisöllisten avointen tapahtumien järjestämisen samalla puiston toimintaa tukien. Aulasta laskeuduttaessa kohti kirjastosaleja avautuu vaikuttava näkymä Merikoskeen ja muodostaa samalla luonnollisen siirtymän hiljaisempaan tilaan. Kirjastosalien kirjahyllyt ovat matalia, jotta niistä näkee yli. Lasten ja aikuisten yhtenäisen kirjastosalin lisäksi kerroksessa on opiskeluun ja työskentelyyn varattu hiljainen tila, äänieristetty bändihuone ja portaikon alle sijoittuva lasten pehmeä lukuluola. Pystyjaolliset valoaukot korostavat ulkoisesti massan solidiutta ja luovat sisälle vaikuttavaa valon ja varjon vuoropuhelua hilliten samalla suoraa auringonpaistetta yhdessä kirjastosalin edustan köynnöskasvillisuuden kanssa

    Time-course of exercise and its association with 12-month bone changes

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exercise has been shown to have positive effects on bone density and strength. However, knowledge of the time-course of exercise and bone changes is scarce due to lack of methods to quantify and qualify daily physical activity in long-term. The aim was to evaluate the association between exercise intensity at 3, 6 and 12 month intervals and 12-month changes in upper femur areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and mid-femur geometry in healthy premenopausal women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Physical activity was continuously assessed with a waist-worn accelerometer in 35 healthy women (35-40 years) participating in progressive high-impact training. To describe exercise intensity, individual average daily numbers of impacts were calculated at five acceleration levels (range 0.3-9.2 <it>g</it>) during time intervals of 0-3, 0-6, and 0-12 months. Proximal femur aBMD was measured with dual x-ray absorptiometry and mid-femur geometry was evaluated with quantitative computed tomography at the baseline and after 12 months. Physical activity data were correlated with yearly changes in bone density and geometry, and adjusted for confounding factors and impacts at later months of the trial using multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Femoral neck aBMD changes were significantly correlated with 6 and 12 months' impact activity at high intensity levels (> 3.9 <it>g</it>, <it>r </it>being up to 0.42). Trochanteric aBMD changes were associated even with first three months of exercise exceeding 1.1 <it>g </it>(<it>r </it>= 0.39-0.59, <it>p </it>< 0.05). Similarly, mid-femoral cortical bone geometry changes were related to even first three months' activity (<it>r </it>= 0.38-0.52, <it>p </it>< 0.05). In multivariate analysis, 0-3 months' activity did not correlate with bone change at any site after adjusting for impacts at later months. Instead, 0-6 months' impacts were significant correlates of 12-month changes in femoral neck and trochanter aBMD, mid-femur bone circumference and cortical bone attenuation even after adjustment. No significant correlations were found at the proximal or distal tibia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The number of high acceleration impacts during 6 months of training was positively associated with 12-month bone changes at the femoral neck, trochanter and mid-femur. These results can be utilized when designing feasible training programs to prevent bone loss in premenopausal women.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Clinical trials.gov NCT00697957</p

    Latent variable based model predictive control: Ensuring validity of predictions

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    This paper presents a methodology to constrain the optimisation problem in LV-MPC so that validity of predictions can be ascertained. LV-MPC is a model-based predictive control methodology implemented in the space of the latent variables and is based on a linear predictor. Provided real processes are non-linear, there is model-process mismatch, and under tight control, the predictor can be used for extrapolation. Extrapolation leads to bad predictions which deteriorates control performance, hence the interest in validity of predictions. In the proposed approach first two validity indicators on predictions are defined. The novelty in the two indicators proposed is they neglect past data, and so validity of predictions is ascertained in terms of future moves which are actually the degrees of freedom in the optimisation. Second, the indicators are introduced in the optimisation as constraints. Provided the indicators are quadratic, recursive optimisation with linearised constraints is implemented. A MIMO example shows how ensuring validity of predictions neglecting past data can improve closed-loop performance, specially under tight control outside the identification region. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The first author is recipient of a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FPU AP2007-04549). This paper is partially funded by projects DPI2008-02133/DPI, TIN2011-28082 and PROMETEO/2012/028. The authors gratefully acknowledge reviewers' comments.Laurí Pla, D.; Sanchís Saez, J.; Martínez Iranzo, MA.; Hilario Caballero, A. (2013). Latent variable based model predictive control: Ensuring validity of predictions. Journal of Process Control. 23(1):12-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprocont.2012.11.001S122223

    Transient peak-strain matching partially recovers the age-impaired mechanoadaptive cortical bone response

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    Mechanoadaptation maintains bone mass and architecture; its failure underlies age-related decline in bone strength. It is unclear whether this is due to failure of osteocytes to sense strain, osteoblasts to form bone or insufficient mechanical stimulus. Mechanoadaptation can be restored to aged bone by surgical neurectomy, suggesting that changes in loading history can rescue mechanoadaptation. We use non-biased, whole-bone tibial analyses, along with characterisation of surface strains and ensuing mechanoadaptive responses in mice at a range of ages, to explore whether sufficient load magnitude can activate mechanoadaptation in aged bone. We find that younger mice adapt when imposed strains are lower than in mature and aged bone. Intriguingly, imposition of short-term, high magnitude loading effectively primes cortical but not trabecular bone of aged mice to respond. This response was regionally-matched to highest strains measured by digital image correlation and to osteocytic mechanoactivation. These data indicate that aged bone’s loading response can be partially recovered, non-invasively by transient, focal high strain regions. Our results indicate that old murine bone does respond to load when the loading is of sufficient magnitude, and bones’ age-related adaptation failure may be due to insufficient mechanical stimulus to trigger mechanoadaptation

    Effectiveness of Gamification in Knee Replacement Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial With a Qualitative Approach

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    Background: Exergames can provide encouraging exercise options. Currently, there is limited evidence regarding home-based exergaming in the postoperative phase of total knee replacement (TKR).Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 4-month postoperative home-based exergame intervention with an 8-month follow-up on physical function and symptoms among older persons undergoing TKR compared with home exercise using a standard protocol. In addition, a concurrent embedded design of a mixed methods study was used by including a qualitative component within a quantitative study of exergame effects.Methods: This was a dual-center, nonblinded, two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial with an embedded qualitative approach. This study aimed to recruit 100 patients who underwent their first unilateral TKR (aged 60-75 years). Participants were randomized to the exergame or standard home exercise arms. Participants followed a custom-made exergame program independently at their homes daily for 4 months. The primary outcomes at 4 months were function and pain related to the knee using the Oxford Knee Score questionnaire and mobility using the Timed Up and Go test. Other outcomes, in addition to physical function, symptoms, and disability, were game user experience, exercise adherence, physical activity, and satisfaction with the operated knee. Assessments were performed at the preoperative baseline and at 2, 4, and 12 months postoperatively. Exergame adherence was followed from game computers and using a structured diary. Self-reported standard exercise was followed for 4 months of intervention and physical activity was followed for 12 months using a structured diary. Qualitative data on patients' perspectives on rehabilitation and exergames were collected through laddering interviews at 4 and 12 months.Results: This study was funded in 2018. Data collection began in 2019 and was completed in January 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unavoidable situation in the study for recruitment, data collection, and statistical analysis. As of November 2020, a total of 52 participants had been enrolled in the study. Primary results are expected to be published by the end of 2022.Conclusions: Our study provides new knowledge on the effects of postoperative exergame intervention among older patients with TKR. In addition, this study provides a new understanding of gamified postoperative rehabilitation, home exercise adherence, physical function, and physical activity among older adults undergoing TKR.</p

    Hypothermia-induced hyperphosphorylation: a new model to study tau kinase inhibitors

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    Tau hyperphosphorylation is one hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Pharmaceutical companies have thus developed kinase inhibitors aiming to reduce tau hyperphosphorylation. One obstacle in screening for tau kinase inhibitors is the low phosphorylation levels of AD-related phospho-epitopes in normal adult mice and cultured cells. We have shown that hypothermia induces tau hyperphosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. Here, we hypothesized that hypothermia could be used to assess tau kinase inhibitors efficacy. Hypothermia applied to models of biological gradual complexity such as neuronal-like cells, ex vivo brain slices and adult non-transgenic mice leads to tau hyperphosphorylation at multiple AD-related phospho-epitopes. We show that Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 inhibitors LiCl and AR-A014418, as well as roscovitine, a cyclin-dependent kinase 5 inhibitor, decrease hypothermia-induced tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to different tau phosphorylation profiles. Therefore, we propose hypothermia-induced hyperphosphorylation as a reliable, fast, convenient and inexpensive tool to screen for tau kinase inhibitors
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