Economic and Environmental Assessment of Extended Producer Responsibility and No Reuse Policies in Mobile Phone End of Life Networks

This thesis presents an assessment of the economic and environmental effects of Extended Producer Responsibility and No Reuse Policies, by using an agent-based model of Mobile Phone End of Life Networks. Electronic waste of mobile phones is an increasing problem. Governments have reacted by adopting various types of legislation, the most common being Extended Producer Responsiblity (EPR). EPR makes producers reponsible for the collection and processing of their End of Life products. Companies have also reacted. Either because of fear of competition of reused phones, or because of data security concerns, some companies have adopted No Reuse Policies (NRP). NRP means that phones are not allowed to be reused. The findings show that EPR is beneficial for the environment and for the economics of refurbishers. The effects do depend heavily on the disposal choices made by individual consumers. Findings also show that the effects of NRP are not significant. Because the effects (of EPR) depend heavily on parameters which are not yet supported by data, further research should concentrate on gathering empiric evidence.Energy and IndustryTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Een school voor iedereen - Een revalidatiecentrum in de gemeenschap Bos & Lommer

This graduationproject is a design of a transformation of the Daniel Goedkoopschool to a child rehabilitationcentre in the district of Amsterdam. This school was built according to the guidelines of Publieke werken Amsterdam. A school with the principles of light, space and air. In my design I brought this principles back in a modern way to this area.RMITArchitectureArchitectur

Análisis de retroposición de la pared anterior del seno frontal en cirugía de reconstrucción frontonasoorbitaria para feminización del tercio superior facial. Definición del punto craneométrico “Prominencia Frontal” mediante estudio de TAC tridimensional

La cirugía de feminización facial (CFF) se puede definir como aquel conjunto de técnicas quirúrgicas diseñadas para suavizar y modificar rasgos faciales que son percibidos como masculinos y que son decisivos en la identificación del género facial del individuo. El complejo frontonaso-orbitario es, posiblemente, el área que tiene más peso en el reconocimiento del género facial, por lo que su remodelado y reconstrucción resultan cruciales para obtener resultados feminizadores naturales. A la hora de abordar su tratamiento se han planteado dos opciones posibles: fresado de la pared anterior del seno frontal o bien reconstrucción mediante osteotomía de la pared anterior del seno frontal y su posterior retroposición y fijación. La hipótesis planteada en esta tesis doctoral consiste en comprobar que la retroposición de la pared anterior del seno frontal mediante la técnica de reconstrucción en pacientes transexuales de hombre a mujer consigue asemejarse a la anatomía de la región frontal de una mujer cis (biológica). Para ello se determinará y definirá un nuevo punto craneométrico denominado PF (prominencia frontal), siendo éste el punto de máxima proyección de la frente, el cual se medirá al punto craneométrico sella (S) mediante el uso de estudios de tomografía axial computarizada y reconstrucción tridimensional en una serie de 30 pacientes intervenidos de cirugía de feminización facial a los que se ha realizado cirugía de reconstrucción frontonaso-orbitaria con osteotomía y retroposición de la pared anterior del seno frontal, comparándolos con los mismos puntos craneométricos de 30 mujeres cis (biológicas). Las conclusiones a las que se ha llegado son: 1) El punto craneométrico PF tiene una gran relevancia en el tratamiento del tercio superior facial ya que define el patrón de género craneofacial. 2) El punto Glabela no sirve como referencia al estar situado en línea media. 3) la distancia entre Sella y PF tras la cirugía de reconstrucción frontonaso-orbitaria es equiparable a la muestra de pacientes cisgénero. 4) El uso de TAC 3D es fundamental para una correcta evaluación y 5) los resultados tras la cirugía de reconstrucción son superiores al fresado puro de la pared anterior del seno frontal

Non-stationary multivariate extreme events in mangrove environments: A global impact assessment

Mangrove is a coastal vegetation type primarily located in the tropical regions between 5 North and 5 South. This coastal vegetation is capable of reducing the force of incoming waves. This is a result of the obstruction created by the roots, stems and canopies against waves to propagate through. Because of this capability, mangrove vegetation offers coastal protection against extreme annual flood events for 15 million people. Recent studies identified that in 2050, the present-day 100-year extreme sea level will occur annually in a large part of the tropical region. The increase of these extreme events is primarily driven by the projected sea level rise. The hypothesis is that before this chronic flooding is observed, storm-induced flooding might already be observed. The expected increase in the probability of these extreme events is defined as non-stationarity of extreme events. The hypothesis therefore is that the non-stationarity of extreme events could already be observed in historical data.This study examined non-stationary extreme events between 1987 and 2018 for a total of 5809 hydrodynamic environments distributed around the global mangrove coastline. These mangrove environments defined the hydrodynamic wave characteristics and water levels. The results showed that 87.5% of the mangrove environments have a positive trend in the location parameter of the Generalized Pareto Distribution for the extreme events. The shift of the location parameter indicates an increase of the impact of the extreme events. These extreme events were defined as multivariate extreme events consisting of the significant wave height, the mean wave period and the skew-storm surge, respectively the parameters Hs, Tm and S. This combination is based on the fact that the coastal protection offered by mangroves is depending on the water level and the energy within the long-period waves.The methodology proposed is capable to perform a non-stationary multivariate extreme value analysis and observe the evolution of the extreme events in these three dimensions between 1987 and 2018. The study showed that the average of the extreme events has been increasing at 70.6%, 72.6% and 64.6% of the mangrove environments in the discussed three dimensions. The average multivariate extreme event in mangrove environments increased by 0.06 m, 0.16 s, and 0.7 cm in three dimensions respectively Hs, Tm, and S. Furthermore, the number of extreme events increased, on average, between the first and second half of the time period, from 4.16 to 4.32 extreme events per year.The global impact assessment of the non-stationarity of these multivariate extreme events was translated to the 27440 mangrove locations along the global coastlines. Statistical upscaling methods allowed the application of a numerical expensive hydrodynamic model to propagate the offshore conditions to onshore. The impact of the non-stationarity of extreme events was applied to a theoretical framework, introducing the possibility of defining the vegetation width as an optimization parameter. To meet the same safety standard for the 1/40 year design condition in 2018 concerning 1987, the vegetation width of the theoretical framework had to increase on average by 16.8 m. After post-processing the hydrodynamic runs, the results showed that the coastal safety offered by mangrove vegetation is depending on the combined impact of these three parameters, emphasizing the importance of expanding the mangrove vegetation to withstand the non-stationary multivariate extreme event.The main recommendations from this study are based on the results. First, the study showed that the required vegetation width to ensure coastal safety has increased. It is therefore highly questionable if a stationary extreme value analysis is still valid in these environments, especially when the currently neglecting sea level rise is taken into account. Second, the observed increase in multivariate extreme events and the number of extreme events may reduce the persistence of mangroves and therewith their ability as coastal protection. It is therefore recommended to monitor the condition of the global mangrove forests more closely and to take action when mangrove vegetation is decreasing.Civil Engineering | Hydraulic Engineerin

Topic Oriented Open Learning (TOOL) platforms: a novel approach for open education – experiences of two initiatives

Independently and unknowingly of each other, in two different subject fields, open learning platforms arose, that address similar needs and have similar set-ups, and differ from existing open education formats such as Open Educational Resources (OER) repositories and MOOCs. They appear to form a specific new type of platform, that we dubbed ‘Topic Oriented Open Learning’ (TOOL) platform. They combine domain specificity, OER, and tools to facilitate the learning process. This combination is new. Existing commercial domain-specific platforms and educational felt needs inspired to the creation of these platforms. We describe these two examples and experiences with their usage and extract generic characteristics of TOOL platforms. Compared to existing approaches, TOOLs make it easier to use OER in teaching. By linking TOOLs to institutional learning management systems they engrain the usage of OER in the daily teaching routine and thus offer a unique opportunity for promoting of open education

Technical and Clinical Considerations for Facial Feminization Surgery With Rhinoplasty and Related Procedures.

Together with the forehead reconstruction, feminization of the nose is one of the most common procedures in facial feminization surgery. Rhinoplasty surgical techniques, which provide correct support and stability in the midterm to long term, are essential for obtaining a predictable result. To report on the technical and clinical considerations of rhinoplasty and related procedures to feminize the nose, harmonize the nose in relation to the other modified structures (mainly the forehead and maxillomandibular complex), and achieve an aesthetic result beyond gender differences. Case series study of feminization rhinoplasties, in combination with lip-lift techniques, forehead reconstruction, and other procedures, were performed at a private practice between January 11, 2010, and May 29, 2015, in 200 consecutive male-to-female transgender patients. The mean (SD) medical follow-up for patients was 32 (18.84) months (range, 12-77 months). Frontonasal angles were objectively measured. Postoperative and long-term patient satisfaction were assessed. Clinical analysis and evaluation using the 5-point Nose Feminization Scale, with 1 indicating very masculine or nose is worse and 5 indicating very feminine or exceptional result. In these 200 patients, the mean (SD) age was 40.2 (12.2) years (range, 18-70 years). The mean (SE) frontonasal angle changed from 133.64° (0.63°) to 149.08° (0.57°) (difference in means, -15.44; 95% CI, -17.12 to -13.76; P  In this case series of feminization rhinoplasties in combination with lip-lift techniques and forehead reconstruction, frontonasal angles were changed, and patient satisfaction with outcomes was high. The main goal of rhinoplasty in facial feminization surgery is to obtain feminine nasal features and the harmonization of the nose with the rest of the face. Lip-lifts and frontonasal recontouring can complement rhinoplasties associated with facial feminization surgery. 4

Preferences of AP position of the straight Caucasian facial profile

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