3,064 research outputs found
From the Group of Twenty to the Group of Two: The Need for Harmonizing Derivatives Regulation Between the United States and the European Union
Wireless Sensor Networks are often deployed in great numbers spanning large, sometimes hard to reach and hostile, areas with the aim of monitoring environmental conditions through the use of different sensors. Due to decreasing costs of ownership (e.g. non-proprietary protocols), recent advances in processor, radio, and memory technologies and the engineering of increasingly smaller sensing devices, the availability and area of application for wireless sensor networks have steadily been increasing. Sigma Technology Development Stockholm AB raised the question as to whether a wireless sensor network, running an open-source operating system and communicating over IPv6, could be used in the field of smart autonomous irrigation? The company also required a proof-of-concept system for demonstration purposes and to identify if the design choices made were suitable for an actual implementation. There are numerous of design decisions that have to be made when constructing an irrigation system: the back-end set-up, which irrigation algorithms to use, what hardware to choose and how to communicate? This thesis therefore focuses on the overall system design of a wireless sensor network in the field of irrigation and highlights the trade-offs being made and their pros and cons. Two improvements related to the existing technology and the proof-of-concept system are presented in this thesis. Firstly, the recommendation to use clustered self-healing routing despite claimed power consumption issues. Secondly, a new technique to minimize power consumption, by dynamically changing the sleep interval on the sensor nodes with the help of weather data. Furthermore, the proof-of-concept system is constructed and analysed to assess whether the system design choices made are valid for a real-life deployment.Trådlösa sensor nätverk används för att övervaka lokala miljöförändringar med hjälp av olika sorters sensorer. På grund av nedåtgående driftkostnader (ökad tillgänglighet av open-source mjukvara) och framsteg inom processor-, radio-, och datorminnesteknolgi har både tillgängligheten och användningsområdena för trådlösa sensornätverk stadigt ökat. Sigma Technology Development AB ställde frågan huruvida ett trådlöst sensornätverk, som använder sig av ett open-source operativsystem och kommunicerar över IPv6, kunde användas inom smart konstbevattning? Företaget ville även att ett proof-ofconcept system utvecklades för demonstration samt för att kunna avgöra om de designval som gjorts är lämpliga att använda i en verklig implementation. Det finns en mängd designval som måste göras när man konstruerar ett bevattningsystem: back-end lösningen, vilka bevattningsalogritmer som ska användas, vilken hårdvara som ska användas samt hur kommunikationen mellan noderna ska upprättas? Det här examensarbetet fokuserar därför på den övergripande systemdesigen av ett trådlöst sensornätverk inom konstbevattning, utvärderar och avgör vilka kompromisser som måste göras samt för- och nackdelarna med dessa val. Examensarbetet presenterar vidare två förbättringar på det utvecklade konceptsystemet som inte heller finns på marknanden. Först rekommenderas användandet av robusta självläkande routing protokoll trots påstådda energiförbrukningsproblem. Sedan föreslås även en teknik som minimerar energiåtgången genom att dynamiskt ändra hur länge sensornoden befinner sig i ’sleep mode’, detta med hjälp av insamlad väderdata. Slutligen så konstrueras och analyseras proof-of-concept systemet för att utvärdera om dessa designval är lämpliga för en implementering i det verkliga livet
Alternating predicates in Icelandic and German: a sign-based construction grammar account
A long-standing divide between Icelandic and German in the literature takes for granted that there are non-nominative subjects in Icelandic, while corresponding arguments in German have been analyzed as objects (Zaenen, Maling & Thráinsson 1985, Sigurðsson 1989). This is based on two differences between these languages, a) differences with regard to control and conjunction reduction, and b) an apparent subject behavior of the nominative in Dat-Nom constructions in German. This article focuses on the latter, introducing into the discussion the concept of alternating predicates, that is, Dat-Nom predicates that systematically alternate between two diametrically-opposed argument structure constructions, Dat-Nom and Nom-Dat. A comparison between Icelandic and German shows that Icelandic Dat-Nom predicates are of two types, a non-alternating líka type and an alternating falla í geð type, whereas German seems to exhibit only the alternating type. On this assumption, the apparent subject behavior of the nominative in German is easily explained, since such occurrences in fact involve the Nom-Dat construction and not the Dat-Nom construction. Therefore, the subject behavior of the nominative does not invalidate a subject analysis of the dative in Dat-Nom constructions in German. The analysis is couched in the framework of Sign-Based Construction Grammar (Sag 2012)
Potilaiden kokemukset tehohoidosta
Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on selvittää tehohoitopotilaiden kokemuksia tehohoidosta. Tavoitteena on tuoda esille tärkeimmät tehohoidon kokemuksellisuuteen vaikuttavat tekijät, sekä havainnollistaa potilaiden kokemuksia tehohoidosta. Opinnäytetyömme on osa Siltasairaala –hanketta ja tarkoituksenamme on tuottaa hyödynnettävää materiaalia käytettäväksi opetuksen tueksi, sekä yleisesti kaikille aiheesta kiinnostuneille. Meilahden alueelle rakentuva uusi Siltasairaala –hanke korvaa osan Töölön sairaalasta, sekä Syöpäklinikan toiminnoista. Päämääränämme on kerätä tietopohjaa, jota voidaan hyödyntää kehittäessä potilaiden tehohoitoa potilaslähtöisemmäksi. Opinnäytetyömme on toimeenpantu kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Olemme hankkineet tietoa eri tietokannoista käyttäen erilaisia hakuyhdistelmiä. Tiedonhakuihin käytettiin tietokantoja Cinahl ja PubMed. Analyysiämme varten valikoitui 22 tutkimusta, jotka olivat yhdenmukaisia hakukriteereidemme kanssa. Joukosta löytyy suomalaisia ja ulkomaalaisia tutkimuksia. Aineisto analysoitiin deduktiivisella eli teorialähtöisellä sisällönanalyysillä, systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen periaatteita hyödyntäen.
Tuloksista käy ilmi, että vaikka yleisesti potilaat ovat tyytyväisiä saamaansa hoitoon, teho-hoidosta löytyy paljon parannettavaa. Yhdeksi suurimmista negatiivisista seikoista potilaan kokemuksellisuuden kannalta muodostui teho-osaston äänimaailma. Tasainen, korkea melutaso huonontaa potilaiden unenlaatua ja -määrää. Desibelimäärä saattoi kasvaa tutkimuksen mukaan jopa vahingolliseksi. Unenpuute voi heikentää paranemista ja lisätä stressin ja deliriumin mahdollisuutta. Yksityisyyden puute ja rauhaton ilmapiiri mainitaan epäsuotuisana hoitokokemuksessa. Potilaat jäävät usein ilman tarvittavaa informaatiota, mikä aiheuttaa ahdistusta ja jopa traumaperäisiä stressireaktio-oireita. Tutkimusten mukaan kommunikaation tulisi olla tehohoidossa selkeää ja ymmärrettävää. Onnistuneen kommunikoinnin koettiin olevan positiivisen kokemuksen kannalta ensiarvoisen tärkeää. Sairaalahenkilökunta pystyy vaikuttamaan tehohoidon kokemuksellisuuteen omalla käyttäytymisellään.The principal objective of this study was to examine patients' experiences of intensive care by investigating, researching and highlighting the most important factors affecting the experiences of intensive care. The aim of this study was to systematically review and reinterpret studies of the patient experience of intensive care to obtain a contemporary description of what it means to be an intensive care unit (ICU) patient. This study is part of the Silta-sairaala (in English, 'The Bridge Hospital', own translation) - project, and our aim is to produce beneficial material to those interested, while aiding in the education of the theme. Siltasairaala, being built in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) Meilahti area, Helsinki, Finland, will replace most of the functions of the HUS Töölö Hospital and the Cancer Clinic, Helsinki, Finland. The purpose of the study was to collect information that will be used to develop patient-oriented intensive care. A systematic literature review of relevant studies published until December 2016 was conducted. The information retrieval was achieved by databases CINAHL and PubMed, using a variety of keyword combinations. The data consisted 22 studies after the search was completed with the chosen criteria. Research contains both Finnish and global studies. Data was analyzed by using deductive theory-based content analysis according with the principles of systematic literature re-view methods.
Our study suggests that even though patients are mostly satisfied by the care, there's still much to improve to promote positive patient experience. Human suffering during intensive care is still evident. The intensive care unit environment was found to adversely affect patients in many aspects. One of the main negative aspects of the patient's experiential point of view during the stay was the sound levels and restless atmosphere of ICU. Patients in the intensive care unit are sensitive to sleep deprivation. Disrupted sleep is associated with increased stress and ICU-delirium and may even impair healing. Lack of environmental privacy threatened patients' dignity. Patients were often left without the necessary information, which may worsen distress and even cause post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Studies have shown that communication in the care should be clear and understandable. Successful communication promotes positive experiences of intensive care unit. Staff behavior and the hospital environment can improve patients' experience
Triggering social interactions:chimpanzees respond to imitation by a humanoid robot and request responses from it
Even the most rudimentary social cues may evoke affiliative responses in humans and promote socialcommunication and cohesion. The present work tested whether such cues of an agent may also promotecommunicative interactions in a nonhuman primate species, by examining interaction-promoting behavioursin chimpanzees. Here, chimpanzees were tested during interactions with an interactive humanoid robot, whichshowed simple bodily movements and sent out calls. The results revealed that chimpanzees exhibited twotypes of interaction-promoting behaviours during relaxed or playful contexts. First, the chimpanzees showedprolonged active interest when they were imitated by the robot. Second, the subjects requested ‘social’responses from the robot, i.e. by showing play invitations and offering toys or other objects. This study thusprovides evidence that even rudimentary cues of a robotic agent may promote social interactions inchimpanzees, like in humans. Such simple and frequent social interactions most likely provided a foundationfor sophisticated forms of affiliative communication to emerge
Hämolyse nach Therapie bei unkomplizierter Malaria in Gabun
Jüngste Berichte deuten darauf hin, dass ein erheblicher Teil der mit Artemisininen bei schwerer Malaria behandelten PatientInnen eine verzögerte hämolytische Reaktion (Post-Artemisinin delayed hemolysis - PADH) etwa zwei bis sechs Wochen nach Behandlung erfährt, die eine durch Malaria hervorgerufene Hämolyse übersteigt [1–3]. Bisher wurden keine Todesfälle auf PADH zurückgeführt, jedoch wurde bei einem afrikanischen Kind mit PADH ein Hämoglobin (Hb)-Nadir von 2,8 g/dL berichtet [4]. Derzeit wird die PADH auf einen verzögerten Zellzerfall von ehemals-infizierten Erythrozyten (oie) zurückgeführt, deren intrazellulär gelegene Parasiten nach Artemisinin-Therapie durch den Prozess des Pittings in der Milz entfernt wurden [5]. Die unkomplizierte Malaria ist in Endemiegebieten um ein Vielfaches häufiger als die schwere Malaria. Die wenigen Studien über PADH nach oraler Artemisinin-basierter Kombinationstherapie (ACT) bei unkomplizierter Malaria beschrieben einen Rückgang der Hämatokritwerte oder Abfall des Hbs bei <10% der PatientInnen [6–8]. Bei einer sehr sensitiven Definition von Hämolyse zeigten jedoch acht von 20 PatientInnen mit importierter unkomplizierter Malaria eine Hämolyse nach oraler ACT [9]. Ziel der Arbeit ist, das Vorkommen einer verzögerten Hämolyse bei unkomplizierter Malaria nach oraler Therapie in einem Malaria-Endemiegebiet zu untersuchen [10]. Hierfür wurde eine prospektive Beobachtungsstudie am Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné und am Centre de Recherches Médicales de la Ngounié in Fougamou durchgeführt. Der primäre Endpunkt verzögerter Hämolyse wurde definiert als erniedrigter Haptoglobinwert und erhöhte Laktatdehydrogenase an T14. Die PatientInnen wurden gemäß regionaler Empfehlung mit ACTs behandelt. Zeitgleich fand am Studienort eine ein-armige Phase-2-Studie zur Testung von Fosmidomycin-Piperaquine (Fospip) als Non-ACT bei unkomplizierter Malaria statt. PatientInnen, die an dieser Studie teilnahmen, wurde ebenfalls eine Teilnahme in unserer Studie angeboten. Zwischen März 2015 und Januar 2016 wurden n=93 PatientInnen mit unkomplizierter Malaria rekrutiert, von denen 69 bezüglich des primären Endpunktes an T14 evaluierbar waren. Sechs PatientInnen (9 %) erfüllten die Kriterien einer verzögerten Hämolyse. Hb-Abfälle nach der Therapie wurden nicht beobachtet (kompensierte Hämolyse). Bei 76 % der Studien-PatientInnen bestand am Screeningtag eine mittlere bis schwere Anämie, an T14 wurde bei keinem der PatientInnen eine schwere Anämie beobachtet. Risikofaktoren wie Alter, initiale Parasitämie, prätherapeutischer Hb-Wert und das Therapieregime (ACT vs. Fospip) zeigten keine Assoziation mit dem Auftreten einer verzögerten Hämolyse. Es wurde eine signifikante Korrelation zwischen der Parasitämie und dem Auftreten von oie nach Therapie festgestellt, jedoch nicht zwischen dem Auftreten von oie und einer Hämolyse bzw. Hb-Veränderungen. Der vorpublizierte oie-Schwellenwert als Risikofaktor für das Auftreten einer PADH (0,18/pL) [5] wurde von einer Patientin überschritten, die keine Hämolyse zeigte.Recent reports suggest that a substantial proportion of patients treated with artemisinin drugs for severe malaria experience delayed hemolytic reactions exceeding the hemolysis attributable to malaria [1,2]. Delayed hemolysis occurs two to six weeks after antimalarial treatment [3]. So far, no deaths have been attributed to post-artemisinin delayed hemolysis (PADH), yet a nadir in hemoglobin (Hb) as low as 2.8 g/dL was reported in an African child with PADH [4]. PADH is linked to the destruction of circulating once-infected erythrocytes (oie) from which parasites have been removed by the process of “pitting” in the spleen after artemisinin treatment [5]. As the incidence of uncomplicated malaria exceeds that of severe malaria by far, our study aimed to observe the incidence of delayed hemolysis in uncomplicated malaria after oral Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). Only few studies have described hemoglobin declines in patients with uncomplicated malaria after ACT. The overall incidence was under 10% [6,7,11]. With a very sensitive definition of hemolysis 40% of patients with imported malaria presented hemolysis after oral ACT in another study [9].
In our study delayed hemolysis was defined as low haptoglobin and increased lactate dehydrogenase level on day 14. During March 2015 and January 2016 n=93 patients with uncomplicated malaria were recruited in Gabon. Patients were treated with ACTs according to local recommendations. At the same time a phase-2-study for Fosmidomycin-Piperaquine (Fospip) as Non-ACT for uncomplicated malaria was conducted. Patients recruited until January 2016 were also recruited within our study.
Six of 69 patients (9 %) met the criteria of delayed hemolysis, yet none of them exhibited a decline in hemoglobin levels, indicating compensated hemolysis. In 76 % of the study-population moderate to severe anemia was observed during screening, but no severe anemia was observed on day 14. Risk factors such as age, parasitemia, pre-treatment Hb-levels and treatment regimen (ACT vs. Fospip) did not show any significant association with the occurrence of hemolysis. A significant correlation was seen between the initial parasitemia level and occurrence of oie, but there was no significant correlation between oie-level and occurrence of delayed hemolysis or decline in Hb after treatment. The pre-published threshold of oie (0.18/pL) [5] for PADH was exceeded only by one patient, who did not present delayed hemolysis
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