C1− Continuous crack propagation for mixed-mode fracture problems

In this work a C1− continuous crack propagation algorithm is proposed to improve the numerical simulation of localized deformation patterns, using higher order elements. The algorithm is applied for a standard smeared crack model and is validated by a mixed-mode fracture problem. From the results a reduction of mesh-induced directional bias is observed

Exoot gesignaleerd : risicoperceptie van invasieve exoten en draagvlak voor maatregelen hiertegen

Dit rapport bevat een verkenning van de risicoperceptie van invasieve exoten en het draagvlak voor maatregelen hiertegen onder betrokken partijen. Uit deze verkenning blijkt dat de risicoperceptie hoog is onder partijen die economische gevolgen ondervinden van invasieve exoten. De risicoperceptie is laag als de gevolgen niet direct duidelijk zijn of niet als schadelijk worden ervaren. Een hoge risicoperceptie leidt over het algemeen tot een hoog draagvlak voor maatregelen, al speelt ook de verwachte effectiviteit van maatregelen daarbij een rol. Bepalend voor de risicoperceptie en het draagvlak voor maatregelen zijn gebrek aan kennis, biodiversiteit als collectief goed, tegenstrijdige belangen en tekortkomingen in wet- en regelgevin

Naar een professioneel middenkader op agrarische bedrijven

Rapport met een aantal handvatten voor de verdere professionalisering van het (toekomstige) middenkader in de agrarische sector in Nederland

Determinants of first-time utilization of long-term care services in the Netherlands:An observational record linkage study

Background: Since in an ageing society more long-term care (LTC) facilities are needed, it is important to understand the main determinants of first-time utilization of (LTC) services. Methods: The Andersen service model, which distinguishes predisposing, enabling and need factors, was used to develop a model for first-time utilization of LTC services among the general population of the Netherlands. We used data on 214,821 persons registered in a database of general practitioners (NIVEL Primary Care Database). For each person the medical history was known, as well as characteristics such as ethnicity, income, home-ownership, and marital status. Utilization data from the national register on long-term care was linked at a personal level. Generalized Linear Models were used to determine the relative importance of factors of incident LTC-service utilization. Results: Top 5 determinants of LTC are need, measured as the presence of chronic diseases, age, household size, household income and homeownership. When controlling for all other determinants, the presence of an additional chronic disease increases the probability of utilizing any LTC service by 45% among the 20+ population (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.41–1.49), and 31% among the 65+ population (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.27–1.36). With respect to the 20+ population, living in social rent (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 2.25–2.67, ref. = home-owner) had a large impact on utilizing any LTC service. In a lesser degree this was the case for living alone (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.52–1.75, ref. = not living alone). A higher household income was linked with a lower utilization of any LTC service. Conclusions: All three factors of the Anderson model, predisposing, enabling, and need determinants influence the likelihood of future LTC service utilization. This implies that none of these factors can be left out of the analysis of what determines this use. New in our analysis is the focus on incident utilization. This provides a better estimate of the effects of predictors than a prevalence based analysis, as there is less confounding by changes in determinants occurring after LTC initiation. Especially the need of care is a strong factor. A policy implication of this relative importance of health status is therefore that LTC reforms should take health aspects into account. (aut. ref.

Relatório de viagem as plantações de dendê e coco no Estado do Pará (17/08 a 23/08/1987).

bitstream/item/66782/1/Belem-Doc5-Rel.pdfPublicação não convencional. Datilografado

Development of a Neural Network Embedding for Quantifying Crack Pattern Similarity in Masonry Structures

The degree of similarity between damage patterns often correlates with the likelihood of having similar damage causes. Therefore, deciding whether crack patterns are similar is one of the key steps in assessing the conditions of masonry structures. To our knowledge, no literature has been published regarding masonry crack pattern similarity measures that would correlate well with assessment by structural engineers. Hence, currently, similarity assessments are solely performed by experts and require considerable time and effort. Moreover, it is expensive, limited by the availability of experts, and yields only qualitative answers. In this work, we propose an automated approach that has the potential to overcome the above shortcomings and perform comparably with experts. At its core is a deep neural network embedding that can be used to calculate a numerical distance between crack patterns on comparable façades. The embedding is obtained from fitting a deep neural network to perform a classification task; i.e., to predict the crack pattern archetype label from a crack pattern image. The network is fitted to synthetic crack patterns simulated using a statistics-based approach proposed in this work. The simulation process can account for important crack pattern characteristics such as crack location, orientation, and length. The embedding transforms a crack pattern (raster image) into a 64-dimensional real-valued vector space where the closeness between two vectors is calculated as the cosine of their angle. The proposed approach is tested on 2D façades with and without openings, and with synthetic crack patterns that consist of a single crack and multiple cracks

Prevention of Catheter-Related Bacteremia with a Daily Ethanol Lock in Patients with Tunnelled Catheters: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) results in significant attributable morbidity and mortality. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we studied the efficacy and safety of a daily ethanol lock for the prevention of CRBSI in patients with a tunnelled central venous catheter (CVC). Methodology: From 2005 through 2008, each lumen of the CVC of adult hematology patients was locked for 15 minutes per day with either 70%-ethanol or placebo, where after the lock solution was flushed through. As a primary endpoint, the incidence rates of endoluminal CRBSI were compared. Principal Findings: The intent-to-treat analysis was based on 376 patients, accounting for 448 CVCs and 27,745 catheter days. For ethanol locks, the incidence of endoluminal CRBSI per 1000 CVC-days was 0.70 (95%-CI, 0.4-1.3), compared to 1.19 (95% confidence interval, 0.7-1.9) for placebo (incidence rate-ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.27-1.30; P = .19). For endoluminal CRBSI according to the strictest definition (positive hub culture and identical bacterial strain in blood), a 3.6-fold, non-significant, reduction was observed for patients receiving ethanol (2 of 226 versus 7 of 222; P = .103). No lifethreatening adverse events were observed. More patients receiving ethanol discontinued lock-therapy (11 of 226 versus 1 of 222; P = .006) or continued with decreased lock-frequency (10 of 226 versus 0 of 222; P = .002), due to non-severe adverse events. Conclusions: In this study, the reduction in the incidence of endoluminal CRBSI using preventive ethanol locks was nonsignificant, although the low incidence of endoluminal CRBSI precludes definite conclusions. Therefore, the lack of statistical significance may partially reflect a lack of power. Significantly more patients treated with ethanol locks discontinued their prophylactic treatment due to adverse effects, which were non-severe but reasonably ethanol related. Additional studies should be performed in populations with higher incidence of (endoluminal) CRBSI. Alternative sources of bacteremia, like exoluminal CRBSI or microbial translocation during chemotherapy-induced mucositis may have been more important in our patients. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00122642

Zika virus and the current outbreak:an overview

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to yellow fever virus and dengue virus, is currently causing a large outbreak in the Americas. Historically, ZIKV infection was considered a sporadic, relatively mild disease characterised by fever, maculopapular rash, conjunctivitis and often arthralgia. However, current observational studies suggest that ZIKV may cause more severe neurological sequelae such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, and birth defects, mainly microcephaly, in babies of whom the mother was infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. This article provides a clinically focussed overview of ZIKV, with emphasis on the current outbreak, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools and caveats. </p