Research oriented projects on design themese:A master semester at AAU

How can design students do research-oriented projects about design themes? At the 3rd semester at the Industrial Design Master Program at Aalborg University this is done by taking research oriented learning objectives on design theories and methods and combining them with experimental case studies with or without external parties like companies and consultancies. Programming the project is a large part of the 2 month long project work and a “program ” is handed in and evaluated after 3 weeks. During this programming the design students are going through a pre-reflection process, where they are designing the setup including the experiment or case that they will be carrying out. This approach shares characteristics of a regular research project, but the extent and level of complexity is much lower and the experiment and case is larger part of the project. At the other end of the project the analysis and discussion of the project is also significantly less in extent and complexity. This paper will use four case projects to demonstrate the variety and range of projects carried out under this research-oriented semester called “Research & Strategy”. Even with a variety in extent, context and structure they all meet the learning objectives and the output of the projects are beyond ordinary design proposals, instead they are centred on methodological issues and suggestion for improvements providing collaborating partners with valuable insight and feedback. At the same time the scientific attitude and professional self-reflection amongst students are improved

Prediction and observation of post-admission hematoma expansion in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage

Post-admission hematoma expansion in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) comprises a simultaneous major clinical problem and a possible target for medical intervention. In any case, the ability to predict and observe hematoma expansion is of great clinical importance. We review radiological concepts in predicting and observing post-admission hematoma expansion. Hematoma expansion can be observed within the first 24 hours after symptom onset, but predominantly occurs in the early hours. Thus capturing markers of on-going bleeding on imaging techniques could predict hematoma expansion. The spot sign observed on CTA is believed to represent on-going bleeding and is to date the most well investigated and reliable radiological predictor of hematoma expansion as well as functional outcome and mortality. On non-contrast CT, the presence of foci of hypoattenuation within the hematoma along with the hematoma-size is reported to be predictive of hematoma expansion and outcome. Because patients tend to arrive earlier to the hospital, a larger fraction of acute ICH-patients must be expected to undergo hematoma expansion. This renders observation and radiological follow-up investigations increasingly relevant. Transcranial duplex sonography has in recent years proven to be able to estimate hematoma volume with good precision and could be a valuable tool in bedside serial observation of acute ICH patients. Future studies will elucidate, if better prediction and observation of post-admission hematoma expansion can help select patients, who will benefit from haemostatic treatment

Power estimations for non-primary outcomes in randomised clinical trials

Objective and methods: It is rare that trialists report power estimations of non-primary outcomes. In the present article, we will describe how to define a valid hierarchy of outcomes in a randomised clinical trial, to limit problems with Type I and Type II errors, using considerations on the clinical relevance of the outcomes and power estimations. Conclusion: Power estimations of non-primary outcomes may guide trialists in classifying non-primary outcomes as secondary or exploratory. The power estimations are simple and if they are used systematically, more appropriate outcome hierarchies can be defined, and trial results will become more interpretable

Effortless Fault Localisation:Conformance Testing of Real-Time Systems in Ecdar

Model checking of real-time systems has evolved throughout the years. Recently, the model checker Ecdar, using timed I/O automata, was used to perform compositional verification. However, in order to fully integrate model checking of real-time systems into industrial development, we need a productive and reliable way to test if such a system conforms to its corresponding model. Hence, we present an extension of Ecdar that integrates conformance testing into a new IDE that now features modelling, verification, and testing. The new tool uses model-based mutation testing, requiring only the model and the system under test, to locate faults and to prove the absence of certain types of faults. It supports testing using either real-time or simulated time. It parallelises test-case generation and test execution to provide a significant speed-up. We also introduce new mutation operators that improve the ability to detect and locate faults. Finally, we conduct a case study with 140 faulty systems, where Ecdar detects all faults.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2018, arXiv:1809.0241

Inducible limb-shaking transitory ischemic attacks:A video-documented case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Limb-shaking transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a well-recognized, but rare observation in contralateral carotid steno-occlusive disease. Consequently, most clinicians have not had the chance to witness an attack. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the story of a 64-year old gentleman with exercise-induced weakness associated with tremor in his right arm. His left internal carotid artery was occluded at the bifurcation. Administration of statin and antiplatelet did not relieve his symptoms, and his stereotypic, exercise-induced “limb-shaking” episodes persisted. He underwent successful extracranial to intracranial (EC-IC) bypass, which stopped his symptoms. The patient, however, returned to our department and reported that he was able to recreate his original symptoms by compressing the bypass graft manually. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case with video documentation of the clinical appearance of a limb-shaking TIA. We hope this case report will increase the physicians’ understanding of the clinical nature of limb-shaking TIAs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-016-0601-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Design Education: Collaboration and Cross-Disciplinarity: Proceedings of 2016 18th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Aalborg, Denmark, 8-9 September 2016

The 18th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE) was held at the University of Aalborg on the 8th and 9th September 2016. The conference was hosted by the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology at the University of Aalborg, Denmark, in close collaboration with the Design Education Special Interest Group (DESIG) of the Design Society, and the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED). The E&PDE conference was initiated in 1999 in the United Kingdom and was consolidated as an international conference in 2004; alternately taking place in the UK and abroad. Its objective is to facilitate the bringing together of people from within education and industry who are interested in sharing expertise on the implementation and analysis of contemporary and developing methodologies in engineering and design education. It provides educators and researchers from product development, engineering and industrial design, together with industry and government representatives, with a platform for discussion on topical educational issues in design education and its future direction

Prothrombin complex concentrate versus placebo, no intervention, or other interventions in critically bleeding patients associated with oral anticoagulant administration: a protocol for a systematic review of randomised clinical trials with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Background: Acute critical bleeding is one of the most feared complications during treatment with oral anticoagulating agents. As more patients undergo treatment with anticoagulating agents, critically bleeding episodes in patients with vitamin K antagonists, thrombin inhibitor, or factor Xa inhibitor-inducted coagulopathy will be encountered frequently by physicians. Hence, an effective treatment capable of reversing the iatrogenic coagulopathy in the acute setting is needed. In randomised clinical trials and observational studies, prothrombin complex concentrate has been reported to be superior to other acute interventions, and many guidelines recommend prothrombin complex concentrate in treatment of critically bleeding patients. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence of the effects of prothrombin complex concentrate compared with placebo, no intervention, or other treatment options in critically bleeding patients treated with oral anticoagulants. Methods/design: A comprehensive search for relevant published literature will be undertaken in Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Science Citation Index, regulatory databases, and trial registers. We will include randomised clinical trials comparing prothrombin complex concentrate versus placebo, no intervention, or other interventions in critically bleeding patients with oral anticoagulant-induced coagulopathy. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be handled by two independent review authors. Meta-analysis will be performed as recommended by Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, bias will be assessed with domains, and trial sequential analysis will be conducted to control random errors. Certainty will be assessed by GRADE. Discussion: As critical bleeding in patients treated with oral anticoagulants is an increasing problem, an up-to-date systematic review evaluating the benefits and harms of prothrombin complex concentrate is urgently needed. It is the hope that this review will be able to guide best practice in treatment and clinical research of these critically bleeding patients. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD4201808437